Managing Meadows: VDOT ROW Strategies for Pollinators and Chesapeake Bay Nutrient Reductions
As a large linear landholder, VDOT considers all parts of its right-of-way (ROW) as an asset. VDOT is assuming land stewardship responsibilities for areas outside of travel lanes and clear zones for multiple initiatives, including pollinator habitat for monarch butterflies and land cover conversion to benefit the Chesapeake Bay. VDOT is a participating stakeholder in the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), as well as an MS4 permit holder with Chesapeake Bay TMDL requirements. In this presentation, we will discuss the requirements and benefits of similar land management strategies that can be seen across each program. We will also review similarities and differences for the monitoring and verification of the two programs. Lastly, we will discuss the Department’s next steps for tracking these similar efforts, cost analyses, and showing multi-program benefits across the Department.
Author Bio
Ashley Hall is a senior associate with Stantec, located in the Richmond Virginia office. Ashley specializes in stormwater, TMDL compliance, and project management, having assisted permittees such as VDOT for over a dozen years.
Amy Golden is presently VDOT’s Land Stewardship Program Manager in the Office of Transportation Sustainability. Her current job duties include working with a diverse group of natural resource planners and practitioners to maximize compatible land uses and resources in VDOT’s right-of-way, including aquatic and terrestrial habitat corridors and pollinator habitat.
Joe Parfitt has been working as a project manager with VDOT Environnmental’s TMDL program since 2017 and in early 2023 became VDOT's TMDL Program Manager. In that time, he has managed many projects including stream restorations, BMP retrofits, shoreline stabilizations, reforestations, and others. Joe has over 13 years’ experience working on construction, maintenance, and environmental projects.
