2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 814

Commending Friends of the Rappahannock.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 2025

WHEREAS, Friends of the Rappahannock is celebrating its 40th anniversary of protecting one of the Commonwealth's most beautiful natural resources, the Rappahannock River, through advocacy, restoration, and education; and

WHEREAS, Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) was founded in 1985 as a nonprofit grassroots conservation organization to help maintain the water quality and scenic beauty of the Rappahannock River and its tributaries; and

WHEREAS, FOR has grown from the efforts of a few concerned citizens to a dedicated membership of more than 1,200 individuals and businesses and thousands of volunteers dedicated to protecting the Rappahannock River from its headwaters to the Chesapeake Bay; and

WHEREAS, FOR maintains a presence watershed-wide, with the Upper Rappahannock Office in Rapidan, Middle Rappahannock Office in Fredericksburg, and Lower Rappahannock Office in Tappahannock; and

WHEREAS, FOR helped ban fracking east of Interstate 95, protecting 85,000 acres within the watershed; and

WHEREAS, FOR educated more than 150,000 area schoolchildren through fun and educational field environmental programs; and

WHEREAS, FOR planted more than 250,000 trees that filter pollution, reduce stormwater runoff, and alleviate heat island effects; and

WHEREAS, FOR worked to have 79 miles of the tidal Rappahannock River designated as a Virginia State Scenic River; and

WHEREAS, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, FOR has announced a new goal: a campaign that will help revitalize its headquarters, expand educational offerings, and secure 22 acres of forested land; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Friends of the Rappahannock hereby be commended on the occasion of its 40th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Friends of the Rappahannock as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's commitment to the preservation of the Rappahannock River.