Lower Chickahominy Watershed Project

The Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN) is involved in a five-year strategy led by the Department of Environmental Quality's Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (VCZMP) called the Lower Chickahominy Watershed Project (LCWP).  Much of the lower Chickahominy has been identified as having very high to outstanding ecological significance by the Coastal Virginia Ecological Value Assessment (VEVA), a GIS dataset that ranks land and water areas based on modeled ecological and conservation value.

This project was initiated in 2016 and established a collaborative planning process across three counties in the LCWP, east of Richmond, Virginia to identify and establish an overarching vision for land use, land conservation and sustainable economic priorities. The effort supports improved coordination between natural resource agencies, local governments, Indian tribal governments, regional organizations with interests in programs and enforceable policies for coastal areas. This approach also aims to build and strengthen relationships and partnerships among multiple stakeholders across the watershed.