Virginia Resource Use Education Council
- Who is the Resource Use Education Council?
- Member Agencies
- A Business Plan for Environmental Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia
- Meeting Minutes
- Resolution
Who is the VRUEC?
In 1952 Virginia's state and federal natural resource and education agencies, and colleges of education and resource management, came together as the Virginia Resource Use Education Council (VREUC). For more than 50 years, the VRUEC has sponsored conservation courses for teachers trained hundreds of community educators about Virginia's natural resources. Today, the VRUEC continues to embrace new ideas and projects to benefit the educators and students of Virginia.
A subcommittee of the VRUEC is the Virginia Interagency Education Workgroup (VIEW). The Council's VIEW members are tasked with coordinating Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Education Implementation Plan. In addition to VRUEC members, VIEW includes representatives from:
- Virginia Science Educational Leadership Association
- Virginia Association of Science Teachers
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
- Representative teachers
Read the history of the VRUEC.
Chair | Vice-Chair |
Bill Portlock | Cindy Duncan |
| Greg Eaton Claytor Lake Nature Center, Lynchburg College 1501 Lakeside Drive Lynchburg, VA 24501 tel: 434/544-8360 fax: 434/544-8646 eaton.g@lynchburg.edu | Sonya Wolen Danville Science Center, Science Museum of Virginia Assistant Director 677 Craghead Street Danville, VA 24541 tel: 434/791-5168 fax: 434/791-5168 swolen@smv.org |
Adam Goebel | Katie Register |
Dr. Tamra Willis | Vacant |
| Rebecca Askew Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services 102 Governor Street 2nd floor Richmond, VA 23219 tel: 804/786-7157 fax: 804/371-2945 rebecca.askew@vdacs.virginia.gov | Vacant Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services |
| Vacant Department of Conservation and Recreation | Barbara Young Department of Education P.O. Box 2120 Richmond, VA 23218-2120 tel: 804/225-2651 fax: 804/786-1597 barbara.young@doe.virginia.gov |
| Ann Regn, Co-Treasurer Department of Environmental Quality Virginia Office of Environmental Education P. O. Box 1105 Richmond, VA 23218 tel: 804/698-4442 fax: 804/698-4453 amregn@deq.virginia.gov | Virginia Witmer Department of Environmental Quality Virginia Coastal Program P. O. Box 1105 Richmond, VA 23218 tel: 804/698-4320 fax: 804/698-4453 vgwitmer@deq.virginia.gov |
| Lisa Deaton Department of Forestry Project Learning Tree State Coordinator PO Box 635 Sandston, VA 23150 tel: 804/328-3031 fax: 804/328-3033 lisa.deaton@dof.virginia.gov | Ellen Powell Department of Forestry Conservation Education Coordinator 900 Natural Resources Dr Charlottesville, VA 22903 tel: 434/220-9083 fax: 434/296-2369 ellen.powell@dof.virginia.gov |
| Suzie Gilley, Co-Treasurer Department of Game & Inland Fisheries Wildlife Education Coordinator P. O. Box 11104 Richmond, VA 23230 tel: 804/367-0188 fax: 804/367-2311 suzie.gilley@dgif.virginia.gov | Karen Holson Department of Game & Inland Fisheries Outdoor Program Coordinator PO Box 11104 Richmond, VA 23230 tel: 804/367-6351 karen.holson@dgif.virginia.gov |
| Vacant Department of Health | Dee DeRoche Department of Historic Resources 2801 Kensington Ave. Richmond, VA 23221 tel: 804/367-2323 x134 dee.deroche@dhr.virginia.gov |
| Robin Jones Department of Mines, Minerals & Energy Energy Project Manager 202 N. Ninth Street 8th Floor Richmond, VA 23219 tel: 804/692-3224 robin.jones@dmme.virginia.gov | Vacant Department of Transportation |
| R. Eugene Maurakis Science Museum of Virginia Senior Staff Scientist 2500 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23220 tel: 804/367-6552 fax: 804/860-1560 Emaurakis@smv.org | Tim Taglauer |
Vacant | Candace Lutzow-Felling State Arboretum of Virginia & Blandy Experimental Farm University of Virginia 400 Blandy Farm Lane Boyce, VA 22620 tel: 540/837-1758 ext. 230 fax: 540/837-1523 lutzow-felling@virginia.edu |
| Vacant USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service Communications Manager 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 209 Richmond, VA 23229-5014 | Kendall Tyree Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts Education Coordinator 7308 Hanover Green Drive Suite 100 Mechanicsville, VA 23111 tel: 804/559-0324 fax: 804/559-0325 |
Holly Carson | Dr. Anne Wright Virginia Commonwealth University Rice Center |
| Karen Davis Virginia Foundation for Ag. in the Classroom Ag in the Classroom Coordinator P.O. Box 27552 Richmond, VA 23261 tel: 804/290-1143 fax 804/290-1097 aitc@vafb.com | Carol Hopper Brill Virginia Institute of Marine Science P.O. Box 1346 Gloucester Point, VA 23062 tel: 804/684-7735 chopper@vims.edu |
| Vacant Virginia Marine Resources Commission 2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd floor Newport News, VA 23607-0756 | Dennis Casey, Ph. D. Virginia Museum of Natural History Director of Education and Public Programs 21 Starling Avenue Martinsville, VA 24112 tel: 276/634-4184 fax: 276/634-4199 denny.casey@vmnh.virginia.gov |
Vacant | Vacant Virginia State University Virginia Cooperative Extension Extension Specialist, 4-H VSU / Box 9081 Petersburg, VA 23806 |
| Vacant Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources | Llyn Sharp Virginia Tech Science Outreach Program Dept. of Geosciences Mail Code 0420 Blacksburg, VA 24061 tel: 540/231-4080 llyn@vt.edu |
| Michelle Prysby Virginia Master Naturalist Program Program Coordinator 460 Stagecoach Road Charottesville, VA 22902 tel: 434/872-4580 fax: 434/872-4578 mprysby@vt.edu |
Meeting Minutes/Agency Reports
- Spring 2009
- December 17, 2008, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond
- May 24, 2007, Virginia Museum of Natural History
- January 10, 2007, New Kent Convention Center
- Agency Reports 2006
- May 23, 2006, Library of Virginia
- January 30, 2006, Longwood University
- May 5, 2005, Library of Virginia
- January 19, 2005, Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal
- June 3, 2004, Wintergreen
In 2000, to support of former Governer Gilmore's Virginia Naturally education initiative the council adopted the following resolution:
Resolution
Whereas:
The Virginia Resource-Use Education Council (VRUEC) was established in 1952 to promote a better understanding of conservation education throughout the Commonwealth; and
Whereas:
The VRUEC has a long standing record of coordinating the educational efforts of Virginia's resource agencies and educational institutions on behalf of the Commonwealth citizens; and
Whereas:
The VRUEC since 1955 has produced educational resources to inform Virginians of the importance of our Natural Resources; and
Whereas:
The VRUEC subscribes to the following principles:
- That the natural resources of the state and nation should be used wisely and with due consideration for the future;
- That the wise use of these resources should be the concern of government at the local, state, and national levels;
- That all people benefit from the natural resources of the state and nation: hence, they have citizenship responsibility in the safeguarding and judicious utilization of these resources; and,
- That all citizens, public or private groups, charged with the management of natural resources or education or both, have added responsibilities in promoting understanding of conservation needs problems and ways to resolve them.
Whereas:
The Honorable Governor James S. Gilmore has asked the VRUEC to:
- Coordinate the development and consistent delivery of environmental education programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia by linking current environmental education efforts to creative, innovative approaches;
- Nurture and promote alternative methods of reaching and educating our citizens from all sectors of the public; and,
- Promote sustained life-long learning and professional development based on Virginia's academic standards.
Let it be resolved that: The VRUEC fully supports and will spearhead Governor Gilmore's Virginia Naturally 2000 Initiative on this date, January 31, 2000.