Get Involved Early

To be effective, wetlands advocates need to know what wetlands disturbing activities are being planned and what to do about them.

These websites offer online maps of wetlands:

Fish and Wildlife Service’s wetlands mapper 

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Gems

Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences

Call your locality’s planning or environmental department

Use your phone book and the internet to find your local department of planning.  In most localities, the environmental staff will be within the planning department.

Watch for land use changes

Rezoning notices are posted on the site and can be found in classified sections of your local newspaper.

Look out for wetlands disturbing activities in you neighborhood

Read “public notices” and “legal announcements” of local and state agencies in your daily paper.
 
Watch the website of the Corps of Engineers District Office to learn about plans that would harm wetlands in your area. Virginia is under the Norfolk District Office Regulatory Page    NOTE: you will probably have only two to four weeks to submit your comment on the application.