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Hungry Mother State Park in Smyth County, seen here in June 1937, was one of six original Virginia State Parks. (Photo courtesy Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
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Westmoreland State Park circa 1937 (Photo courtesy Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
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Douthat State Park, located in Bath and Alleghany counties, during the 1960s (Photo courtesy Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
When Nikki Rovner took the reins at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, she was impressed by the extent of the agency’s reach.
Nikki Rovner, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (Photo by Jay Paul)
“I had a general idea of all the agency’s programs, but their scope was a surprise to me,” says Rovner, appointed director of the agency by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in January; previously, Rovner was associate state director of The Nature Conservancy in Virginia. “For example, I knew we owned 44 state parks, but I didn’t know we owned more buildings than any other state agency in Virginia.”
Established in 1926 as the State Commission on Conservation and Development, this year DCR is celebrating its 100th anniversary, along with the 90th anniversary of the Virginia State Parks system and the 40th anniversary of the Virginia Natural Heritage Program.
The department’s contributions over the last century go far beyond the park system and the Natural Heritage Program, including everything from soil and water conservation to outdoor recreation and land conservation, improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, and floodplain management and safety.
“DCR is a multifaceted agency that touches people in many different ways,” says former Director Joe Maroon, who ran DCR from 2002 to 2010 and is now the executive director of the Virginia Environmental Endowment. “It is one of the most fascinating and interesting agencies in state government.”
When Virginia became the first state in the nation to open a park system in 1936, it did so with just six properties: Douthat, First Landing, Fairy Stone, Staunton River, Hungry Mother and Westmoreland. Now the system comprises 44 parks, with a 45th — Oak Hill State Park, surrounding President James Monroe’s Oak Hill estate in Loudoun County — in the works.
According to DCR, there’s a state park located within an hour’s drive of most Virginians. They offer more than 2,000 campsites, nearly 300 cabins, more than 500 miles of trails, and thousands of nature and history events every year. Parks bring in more than $244 million annually and support more than 2,500 jobs.
A substantial amount of the growth took place during Maroon’s tenure. “One of the most fulfilling accomplishments was acquiring land for six new state parks: Powhatan, Seven Bends, High Bridge Trail, Mayo River, Middle Peninsula and Biscuit Run,” he says. “That was a particular area of pride.”
Joe Maroon, former director of DCR (Photo courtesy Joe Maroon)
The newly established parks were funded by a $119 million parks and natural-areas bond that also provided monies for park improvements and expanded the Virginia Natural Area Preserves system, which protects rare species habitats. Additions to the latter include 2,872 acres of land to protect Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve in Stafford County, the agency’s 54th natural area preserve. Today Virginia has 69 preserves totaling over 66,000 acres.
One of the challenges DCR faces is “building out the state park system and taking care of the amazing park system we already have,” Rovner says, noting that many of parks have historic cabins and lodges. “We have to keep them in good shape and respect their historic features.”
Rovner made a trip to Fairy Stone State Park and stayed in a renovated cabin for the experience. The 4,741-acre park in Stuart is located just minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“It was amazing,” she says. “I was staying in a cabin built in 1936, but it had a modern kitchen and bathroom. It was fresh and clean, but it also maintained its character.”
In March, Gov. Spanberger kicked off DCR’s 100th anniversary at the agency’s Richmond headquarters; David Bulova, the commonwealth’s secretary of natural and historic resources, and Parker Redfox, Virginia State Parks’ mascot, helped mark the occasion. DCR has hosted public events at state parks to educate the public and celebrate the department’s milestone, including a system-wide History and Culture Day in June, as well as guided hikes, short lectures, and work-day opportunities at Natural Area Preserves.
The agency has also invited its staff to gatherings at various parks around the state. “It gives the staff a chance to learn about other programs in the agency as well as learn about our state parks,” Rovner says.
As the celebration winds up, DCR’s new director looks forward to building on the department’s momentum going into the next century of service. “We are improving Virginia’s water quality in our rivers and streams and in the Chesapeake Bay by working on various initiatives with farmers,” Rovner says. “We’re also working to make more communities resistant to floods. We’ve made tremendous progress.”
Nine months into the job, Rovner is still amazed at the range of successful programs under the DCR umbrella. “I thought it was a great agency before I came, and now I am even more grateful to be associated with it,” she says.
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