NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2006                       

            VERONA, VA – Rebecca L. (Becky) Barlow has been hired as the Organic Resources Marketer (a/k/a Market Maker) for the Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council. This position is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) as part of a $1m targeted watershed grant to Virginia Tech announced in June; Shenandoah RC&D holds a subcontract with Tech for this position.

The Shenandoah RC&D is a non-profit organization that sponsors and promotes projects and programs that improve the quality of life and sustainable use of natural resources, primarily in the Shenandoah River Watershed, by providing volunteer leadership, technical resources, and financial assistance. 

Becky will report for duty on November 8, 2006, at the Shenandoah RC&D Area office in Verona.  Becky comes to the RC&D most recently from the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, where she served as a Historic Interpreter.  Formerly she worked as an Environmental Education Coordinator at the Wilderness Conservancy at Mountain Lake in Pembroke, Virginia.  She also has worked with Virginia Cooperative Extension and Virginia Tech. She is certified in nutrient management planning.

As rapid development continues to occur across the Shenandoah Valley, the land available to apply organic byproducts decreases, so the “Market Maker” position is critical to identifying, following up, and sustaining nitrogen and phosphorus reduction in the watershed by aggressively seeking long-term alternatives to land application of excess nutrients, while helping facilitate short term solutions such as proper application and transport out of the watershed.

As the “Market Maker,” Becky will aggressively market and facilitate proper use of excess animal manures and other nutrient-rich by products produced in the Shenandoah Valley. She will be managed by the Shenandoah RC&D Council in consultation with an appointed subcommittee of the Waste Solutions Forum.

On June 2, 2006, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation presented checks to three Virginia-based watershed partnerships.  These partnership groups were awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to reduce nutrient pollution that enters local rivers and streams and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. The North River Watershed, specifically Rockingham County and the Shenandoah Valley, was the focus of a $1 million partnership project that will demonstrate comprehensive and innovative approaches to managing manure and poultry litter.  The Shenandoah RC&D was awarded $157,000 of the $1 million to fund the “Market Maker” position for three years.

For more information, please contact Becky Barlow, Market Maker, Shenandoah RC&D, P. O. Box 60, Verona, VA 24482 or 540-248-6080.  Please visit us on the web at:  www.shenandoahrcd.org

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