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| Spending time in the outdoors has been a passion of mine for my entire life, as it is for many folks in the First District. I have been proud to take the lead on a number of policies in Congress that help to preserve our great natural areas for current and future generations to enjoy. I was honored this past week to receive the Conservationist of the Year Award from the Virginia Chapter of Ducks Unlimited at its state convention in Williamsburg, as well as the 2015 Ducks Unlimited Wetland Conservation Achievement Award in the Federal Official category at the 80th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. The sporting community does a fantastic job raising awareness of the value of conservation, and I am honored to stand by members of this community as they prioritize waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Activities like hunting and angling also provide an economic benefit to our region and to conservation efforts as a whole, and I will continue to support commonsense policies to conserve our natural areas for public enjoyment. Economic activity is often an underappreciated part of the efforts to protect natural areas and promote plant and animal habitat growth. The Chesapeake Bay, for example, is the source of millions of dollars of economic activity for our region, which is a major reason why I fought for so long to pass my Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act through Congress. This bill, which I first introduced in 2008 and was signed into law by the president in December, will enhance and streamline efforts to preserve the Chesapeake Bay, our nation's largest estuary. My efforts now involve making sure that the law is implemented effectively to achieve its desired goals, and I am working with other lawmakers and federal agencies to get this important work done. Economic growth is also a significant factor in many of my policy priorities, including education. I am particularly passionate about improving workforce development and ensuring that educational institutions and employers are on the same page in terms of understanding the types of jobs and skills that are in demand in today's job market. I recently held a roundtable at Germanna Community College with local educational professionals from Germanna and the Fredericksburg area to discuss these types of issues. Often, simply gathering a variety of stakeholders together to consider important issues – such as effective workforce development programs – can be the catalyst for further growth in those areas. Our teachers and career development counselors, as well as institutions like Germanna, do a great job of preparing our students for rewarding careers, and I am truly excited about the potential of our next generation of leaders. The main streets of Virginia's First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is critically important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman). | ||||
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