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The 2006 Virginia General Assembly supported CCC history by passing two Senate Joint Resolutions to honor the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps and its contribution to the Virginia State Park System SJR #109 and CCC Member Appreciation Day, SJR #85.
Commemorating 2006 as the Official 70th Anniversary of Virginia State Parks. WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has developed a state park system for the benefit of all Virginians that preserves and protects significant natural and cultural resources and provides outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation; and WHEREAS, the original six state parks were constructed between 1934 and 1936 and celebrated their official opening on June 15, 1936, with Virginia being the only state in America to open an entire state park system in a single day; and WHEREAS, the state park system, built during America’s Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service in partnership with the Commonwealth, has now grown to include 34 state parks and more than 70,000 acres; and WHEREAS, in 2001, Virginia State Parks was recognized nationally at the National Recreation and Parks Association Annual Congress and Exposition as the National Gold Medalist for the nation’s “best managed state park system”; and WHEREAS, Virginia State Parks enjoyed overwhelming voter support in both the 1992 and 2002 general obligation bond referendums, thereby enabling Virginia to add new cabins, campgrounds, and other facilities; and WHEREAS, Virginia State Parks has successfully brought five new state parks on line since 1992, and land is currently being acquired for at least five new state parks; and WHEREAS, an important component of Virginia’s outdoor recreation and tourism offerings, Virginia State Parks serves more than 7 million visitors annually, resulting in more than $150 million in annual spending by state park visitors; and WHEREAS, Virginia State Parks is a premier provider of camping, overnight cabins, swimming pools and beaches, boating and paddling, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and many other outdoor activities; and WHEREAS, the Virginia state park system is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, using sound conservation measures and a traditional conservation orientation; and WHEREAS, Virginia State Parks promotes a strong sense of stewardship of the Commonwealth's abundant and wondrous natural resources; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly commemorate 2006 as the Official 70th Anniversary of Virginia State Parks in recognition of the invaluable service the state parks have provided the citizens of the Commonwealth for 70 years; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and to each Virginia State Park for public display so that they may be apprised of the esteem in which the state park system and its successful efforts are held by the members of the General Assembly of Virginia. (Back to Top) Designating March 31, in 2006 and in each succeeding year, as "Civilian Conservation Corps Member Appreciation Day" in Virginia. WHEREAS, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act on March 31, 1933; and WHEREAS, the first CCC camp in America, Camp Roosevelt, was established on April 17, 1933, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia; and WHEREAS, the Commonwealth and its citizens are indebted to the remarkable efforts and accomplishments of the thousands of workers who served in the CCC program in Virginia; and WHEREAS, between 1933 and 1942, more than 3 million men, which included veterans, young adults, and Native Americans, worked on CCC projects in America in forest protection, conservation and natural resources development, and defense work on military reservations; and WHEREAS, more than 107,000 industrious, skilled, and resourceful workers served in CCC camps located in all regions of the Commonwealth, and many settled in Virginia, often with their families, during and after the Depression; and WHEREAS, the product of the proficient labors of the dedicated men who worked in the CCC continues to enrich and fortify the beauty, natural resources, and economic development of communities in Virginia and throughout the United States; and WHEREAS, the work of CCC enrollees complemented the establishment of significant Virginia landmarks, as well as helped to preserve natural resources from erosion, woodland disease, and wildlife damage in national and state parks, national and state forests, fish hatcheries, and national military parks; and WHEREAS, youth enrollees of the CCC learned many job skills, increased personal educational standards, honed socialization behaviors, and became accustomed to camp discipline that enabled them to contribute to the World War II effort and to make lifelong contributions to their families and communities; and WHEREAS, the outstanding contributions of the CCC workers have helped preserve Virginia's wondrous natural resources and have improved the quality of life of all of the citizens of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly designate March 31, in 2006 and in each succeeding year, as "Civilian Conservation Corps Member Appreciation Day" in Virginia in honor of the invaluable service of the 107,000 Civilian Conservation Corps workers who served in Virginia; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the president of the Camp Roosevelt CCC Legacy Foundation in Edinburg, Virginia, and other Civilian Conservation Corps groups, so that their members may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the Senate post the designation of March 31 as "Civilian Conservation Corps Member Appreciation Day" in Virginia on the General Assembly's website.
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