On behalf of the James River Association, the Chesapeake Conservancy, and National Geographic Maps, I’d like to introduce you to our new Envision the James multi-year community engagement initiative. We hope people like you will share your thoughts and participate in our quest to:

·shape a common vision for the river’s future to benefit present and future generations

·promote regional collaboration and concrete actions to protect the river’s natural resources, cultural heritage, sense of place, and wildlife habitats

We invite you to visit our new web portal designed by National Geographic Maps. There you will find rich multi-media content to explore and learn about the many natural, cultural, wildlife and recreational assets that can be found along the James River and within the watershed. It’s also a place where you can share your information, ideas and opinions. There is a lot more to come on the website soon.

We’d like you to begin by telling us what you think about opportunities to get started on a common vision—so please take a moment to visit your vision on the web portal to the complete our community survey and encourage others to do the same.

Also, we really want you to stay involved with the Envision the James initiative, so please sign up at the top of the home page and click Join the Community to receive an occasional note from us about new opportunities to participate.