A. The Department shall:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 10.1-405

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Board: means the Board of Conservation and Recreation. See Virginia Code 10.1-400
  • Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
  • Department: means the Department of Conservation and Recreation. See Virginia Code 10.1-400
  • Director: means the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. See Virginia Code 10.1-400
  • Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • River: means a flowing body of water, or a section or portion thereof. See Virginia Code 10.1-400
  • Scenic river: means a river or section or portion of a river that has been designated a "scenic river" by an act of the General Assembly and that possesses superior natural and scenic beauty, fish and wildlife, and historic, recreational, geologic, cultural, and other assets. See Virginia Code 10.1-400
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
  • United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255
  • Virginia Scenic Rivers System: means those rivers or sections of rivers designated as a scenic river by an act of the General Assembly. See Virginia Code 10.1-400

1. Administer the Virginia Scenic Rivers System to preserve and protect its natural beauty and to assure its use and enjoyment for its scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other assets and to encourage the continuance of existing agricultural, horticultural, forestry and open space land and water uses.

2. Periodically survey each scenic river and its immediate environs and monitor all existing and proposed uses of each scenic river and its related land resources.

3. Assist local governments in solving problems associated with the Virginia Scenic Rivers System, in consultation with the Director, the Board, and the advisory committees.

B. The Department shall not exercise the right of eminent domain to acquire any real property or interest therein for the purpose of providing additional access to any scenic river. Nothing in this subsection shall limit or modify any powers granted otherwise to any locality.

C. The Department may seek assistance and advice related to the scenic river program from the Department of Wildlife Resources, the Department of Forestry, the Department of Historic Resources, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the United States Forest Service, other state and federal agencies and instrumentalities, and affected local governing bodies.

D. The Department shall have the following powers, which may be delegated by the Director:

1. To make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its scenic river duties and the execution of its scenic river powers, including but not limited to contracts with private nonprofit organizations, the United States, other state agencies and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth;

2. To accept bequests and gifts of real and personal property as well as endowments, funds, and grants from the United States government, its agencies and instrumentalities, and any other source. To these ends, the Department shall have the power to comply with such conditions and execute such agreements as may be necessary, convenient, or desirable; and

3. To conduct fund-raising activities as deemed appropriate related to scenic river issues.

1970, c. 468, §§ 10-167, 10-173; 1988, c. 891; 2003, c. 240; 2020, c. 958.