The Northern Neck of Virginia is noted for its rural, waterfront living
and is attracting many new settlers. The forces of nature are
constantly reshaping the shoreline, as those who have experienced the
effects of hurricanes, such as Isabel, can testify. As the shoreline is
developed it is also being reshaped to suit the needs of its owners,
sometimes destroying the natural beauty that attracts people to the
Neck.

On Saturday, October 29th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Rappahannock
Community College (RCC) in Warsaw, the Friends of Totuskey is hosting a
symposium on protecting waterfront property. This symposium is being
offered to Richmond County and surrounding area property owners. It
will be held in the video conference room of the Workforce Development
Services Center at RCC. It is offered free of charge. Free
refreshments and a box lunch are included. Due to limited seating and
the provision of food service, attendees must pre-register by calling
the Richmond County Extension Office at (804) 333-3420 before Tuesday,
October 25th.

This symposium was originally organized by the Northern Neck Master
Gardeners and presented on April 9th in Kilmarnock. It features five
very informative and very well illustrated presentations addressing both
the forces of nature and of mankind on the waterfront.

The five original speakers are scheduled for this repeat performance;
Micqui Whiddon, Regional Environmental Inspector, Northern Neck Planning
District Commission; Marine Scientist, Karen Duhring of the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science; and Master Gardeners Susan Lindsey, Anne
Olsen and Susan Tipton of the Northern Neck Master Gardeners,.

Friends of Totuskey encourages attendance by waterfront property owners,
service providers to waterfront property owners, such as developers,
marine contractors, landscapers, and realtors, as well as government
officials responsible for managing development of waterfront property.
This is an opportunity to learn more about how to maximize the value of
waterfront property while protecting both its beauty and the quality of
adjacent waters.

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The Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are volunteers who
receive special training from Virginia Tech and are dedicated to working
with the community to encourage and promote environmentally sound
horticultural practices. The Northern Neck group contributed more than
5,000 hours of volunteer work and educational efforts in 2004.

Friends of Totuskey is an association of owners of property located near
the Totuskey Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock located in Richmond
County.

Workforce Development Services is a unit of the Virginia Community
College System established by the Virginia Legislature in 1998. Its
purpose is to provide flexible credit or non-credit programs and
services to meet the training needs of business and industry in
Virginia. There are 23 Workforce Development Services Centers in
Virginia.