The intent of the George Beals Conservation Endowment Fund is to ensure the future of a healthy and productive Virginia by supporting the education and trainingof current and future leaders in conservation. The Fund is now able to provide $5,000 annually to help develop leadership skills for Virginians who are passionate about conservation.
George Beals’ dedication and determination to conserve Virginia’s natural resources is an inspiration to all those who knew him. He led the Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts efforts that developed statewide cost sharing programs, provided significant increase in funding to districts for staffing, operational support, dam safety and watershed planning.
In his memory and spirit, this fund established to not only develop and educate future conservation leaders in Virginia but memorialize his significant contribution to the conservation of natural resources in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This fund will: support opportunities for open, nonpartisan public policy discussions of conservation issues and provide educational grants to individuals and organizations for leadership training.
The Beals Fund has supported the following endeavors:
- Grant funds to the VACDE to assist with program development for the annual training for SWCD staff at Graves Mountain.
- Grant funds to the VACDE to be disbursed to SWCD staff in need of scholarship assistance to attend the VACDE training event at Graves Mountain and the VASWCD Annual Meeting in December.
- Financial assistance for a Daniel Boone SWCD staffer to attend the Southeast Regional NACD meeting and present on Virginia’s accomplishments and projects related to acid mine drainage.
- Support exhibit opportunity and attendance of one individual at the VMI Environment VA Conference held in April annually.
- Annually provides scholarship for individuals to participate in the Virginia Natural Resource Leadership Institute program.
- Scholarship funds to offset enrollment costs for an SWCD Director in the Virginia Agricultural Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program.
- Scholarship funds to assist an SWCD staffer pursuing Virginia Tech: Executive Masters in Natural Resources.
“If you are as passionate about conservation issues as I am and would like to help us make a difference in developing future leaders who can do the hard work of implementing and preserving sound conservation practices, please consider The George Beals Endowment Fund in your philanthropic plans. All people in Virginia’s healthy environment will benefit.”
– Anne Beals (Wife of George Beals)