Gov. Kaine joins VCU students for Earth Day celebration

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine joined VCU
biology students aboard a James River
workboat earlier this week to take part
in Earth Day.

The students, who went to conduct a
survey of fish and other aquatic species in
Hopewell, Va., Tuesday, were participating
in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s
James River Program.

“Whether it’s hiking on innumerable
miles of trails, canoeing on our scenic
rivers, or turning off the television and
enjoying the outdoors, Earth Day gives
all Virginians a wonderful opportunity to
appreciate the God-given beauty of the
Commonwealth,” Kaine stated. “It also
reminds us that we need to do more for
the environment every day.”

According to the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation’s Web site, the James River
Program is for participants to engage in
water-quality testing, biological sampling
and biological analysis. The program
takes place at locations that have historical
ties to the James River.

Kaine stated Virginia is blessed with
abundant beauty and natural resources,
and citizens must preserve the environment
for the children and grandchildren
of the future.

“We must make conserving our
resources and protecting them a permanent
part of our every day lives. Simple
changes will go a long way toward
protecting and preserving the environment,”
Kaine stated. “Recycling and
switching to compact fluorescent light
bulbs, for example, are easy individual
actions to conserve resources and help
combat global warming.”