James City County
Eco-Tourism Infrastructure Inventory
Introduction
As part of the 5-year study on the natural resources present in the Lower Chickahominy watershed (LCW), PlanRVA produced this story map to display existing eco-tourism infrastructure in the watershed and report the findings. The LCW consists of three localities: James City County, New Kent County, and Charles City County. Each county boasts some of the most unique and valuable natural resources in the state of Virginia.
The study area consists of healthy streams, forested lands, and open spaces that are home to the native flora and fauna of the tidal fresh zone of coastal Virginia. Given these distinctive attributes and the county's prime location in the region, the rural area is experiencing suburban development pressure in Virginia's coastal plain. The effort of this study, funded by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (CZM), aims to identify and establish an overarching vision for land use, land conservation, and sustainable economic priorities. Furthermore, the study promotes the development of various strategic approaches to harnessing both the ecological and economic value in the watershed.
The following story map provides a detailed eco-tourism infrastructure inventory for James City County. This eco-tourism infrastructure inventory will highlight the existing public access sites that contribute to the eco-tourism industry. The inventory allows PlanRVA staff and other project partners to pinpoint opportunities for growth to increase both the ecological and economic value in the county.