http://www.virginiaplaces.org/

Charles A. Grymes

2009-10-14

Created by a professor at George Mason University, this website provides an extensive directory of websites related to everything from education to Virginia and the internet. The website provides some introductory articles, such as an excellent overview of energy in Virginia that includes graphs and history. Each section also includes a list of links. The Virginia Government section alone contains more than 100 links to further resources. While each external website is of excellent quality, it may take time to navigate from such a large body of links to the right resource.

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Liz Moore

George Mason University

http://datapoint.apa.virginia.gov/

Commonwealth of Virginia

2009-10-02

Commonwealth Data Point is an excellent tool for understanding the basic implementation of financial expenditures. Find out budget data, or what was purchased on the state credit card. The website also provides demographic data, such as university enrollment and food stamp use. While browsing the website, you may want to consider how state and local governments implement policy decisions. What changes could you make to policy or spending practices?

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Liz Moore

George Mason University

http://vaperforms.virginia.gov/

Commonwealth of Virginia

2009-10-02

Virginia Performs is part of Virginia's open government initiative. The website includes information on Virginia's progress in areas such as health, education, and transportation. For example, users can find information on high school graduation rates in Virginia and surrounding states. The website also includes information on government initiatives to increase high school graduation rates. Questions to consider include: What is the role of state and local government? How are policy decisions implemented at a state and local level?

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Liz Moore

George Mason University

http://www.data.gov/

Executive Branch of the Federal Government

2009-10-01

This website is part of President Obama's Open Government Initiative. It provides free, open access to quanitative datasets created by the Federal government. Some state/local governments have also added data, but as yet Virginia is not one of them. Data sets include categories such as geography and environment, education and transportation. This data provides excellent primary source material, and offers many opportunities to create and interpret maps, diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, and spreadsheets.

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Liz Moore

George Mason University

http://www.gapminder.org/

Gapminder Foundation

2009-09-19

Gapminder provides free access to statistics (usually gathered from the United Nations) presented in moving data visualization charts. These statistics aren’t boring—data sets flow over time and offer surprising insights into public health, trade, and other issues. Users can select states such as Virginia and compare them to hundreds of countries throughout the world, including China, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Statistics track a variety of indicators, including income, insurance “uncoverage,” immigration, and “best teeth.” Users can watch a video tutorial, as well as videos applying the information to real-world scenarios. This website is particularly useful for anyone learning about graphs, public policy issues, and the relationship between Virginia and the rest of the world.

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Liz Moore

George Mason University

Code of Virginia

§ 15.2-2223. Comprehensive plan to be prepared and adopted; scope and purpose.

The local planning commission shall prepare and recommend a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the territory within its jurisdiction and every governing body shall adopt a comprehensive plan for the territory under its jurisdiction.

In the preparation of a comprehensive plan, the commission shall make careful and comprehensive surveys and studies of the existing conditions and trends of growth, and of the probable future requirements of its territory and inhabitants. The comprehensive plan shall be made with the purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the territory which will, in accordance with present and probable future needs and resources, best promote the health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and general welfare of the inhabitants, including the elderly and persons with disabilities.

The comprehensive plan shall be general in nature, in that it shall designate the general or approximate location, character, and extent of each feature, including any road improvement and any transportation improvement, shown on the plan and shall indicate where existing lands or facilities are proposed to be extended, widened, removed, relocated, vacated, narrowed, abandoned, or changed in use as the case may be.

As part of the comprehensive plan, each locality shall develop a transportation plan that designates a system of transportation infrastructure needs and recommendations that may include the designation of new and expanded transportation facilities and that support the planned development of the territory covered by the plan and shall include, as appropriate, but not be limited to, roadways, bicycle accommodations, pedestrian accommodations, railways, bridges, waterways, airports, ports, and public transportation facilities. The plan should recognize and differentiate among a hierarchy of roads such as expressways, arterials, and collectors. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall, upon request, provide localities with technical assistance in preparing such transportation plan.

The plan, with the accompanying maps, plats, charts, and descriptive matter, shall show the locality's long-range recommendations for the general development of the territory covered by the plan. It may include, but need not be limited to:

1. The designation of areas for various types of public and private development and use, such as different kinds of residential, including age-restricted, housing; business; industrial; agricultural; mineral resources; conservation; active and passive recreation; public service; flood plain and drainage; and other areas;

2. The designation of a system of community service facilities such as parks, sports playing fields, forests, schools, playgrounds, public buildings and institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, community centers, waterworks, sewage disposal or waste disposal areas, and the like;

3. The designation of historical areas and areas for urban renewal or other treatment;

4. The designation of areas for the implementation of reasonable ground water protection measures;

5. A capital improvements program, a subdivision ordinance, a zoning ordinance and zoning district maps, mineral resource district maps and agricultural and forestal district maps, where applicable;

6. The location of existing or proposed recycling centers;

7. The location of military bases, military installations, and military airports and their adjacent safety areas; and

8. The designation of corridors or routes for electric transmission lines of 150 kilovolts or more.

The plan shall include: the designation of areas and implementation of measures for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of affordable housing, which is sufficient to meet the current and future needs of residents of all levels of income in the locality while considering the current and future needs of the planning district within which the locality is situated.

The plan shall include: a map that shall show road improvements and transportation improvements, including the cost estimates of such road and transportation improvements as available from the Virginia Department of Transportation, taking into account the current and future needs of residents in the locality while considering the current and future needs of the planning district within which the locality is situated.

http://www.pwcgov.org/default.aspx?topic=040073

COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA Virginia Council on Indians P. O. Box 1475, Richmond, VA 23218 L. Preston Bryant, Jr. William P. Miles Secretary of Natural Resources Chair A Guide to Writing about Virginia Indians and Virginia Indian History Approved by the Virginia Council on Indians - September 19, 2006 Last Updated February 2008 As a result of the events and attention of 2007, more opportunities exist for writing about Virginia's tribes and American Indians. In the spirit of mutual benefit for writers and the Virginia Indian communities, the Virginia Council on Indians offers the following helpful suggestions: 1. Take care when using the phrase American Indian, Native American or Virginia Indian “culture.” There were numerous Indian cultures in Virginia, and hundreds in North America. Unless you are referring to only one tribe, this word should be plural. 2. Avoid using plurals of names of nations when referring to our people as a group, as in “The Chickahominies shared a reservation with the Mattaponis in the 17th century.” When referring to a tribe as a group by their tribal name, the name should always be singular and the verb form plural: “The Monacan were recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1989.” 3. If possible, seek opportunities to mention American Indians who lived in Virginia before the Europeans arrived, and to show the continuity of our existence here through time into the present. The use of words such as "extinct" or "disappeared" in referring to tribes gives the reader the impression that there are no descendents today. Similarly, the use of "discovery" for a European group's first exploration of Native territory implies that the Natives' use of the land and water was unimportant. 4. When writing of modern events, try to avoid referring to Indian songs as “chants” and to Indian powwow drums with overly dramatic adjectives such as “throbbing.” Use the term "regalia" rather than “costumes” for American Indian clothing worn for powwows or ceremonial events. 5. Use discretion when using the word “village” to describe any historic Indian community. Even the 17th century English usually called our communities “towns”, as distinguished from temporary “camps” used in seasonal visits for hunting, fishing, and harvesting oysters or various plants for food, medicine and life functions. Terms like “village” and “hamlet” consistently applied to Native American communities imply that our towns were primitive or quaint. 6. Use caution when describing elements of Native cultures in terms that simplify or marginalize, such as "gardening" for "agriculture," "myths" or "legends" for "history," or "woodlands survival skills" or “lore” for "science." Similarly, words referring to historic conflicts or intercultural interactions may unintentionally connote values, such as describing tribes as "friendly" or "hostile" according to how the Indians reacted to incursions by Europeans. 7. Avoid referring to the paramount chief Powhatan as “Chief Powhatan” as if he were an ordinary chief, or by his informal name Wahunsunacock, when writing about him as a leader. It is appropriate to refer to him as Powhatan, the name (and name of hometown) that he took when he became paramount chief, before the English came to Virginia. This is what other Indian nations called him. The English terms “king”, “emperor” and “ruler” are also inappropriate, as they are imperfect English translations used by the colonists who did not understand the nature of his political organization. (804) 225-2084 • Fax (804) 225-2585 • TDD (800) 828-1120 http://indians.vipnet.org 8. Powhatan’s tributaries (the tribes that paid tribute to him) are best referred to as a "paramount chiefdom" or “paramountcy” or by using generic terms such as “the Powhatan tribes”, when referring to these tribes at the time of English contact. They did not constitute a “chiefdom”, a "confederacy" or a "nation." They were not sub-tribes, but individual nations that paid tribute to the same paramount chief. The only "Powhatan nation" was the tribe located to the east of Richmond on the James River, where the paramount chief came from originally. Because not all of the Virginia Algonquian tribes were tributaries to Powhatan, please avoid referring to all Virginia Algonquian tribes collectively as “Powhatan Indians.” 9. Virginia Algonquian cultures (indeed, most North American Indian cultures) were matrilineal. A child’s status (such as being eligible for leadership) was determined by the mother’s status, not by the father. Powhatan’s high status wives were known to the English colonists by name, but the mother of Pocahontas was never identified. Therefore avoid referring to Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas, as a “princess.” 10. Use caution when referring to Pocahontas, her age (she was born in 1597), and the events of her life. It is important to note that opinions differ strongly on the alleged “rescue” incident at Werowocomoco in 1607. Some think it happened much as Smith described it in his 1624 writings, although he did not mention the incident at all in his earlier writing of his time at Werowocomoco. Others think it never happened, and still others believe the event occurred, but was an “adoption” ritual that was misunderstood by Smith. Many Virginia Indians believe that her role as a child was overemphasized by the English, and that historians frequently overlook or misinterpret her adult actions. 11. Take caution to prevent misinformation about Virginia Indian history, such as incorrect population estimates, referring to the Virginia Algonquians as “Algonquins”, or to the Siouan speaking tribes of the piedmont as "Sioux", misspelling the names of tribes, the misrepresentation of events, and using inappropriate language, such as describing periods of intensified English/Indian conflict as “wars.” 12. Avoid using only non-Indian “experts” as sources of information about Virginia Indians, whether historical or contemporary. This often results in errors in both historical and modern information, and in the use of inappropriate words, as shown in some of the examples above. Please check the facts and use multiple, reliable sources. The Virginia Council on Indians office can supply background information, suggestions for resource material, and contact information for both Native and non-Native scholars who work with the tribes. It can also supply contact information for the tribes and referrals to the appropriate tribal leaders and scholars among the Virginia Indians as sources for interviews and quotes. The office can be reached via email at vci@governor.virginia.gov, or at telephone number 804-225-2084. (804) 225-2084 • Fax (804) 225-2585 • TDD (800) 828-1120 http://indians.vipnet.org

http://indians.vipnet.org/resources.cfm

Virginia Council on Indians

2009-07-31

The Virginia Council on Indians (VCI) is a state advisory board to the Governor and the General Assembly. Some Council activities include conducting research, making recommendations regarding issues such as tribal recognition, and promoting education about Virginia's Indian tribes. This resource page provides links to such websites as the American Indian Studies department at Virginia Tech, as well as pdf downloads of teaching materials. Don't miss the rest of the VCI website, where there's information about Native Americans in Virginia, tracing your genealogy, and state recognition of Indian tribes. This website is also a great resource for anyone looking for an example of the implementation of public policy.

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Liz Moore

George Mason University