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_ 503 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 359. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 The Office of Environmental Education shall develop and implement environmental education programs and the Virginia Strategic Plan for environmental literacy in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Science Museum of Virginia STEM program, and other relevant stakeholders. K. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to the department for technical assistance to support Shoreline Erosion Advisory Services as established in § 10.1-702, Code of Virginia. L. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $1,093,352 the first year and $1,093,352 the second year from the general fund shall be provided to the Natural Heritage Program in support of active preserve management activities across Virginia's 66 Natural Area Preserves as identified by the Board of Conservation and Recreation. M. Notwithstanding § 54.1, Chapter 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and Department of Conservation and Recreation Central Office staff may provide engineering services to the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts for design and construction of agriculture best management practices. N.1. Out of the amounts appropriated for Dam Inventory, Evaluation, and Classification and Flood Plain Management, $5,732,147 the first year and $732,147 the second year from the general fund shall be deposited to the Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund, established pursuant § 10.1-603.17, Code of Virginia. 2. Unobligated balances in the Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund may be utilized in an amount not to exceed $60,000 to perform activities necessary to update the flood protection plan for the Commonwealth and to make the plan accessible online. Once these activities are complete, the department will maintain and update the plan as needed within existing resources. O. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $400,000 the first year and $400,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to support lyngbya remediation efforts at Lake Gaston. P.1. Notwithstanding § 10.1-2129 A., Code of Virginia, $138,076,028 the first year from the general fund shall be deposited to the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund established under the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1997. Of this amount in the first year, $19,200,000 shall be appropriated to the Department for the following specified statewide uses: $700,000 for maintenance of the Conservation Application Suite; $2,000,000 for the Commonwealth's match for participation in the Federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP); $1,000,000 for increased verification efforts of agricultural best management practices; $6,000,000 for nonpoint source projects including direct pay initiatives for nutrient management and resource management plans as well as poultry litter transport; $4,000,000 for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program administered by the Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts; $500,000 for voluntary agricultural best management practices data collection by the Virginia Cooperative Extension; $4,000,000 to the Department of Forestry for the Virginia Trees for Clean Water program; and $1,000,000 to the Department of Forestry for water quality grants. 2. Of the remaining amount in the first year, $118,876,028 is authorized for transfer to the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund, a sub fund of the Water Quality Improvement Fund. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the funds transferred to the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund shall be distributed by the Department upon approval of the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board in accordance with the board's developed policies, as follows: $75,979,754 shall be used for matching grants for Agricultural Best Management Practices on lands in the Commonwealth exclusively or partly within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, $32,562,751 shall be used for matching grants for Agricultural Best Management Practices on lands in the Commonwealth exclusively outside the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and an additional $10,333,523 in addition to the base funding provided in A.1. shall be appropriated for Technical Assistance for Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Districts.