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Spring 2026 Workshop: Changing Vertical Datums
The Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia co-hosted a workshop on changing vertical datums on April 21st, 2026 at William & Mary. Vertical datums are the baseline standards from which we derive land elevation and marine-based measurements like mean low water, mean high water, and mean sea level. Several of these derived measurements are addressed in state a local government codes and ordinances. Topics included a background on datums and their use in state and local codes in Virginia; how the VCRC, VIMS, and CBNERR-VA approached this research and catalogued references; the results of an analysis of these changes on Virginia state and local laws; and discussion on possible ways to address these impacts.
This Vertical Datums Project is funded by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program through a grant to DEQ from NOAA under the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act.
Fall 2025: Securing Virginia's Future
The Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative hosted its inaugural fall conference on October 3rd, 2025 at the Williamsburg Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. This year’s conference theme was resilience finance. Topics broadly covered different relevant areas of financing in the resilience space, from insurance to mortgage banking in the face of growing risk, to funding sources and structures for local government financing of resilience efforts. Check out this article from W&M News highlighting the conference!
Spring 2025: Insuring Virginia in Times of a Changing Environment
The Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative hosted a half-day symposium on April, 30th, 2025 at William & Mary where stakeholders explored how intensifying disasters are shifting the landscape of insurance in Virginia. Homeowners, businesses and insurance agencies in Virginia and the United States are being forced to revise how best to address rapidly growing risks effectively.