Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
The following information explains the Internet Privacy Policy and practice for the DCR website but shall not be interpreted as a contract of any nature, either stated or implied. We may amend our Internet Privacy Policy statement at any time without notice.
Note that this policy only applies to pages on the www.virginia.gov website. The website has links to sites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses. This policy does not apply to those entities’ sites.
DCR protects records in accordance with applicable Virginia statutes, including but not limited to the "Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act," Chapter 38 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia (§ 2.2-3800 and 2.2-3803), "Administration of systems including personal information; Internet privacy policy; exceptions" Code of Virginia, § 2.2-3803, the "Virginia Freedom of Information Act" § 2.2-3700, et seq., and by any applicable U.S. federal laws. Any personal information collected and retained is done so in compliance with statute.
DCR endeavors to collect the minimum amount of information needed to provide services. If you do nothing during your visit to the DCR website but browse or download information, DCR automatically collects and stores:
The site also:
The information in our web logs is not personally identifiable and no attempt is made to link it with individuals who browse our website.
If, during your visit, you send us an e-mail message, we will collect the email address and contents of the message, including audio, video and graphic information formats you send us. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our website or to forward your message to another agency for appropriate action.
We do collect personal information directly from those who volunteer to complete forms or participate in surveys, in order to deliver the services requested. We collect, retain and use personal information only where we believe it is essential to administer business and provide products and services requested by customers.
Usage information is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our pages. We analyze website logs to improve the value of materials on our site. Routing information is used to send requested web pages to your computer for viewing. Transaction routing information is used primarily in a statistical summary format to assess content performance. We may share this summary information with our business partners when needed.
Optional information is retained in accordance with Library of Virginia records retention schedules.
Under the "Virginia Freedom of Information Act" (FOIA), any records in our possession at the time of a "Freedom of Information Request" might be subject to inspection by or disclosure to members of the public. However, identifiable personal information will be removed prior to such release in accordance with FOIA.
We do not sell or rent subscriber information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by FOIA or other law. Copyright The copyright to DCR’s website is owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and pages are marked with the notice “Copyright ©, All rights reserved." Permission is granted to website visitors to make fair use of the contents, as per http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html. If you are in doubt about whether your use constitutes fair use, please send a request for explicit permission to copy contents by emailing web@dcr.virginia.gov.
"Cookies" are small files either stored on a server or sent back to a visiting computer. In certain applications user information is stored as "cookies," which are then sent back to and stored on the user's computer. Some sections of the website use cookies to customize the information presented to you. Cookies are also used to aggregate site usage information to improve user experience.
Those with questions about this statement or practices of this website may email web@dcr.virginia.gov.
Neither the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation(DCR) nor any employee of the department warrants the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published by this system, nor endorses any content, viewpoints, products or services linked from this system, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or outdated. Any person or entity relying on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or other mark does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The information and statements contained on this site shall not be used for the purposes of advertising, nor to imply the endorsement or recommendation of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution.
For our patrons' convenience, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) provides links to many websites not controlled, maintained or regulated by DCR or any organization affiliated with DCR, and, as such, DCR is not responsible for the content of those websites. Use of information from those websites is voluntary, and reliance on that information should be undertaken only after an independent review of its accuracy. Reference at those websites to any specific commercial product, process or service by trade name, trademark or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation or favor by DCR. The information and statements contained on this server shall not be used for the purposes of advertising, nor to imply the endorsement or recommendation of DCR or the Commonwealth of Virginia. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that site.
External websites are checked against the following criteria before a link is placed on DCR’s website. All requests are gauged against the criteria.
If a hypertext link on the website is not working, please email web@dcr.virginia.gov to let us know.
Some of the content on this site requires plug-ins, or separate browser components, to properly view. All required plug-ins are free to use. If your browser or assistive technology cannot view the content using the plug-in, please contact us at web@dcr.virginia.gov for an alternate version of the content.
Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (Department) under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act:
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et. seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.
A public record is any writing or recording -- regardless of whether it is a paper record, an electronic file, an audio or video recording, or any other format -- that is prepared or owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its officers, employees or agents in the transaction of public business. All public records are presumed to be open, and may only be withheld if a specific, statutory exemption applies.
The types of records maintained by the Department include records relating to: dam safety and floodplain protection; water quality, nutrient management and soil and water conservation districts; the operation and maintenance of Virginia State Parks and Natural Area Preserves; and planning activities for Virginia State Parks, Virginia Scenic Rivers, and trails.
The purpose of FOIA is to promote an increased awareness by all persons of governmental activities. In furthering this purpose, FOIA requires that the law be interpreted liberally, in favor of access, and that any exemption allowing public records to be withheld must be interpreted narrowly.
Making a Request for records from the Department
To request records from the Department, direct your request to the Department's FOIA Officer, Lisa McGee. She can be reached at 600 E. Main St., 24th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219, phone 804-786-4378, email Lisa.McGee@dcr.virginia.gov. You may also contact her with questions you have concerning requesting records from the Department. In addition, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA. The Council may be contacted by email at foiacouncil@leg.state.va.us, or by phone at 804-225-3056 or [toll-free] 1-866-448-4100.
The Department's Responsibilities in Responding to Your Request
Costs
The Code of Virginia specifies that a public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. No public body shall impose an extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.
Commonly used exemptions
The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure. the Department commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:
There are other agency-specific exemptions as well that would be cited in a written response, stating the specific, pertinent section of the Code of Virginia.
DCR uses social media to engage with the public and present matters of interest to the specific clients, businesses and the public at large. Here is DCR's social media disclaimer.
