Virginia Water Radio

Episode 674 (2-5-24): Closing Out 14 Years of Regular Virginia Water Radio Episodes

water@vt.edu (Virginia Water Resources Research Center) — Wed, 7 Feb 2024 14:07:00 -0500

Click to listen to episode (9:16).

Sections below are the following:

Transcript of Audio
Audio Notes and Acknowledgments
Image
Sources
Related Water Radio Episodes
For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.)

Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 2-1-24.

TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the weeks of February 5 and February 12, 2024.

MUSIC – ~35 sec – lyrics: “We are on a ship, a great big ship. It takes all of us to take of it. And we can use the stars to navigate our trip. We are riding on a ship.”

That’s the closing of “On a Ship,” by Blacksburg, Va., singer-songwriter Kat Mills. Since January 2010, Virginia Water Radio has been bringing you sounds, music, and information about the watery nature of the good ship Earth, particularly the waters of the Commonwealth of Virginia. With the recent passage of Water Radio’s 14^th anniversary, this will be the show’s last regularly scheduled episode. Water Radio may return from time to time with special-project episodes; if so, I hope you’ll be able to have a listen.

To mark the transition away from regular episodes, I’ve invited several guests to call out the range of topics that Water Radio has aimed to explore. Have a listen for about 45 seconds to their voices, interspersed with some favorite sounds, of birds, the spokesman for traditional fishing boat singers, children, a rolling river, and rumbling thunder.

VOICES AND SOUNDS - ~41 sec

VOICE 1 - Water in the biology of humans, birds, frogs, plants, and other living things. SOUND 1 - Little Blue Heron fishing, plus sounds of Red-winged Blackbirds.

VOICE 2 - Water-related history and cultural expression. SOUND 2 – Spokesman for Northern Neck Chantey Singers saying, “We are the Northern Neck Chantey Singers.”

VOICE 3 - Water laws and policies, management and uses, and people. SOUND 3 – Group of children and adults calling out “Take a kid to a park!”

VOICE - Groundwater, surface water, and watersheds. SOUND 4 – South Fork Roanoke River in Montgomery County, Va.

VOICE - Water science, water research, and weather. SOUND 5 – Thunderstorm.

Along with its focus on water-related sounds, much of Water Radio’s vitality has come from music about water, with either the music or the musicians having a Virginia connection. Several groups and individuals have graciously allowed frequent use of their songs. Those include Kat Mills, whose song “On a Ship” you heard earlier; Ben Cosgrove and Stewart Scales, whose versions of “Shenandoah” and “Cripple Creek,” respectively, open and close alternating episodes; and the following artists, whom you’ll hear in an upcoming medley:

the late Madeline MacNeil, with “New Spring Waltz”;
Timothy Seaman, with “Bass Fisherman’s Reel”;
Torrin Hallett, with “Tropical Tantrum”;
Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, with “Samuel Mason.”
Chamomile and Whiskey, with “Dirty Sea”;
The Steel Wheels, with “Valley”;
No Strings Attached, with “Kartune”; and
Bob Gramann, with “Rappahannock Running Free.”

Have a listen for a little over three minutes.

MUSIC - ~3 min./15 sec.

“New Spring Waltz.” - ~ 23 sec – instrumental.

“Bass Fisherman’s Reel - ~20 sec – instrumental.

“Tropical Tantrum” - ~27 sec – instrumental.

“Samuel Mason” - ~24 sec – lyrics: “Samuel Mason, that is my name. I left Fort Henry seeking fortune and fame. I came from Virginia a long time ago, but now I am a pirate along the Ohio.”

“Dirty Sea” - ~18 sec – instrumental.

“Valley” - ~41 sec – lyrics: “These mountains have been here for centuries. There’s stories in the water, something if you’re listening; what kind of stories do you wanna see? ‘Cause I wanna go where the wind don’t blow; take me down to the valley. I wanna go where the wind don’t blow; take me out tonight.”

“Kartune” - ~19 sec – instrumental.

“Rappahannock Running Free” - ~23 sec – lyrics: “I love the Rappahannock, and its water running free; in the rapids of this river, that’s where I want to be. I love the Rappahannock, and its waters running free; in the rapids of this river, that’s where I’ll always be.”

Thanks to all the musicians, sounds sources, and collaborators who contributed to this episode and to the previous 673 episodes. Thanks also to radio stations WEHC at Emory and Henry College, and WVRU at Radford University, for carrying the show on air each week.

We close Water Radio’s regular-episode era with one more musical selection. Here’s about 1 minute/20 seconds of John McCutcheon’s “Water from Another Time,” a song rich in water imagery, fine music, and valuable words. Here’s to that.

MUSIC - ~77 sec – lyrics: “New-born cry in the morning air, the past and the future are wedded there; in this wellspring of my sons and daughters, the bone and blood of living water. And of Grandpa’s hands have gone to dust, like Grandma’s pump reduced to rust. Their stories quench my soul and mind, like water from another time. You don’t take much but you gotta have some; the old ways help, the new ways come; just leave a little extra for the next in line, they’re gonna need a little water from another time. You don’t take much but you gotta have some; the old ways help, the new ways come; just leave a little extra for the next in line, they’re gonna need a little water from another time. Gonna need a little water, need a little water, need a little water, gonna need a little water from another time.”

SHIP’S BELL

Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of “Cripple Creek” to open and close this episode. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Patrick Fay for helping create Virginia Water Radio in 2010.

The guest voices in this episode were recorded by Virginia Water Radio in Blacksburg, Va., during the last week of January 2024. Thanks to the those five people for lending their voices to this episode.

The sounds heard in this episode were as follows.

Sound 1: Little Blue Heron fishing, plus Red-winged Blackbirds. These sounds were from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Digital Library, online at http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/; this recording specifically is online at https://digitalmedia.fws.gov/digital/collection/audio/id/55/rec/56. These sounds were used previously in Episode 478, 6-24-19, on the Little Blue Heron.

Sound 2: Spokesman introducing the Northern Neck Chantey Singers. This audio was taken from from a video of the group’s September 11, 2011, performance at the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase in Charlottesville, Va.; used with permission of Virginia Humanities (formerly the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities), located in Charlottesville and online at https://virginiahumanities.org/. The full performance video is available online at https://www.virginiafolklife.org/sights-sounds/northern-neck-chantey-singers-and-lewis-r-blackwell-jr/. Additional information from Virginia Humanities about the Northern Neck Chantey Singers and the Northern Neck of Virginia is available in the January 2024 article, “From Generation to Generation: Reedville Fishermen’s Museum.” These sounds were used previously in Episode 635, 8-29-22, on Virginia Menhaden fishing.

Sound 3: Group of children and adults calling out “Take a kid to a park!” This was recorded by Virginia Water Radio in Blacksburg, Va., on May 12, 2013. This sound was used previously in Episode 655, 5-15-23, on Virginia state parks.

Sound 4: South Fork Roanoke River near Elliston, Va. (Montgomery County). This was recorded by Virginia Water Radio on August 23, 2012. This sound was used previously in Episode 363, 4-10-17, on stream insects.

Sound 5: Thunderstorm. This was recorded by Virginia Water Radio in Blacksburg, Va., on April 20, 2015, 9 p.m. This sound was used previously in Episode 568, 3-15-21, on Virginia’s annual springtime tornado drill.

The musicians and music heard in this episode were as follows (in the order heard); all music used with permission. For each song, the most recent previous Virginia Water Radio episode using the music are listed; many of the songs have been used previously several times, and other music be each of the artists has been featured in many Water Radio episodes.

Kat Mills, “On a Ship,” from the 2015 album “Silver.” More information about Kat Mills is available online at http://www.katmills.com/. This music was used previously in Episode 651, 3-20-23.

Madeline MacNeil, “New Spring Waltz, ” from the 2002 album “Songs of Earth & Sea.” More information about the late Madeline MacNeil is available from Janita Baker’s “Blue Lion Dulcimers & Guitars” Web site, online at https://www.bluelioninstruments.com/Maddie.html. This music was used previously in Episode 627, 5-9-22, on spring songbirds nesting near water.

Timothy Seaman, “Bass Fisherman’s Reel,” from the 2004 album “Virginia Wildlife.” More information about Timothy Seaman is available online at https://timothyseaman.com/en/. This music was used previously in Episode 590, 8-16-21, on the rescue of an osprey caught in fishing line.

Torrin Hallett, “Tropical Tantrum,” composed in 2017. More information about Torrin Hallett is available online at https://www.facebook.com/torrin.hallett. Thanks very much to Torrin for composing the piece especially for Virginia Water Radio. This music was used previously in Episode 656, 5-29-23, a preview of the 2023 Atlantic tropical cyclone season.

Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, “Samuel Mason,” from the 2010 album “All the Good Summers.” More information about Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand is available online at https://andrewandnoah.bandcamp.com/. This music was used previously in Episode 491, 9-23-19, on Samuel Mason and on piracy historically and in modern times.

Chamomile and Whiskey, “Dirty Sea,” from the 2013 album “Wandering Boots.” More information about Chamomile and Whiskey is available online at http://www.chamomileandwhiskey.com/. This music was used previously in Episode 584, 7-5-21, on Operation Dry Water.

The Steel Wheels, “Valley,” from the 2010 album “Red Wing.” More information about The Steel Wheels is available online at http://www.thesteelwheels.com/. This music was used previously in Episode 355, 2-13-17, on Abraham Lincoln’s family roots in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

No Strings Attached, “Kartune,” from the 1992 album “Blue Roses.” More information about No Strings Attached—a long-time Blacksburg- and Roanoke-based band which is no longer performing—is available online at http://www.enessay.com/index.html. This music was used previously in Episode 555, 12-14-20, on water-related jokes.

Bob Gramann, “Rappahannock Running Free,” from the 2008 album, “Mostly Live.” More information about Bob Gramann is available online at http://www.bobgramann.com/. This music was used previously in Episode 589, 8-9-21.

John McCutcheon, “Water from Another Time,” from the 1987 album “Gonna Rise Again.” More information on John McCutcheon is available online at http://www.folkmusic.com/. This music was used previously in Episode 142, 12-31-12.

Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode. More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com.

IMAGE

Diagram of the water cycle (also called the hydrologic cycle), from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), “Water Science School/Water Cycle Diagrams,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-cycle-diagrams, 2-7-24.

SOURCES

Please see the show notes for individual episodes of Virginia Water Radio for sources of information on many water-related topics.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).

Links are provided above in the Acknowledgments section to previous episodes using the sounds or music heard in this current episode.

Following are links to some milestone episodes.

Episode 1, 1-25-10, had an approximately eight-minute format and included water-related news and upcoming events, with only a short portion featuring water-related sounds or music.

Episode 67, 6-6-11, was the first episode to use a shortened format, focusing specifically on water-related sounds or music.

Episode 500, 11-25-19, featured various sounds and musical selections used in the previous approximately 10 years of the show.

Episode 626, 4-25-22, marked 10 years of consecutive weekly episodes. After that point, the show became biweekly, through this current episode. Some of the 674 episodes have been revised versions of previous episodes.

FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION

Please see the Show Notes in individual episodes linked above for recommended Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by those episodes.

Following are some SOLs that may be supported by this current episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.

2020 Music SOLs

SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”

2018 Science SOLs

Grades K-4: Living Systems and Processes
3.5 – Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems support a diversity of organisms.

Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems
3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth.

Grades K-5: Earth Resources
3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems.
4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources.

Grade 6
6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.
6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems.
6.9 – Humans impact the environment and individuals can influence public policy decisions related to energy and the environment.

Earth Science
ES.6 – Resource use is complex.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/instruction.

Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels.

Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade.
Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten.
Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade.
Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4th through 8th grade.
Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school.
Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school.
Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school.
Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade.
Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade.
Episode 606, 12-6-21 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Episode 673 (1-22-24): Taking an Underwater Dive, Featuring "Scuba Dive" by Kat Mills

water@vt.edu (Virginia Water Resources Research Center) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 14:55:00 -0500

Click to listen to episode (4:33).

Sections below are the following:

Transcript of Audio
Audio Notes and Acknowledgments
Images
Sources
Related Water Radio Episodes
For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.)

Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 1-19-24.

TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of January 22, 2024. This is a revised version of an episode from January 2016.

MUSIC – ~9 sec – instrumental.

In this episode, we use music by a Blacksburg, Va., singer-songwriter to help us dive underwater. Have a listen for about 55 seconds.

MUSIC - ~54 sec – Lyrics: “Endless water calls to you. Falling backward into blue. Lovers breathing, adapting, reaching, receiving. Bubbles lifting, creatures sweeping into view; you’re an alien at sea. Scuba dive; scuba dive.”

You’ve been listening to part of “Scuba Dive,” by Kat Mills, on the 2015 album “Silver.” Ms. Mills’ lyrics use the challenges and thrills of underwater diving as metaphors for exploration and trust in human relationships.

While human interactions can be quite unpredictable, the main challenges of the underwater environment come from several predictable physical, chemical, and biological properties of deep water. Water’s density affects vision and hearing underwater. Buoyancy—resulting from the density of a submerged object compared to the density of the surrounding water—must be adjusted for moving up or down. Movement is also affected by the frictional resistance of water, or drag. Pressure from the weight of the water affects a diver’s lungs, sinuses, and ears, as well as the levels of oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases dissolved in the water and in one’s blood. Temperature affects dissolved gases, too, along with presenting a body-heat challenge. Divers can become partially dehydrated through breathing dehumidified compressed air. And dangerous aquatic organisms may await. Adapting to those challenges through underwater breathing devices, other equipment, training, and experience allows divers to enjoy the exhilaration of feeling weightless, seeing fascinating creatures, and exploring worlds most humans never see.

Add in some trust and overcoming of one’s fears, and people continue to fall backwards into endless blue water, literally and figuratively.

Thanks to Kat Mills for permission to use this episode’s music, and we close with about 30 more seconds of “Scuba Dive.”

MUSIC - ~30 sec – Lyrics: “Scuba dive.”

SHIP’S BELL

Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624. Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close this episode. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 299, 1-18-16.

Scuba (also written SCUBA and S.C.U.B.A.) is an abbreviation for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.” For information on this abbreviation, see Underwater Kinetics, “What does SCUBA stand for? Plus other diving acronyms,” December 19, 2019, online at https://uwk.com/blogs/scuba-guide/diving-acronyms.

“Scuba Dive,” from the 2015 album “Silver,” is copyright by Kat Mills; used with permission. More information about Kat Mills is available online at https://katmills.com/home.

Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode. More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com.

IMAGES

Diver among a school of fish in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Oct. 13, 2010. Photo by G.P. Schmahl, sanctuary superintendent, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuaries Media Library, accessed online at https://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/5077887899, 1-18-24.

Divers for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), location and date not identified. Photo from NOAA, “NOAA Diving Program Training,” accessed online at https://www.omao.noaa.gov/ndp/noaa-diving-program-training, 1-18-24.

SOURCES

Used for Audio

Dennis K. Graver, Scuba Diving - Second Edition, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, 1999.

For More Information Physical and Chemical Properties of Water

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science School, “Water Properties Information by Topic,” online at http://water.usgs.gov/edu/waterproperties.html.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). See particularly the “Science” subject category.

Following are links to some other episodes on chemical or physical properties relevant to the underwater environment.

Buoyancy – Episode 483, 7-29-19.
Density – Episode 255, 3-2-15; Episode 483, 7-29-19 (in buoyancy).
Dissolved Oxygen – Episode 333, 9-12-16.
Water thermodynamics – Episode 610, 1-3-22.

FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION

Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.

2020 Music SOLs

SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”

2017 English SOLs

Reading Theme
5.4, 6.5, 7.4, 8.4, 8.5, 9.3, 9.4, 10.3, 10.4, 11.4 – Symbols, imagery, figurative language, and other literary devices.

2018 Science SOLs

Grades K-3 plus 5: Matter
K.4 – Water is important in our daily lives and has properties.
1.3 – Objects are made from materials that can be described by their physical properties.
5.7 – Matter has properties and interactions.

Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems
4.7 – The ocean environment.

Grade 6
6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.

Life Science
LS.7 – Adaptations support an organism’s survival in an ecosystem.

Physical Science
PS.3 – Matter has properties and is conserved in chemical and physical processes.

Earth Science
ES.10 – Oceans are complex, dynamic systems subject to long- and short-term variations.

Biology
BIO.2 – Chemical and biochemical processes are essential for life.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/instruction

Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels.

Episode 672 (1-8-24): Introducing the 2024 Virginia General Assembly

water@vt.edu (Virginia Water Resources Research Center) — Tue, 9 Jan 2024 11:28:00 -0500

Click to listen to episode (4:59).

Sections below are the following:

Transcript of Audio
Audio Notes and Acknowledgments
Images
Extra Information about the Virginia General Assembly
Sources
Related Water Radio Episodes
For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.)

Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 1-5-24.

TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the weeks of January 8 and January 15, 2024.

MUSIC – ~12 sec – instrumental.

That excerpt of “Dance of the Aisle,” by No Strings Attached, opens our annual preview of the Virginia General Assembly. On January 10, 100 members of the House of Delegates and 40 members of the Senate will gather in Richmond for their 2024 session, during which they’ll renew what you might call the “dance” of working across the symbolic “aisle” between political parties. The steps this year will be performed by a noticeably different group of people, because the 2023 elections resulted in significant changes in the age and years of service of the Assembly’s membership. Have a listen to the music for about 25 more seconds, and see if you know how the following pairs of numbers describe those membership changes:
34 and 17;
74 and 40;
9 and 21;
and, last, 52 and 34;

MUSIC – ~24 sec – instrumental.

If you knew some or all of these, you’re a General Assembly genius!

The 2024 General Assembly will have 34 new delegates and 17 new senators.
Seventy-four members have served four years or less, compared to 40 such members in 2023.
Nine members have served 20 years or more, compared to 21 such members in 2023.
And 52 members will be age 45 or younger, compared to 34 such members in 2023.

[Information not in audio: that the numbers for 2024, taken from the Virginia Public Access Project’s Web site on January 4, 2024, do not include one House member and one Senate member who were to be chosen in special elections on January 9, 2024.]

The General Assembly convenes each year on the second Wednesday in January. So-called “long sessions” of 60 days are held in even-numbered years, while 30-to-45-day “short sessions” are held in odd-numbered years. A new biennial budget is proposed in each even-numbered year, while amendments to the current budget may be considered every year.

Besides the budget, the General Assembly typically considers two-to-three thousand bills and resolutions. Usually about 150 to 200 of those measures relate to water resources, either directly through impacts on aquatic environments, water supplies, or other water uses, or indirectly through impacts on energy and land uses that, in turn, affect water. The budget also affects water, especially through funding of natural resource-related departments, such as Conservation and Recreation, Environmental Quality, Wildlife Resources, and the Marine Resources Commission.

Action on General Assembly measures involves sub-committees, full committees, and floor debate. Passed bills go to the governor for approval, veto, or proposed changes, and bills with a governor’s veto or proposed changes return to the Assembly for further consideration during a “reconvened session,” scheduled for April. All along the way, citizens, interest groups, and other stakeholders vie to have a say. You can join in by following the Assembly’s work and by communicating with your local delegate or senator about issues of concern. Tools to help you do so are available online at virginiageneralassembly.gov.

Thanks to Randy Marchany for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 15 more seconds of “Dance of the Aisle.”

MUSIC – ~16 sec – instrumental.

SHIP’S BELL

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

“Dance of the Aisle,” on the 1999 album “In the Vinyl Tradition Volume 2,” is copyright by No Strings Attached and Enessay Music, used with permission. More information about No Strings Attached—a long-time Blacksburg- and Roanoke-based band which is no longer performing—is available online at http://www.enessay.com/index.html.

IMAGES

The Virginia State Capitol Building in Richmond. Image from the Virginia General Assembly, “Capitol Classroom,” accessed online at https://capclass.virginiageneralassembly.gov/High/AbouttheCapitol/CapitolHigh.html, 1/8/24.

Screen shot of the Virginia Legislative Information System’s online site for following legislation in the 2024 Virginia General Assembly, accessed at https://lis.virginia.gov/lis.htm, 1/8/24.

EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The General Assembly’s main Web page, http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/index.php, offers several useful features, including member lists, session calendars, live video of floor sessions, and information on legislative processes. The Legislative Information System (LIS) Web site, http://lis.virginia.gov/lis.htm, provides lists and summaries of all bills, searchable by topic, member, committee, etc. For budget information specifically, see https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/.

Video streams of sessions and meetings for both the House of Delegates and the Senate, including committees, are available online at https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/membersAndSession.php?secid=1&activesec=0#!hb=1&mainContentTabs=0.

Committees are key parts of the General Assembly process. Legislation about water or about activities that can affect water may be assigned to any of several standing committees, most of which meet weekly during the General Assembly session. Two committees that receive many (but not all) of the water-related bills are the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee. Information about all standing committees as of the 2024 session—including membership, meeting times, and legislation being considered—is available online at https://lis.virginia.gov/241/com/COM.HTM.

To express an opinion on legislation, citizens are advised to contact their respective delegate of senator. If you do not know your representatives or their contact information, you can use the online “Who’s My Legislator” service, available at http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/. You can also find members’ contact information at these links:
House of Delegates, at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php;
State Senate, at https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/.

The Lobbyist-In-A-Box subscriber service also offers free tracking for up to five bills, and it offers tracking of more than five bills for a fee; visit http://lis.virginia.gov/h015.htm. For more information or assistance, phone Legislative Automated Systems at (804) 786-9631 or Virginia Interactive at (804) 318-4133.

The organization Open Virginia’s Richmond Sunlight Web site, at https://www.richmondsunlight.com/, also offers tools for following the General Assembly and for learning about Virginia law.

SOURCES USED FOR AUDIO AND OFFERING MORE INFORMATION

Ballotpedia, “Virginia General Assembly,” online at https://ballotpedia.org/Virginia_General_Assembly.

Andrew Cain, “Meet the 17 new state senators,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 24. 2023.

David McGee, “’Road to Richmond”: Predictions vary on upcoming General Assembly session,” Bristol Herald-Courier, January 4, 2024.

The Modern Republic, “Reach Across the Aisle,” online at https://www.modernrepublic.org/reach-across-the-aisle.

Virginia Department of Elections, “January 9, 2024 General Assembly Special Elections,” online at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/candidate-list/january-9-2024-general-assembly-special-elections/, accessed 1-4-24.

Virginia General Assembly, online at https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/index.php. See particularly the following specific pages (all hyperlinked):
About the General Assembly;
Citizen Involvement;
Legislative Terms.

Virginia Public Access Project, online at https://www.vpap.org/, 1-4-24. The main menu has a tab for “Legislators/Demographics,” online at https://www.vpap.org/general-assembly/legislators/, and there one can use a drop-down function to look for political party, gender, race, age, etc., and compare to previous sessions.

Virginia Legislative Information System, online at https://lis.virginia.gov/.

Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Virginia Water Legislation,” online at https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/virginia-water-legislation/. This site provides access to inventories of water-related bills in the Virginia General Assembly from 1998 through 2023.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). See particularly the “Community/Organizations” subject category.

Following are links to other episodes on the Virginia General Assembly.

Episode 143, 1-7-13 – “Music for the Past and Present of the Virginia General Assembly” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 147, 2-4-13 – “Committees Guide the Flow of Bills in the Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 196, 1-13-14 – “The Virginia General Assembly on its 396th Opening Day, January 8, 2014” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 247, 1-5-15 – “January Means State Budget Time in the Virginia General Assembly” (annual General Assembly introduction, with a special focus on the state budget).
Episode 252, 2-9-15 – “Voting on Water in the 2015 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 297, 1-4-16 – “Water’s on the Agenda—along with a Whole Lot Else—When the Virginia General Assembly Convenes” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 302, 2-8-16 – “Voting on Water in the 2016 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 350, 1-9-17 – “Old English Music Helps Preview the Old Dominion’s 2017 General Assembly” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 353, 1-30-17 – “Voting on Water in the 2017 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 359, 3-13-17 – “Subcommittees are Where Many Proposed Virginia Laws Start to Float or Sink.”
Episode 402, 1-8-18 – “The Virginia Legislature Begins Its 400th Year in 2018” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 405, 1-29-18 – “Voting on Water in the 2018 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 410, 3-5-18 – “Virginia Electricity Regulation and Water” (on legislation in the 2018 session on electricity regulation).
Episode 454, 1-7-19 – “The Virginia General Assembly, from Jamestown in 1619 to Richmond in 2019” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 460, 2-18-19 – “Voting on Water in the 2018 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 506, 1-6-20 – “Action on Budget, Bills, and Other Business Commences January 8 for the 2020 Virginia General Assembly” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 510, 2-3-20 – “Voting on Water in the 2020 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 522, 4-27-20 – “Virginia Enacts a New Energy Era” (on legislation in the 2020 session on electricity generation, carbon emissions, and recurrent flooding).
Episode 558, 1-4-21 – “January 13 is Opening Day for the 2021 Virginia General Assembly” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 562, 2-1-21 – “Voting on Water in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 611, 1-10-22 – “The Second Wednesday in January Means the Virginia General Assembly Convenes” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 614, 1-31-22 – “Voting on Water in the 2022 Virginia General Assembly.”
Episode 646, 1-9-23 – “”Near Richmond’s James River Falls, Each Second Wednesday in January Calls the Virginia General Assembly to Order” (annual General Assembly introduction).
Episode 647, 1-23-23 – “Virginia’s State Budget and Money for Water.”
Episode 648, 2-6-23: “Voting on Water in the 2023 Virginia General Assembly.”

FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION

Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.

2020 Music SOLs

SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”

2018 Science SOLs

Grades K-5 – Earth Resources
3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems.
4.8. – Virginia has important natural resources.

Grade 6
6.9 – Humans impact the environment and individuals can influence public policy decisions related to energy and the environment.

Life Science Course
LS.9 – Relationships exist between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.6 – Resource use is complex.
ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity.
ES.10 – Oceans are complex, dynamic systems subject to long- and short-term variations, including effects of human actions.
ES.11 – The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic system subject to long-and short-term variations, including effects of human actions.

Biology Course
BIO.8 – Dynamic equilibria exist within populations, communities, and ecosystems, and natural events and human activities influence local and global ecosystems and may affect the flora and fauna of Virginia.

2023 History and Social Science SOLs

Grade 4: Virginia Studies
VS.3 – Explain the causes and effects of events associated with the first permanent English settlement in North America by, among other things, identifying the significance of establishing the General Assembly (1619), the first representative legislative body in English America.

Grade 7: Civics and Economics
CE.3 – Analyze how constitutional government functions at the state level.
CE.6 – Define citizenship by, among other things, examining ways to peacefully work for change in communities or the nation by participating in political campaigns and methods of peacefully petitioning the government for change.

Grade 12: Virginia and United States Government
SKILLS - Select and synthesize evidence from information sources.
GOVT.10 – Explain the organization and powers of the state and local governments as described in the Constitution of Virginia.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/instruction.

Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels.