February 20, 2009 — The Virginia General Assembly has recognized the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute on the 10th anniversary of its founding.

The institute is a partnership of the University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation, Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Department of Forestry, and is designed to foster communication and understanding between environmental leaders representing different interests in Virginia's natural resources.

Each class of leaders takes part in a yearlong program of interactive exercises that focus on topics such as conflict resolution, facilitation, consensus-building, interest-based negotiation, public involvement, environmental justice and collaborative leadership.

Since its inception in 1999, more than 250 people have graduated from the program.

The House Joint Resolution 865 and Senate Joint Resolution 417 commend the institute for "its many efforts to help build consensus and facilitate good environmental policy and leadership for the Commonwealth."

Tanya Denckla Cobb, associate director at the Institute for Environmental Negotiation, said, "We're extremely grateful to the General Assembly for its recognition, and we look forward to many more years of developing a network of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors who will help their communities address difficult environmental issues, move beyond conflict and develop sustainable solutions."