Hello everyone!
 
Thank you so much for signing the petition, demanding that DEQ and Army Corps of Engineers protect our wetlands in Lovettsville!
 
We have received more than 400 signatures in just a few days!  This level of support is incredibly inspiring. 
 
We will be sending this letter to DEQ and Army Corps first thing next week, but right now there is one more step that everyone who has signed so far can take that is extremely important:
 
Our best chance to stop this permit is to demand a public hearing, where our voices can be heard.  DEQ Director Mike Rolband and Tucker Smith, Chief of the Northern Section of the Army Corps, Norfolk District, can call these hearings at any time, if the public demands one.
 
However, there are specific procedures for calling a hearing, and one requirement is that lots of people individually write them emails, describing how this permit would negatively affect them.
 
Therefore, it is extremely important that we all email Director Rolband, Tucker Smith, and Margaret Dannemann, who is overseeing this specific permit application, and formally make this request.  Their email addresses are below, along with a template letter which you can modify to reflect your specific concerns.  We also set up a gmail account to keep track of how many people send in emails, which you can bcc. 
 
Contact info:
michael.rolband@deq.virginia.gov, margaret.dannemann@deq.virginia.gov, tucker.smith@usace.army.mil
bcc: protectlovettsvilleswetlands@gmail.com

TEMPLATE:

 
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RE: Public Hearing Request for WP4-22-2520 and NAO-2021-00979 (the “Schoene Project”)
 
Dear Director Rolband, Mr. Smith, and Ms. Dannemann,
 
My name is _____, and I live at _____.
 
I am writing because there are several omissions in the ongoing review of Lennar’s recently proposed changes to VWP permit number WP4-22-2520 (the “Schoene Project”), and its associated SPGP coverage (NAO-2021-00979). In particular, there appears to have been no review of:

1)    the permanent impacts that permanently deforesting the “SI1 easement” will have on more than 200 linear feet of stream channel on the south side of Lovettsville Rd;
2)    the impact this deforestation will have on the wood turtle and on wood turtle habitat – a State Threatened species in Virginia;
3)    the ongoing, unauthorized draining of more than half an acre of wetlands on the north side of Lovettsville Rd, due to the excavation of the detention pond, and the pumping of this water behind St. James Cemetery; and
4)    an alternative which would avoid all of these impacts: connecting Schoene Farm Place to North Church St, instead of Lovettsville Rd.  This alternative would eliminate all of the impacts to the sight distance easement, and significantly reduce the temporary impacts to the wetlands north of Lovettsville Rd.  However, it has not been reviewed by DEQ or COE, and was not disclosed by Lennar during their original permitting process.

I live near the Schoene Project, and would be directly affected by the unnecessary destruction of these beautiful wetlands and streams that are currently enjoyed by our entire community, particularly given their proximity to the St. James Cemetery.  The decrease in tributary stream quality will also directly harm the Catoctin Creek, a recreational site for myself, and many other surrounding towns and villages.  Furthermore, unnecessarily building an intersection next to a blind turn in Lovettsville Rd, where cars frequently drive over 50 mph, will put my safety, and the safety of the thousands of drivers per day who use Lovettsville Rd at risk.
 
Given the multiple, significant outstanding issues related to this permit, I think it is essential that a public hearing be held before DEQ and Army Corps make any final determination regarding this permit modification request.  Given this permit applicant’s particularly poor track record of fully and promptly disclosing the full impact of their project and available avoidance options, I believe this is especially critical in this case.

Thank you very much for your continued review of this permit.
 
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Following the rules for formal public comments, you should include your full name, and either your mailing address or email address. 
 
If you want, after you send your email, you can also follow up with a phone call to Director Rolband, Margaret Dannemann, and/or Tucker Smith, letting them know you have submitted a public comment calling for a public hearing for permit WP4-22-2520, and thanking them for taking a look at it.
 
Phone numbers:
Mike Rolband: 804-694-4020
Margaret Dannemann: 571-866-6485
Tucker Smith: 757-323-4365
 
If you still have energy & time after these emails, listed below are the phone numbers for Delegate Geary Higgins, Senator Russet Perry, Supervisor Caleb Kernsher, and Rep Suhas Subramanyam.  All of these elected officials can also encourage DEQ and COE to grant a public hearing.  Leaving any of them a message explaining the reasons you are concerned about this project, and asking them to lend their voice by contacting DEQ and COE and asking for a public hearing so that they can hear directly from their constituents would also be helpful.
 
Representative Suhas Subramanyam: 202-225-5136
State Senator Russet Perry: 804-698-7531
State House Delegate Geary Higgins: 804-698-1030                          
County Supervisor Caleb Kershner: 703-777-0204 
 
THANK YOU again for all your support!  If we all take a vocal stand on this issue, we can still succeed in getting DEQ and Army Corps to protect our community & our environment.