The collection consists of the center's files on environmental topics in the Central Atlantic Region, chiefly Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., with a few items from Delaware and Pennsylvania. The files contain correspondence, memoranda, policy statements, clippings, reports, legislative bills, articles, workshop materials, and newsletters on a variety of environmental action groups. The groups varied from short-lived ones devoted to a single issue to on-going organizations oriented toward more general topics and long range policy. Most of the material is concerned with the preservation of natural resources, particularly along the coast and in the Virginia mountains. Other topics and groups include the Green Springs historic area controversy, the Isaak Walton League of America, Virginia environmental impact legislation including the McMurran bill to coordinate environmental groups, the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Jack Mountain recreational development, the Nansemond County Industrial Complex, the New River dam, the North River Riparian Association, pesticides, Potomac Basin planning, and the Salem Church reservoir on the Rappahannock River. Major topics and groups from the files include air quality, the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the Calfpasture River dam, the Conservation Foundation, flood control, and the Gathright Dam on the Jackson River. Additional topics and groups in the files include the Seashore State Park, strip mining, the Verona dam at Staunton, water quality control, wetlands preservation, the Blue Plains Sewage Treatment Plant, and Washington, D.C. transportation problems.
