Article XI, Virginia Constitution

Virginia Constitution
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Article XI of the Virginia Constitution is entitled Conservation and consists of four sections.

Section 1

Text of Section 1: Natural Resources and Historical Sites of the Commonwealth To the end that the people have clean air, pure water, and the use and enjoyment for recreation of adequate public lands, waters, and other natural resources, it shall be the policy of the Commonwealth to conserve, develop, and utilize its natural resources, its public lands, and its historical sites and buildings. Further, it shall be the Commonwealth's policy to protect its atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, for the benefit, enjoyment, and general welfare of the people of the Commonwealth.

Section 2

Text of Section 2: Conservation and Development of Natural Resources and Historical Sites In the furtherance of such policy, the General Assembly may undertake the conservation, development, or utilization of lands or natural resources of the Commonwealth, the acquisition and protection of historical sites and buildings, and the protection of its atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, by agencies of the Commonwealth or by the creation of public authorities, or by leases or other contracts with agencies of the United States, with other states, with units of government in the Commonwealth, or with private persons or corporations. Notwithstanding the time limitations of the provisions of Article X, Section 7, of this Constitution, the Commonwealth may participate for any period of years in the cost of projects which shall be the subject of a joint undertaking between the Commonwealth and any agency of the United States or of other states.

Section 3

Text of Section 3: Natural Oyster Beds The natural oyster beds, rocks, and shoals in the waters of the Commonwealth shall not be leased, rented, or sold but shall be held in trust for the benefit of the people of the Commonwealth, subject to such regulations and restriction as the General Assembly may prescribe, but the General Assembly may, from time to time, define and determine such natural beds, rocks, or shoals by surveys or otherwise.

Section 4

	Text of Section 4: Right of the People to Hunt, Fish, and Harvest Game The people have a right to hunt, fish, and harvest game, subject to such regulations and restrictions as the General Assembly may prescribe by general law.

Amendments

• Question 2 (2000) ratified November 7, 2000, and effective January 1, 2001 — Added a new section (4).

See also

• State constitution
• Constitutional article
• Constitutional amendment
• Constitutional revision
• Constitutional convention
• Amendments
  • Initiated constitutional amendment
  • Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment
  • Publication requirements for proposed state constitutional amendments
  • Rules about constitutional conventions in state constitutions
  • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures

External links

Suggest a link

• Virginia's Legislative Information System, "Constitution of Virginia"
• Yale.edu, "1776 Constitution"
• Virginia Government Matters, "Virginia Constitution 1830"
• Virginia Government Matters, "Virginia Constitution 1851"
• Virginia Government Matters, "Virginia Constitution 1870"
• Virginia Government Matters, "Virginia Constitution 1864"
• Virginia Government Matters, "Virginia Constitution 1902"
• Virginia Historical Society
• You Tube, "Brief History of the Virginia Constitution"

Additional reading

• Dinan, John. (2014). The Virginia State Constitution, New York, New York: Oxford University Press
• Selby, John E. “Henry Lee, John Adams and the Virginia Constitution of 1776” in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 84, No. 4 (Oct. 1976): 387–400
• Holt, Wythe W. Jr., "The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902," in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 76 (January, 1968), pp.67-102
• McDaniel, Ralph C. (1928). The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902, Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins Press