29.1-103 - Powers and duties of the Board.
§ 29.1-103. Powers and duties of the Board.
The Board is responsible for carrying out the purposes and provisions of thistitle and is authorized to:
1. Appoint the Director of the Department.
2. Acquire by purchase, lease, exchange, gift or otherwise, lands and watersin the Commonwealth and to establish buildings, structures, dams, lakes andponds on such lands and waters. However, it is the policy of the Commonwealththat there shall be no net loss of those public lands managed by theDepartment that are available for hunting in Virginia.
3. Conduct operations for the preservation and propagation of game birds,game animals, fish and other wildlife in order to increase, replenish andrestock the lands and inland waters of the Commonwealth.
4. Purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire lands and waters for game and fishrefuges, preserves or public shooting and fishing, and establish such landsand waters under appropriate regulations.
5. Acquire by purchase, lease, or otherwise, lands and structures for use aspublic landings, wharves, or docks; to improve such lands and structures; andto control the use of all such public landings, wharves, or docks byregulation.
6. Acquire and introduce any new species of game birds, game animals or fishon the lands and within the waters of the Commonwealth.
7. Restock, replenish and increase any depleted native species of game birds,game animals, or fish.
8. Have educational matter pertaining to wildlife published and distributed.
9. Hold exhibits throughout the Commonwealth for the purpose of educatingschool children, agriculturists and other persons in the preservation andpropagation of wildlife in the Commonwealth.
10. Control land owned by and under control of the Commonwealth in Back Bay,its tributaries and the North Landing River from the North Carolina line toNorth Landing Bridge. The Board shall regulate or prohibit by regulation anydrilling, dredging or other operation designed to recover or obtain shells,minerals, or other substances in order to prevent practices and operationswhich would harm the area for fish and wildlife.
11. Exercise powers it may deem advisable for conserving, protecting,replenishing, propagating and increasing the supply of game birds, gameanimals, fish and other wildlife of the Commonwealth.
12. Adopt resolutions or regulations conferring upon the Director all suchpowers, authorities and duties as the Board possesses and deems necessary orproper to carry out the purposes of this title.
13. Administer and manage the Virginia Fish Passage Grant and Revolving LoanFund pursuant to Article 1.1 (§ 29.1-101.2 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of thistitle.
14. Establish and collect admittance, parking, or other use fees at certainDepartment-owned facilities as determined by the Board. Any daily feeestablished by the Board shall not exceed $3. Any annual fee established bythe Board shall not exceed the cost of an annual state resident fishinglicense pursuant to subdivision A 2 of § 29.1-310, or an annual stateresident hunting license pursuant to subdivision 2 of § 29.1-303.
15. Establish and collect a use fee through the issuance of an annual huntingstamp required to be obtained to hunt on private lands managed by theDepartment through a lease agreement or other similar memorandum ofagreement. The annual hunting stamp shall be in addition to the requiredlicenses to hunt, and the cost of such stamp shall be the same as the cost ofthe annual state resident hunting license in § 29.1-303.
16. Revise, as it deems appropriate, through the promulgation of regulationsas prescribed in Article 1 (§ 29.1-500 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of this title,the fees charged for all hunting, fishing and trapping licenses authorizedunder Articles 1 (§ 29.1-300 et seq.) and 2 (§ 29.1-340 et seq.) of Chapter 3of this title, notwithstanding any other provision of this title. BeginningJuly 1, 2004, and no more frequently than once every three years thereafter,such license fees for residents may be increased or decreased no more than$5. Beginning July 1, 2007, and no more frequently than once every threeyears thereafter, the Board may increase or decrease license fees fornonresidents, authorized under Article 1 (§ 29.1-300 et seq.) of Chapter 3 ofthis title, no more than $50.
17. Take such regulatory or other action as it may determine to be necessaryto enable the Commonwealth to become a party to the Interstate WildlifeViolator Compact, as authorized in Article 2.1 (§ 29.1-530.5) of Chapter 5,and to implement the Compact in the Commonwealth. The promulgation of anyregulations pursuant to this subdivision shall be as prescribed in Article 1(§ 29.1-500 et seq.) of Chapter 5.
(Code 1950, §§ 29-6, 29-11; 1970, c. 254; 1979, c. 264; 1980, c. 301; 1987,c. 488; 1992, c. 887; 2003, c. 562; 2004, cc. 280, 1027; 2007, cc. 35, 906;2009, c. 648.)