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Latest News
Farm Transition Workshop Scheduled for February 11
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Office of Farmland Preservation, in partnership with the Virginia Farm Bureau's Young Farmers Committee is sponsoring the second of three Farm Link and Transition Pilot workshops on February 11 in Chatham. The workshop will be held at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. For more details or to read the entire article from the Chatham Star-Tribune, click here.
223 Acres of Forestry Preserved in Albemarle County
The Virginia Department of Forestry was recently granted a working forest conservation easement for 223 acres in Albemarle County, land which is made up from four parcels owned by Benjamin, Terry and Thomas Warthen. The land sits due west of Monticello and contains a tributary of Biscuit Run. Funding for the easement came from the Forests to Faucets program, which helps protect water quality in the Rivanna River Basin. To view the entire article from the Daily Progress, click here.
Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Discusses Importance of Farmland Preservation
Matt Lohr, Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture, recently discussed the importance of farmland preservation with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Lohr noted that agriculture is still Virginia's largest industry, with an annual economic impact of $55 billion, but the state is still losing about 100,000 acres of working land each year. To view the video or read the entire article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
Fauquier Landowners Preserved Twice as Much Land in 2011 Than in 2010
Fauquier County and its landowners put 3,150 acres under conservation easement in 2011, doubling the total from 2010 according to the Warrenton-based Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). The county, which pays eligible rural landowners $25,000 per potential home site through its purchase of development rights program, bought 43 development rights for $1.1 million permanently protecting 1,082 acres. To read the entire article from the Fauquier Times-Democrat, click here.
Op-Ed: Conservation Helps Wildlife, Preserves Good Life
Jim McVeigh, the Richmond chairman of the board of The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, recently penned an op-ed regarding the virtues of land conservation and its direct connection on the quality of life for citizens in the commonwealth. Over the past 10 years, Virginia has lost an average of 16,000 acres of forest land annually making it harder for residents to enjoy outdoor recreational activities such as hunting and fishing. With Governor McDonnell pledging to conserve 400,000 acres of land during his term and the legislative session closing in, he hopes they can work together to find the significant funding to reach the goal. To read the entire op-ed from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
Three Families Place Greene Land in Conservation Easements
Three Greene County families have granted conservation easements to the state, providing protection against large-scale development for nearly 400 acres of mountainside. Virginia Department of Forestry officials said they have recorded easements protecting 395 acres on Snow and Hightop mountains west of Standardsville. To read the entire article from the Daily Progress, click here.
Virginia Land Trust Conserves Property with Fitts Fund
The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) recorded its 20th easement in Fauquier County with an easement on a 109-acre parcel southeast of The Plains, within the viewshed of Virginia scenic byways Routes 55 and 628 and I-66. The property is located within the Broad Run/Little Georgetown Historic District, and also within two National Park Service Civil War Battlefield Study Areas for the Battles of Thoroughfare Gap and Buckland Mills. To read the entire article from the Civil War News, click here.
Bay Shows Evidence of Bouncing Back
According to a recent report, there's evidence at least some of the Chesapeake Bay is bouncing back after two massive storms this fall. Chesapeake Bay grasses in the upper bay survived "pretty well," according the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. To view the entire article from WTOP's website, click here.
Bay Advocates Decry Virginia Funding Proposal
Advocates who favor restoration of the Chesapeake Bay say Gov. Bob McDonnell's biennial budget proposal is severely lacking in terms of what's needed to fund the state's portion of the Bay's cleanup. Led by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a coalition of clean-water advocates has proposed the state issue a $300 million bond measure to assist localities complete clean-water projects. To read the entire article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
Report: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup, Job Creation Linked
A recent report by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation reveals that storm water and sewage plant upgrades that are intended to revitalize the environmentally challenged Chesapeake Bay could create nearly 250,000 jobs. The report was issued to refute and counter claims that the multi-state, multi-billion dollar Chesapeake Bay restoration effort lead by the Environmental Protection Agency will be harmful to the econmy and result in job losses. To read the entire Associated Press article from the Northern Virginia Daily, click here.
$1 Million in Grants Aimed at Preserving 530 Acres of Civil War Battlegrounds
State grants totaling $1 million are being awarded to organizations working to preserve 530 acres of Civil War battlefields in Virginia. The grants are being drawn from a fund created by the General Assembly to preserve Civil War sites and will help preservation groups in nine counties preserve 10 places where North and South forces fought. The Department of Historic Resources said it rigorously evaluated each grant request on Congress’ “Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields,” issued in 1993, and a 2009 update on Virginia battlefields. To view the entire list of sites from the Washington Post article, click here.
200 Acres Preserved in Loudoun and Fauquier County
The Land Trust of Virginia recently recorded conservation easements totaling 200 acres in Loudoun and Fauquier counties. The 91-acre Ravitz-Basser property outside of Aldie, known locally as the Moore Farm or Fair Oaks Farm, contains several historic buildings and the Moore Family Cemetery. The Land Trust of Virginia also acquired a 109-acre parcel of land southeast of The Plains in Fauquier County. The property is within Route 55 and 628 and Interstate 66. Almost 99 percent of the property is wooded and is within the Broad Run and Little Georgetown Historic District.To read the article from the Loudoun Times, click here.
JRA Report: Health of James River Deteriorating
The James River Association released its annual "State of the James River" report today and the results were sobering. The overall health of the river has declined over the past two years and it received a C grade, down from a C+ two years ago. The report is issued every other year and takes into account key fish and wildlife species, habitat, pollution and actions to protect the river. To read the article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here. To view the full James River Association assessment, click here.
Op-Ed Stresses Importance of Restoration and Protection of State Waters
Joseph Croce recently submitted an op-ed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch on behalf of numerous organizations which urged Governor McDonnell and Virginia legislators to continue their efforts in protecting the Commonwealth's waterways. Virginia has already made significant investments by utlitizing more than $1 billion in the past five years upgrading wastewater treatment plants. Once completed, those upgrades will remove 15.33 million pounds per year of nitrogren and 0.84 million pounds of phosphorus from Virginia's tidal waters and the Chesapeake Bay. To continue the momentum Virginia will need an additional $300 million over the next five years to fund its share of point source projects. To read Mr. Croce's entire op-ed from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
Land Conservation Remains as Popular as Ever
Despite the lingering effects of a prolonged recession and severe cuts to government funding, voters throughout the United States continue to support public funds for land conservation. Since the start of the recession in 2008, voters have approved 171 public finance measures for parks and green space totaling more than $15 billion. In recent years, private land conservation has also become more prevelant with a total of 10 million acres of land being voluntarily conserved since 2005 as urban parks, family farms, forests and natural areas. To read the entire article from the Urban Land Institute, click here.
Virginia Tops Southeast in Land-Conservation Efforts
The Land Trust Alliance recently issued a report concluding that trusts in Virginia conserved more land between 2005 and 2010 than any other state in the Southeast. Citing data from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the alliance found that 314,225 acres were conserved during that period by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and 78,678 acres were protected by private land trusts. To read the entire article from the Associated Press, click here.
Halifax County Land Donated to the Virginia Department of Forestry
A sizeable swath of woodland in Halifax County has become the 50th conservation easement donated to the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF). Mac and Brenda McDannald granted a working forest easement protecting nearly 1,300 acres located south of Omega. Not only will it be protected from development, but it will be maintained with sustainable forest management practices. To read the entire article from WSLS, click here.
USDA to Survey Conservation Practices in Bay Watershed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently announced it will begin conducting a survey for the 2011 National Resources Inventory (NRI) — Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The survey will collect information from producers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed about farming and conservation practices on cultivated cropland. CEAP is a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental effects of conservation practices and programs and develop the science base for managing the agricultural landscape for environmental quality. To read the entire article from the Southeast Farm Press, click here.
Commonwealth Purchases Eastern Shore Land for Preservation
The state recently purchased 88 acres for preservation on the Chesapeake Bay on the southern tip of the Eastern Shore, which is a key gathering point for birds migrating along the Atlantic Coast. The property is approximately three miles north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and will become part of Pickett’s Harbor Natural Area Preserve, an existing sanctuary. To read more from the Virginian-Pilot, click here.
Fort Monroe to be Designated as National Monument
United States Interior Secretary Ken Salazar suggested that President Obama is poised to use his powers under the Antiquities Act to designate parts of Fort Monroe as a national monument. The Army held a deactivation ceremony at Fort Monroe on September 15, 2010, which ended nearly four centuries of military occupation of the site at Old Point Comfort. To read the entire article from the Daily Press, click here.
Virginia Tech and VEC Offer Farm Planning and Transition Resource
Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension have recently made available a workbook that helps farmers plan for the transition of a farm or forest property from one generation to another. Planning for the Future of Your Farm: A Workbook Supporting Farm Transfer Decisions can be downloaded at pubs.ext.vt.edu/446/446-610/446-610.html. To read more from the Rockbridge Weekly, click here.
Elklick Woodlands Preserve Goes Largely Unnoticed
Located in far Western Fairfax County, Elklick Woodlands Preserve in the only preserved northern hardpan basic oak-hickory forest in the world. This unique forest type, which is characterized by shorter trees and lush grassy fields, occurred in only a few spots in Northern Virginia and Maryland but most have disappeared due to urban and suburban growth. Even though it’s not well known, the environmental jewel is something to viewed and treasured. To read the full article from the Centreville Patch, click here.
Bay Bank Working to Protect and Preserve Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem
The Bay Bank has created one of the first comprehensive markets for regional ecosystem services in the country by connecting landowners with financial resources needed to protect natural lands. The program was designed to assist in curbing the deterioration of the Chesapeake Bay. Landowners in the region, which includes New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, can now offer their lands to earn credits or financing for forest and habitat conservation, carbon sequestration, water quality protection and wetlands restoration. To read the full article from Fast Company, click here.
Farm Bureau Urging Farmers to Track Conservation Practices
The Virginia Farm Bureau is imploring farmers in six soil and water conservation districts - Bristol, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, the Northern Neck, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake - to participate in a pilot program to collect information about best management practices they've implemented. Best management practices are changes farmers and landowners make to their property to reduce or eliminate soil erosion or contamination of water. To read more about the program from Rockbridgeweekly.com, click here.
Feds Announce $10.9 Million in Grants for Chesapeake Bay
Environmental projects across the Chesapeake Bay watershed will receive $10.9 million in federal grants. The funds will support 55 projects to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment runoff. Matching funds to be provided by grant recipients mean a total of $27 million will be going to the projects. To read the full article from the Associated Press, click here.
Film Highlights Trust's Efforts
The Central Virginia Battlefields Trust invites area residents to the public premiere of a short documentary about its work as a grassroots outfit that has saved more than 890 acres on the area's four major Civil War battlefields. To read the entire article from the Free Lance-Star, click here.
Donation of Land Continues Atkins Family's Vision
The estate of the late Paul and Anna Atkins has donated 113 acres to Chesterfield County, most of which will be left natural. Thirty percent of the property will be used for new park facilities. In addition to preserving the land, the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Chesterfield Department of Parks and Recreation looked to the former owner's will, urging water conservation via avoiding excessive development, so that nearby streams and waterways close to the property would remain in tact. To read the full article from the Chesterfield Observer, click here.
Annual Forestry and Wildlife Field Tour is Oct. 13
In its 35th year, the Fall Forestry and Wildlife Field Tour has become a fall tradition for many of Virginia's outdoor enthusiasts and forest landowners.This year's Central District tour is scheduled for Thursday, October 13 in Pittsylvania County and will emphasize current forestry and wildlife research in the hopes that participants will gain knowledge and resources in attaining their own land management objectives. To read the entire article from the Smith Mountain Eagle, click here.
Featherstone Wildlife Refuge Open to Boaters
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that the Featherstone refuge, which borders Occoquan Bay and Neabsco Creek in Woodbridge, will soon be open to the public via non-motorized boats. Area conservation groups and elected officials have spoken in favor of opening the refuge to the public. To read the full article from the News and Messenger, click here.
Botetourt County Waterway Recognized
The Botetourt County Parks, Recreation & Tourism Department’s Upper James River Water Trail received top honors from the Virginia Recreation and Parks Society winning in two different categories. The area is also recognized for outstanding conservation and economic development. To read the entire article from WDBJ7, click here.
Governor McDonnell Announces Land Conservation Grants
Governor Bob McDonnell recently announced that the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation had awarded 17 grants totaling $2.4 million. The grants will add 2,2234 acres towards the Governor's stated goal of preserving 400,000 acres by 2014. VLCF grants are used by prviate land trusts, local governments, and state agencies to protect and acquire special lands in the following categories: open spaces and parks, historic areas, farm and forestry, and natural areas. To read the Governor's press release, click here.
Manure-Based Plant May Materialize in Valley
In August, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation had been awarded an $848,000 Conservation Innovation Grant to implement manure-to-energy projects in four "phosphorus hot spots" within the Bay watershed. The Valley was named as one of the hot spots in the Grant proposal and $600,000 of the Grant will go to implementing four on-the-ground projects. Agriculture accounts for 40 percent of the phosphorus and nitrogen pollution in the Bay and with many farms in the Valley having had manure applied to its land over the years, the phosphorus has built up in the soil. To read more about the Grant and potential manure plant from the Staunton Daily News Leader, click here.
State Unveils Biscuit Run Park Plans
The Commonwealth of Virginia recently unveiled a draft of the master plan for the future of Biscuit Run Park in Albemarle County. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation held a public meeting at the Ablemarle County Office Building on September 19 to present its vision for the 1,200-acre site along Route 20. An advisory committee had been working to develop the master plan. To read more about the master plan on the Charlottesville Tomorrow blog, click here.
Stewardship Virginia Campaign Kicks Off Ninth Year in September
Stewardship Virginia, a statewide campaign to encourage and recognize volunteers providing a tangible impact on Virginia's natural resources, continues its ninth year this month with events across the Commonwealth. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) coordinates the campaign with assistance from other state natural and historical resources agencies. To read more about Stewardship Virginia from DCR's website, click here.
News & Advance Columnist Touts Conservation Easements
Thelma Dalmas, a resident of Lynchburg for more than 50 years, penned a column in the August 30 edition of the News & Advance highlighting the benefits of preserving land for the future through conservation easements. By putting your land under a conservation easement, you still retain ownership, gain tax benefits and have the right to pass along the property to your heirs all while knowing the habitat will remain more or less unchanged. To read the entire article from the News & Advance, click here.
Virginia Gets $1.8 Million in Federal Grants
The Commonwealth of Virginia is receiving $1.8 million in federal grants for a vareity of environmental projects. The largest sum will be used for manure-to-energy projects in four "phosphorus hot spots." Other projects include on-farm demonstrations for phosphorus recycling and tree planting on reclaimed mining sites. To read the entire article from the Staunton Daily News Leader, click here.
USDA Taps Virginia for Conservation Innovation Grant
Virginia was one of 40 states to receive Conservation Innovation Grants from the USDA. Virginia, along with Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, is receiving $848,424 to help farmers convert manure to energy to generate income and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. To read the entire article, click here.
Virginia Department of Agriculture Announces Farm Workshops
The Associated Press recently published an article on the efforts of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Office of Farmland Preservation to keep farms in farming. The office will be conducting several workshops throughout Virginia to be held through next spring. To read the entire article, click here.
Ann Jennings' Op-Ed Featured in Richmond Times-Dispatch
Ann Jennings, a Virginiaforever Board Member and Virginia Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, penned an op-ed on the current Bay cleanup effort and the need to sustain its funding for long-term success. To read the entire piece, which ran in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on July 22, click here.
McDonnell's Land Conservation Goal Behind Schedule
Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech announced yesterday that Governor McDonnell's plan to protect 400,000 acres of land during his administration is currently behind schedule. Domenech cited the bad economy as a reason people are reluctant to voluntarily protect land and also stated the Governor is "significantly" cutting back on state spending to buy land because localities lose valuable tax money when the state purchases land. More than 60,000 acres have been protected since McDonnell took office. To read the article, click here.
USDA Announces Conservation Funding in Virginia
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday that Virginia farmers, ranchers and private, non-inudstrial forest landowners can now tap into federal funds to implement conservation practices. The Agriculture Department will use $7 million to fund 31 projects in Virginia and 10 other states. The funding is available through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative. To read the article, click here.
Virginiaforever Annual Board Meeting and Budget Briefing
Virginiaforever held its annual board meeting and budget briefing on Monday, December 20th in Richmond, Virginia. The Board of Directors and attending public heard presentations of Governor McDonnell’s proposed amendments to the 2010-2012 biennial budget from the agencies and departments responsible for the oversight of natural resources and agriculture in the Commonwealth of Virginia. To read the summary, click here.
Eight Virginia Localities Receive Funding for Conservation Easements
Governor Bob McDonnell announced the distribution of $100,000 in grants from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to eight Virginia localities. The localities -- the counties of Albemarle, Clarke, Fauquier, Isle of Wight, New Kent, Northampton, Spotsylvania and the City of Virginia Beach -- must use the grant monies to preserve farmland within their boundries through local purchase development rights (PDR) programs. To read the governor's press release, click here.
Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan Accepted by EPA
Governor Bob McDonnell announced that he had received word from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it had approved Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan, which had been submitted by the Administration in November. Virginia is one of seven Bay jurisdictions to develop plans addressing the EPA's establishment of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) or "pollution diet" for the Chesapeake Bay. To read the governor's press release, click here.
Virginia Outdoors Foundation Moves to New Offices
The Virginia Outdoor Foundation has moved its state headquarters to a new building in Warrenton. The new offices are located Garrett Street and the space is double the size -- about 3,000 square feet compared to the 1,400 square-foot office space at the former location on Waterloo Street. The new space also allows the Foundation to double its office count from five to 11 and provides substantially more parking. Established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1966, VOF holds conservation easements and has the authority to buy and sell land for conservation purposes.
Smithfield Foods Acheives Top Corporate Social Responsibility Rankings
Virginia Forever member Smithfield Foods was recently recognized by multiple organizations for their Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. The company ranked 176th on the Maplecroft CII Benchmark which evaluates company performance in climate-related innovation and carbon management. Smithfield was also recognized by FTSE Group as a member of the FTSE4Good index, and in NEWSWEEK's 2010 Green Rankings. To read the entire Smithfield Foods press release, click here.
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Farmers in Chesapeake Bay Watershed Recieve $150 Million in Federal Funds
Federal environmental and agriculture officials have committed $150 million to help farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed do their part to restore the estuary. The funds will be used to help livestock growers and farmers cover crops to reduce runoff, build livestock fencing, assist with wetlands protection and provide technical assistance. To read the entire article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
More Va. Waterways Polluted According to DEQ Report
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) yesterday issued its 2010 water-quality report and the findings were concerning to environmentalists. There is more pollution in Virginia waterways than ever before, even though more of them than ever are being cleaned. According to the report 12,103 miles of streams are polluted, 96,510 acres of lakes are dirty and 2,157 square miles of estuaries are also polluted. To read the entire article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Awarded $500K Grant
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has bestowed a $500,000 grant upon the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for pollution reduction and watershed restoration in the Onancock watershed on the Eastern Shore. The grant will fund projects including resident rain gardens, rail barrels, lawn management, stream buffers, variable-rate fertilzer applications and the installation of systems to capture rainwater runoff from municipal parking lots. To read the entire article from the Virginian Pilot, click here.
McDonnell Plan Aims to Curb Runoff from Capitol Square
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell yesterday broke ground on a project to reduce runoff from Capitol Square. With the help of an Environmental Protection Agency grant, the goal is to make the Commonwealth's Capitol the nation's greenest. To read the entire article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
Smithfield Foods Releases Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Virginia Forever member Smithfield Foods has released its ninth annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which highlights the company's progress in environmental performance, animal welfare, food safety, community relations, and employees -- key CSR areas for the company and its stockholders. To review Smithfield's press release or to download a PDF of the CSR Report, click here.
Virginia Forever Chairman Bob Dunn Appointed to State Water Control Board
Virginia Forever Chairman Bob Dunn was recently appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell to the State Water Control Board. Dunn, a former Community and Environmental Affairs manager for DuPont, is joined on the Board by Williamsburg's Bill Pruitt. To view the governor's press release announcing the appointments, click here.
Dominion Named ‘Hero of the Chesapeake Bay’
The Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation has named Dominion “Hero of the Chesapeake Bay” for its continuing support of environmental programs in the bay. The award particularly noted the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative, which the foundation termed “a 21st century project whose contributions to the proliferation of fisheries and other marine life in the Chesapeake Bay are unrivaled.” To read more about the award on Dominion’s website, click here.
New State Parks Website Launched
Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech recently announced a new Virginia parks and outdoor recreation website – www.Virginiaoutdoors.com. The site offers resources to make outdoor recreation trip planning fun and easy by utilizing rich content provided by state partners. Content includes a video tour of trails in all Virginia State Parks and audio podcasts with park staff and others who provide an insider’s view on what our parks and open spaces have to offer. To read more about the website, you can view the Governor’s press release here.
Governor McDonnell Reiterates Plans to Preserve 400,000 Acres
Governor Bob McDonnell recently reiterated his Virginia Land Conservation goal of preserving 400,000 acres of open land during his four-year term at the Fourth Annual Virginia Land Conservation Conference in Williamsburg. McDonnell is hoping to match the goal set by former Gov. Tim Kaine. To read more on this from the Daily Press, click here.
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