Virginia Leads the Southeast in Land Conservation

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1 F A L L virginiaotdoorsfondation.org Virginia Leads the Sotheast in Land Conservation A new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Land Trst Alliance reveals that land trsts in Virginia conserved more land between 2005 and 2010 than in any other state in the Sotheast. The 2010 National Land Trst Censs incldes statistics from private nonprofit land trsts, as well as the Virginia Otdoors Fondation. According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, which tracks all land conservation activity in the commonwealth, 314,225 acres were conserved by VOF and 78,678 acres were conserved by private land trsts between 2005 and That works ot to abot seven acres preserved every hor. The Land Trst Alliance censs reports that the next-closest Sotheastern state was North Carolina, where land trsts conserved abot 132,000 new acres dring the same period. Altogether, land trsts in the Sotheastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentcky, Loisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Soth Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia have preserved abot 2.5 million acres. Looking at the national pictre, the censs fond 10 million new acres conserved across the United States since 2005, despite a down economy. Americans vale their land, and they are conserving it at the local level, said Land Trst Alliance president Rand Wentworth. While government is shrinking, local land trsts are saving more land than is lost to development. Commnities nationwide vale clean water, local food, and places to play, and they are investing in those places close to home. According to the Land Trst Alliance, a total of 47 million acres an area over twice the size of all the national parks in the contigos United States are now protected by land trsts. Protect Virginia s Otdoors: Donate Today By now, yo shold have received yor complimentary 2012 Virginia Otdoors Fondation calendar, which featres a dozen easement properties protected by VOF. If yo did not receive a calendar and wold like one, please call (804) Please consider making a tax-dedctible donation to help VOF contine to preserve landscapes like those featred in the calendar. Yor contribtion will spport or easement program, the longterm stewardship of these easements, and or threatened lands acqisition initiative. Please consider donating one of three ways: 1. Visit virginiaotdoorsfondation.org/donate. 2. Call (804) to make a credit card donation. 3. Send a check made payable to the Virginia Otdoors Fondation sing the envelope in this newsletter. Preserving Virginia s scenic, natral, historic, recreational, and open-space lands for ftre generations.

2 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Hank M. Hartz, III (Chair) Mark S. Allen Harry F. Atherton A. Benton Chafin, Jr. Szanne M. Lacy Charles H. Seilheimer, Jr. Jeffrey K. Walker OFFICE LOCATIONS Exective Office / Northern Region 39 Garrett Street, Site 200 Warrenton, VA (540) Appalachian Highlands Region 468 Main Street, Site 400-B Abingdon, VA (276) Central Region 1010 Harris Street, Site 4 Charlottesville, VA (434) Shenandoah Valley Region 11 East Beverley Street Stanton, VA (540) Sotheast Region 1108 East Main St., Site 700 Richmond, VA (804) Sothwest Region 900 Soth Main Street Blacksbrg, VA (540) Tidewater Region P.O. Box 909 Tappahannock, VA (804) EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE Letter from the Exective Director When the General Assembly wants to evalate the effectiveness of governmental agencies and programs, it often trns to the Joint Legislative Adit and Review Commission, or JLARC. This commission is composed of nine members of the Hose of Delegates and five members of the Senate. JLARC s primary objective is to determine whether agencies and programs are making the most efficient and effective se of taxpayer dollars. It reglarly pblishes reports and recommendations on its website, jlarc.virginia.gov, which are given strong credence by elected and appointed officials serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. One project ndertaken by JLARC staff dring 2011 was an evalation of more than 70 Virginia State Income Tax Credit programs that entail tax credit issances of amonts greater than $1 million annally. One sch program is the Land Preservation Tax Credit Program, which extends transferable state income tax credits for volntary perpetal land preservation donations that qalify for federal income tax dedctions. Each year, abot $100 million of Land Preservation Tax Credits are issed. These credits have been critical to the sccess of Virginia s land conservation efforts over the last decade, and have reslted in hndreds of thosands of acres being protected, largely throgh conservation easements donated to the Virginia Otdoors Fondation. The Land Preservation Tax Credit program represents the strongest indcement available in any state in the nation for volntary land conservation on private property. These private lands represent mch of the cltral and natral heritage landscapes for which Virginia has long been revered. Of the programs that JLARC evalated, only the Land Preservation Tax Credits and Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits were fond to be both efficient and effective. JLARC s assessment is an important, independent validation of the sccess of these programs. It demonstrates that they are worthy of contined pblic spport. The report also indirectly affirms the efficiency and effectiveness of VOF. After all, of the 518,000 acres that have tilized the credits since 2000, abot 490,000 acres almost 95 percent reslted from easements donated to VOF. This sccess wold not have been possible withot yo, the easement donors. As we finish another year having protected thosands more acres of open space, we thank yo for yor leadership, yor generosity, and yor contining spport. Bob Lee, Exective Director (540) blee@vofonline.org 2 v i r g i n i a o t d o o r s f o n d a t i o n. o r g

3 Farm Brea Hosts Easement Panel at Convention Withot the sale of tax credits from a conservation easement on his 180-acre farm in Agsta Conty, Wes Kent wold never have been able to prchase an adjoining 118- acre farm. The conservation easement provided me a valable tool to expand my farm, Kent said dring a standing-room-only panel discssion on Conservation Easements: The Right Fit for Yor Farm? at the Virginia Farm Brea Federation 2011 Annal Convention in Norfolk in November. Kent, a fll-time beef, dairy and poltry farmer, boght his farm in 2004 after leasing it for several years. This year he was able to pt that farm nder a conservation easement with the Virginia Otdoors Fondation. With the sale of tax credits from that easement, he had enogh collateral to secre financing to prchase his neighbor s property. BY THE NUMBERS How many approximate acres of USDA-designated prime farmland and soils of statewide importance do VOF easements protect? A. 75,000 B. 175,000 C. 275,000 Answer on page 6 This easement was a good fit for my farm, Kent said. The panel was part of a partnership between VOF, the Virginia Farm Brea Federation, the Department of Agricltre and Consmer Services, and others to make conservation easements more flexible for working farms. VOF Easement Manager Lara Thrman, who works primarily with farmers in the Shenandoah Valley, was among the panel participants. For the past year, a working grop comprised of these partners developed a variant to VOF s standard easement template that, among other things, allows for the option of a farmstead area within the easement, where bilding and se restrictions wold be less stringent. VOF wold be able to control the size and location of the farmstead area overall, and wold apply its normal restrictions to the rest of the property. In exchange for this greater flexibility, VOF wold seek greater restrictions on division rights and other compensations to protect core pblic vales. The new Intensive Agricltre Easement Template, as it s being called, was approved by VOF s Board of Trstees in October and is available on VOF s website nder Protect Yor Land > Easement Docments and Forms. FOLLOW US ONLINE facebook.com/virginiaotdoorsfondation twitter.com/vofonline HELP KEEP OUR RECORDS UP TO DATE Please notify s if yo have a new mailing address, address, or phone nmber. Send yor new info to rrssell@vofonline.org or call (804) v i r g i n i a o t d o o r s f o n d a t i o n. o r g 3

4 VOF s Special Project Areas VOF Special Project Areas Bll Rn Montains Cat Point Creek Watershed Catawba Valley Interstate Virginia Jrisdictions Water Eastern Shore Headwaters of the North Fork Shenandoah River Middlebrook - Brownsbrg Corridor Scenic 340 Spring Valley In recent years, as a way to identify important conservation areas and prioritize or work, the Virginia Otdoors Fondation has accepted nominations for Special Project Areas areas that contain sch a rich mosaic of natral, historic, scenic, and agricltral resorces that there is widespread spport for their protection. These nominations generally come from local citizens and grops with spport from local government. Each nomination is presented to the VOF Board of Trstees, who evalate it and, if appropriate, approve its designation. To date, VOF has designated eight Special Project Areas. To learn more abot the nomination process, visit or website at virginiaotdoorsfondation.org and navigate to Protect Yor Land > Designating Special Project Areas. Bll Rn Montains Location: Faqier and Prince William conties The Bll Rn Montains comprise the largest, relatively intact and nfragmented natral landscape east of the Ble Ridge in Northern Virginia. Becase the montains are isolated amidst relatively heavy development, they serve as an oasis of rare species and ecosystems. VOF owns abot 2,500 acres in the montains, which it manages for pblic access and edcational activities. VOF also holds easements on hndreds of acres in the immediate area, and tens of thosands of acres within the viewshed of the montains. In 2002, the Department of Conservation and Recreation dedicated the area as the 34th State Natral Area Preserve. VOF contines to work with landowners to acqire and protect more land srronding the montains. Cat Point Creek Watershed Location: Richmond and Westmoreland conties The 19-mile, 46,000-acre Cat Point Creek watershed rns the width of the Northern Neck, with the lower tidal portions lying in the bondary of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refge. The watershed connects several important historic resorces, inclding Menokin, Stratford Hall, and George Washington s birthplace. It incldes lsh marshes and other habitats for dcks, eagles, peregrine falcons, and it is part of an Important Bird Area designated by the National Adbon Society. The Natre Conservancy has identified Cat Point Creek as one of only a few last great places in the Coastal Plain of Virginia. 4 v i r g i n i a o t d o o r s f o n d a t i o n. o r g

5 Catawba Valley Location: Montgomery and Roanoke conties The Catawba Valley stretches for abot 20 miles across northern Roanoke Conty into northeastern Montgomery Conty. The valley contains nmeros important resorces inclding the North Fork National Rral Historic District, the Rote 76 TransAmerica Bicentennial Bikeway, the Appalachian Trail, and the Rote 785 State Scenic Byway. It is adjacent to portions of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and the Havens State Wildlife Area, and contains headwaters for the North Fork of the Roanoke River and Catawba Creek, both of which are sorces of drinking water for the Roanoke metropolitan area. The North Fork of the Roanoke River is also home to the Roanoke logperch, a federally endangered species. Eastern Shore Location: Accomack and Northampton conties Virginia s Eastern Shore, part of the Delmarva Peninsla that separates the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, is probably best known for the beach commnity of Chincoteage, famos for its wild ponies. It is also a major staging and feeding area for migratory birds. Becase of this, the Natre Conservancy has protected 14 ndeveloped barrier islands along the coast, which form the Virginia Coast Reserve. According to TNC, it s the longest expanse of coastal wilderness remaining on the eastern seaboard of the United States. These islands shelter more than 250 species of birds, as well as nmeros rare and endangered species. To bild pon TNC s work, and to ensre the viability of traditional land ses sch as agricltre and recreation, VOF, the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trst, and others have protected thosands more acres of privately owned open space across the region. Middlebrook-Brownsbrg Corridor Location: Agsta and Rockbridge conties Home to headwaters for both the James and Shenandoah rivers, the Middlebrook-Brownsbrg corridor is one of the more intact agricltral landscapes in Virginia, with many farms still the same size they were when originally plotted. The corridor contains abot 100 easements held by the Virginia Otdoors Fondation, protecting more than 17,000 acres and making this one of the most densely conserved regions west of the Ble Ridge Montains. The region is bordered on the west by the North Montain Wildlife Management Area and Goshen Pass Natral Area Preserve. A total of 245 standing strctres and 11 cemeteries in the area are on record with the Virginia Department of Historic Resorces, and 52 properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register. The Mary River, which flows throgh the sothern portion of the corridor area, has been proposed for Scenic River designation. Headwaters of the North Fork Shenandoah River Location: Frederick and Shenandoah conties The Cedar and Passage Creek watersheds, which comprise the North Fork of the Shenandoah River headwaters in Frederick and Shenandoah conties, are considered among the cleanest and least distrbed streams in the Shenandoah Valley. The Virginia Otdoors Plan identifies both creeks as major recreational streams in the region, and identifies Cedar Creek in its entirety as qalifying for designation as a Virginia Scenic River. The plan also identifies Cedar Creek and portions of Passage Creek as eligible for stdy for National Wild and Scenic River System designation. A portion of the Cedar Creek watershed has been designated a national historical park within the larger Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. Together, the watersheds contain 28 species of plants and animals identified as rare, as well as several niqe and rare ecosystems. Scenic 340 Location: Page and Warren conties U.S. Rote 340, which parallels the Soth Fork of the Shenandoah River, follows a travel corridor sed by Native Americans for millennia. The stretch that rns abot 20 miles from Front Royal to Lray is enjoyed by contless travelers on pblic roadways and sers of the Soth Fork of the Shenandoah, the Appalachian and Tscarora Trails, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Shenandoah National Park, and the Skyline Drive. Rich, diverse wildlife habitat incldes nmeros Natral Heritageidentified sites and a critical wildlife travel corridor linking the SNP and GWNF. A portion of the Soth Fork of the Shenandoah River is eligible for Scenic River designation. The area also contains many historic sites and strctres from early American settlement and the Revoltionary and Civil wars. Spring Valley Location: Grayson Conty Spring Valley is a high valley in northeastern Grayson Conty bonded by the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests to the north and by Brierpatch Montain to the soth, encompassing an area of roghly 7,500 acres. The area is predominately agricltral land, with beef cattle, timber, and Fraser fir Christmas trees being the major prodcts. Knob Fork, which is a large tribtary of Elk Creek, drains the watershed of Spring Valley. Several miles pstream from the town of Fries, Elk Creek flows into the New River, an American Heritage River. The valley was first settled in the 1760s and today is a window into early America. A large percentage of the homes in the valley were bilt more than 100 years ago. In 2010, the Virginia Department of Historic Resorces approved the creation of the Spring Valley Rral Historic District, which comprises approximately 4,220 acres. Soon thereafter, the district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. v i r g i n i a o t d o o r s f o n d a t i o n. o r g 5

6 New Methods for Easement Monitoring The land conservation commnity often talks abot what it has protected. However, the past tense is misleading. Real protection, especially for permanent conservation easements, is an ongoing job. It reqires reglar monitoring of the land and swift action whenever a problem is fond. At the Virginia Otdoors Fondation, this work is performed by stewardship staff. With more than 3,200 easements to monitor on 630,000-pls acres of land across 105 conties and cities, the work is trly never finished. While VOF s stewardship responsibilities have been skyrocketing, or fnding and staffing levels have not kept pace. As a reslt, we are constantly exploring new, cost-effective methods for monitoring easements withot compromising the trst that easement donors have placed in s. Some of these new methods are being implemented right now with positive reslts. One new method is the landowner srvey. This involves or stewardship staff calling, mailing, or ing landowners and asking them qestions abot their crrent and ftre plans for their properties. Landowner srveys allow VOF staff to keep in close contact with landowners withot taking p too mch of their time. A second method is remote aerial monitoring. Throgh geographic satellite imagery available from the National Agricltre Imagery Program and the Virginia Base Mapping Project, VOF staff can view recent aerials from their office compters and note changes to the landscape or bilding footprints. If no isses are discovered, or staff will not contact the landowner. If an isse is discovered, we will contact the landowner to discss next steps. This process saves everyone time, redces the need for staff to brn fel driving to properties, and can also be extremely helpfl in verifying changes in difficlt terrain or remote locations. A third method of monitoring that VOF is developing is the se of highly trained volnteers. We have been reaching ot to partner organizations, sch as the Rappahannock Conty Conservation Alliance, Western Virginia Land Trst, Garden Clb of Virginia, and others, to find volnteers who are interested in helping VOF flfill its mission. When a volnteer applies to help s with monitoring, we provide them with the necessary tools and training to begin work. Some volnteers assist s with corthose research, while others perform easement monitoring. There are two ways by which volnteers can monitor easements. One way is by viewing the property from a pblic right-of-way, sch as a road that borders the property. When doing this type of visal assessment, the volnteer does not set foot on the property or engage the landowners. The other way is by visiting the property nder the direction of a VOF staff spervisor. In these instances, the volnteers mst ndergo specialized training to condct the easement monitoring on the property. They will se the previos monitoring report and other materials to evalate whether any changes have occrred to the property and then report those changes back to or staff for follow-p. Volnteers provide an excellent way for VOF to redce the costs associated with monitoring easements across the state. The volnteer program also allows VOF to better edcate and engage the pblic with regard to or work. We are gratefl to have already fond many dedicated and talented volnteers, inclding VOF easement donors themselves. If yo are interested in volnteering with VOF, visit virginiaotdoorsfondation.org/volnteer to learn more and apply. Throgh these new monitoring methods, VOF hopes to keep in close contact with or easement landowners and ensre the long-term protection of these important properties. If yo are a VOF easement landowner and have qestions abot these or other stewardship activities, please contact yor local office, which yo can find in this newsletter or by visiting or website at virginiaotdoorsfondation.org/contact. BY THE NUMBERS ANSWER The answer is B, 175,000 acres. According to the USDA, Prime farmland is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for prodcing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and that is available for these ses. 6 v i r g i n i a o t d o o r s f o n d a t i o n. o r g

7 EASEMENT SPOTLIGHT Pick-Yor-Own Preservation This year s harvest season for Snead s Farm in western Caroline Conty has yielded more than jst prodce and Christmas trees. The Conservation Fnd, Fort A.P. Hill and the Virginia Otdoors Fondation recently partnered to place a conservation easement on 290 acres at Emmett Snead III s pick-yor-own style farm. Under the agreement, Snead will contine to maintain its crrent se as a working farm while forever protecting this acreage from development detrimental to the health of the nearby Rappahannock River. Located along scenic U.S. Highway 17, Snead s Farm and roadside stand spports 20 local jobs and offers a variety of seasonal frits and vegetables, inclding fresh-picked asparags, sgar snap peas, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, sweet corn, watermelon, okra, tomatoes, sqash, and zcchini. Visitors are encoraged to walk arond and explore every-day happenings on the farm from the snflower field to the chicken coop to the pmpkin patch. In the winter, cstomers go to Snead s to cttheir-own Christmas trees. Emmet Snead has been selling fresh food since he was 6, when he sold eggs from his chickens to Fredericksbrg locals from his bicycle. After college, he boght a small farm and began rnning a roadside stand. His farming bsiness grew to 1,200 acres on seven farms in three conties, mostly growing grains. Bt in 1980, he boght the property now known as Snead s Asparags Farm and focsed his efforts on roadside stands and local spermarkets. Today, with the addition of pick-yor-own frits, vegetables, pmpkins, and Christmas trees, the farm is a cherished part of the commnity. Generations from now when there are 14 billion people in the world, we believe the highest and best se for this property will be for farming, Emmett and his wife, Ellen, said following the recordation of their easement. With technical assistance from The Conservation Fnd and VOF, Fort A.P Hill prchased the conservation easement with fnding provided by the Department of Defense Army Compatible Use Bffer (ACUB) program. VOF will hold the easement. At nearly 76,000 acres, Fort A.P. Hill is one of the largest military installations on the East Coast, bordering Caroline Conty the third fastest-growing conty in Virginia and Essex Conty. The ACUB program allows Fort A.P. Hill to partner with agencies and non-governmental organizations to share the cost of acqiring conservation easements and fee Emmett Snead recently placed a VOF easement on his pick-yor-own farm in Caroline Conty throgh the Fort A.P. Hill s Army Compatible- Use Bffer Program. Snead has been selling fresh prodce to people in the Fredericksbrg area since he was a boy. simple prchases from willing landowners whose properties are located within designated ACUB priority areas. In addition to creating a bffer of open space arond Fort A.P. Hill, and thereby safegarding the installation s training mission, the ACUB program preserves valable wildlife habitat and sensitive natral, historic and cltral resorces. Fort A.P. Hill Garrison Commander Lt. Col. John W. Haefner said, Protecting America s investment in military readiness by ensring we can train as we mst fight is at the heart of or ACUB effort. We are gratefl for neighboring landowners who spport or combat training mission and are willing to work with s and or conservation partners to sstain that readiness as well as preserve family farms and open space. VOF is pleased to permanently protect Snead s Farm, which not only acts as a bffer for Fort A.P. Hill bt also provides a farm experience and local prodce for the residents of the greater Fredericksbrg region, said Estie Thomas, easement manager in VOF s Tappahannock office. This effort is a great example of modern conservation, said Reggie Hall, Virginia director for The Conservation Fnd. We are not only protecting wildlife habitat and a poplar agritorism bsiness, bt we are also helping to ensre that or contry s military warriors will have a place to train as they prepare to defend or nation and fight for freedom. It s a relationship where everyone wins the military, the environment and the commnity. Photo by Peter Cihelka, The Free Lance-Star v i r g i n i a o t d o o r s f o n d a t i o n. o r g 7

8 Exective Office 39 Garrett Street, Site 200 Warrenton, VA FALL 2011 in this isse Virginia leads the Sotheast in land conservation Land Preservation Tax Credit program gets thmbs-p from JLARC Farm Brea hosts panel on conservation easements at convention Learn abot VOF s eight Special Project Areas VOF adopts new easement monitoring methods Easement Spotlight: Snead s Farm The Virginia Otdoors Fondation protects abot 140,000 acres of open space along designated federal and state scenic roads. virginiaotdoorsfondation.org