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| Monday, June 08 | | · | Richmond Protects 280 Acres in James River Park |
| Friday, May 29 | | · | Wilderness Battlefield Named One of Most Endangered Historic Sites in Virginia |
| · | State Helps to Conserve 4,200 Acres in Dragon Run Watershed |
| Monday, May 18 | | · | Maryland Bills Seek to Protect Forests |
| Monday, April 06 | | · | Governor Kaine Addresses Symposium, Will Reach Conservation Goal |
| Monday, March 30 | | · | Congress Approves Significant Conservation Bill |
| · | Fredericksburg Battlefield to Be Preserved |
| Monday, March 23 | | · | Wilderness Battlefield Makes "Endangered" List |
| · | Agreement Reached for Crow's Nest |
| Monday, March 16 | | · | House Votes Against Bill for Virginia Wilderness |
| · | Easement Set Aside in Richmond County |
| Monday, February 23 | | · | 2008: a Strong Conservation Year |
| Wednesday, February 11 | | · | Fixed-Boundary Conservation Problematic With Climate Change |
| Monday, February 02 | | · | Nature Conservancy Awarded $1.1 Million for Conservation |
| Monday, January 26 | | · | Fairfax County to Restore Important Nature Area |
| · | Jefferson National Forest Receives Wilderness Protection |
| Wednesday, January 21 | | · | Crow's Nest Gets Another Grant |
| Monday, January 12 | | · | Fredericksburg Buys Waterfront Land for Park |
| Friday, January 02 | | · | Crow's Nest Gets Funds from USFWS |
| · | Clarke County May Add Fee to Conservation Easements |
| Monday, December 08 | | · | Virginia to Recognize Military Bases' Environmental Stewardship |
| · | Dominion Power Pledges $1 Million for Virginia Conservation |
| · | Albemarle County Looking for Easement Funds |
| Tuesday, November 18 | | · | Everglades-Sugar Buyout Changes Made |
| · | Green Space Narrows Health Gap between Socioeconomic Groups |
| Monday, October 20 | | · | Albemarle County Funding for Conservation Easements Declining, Demand Growing |
| Monday, September 08 | | · | A.P. Hill Fighting to Keep Development Away |
| Monday, August 25 | | · | Virginia Increases Bid for Crow's Nest |
| Monday, August 11 | | · | Chesterfield Conservancy Shuts Down, Gives Assets to Chesapeake Bay Foundation |
| · | Friends of the Rappahannock Drafting New Management Plan |
Older Articles
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 | Land Conservation: Virginia Department of Forestry to Preserve Forestland |
 The Virginia Department of Forestry estimates that Virginia could lose more forest and agricultural land in the next 40 years than it has since Jamestown was founded. In order to prevent and offset this loss, the department is developing a new program, called Tomorrow Woods, to protect forestland in Southeastern Virginia. Dominion Virginia Power is supporting the Department of Forestry on the program. The Department will work with landowners to protect large tracts of forests by keeping them intact through conservation easements. The Tomorrow Woods program will provide funding toward up-front costs in the conservation easement process, such as fees for attorneys, appraisal, title search, and title insurance. The Program will be available to landowners in Southampton, Isle of Wight, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties, and the City of Suffolk. The Department of Forestry is concerned about the conversion of private farmland to other uses within these counties in Southeast Virginia.
Tidewater News: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, March 09 @ 09:00:12 EST (60 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Military Bases for Habitat and Species Preservation |
 Fort Stewart, GA, spends as much as $3 million a year on wildlife management to accommodate five endangered species that live on its 279,000 acres. Last year, the base’s wildlife staff built 100 artificial cavities to install 25 feet high in large pines so that the red-cockaded woodpecker would not have to build nests themselves. Although the military has argued that saving endangered species would hinder its battle preparedness, it has gradually realized that working to help species rebound is in its best interest: the more endangered species thrive, the fewer restrictions are put on training exercises to avoid destroying habitat. Today, extraordinary efforts to save threatened species are unfolding at military sites around the country. The military owns about 30 million acres of relatively pristine land that is often critical habitat for plants and animals. It needs to fulfill obligations under laws like the Endangered Species Act without curbing training exercises. The military is planning to broaden its efforts to reach beyond the 420 officially endangered or threatened species on its land to restoring ecosystems for more then 500 other species that are considered at risk. Post commanders are routinely trained on environmental responsibilities.
New York Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, March 02 @ 13:53:46 EST (80 reads)
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| Land Conservation: McDonnell Pledges to Conserve 400,000 Acres During Term; Largest Conservation Ea |
Governor Bob McDonnell commended The Nature Conservancy for placing 13,350 acres of land in a conservation easement, the largest easement in Virginia history. The easement, in Dragon Run Swamp on the Middle Peninsula, adds to already protected lands at Dragon Run to bring the total to 20,000 acres. Dragon Run Swamp is considered to be one of the most ecologically important areas in the Chesapeake Bay region. While commending the conservation easement, McDonnell also commended Governor Kaine on his efforts to preserve 400,000 acres during his term, and McDonnell has also pledged to conserve an additional 400,000 acres during his term.
Appomattox News: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, February 08 @ 15:16:03 EST (79 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Rappahannock Plan Is Developing |
A committee will make public a draft watershed management plan on how Fredericksburg’s vast Rappahannock riverfront easement should be used. The plan will be unveiled on 17 Feb at the University of Mary Washington’s Jepson Center. The plan will outline how the property will be managed for access, recreation, and wildlife. The public will also get another chance to weigh in. The effort has been spearheaded by the Friends of the Rappahannock, working with representatives of Fredericksburg’s planning and utilities departments, watershed property manager, and the easement holders (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy, and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation). In 2006, the Fredericksburg City Council created a permanent conservation easement on over 4,200 acres along more than 20 miles of the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers. The city had purchased the land from Virginia Electric and Power Co. in the 1960s. After the Feb 17th meeting, an updated draft will go to the city council for review, and later there will be another opportunity for public comment.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, February 08 @ 15:15:17 EST (89 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Northern Virginia Conservation Trust Plans to Expand Network of Green Space |
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has plans to create a regional network of green space in Northern Virginia, an initiative known as “Connecting Our Green Spaces.” Its goal is to “fill the gaps” in the region’s “green infrastructure,” a system of interconnected public parks, natural areas, stream valleys, and hiking trails. The trust has also created an emblem to brand projects that will focus on connectivity between forests, wildlife, water, and trails. The trust hopes to make it possible for a larger percentage of the Northern Virginia community to live within a short walk of a trail, park, stream valley, or preserved natural area. The trust president said that now is the time to protect properties, during a lull in construction while land is cheap. Northern Virginia Conservation Trust was founded in 1994 and has preserved 5,370 acres in Northern Virginia, holding 92 conservation easements and owning 21 properties.
Sun Gazette: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, January 19 @ 08:34:01 EST (90 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Kaine Reaches Land Conservation Goal |
Governor Kaine announced on 8 Jan 2010 that his goal to conserve 400,000 acres of Virginia land has been reached. The final land tally was 424,103 acres, which includes about 46,000 acres placed under easement during the six months before Kaine took office in 2006 (counts were done by fiscal year). Several land purchases within the last six weeks of Kaine’s term helped reach the final goal. Conservation easements on private lands make up the largest piece of protected lands under Kaine’s goal, but through purchases, Virginia has also gained five state forests, three state parks, three wildlife management areas, and thirteen natural area preserves.
Roanoke Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, January 19 @ 08:33:09 EST (71 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Boeing Irked by California Cleanup |
 Recently a law was passed that would regulate the cleanup of The Boeing Company’s Santa Susana Rocket and Nuclear test site. The company claims that the law was passed exclusively for that site in particular. The Boeing Company says the law would impose “irrational and arbitrary requirements” on the site. “We are concerned that this law could cause unintended consequences that would destroy the natural, historic, and cultural resources of Santa Susana,” said Tom Gallacher, Boeing director of environment, heath and safety for Santa Susana. The company said that it agreed to restore the land to be acceptable for residential use, but the new law would require this land to be acceptable for agricultural use. Boeing says that this “will never occur.” The company also stated that the intensive cleanup could cause secondary damage to the surrounding ecosystem. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control, in the November 3 draft consent order for the Santa Susana field lab, said that the provision would protect public heath and the environment. “The draft order brings us one step closer to the long-sought-after cleanup of the Santa Susana site,” said Maziar Movassaghi, DTSC acting director.
UPI: Article
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Posted by becca on Wednesday, December 02 @ 09:04:35 EST (95 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Kaine Announces Mill Mountain Conservation Easement |
Governor Kaine announced that over 600 acres on Mill Mountain in Roanoke will be placed under conservation easements through an agreement with the Roanoke City Council. He made the announcement during a speech publicizing the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s addition of 17,000 acres to its land under conservation easements. Mill Mountain is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the easement will add further protection. The only land still under question is at the summit of the mountain, where there is a 20-acre area that has been developed into a city park with a zoo, visitor’s center, and an 80-foot star. It is unclear how this area will be affected, and the city council will be consulting with the Mill Mountain Advisory Committee about the boundaries of the easement.
Roanoke Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, October 26 @ 14:08:08 EDT (272 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Governor Kaine's Land Preservation Total May Be Overstated |
According to state officials, Governor Kaine has reached the 350,000-acre milestone in his initiative to protect 400,000 acres from development during his term. An analysis of state data shows that the administration has significantly overstated the amount of land preserved since Kaine took office and has taken credit for at least 45,496 acres protected during the final six months of Governor Mark Warner’s term. Kaine’s promotion of easements and acquisition to protect land has been an unparalleled accomplishment, but taking the 45,496 acres from Warner’s term out of his tally makes it doubtful that Kaine can reach the 400,000-acre benchmark of “newly protected areas.” The state conservation department, which keeps a tally of protected land, said that Kaine inherited acreage from Warner because the final six months of 2005 were the first half of FY06, and conservation acreage is tallied in fiscal years. (Though this would mean that any acreage preserved in Kaine’s final six months in office would be credited to the next governor.) Land conservation leaders are disappointed to learn that Kaine if farther from his goal than previously believed, but say that his achievement is phenomenal and he has done more than any of Virginia’s previous chief executives.
Roanoke Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, October 20 @ 11:48:18 EDT (270 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Home Builders Sue over Bay Area Land Use Policy |
The Association of Bay Area Government (ABAG) had a lawsuit filed against them by the Home Builders Association of Northern California suggesting that ABAG’s new land-use policy, called Projections 2009, does not address environmental impacts. The policy restricts development in urban areas to 900 acres a year for the Bay Area. Projections 2009 was put into place without an environmental review, per CEQA. Said Damien Schiff, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundations who is representing the HBA, “We’re asking the court to direct ABAG to perform a CEQA analysis to determine whether projections will have a positive impact on the physical environment of the Bay Area.” A spokesman for the HBA said that they have tried to get ABAG to address these concerns for over a year and that filing the action was a last resort.
Article: San Jose Business Journal
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Posted by Becca on Tuesday, October 06 @ 14:38:44 EDT (296 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Governor Kaine Announces Completion of Largest Conservation Easement |
Governor Kaine announced that 11,363 acres of land in Roanoke are now protected under the largest publicly held conservation easement in the state. Land preservationists, state agencies, and local officials have been working on the easement agreement for 15 years. The protected land is the second-largest municipal park in the country and will now be protected from development. The easement is held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Western Virginia Land Trust. The property is owned by the City of Roanoke.
WTKR News: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, September 21 @ 11:06:37 EDT (356 reads)
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| Land Conservation: 339,000 Acres Protected in Virginia |
Governor Kaine is hurrying to accomplish his goal of preserving 400,000 acres of land by 2010, when he finishes his term. He made the pledge in April 2006, and the 400,000 number is in part to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Kaine was also worried about growth trends in the state and the toll growth was taking on natural and historic resources. To date, the Kaine administration has permanently protected more than 339,000 acres of farms, forests, historic grounds and buildings, marshes, caves, and bluffs. It has about $10 million left to spend, and officials predict they will make their goal by the time the governor leaves office in January. Kaine said that they have “some big parcels coming up.” Most of the conservation during Kaine’s term has occurred in Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Of the 339,000 acres preserved, about 80 percent are protected under a conservation easement.
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 18 @ 10:54:25 EDT (392 reads)
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| Land Conservation: National Forest "Roadless Rule" Restored |
A federal appeals court recently found that the Bush administration evaded environmental laws when it in effect repealed a 2001 rule that barred the construction of roads and timber cutting on almost one third of National Forest land. The “roadless rule” was issued during the Clinton presidency and was very controversial, prompting lawsuits, contradictory court rulings, and administrative maneuvers. Though the ruling was considered an important victory by environmentalists, a related case is working through another appeals court. The decision was made by a panel of three judges, who concluded that when the Bush administration replaced the 2001 rule with a regulation that gave states a say in federal roadless areas, it “took substantive environmental protections off the books.” In 2006 a similar decision was made in California that reinstated the roadless regulations, but the decision was narrowed to apply only to states within the 9th Circuit. This court ruling applies nationally.
Los Angeles Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 18 @ 10:53:34 EDT (412 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Crow's Nest Is a Done Deal |
A deal was closed on 29 July to add 1,200 acres to the Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve, bringing the total acreage at Crow’s Nest to 2,970 acres. Funding was drawn from a mix of state and federal sources, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) pieced together $14.2 million to exercise the purchasing option for the second phase of the project. The property owner, K&M Properties, lowered their original asking price by $2 million if the county would close by the end of July. DCR and Stafford County are joint owners of the preserve. Access to the property is limited at this time, but the public will eventually have access to hike and canoe. DCR is seeking funds to build an infrastructure. There is land adjoining the Crow’s Nest Preserve area that is still unprotected; Crow’s Nest Harbor was not part of the original sales agreement and would require new negotiations.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 04 @ 15:28:10 EDT (407 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Rappahannock River Refuge Plan in the Works |
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a draft conservation plan for its planned refuge along the lower Rappahannock River. The draft plan is open for public comments. It will be used to guide programs and development of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge over the next 15 years. Three river management alternatives are proposed in the draft: one would make no changes; another would emphasize forest management; and the last (the preferred) would focus on wildlife and habitat management, visitor services, and refuge administration. Currently the Rappahannock refuge has about 20 parcels covering about 8,200 acres on both sides of the river, mostly between Tappahannock and Port Royal. The tracts are secured through purchase from willing landowners or are protected with conservation easements. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Conservation Fund, Nature Conservancy, and Trust for Public Land all work with the refuge on land acquisition and easements. It will be the newest of four refuges comprising the Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which aims to protect 20,000 acres of wetlands and uplands along the Rappahannock and its major tributaries.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 04 @ 15:26:55 EDT (417 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Webb, Kaine, Warner Speak on Wilderness Wal-Mart Issue |
U.S. Senator Jim Webb, Governor Tim Kaine, and Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell (who has frequently clashed with Kaine and other Democrats in the state) are all urging the Orange County Board of Supervisors to work with Wal-Mart to find an alternative site for their proposed Supercenter in the county. They all agree that a store like the Supercenter should be in the vicinity of the proposed site off Route 3, but not on the Wilderness Battlefield. They believe the Supercenter should be out of view from the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Webb encourages the Board of Supervisors, Wal-Mart, and all involved parties to work together to “reach a conclusion that respects the Wilderness battlefield site, in order to move forward with a project that will spur economic growth in the area.” Mark Warner, the state’s other U.S. Senator, believes that it is up to the Orange County Supervisors to decide the issue.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, July 27 @ 16:23:49 EDT (490 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Crow's Nest Receives Another Grant |
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) announced that it has received $800,000 from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation to acquire another 1,200 acres of Crow’s Nest peninsula in Stafford County. With a previous foundation grant, the NVCT has collected $1.3 million toward the purchase of additional land for the Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve. The first land purchase of Crow’s Nest covered 1,770 acres. NVCT also owns 70 acres adjacent to Crow’s Nest in one of the largest great blue heron rookeries along the Potomac River. There is a purchasing option for the 1,200 acres until December 1. The land purchase would cost $16.2 million, about half of which has been raised. Last month U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program contributed $855,465 toward the Phase 2 purchase. Phase 1 was purchased for $19 million last spring.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, July 21 @ 10:23:04 EDT (462 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Wintergreen Preserves 1,400 Acres of Land |
Wintergreen Resort officials donated 1,400 acres of property to the nonprofit Wintergreen Nature Foundation. The land surrounds Crawford Knob in Nelson County and will be reserved as wilderness through the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The land will join an additional 4,500 acres of protected undeveloped land in the Nature Foundation’s holdings. Wintergreen Resort will receive over $3 million in tax credits from the state for the conservation easement. The parcel of land also contributes to Governor Kaine’s goal to preserve 400,000 acres in the state by 2010. The Crawford Knob preservation puts more than half of Wintergreen Resort’s 11,000 acres into a conservation easement.
Charlottesville Daily Progress: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, July 14 @ 11:40:14 EDT (519 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Stafford County Wins Lawsuit to Keep River Protection Ordinance in Effect |
Stafford County supervisors passed the Potomac River Protection Overlay District in December, and four lawsuits were immediately filed. Two of the lawsuits were recently decided in favor of the county on all six counts. The river protection ordinance passed 4-3 and extends buffer zones to intermittent streams and nearby slopes greater than 24 percent. Opponents to the ordinance said that it unjustly reduced the amount of developable land in the eastern part of the county. Although two of the lawsuits were decided in favor of the county, the petitioners will pursue an appeal. More lawsuits are pending, with different allegations than the first two.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, June 29 @ 10:32:46 EDT (525 reads)
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| Land Conservation: A.P. Hill Conserved 3,000 Acres in Buffers in 2008 |
On June 9, Fort A.P. Hill celebrated the completion of their latest conservation easement with a program, announcing that nearly 3,000 acres were permanently protected around the base in 2008. Landowners, conservation agencies, and state and federal officials helped A.P. Hill last year in its mission to discourage incompatible development outside its gates. Since A.P. Hill began its compatible-use buffer program in 2005, more than 4,200 acres have been placed in conservation easements. The latest easements are for 500 acres and 182 acres at Camden Farm east of Port Royal. Camden is a national and Virginia historic landmark and contains American Indian sites. One of the Camden easements will be used to mitigate clearing of a historic site at A.P. Hill. Mitigation funding from the 2005 BRAC Commission was used to purchase the Camden easement, a first for a military installation.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Wednesday, June 17 @ 12:02:19 EDT (503 reads)
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