More than 16,000 Acres Put Under Easement in 2007

Landowner donations made 2007 another impressive year for conservation easements both in the Valley region and across Virginia. Virginia is now 55% of the way toward achieving the goal of 400,000 new acres in easement in four years, with two years left to go. More than 69 easements were recorded in the Valley region by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF), totaling over 16,000 acres. Although the number of VOF easements in the Valley region decreased 30% due to VOF’s tightening restrictions on minimum parcel size, the average size of Valley easements increased to keep the new acreage going into conservation easements strong.

One of the trends in easements that continued in 2007 is the increasing number of organizations that are actively working and conserving land in the Valley. In addition to VOF, seven other organizations held easements in the Valley last year, generating an additional _ easements and _ acres. VCC accepted new responsibility for 10 easements totaling 1,785 acres, in conjunction with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Our friends at Western Virginia Land Trust also joined VOF to co-hold easements in Botetourt County.

Easement Holder	Acreage	# of Easements	Counties
Dept. of Conservation and Recreation	115	3	Augusta, Clarke
Potomac Conservancy	77	1	Shenandoah
Department of Historic Resounces	290	4	Augusta , Frederick, Bath, Page
Ward Burton Nature Foundation	68	1	Augusta
Warren County	756	1	Warren
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation	16159	69	All
Total	17465	79

 

Conservation Easements in Valley Region- all organizations
County	2007 Easements	2007 Acres	Cumulative Acres
Alleghany	1	0	386
Augusta	11	2,333	2,333
Bath	5	1,395	1,715
Botetourt	6	2,372	2,372
Clarke	2	285	285
Frederick	1	209	209
Highland	5	3,282	3,282
Page	1	272	272
Rockbridge	27	5,126	6,277
Rockingham	3	349	349
Shenandoah	1	73	73
Staunton (City)	1	3	3
Warren	5	459	823
VCC Region	69	16,159	18,381
Virginia	220	60,175	449,891