Valley Conservation Council
20 Years of Conserving Land and Encouraging Better Development
1989 VCC’s founders, concerned about looming growth and loss of prime lands, begin kicking around ideas to form a land trust for the region.
1990 Steering Committee formed and VCC is incorporated as a nonprofit. Organization hosted first set of public workshops on conservation tools.
1991 VCC’s first conserved land projects completed on 116 acres along Stoney Creek in Shenandoah County. VCC also assists with the establishment of Augusta County’s first Agricultural Forestal District in the Middle River area.
1992 Comments on county comprehensive plans help articulate VCC’s strong emphasis on the link between voluntary land conservation and good public planning
1993 Released report on Land Use and Community Costs in Augusta County documenting the fiscal benefits of conserved land for the entire community.
1994 VCC works with stakeholders to develop plans for the McDowell Battlefield Corridor, an important Civil War area stretching though Highland and Augusta counties.
1995 New projects focus on Valley watershed protection, mapping wildlife corridors, and seminars linking conservation and economics.
1996 VCC takes legal responsibility for its first easement, the Fishburn property, a 70-acre farm on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River near Woodstock.
1997 Middlebrook to Brownsburg Corridor Study highlights natural and cultural attributes of this largely intact historic landscape.
1998 VCC assists in the creation of the first Agricultural-Forestal District in Rockingham County. Eventually these will protect over 25,000 acres of regionally important farmland in the county.
1999 Better Models for Development in the Shenandoah Valley is published, informing decision makers about important tools and examples for conserving vital assets and designing, planning and managing new growth. VCC takes on an innovative easement to protect human health and environment at the Avtex Superfund site along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in Front Royal.
2000 Landowners Guide for Historic and Battlefield properties published as greater attention is focused on threatened Civil War sites. VCC recognized by The Nature Conservancy for work on open space and habitat protection.
2001 A total of over 22 miles of streambanks are now permanently protected by riparian easements held by VCC and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
2002 Botetourt Community Partnership launched, joining similar efforts to build strong and well-informed conservation constituencies in Rockingham and Augusta.
2003 State of the Valley report published showing how localities are doing in their work to implement the Better Models principles. Dozens of presentations follow to inform elected officials and citizens throughout the region.
2004 VCC begins to take a large number of easements with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation which assists low and moderate income farming families with the help of Virginia's Preservation Trust Fund.
2005 VCC workshops inform local officials and citizens about the widening of I-81 and the potential of county “purchase of development rights” programs. Professional workshops tackle Water and Development issues.
2006 was a record year for easements in the region with over 21,000 acres protected. In one year VCC more than doubled its easement acreage. One of many prized properties protected 558 acres and over four miles of the James River. In response to a proposed mega-industrial site near Weyers Cave, VCC hosted local leaders and citizens to discuss the future of Industry and Agriculture. Our professional workshop on Local Roads and Smart Growth also drew a crowd.
2007 Our annual Better Models for Development awards expands significantly into a full symposium with guest speakers and tours. VCC begins hiring County Stewards to help connect with landowners throughout the region.
2008 VCC takes its first solo easement, an innovative stream restoration project in Purcell Park, Harrisonburg. This is followed by easements on three small farms in Rockbridge County.
2009 VCC releases a statewide survey report on Agricultural and Forestal Districts and updates its Landowners Guide for Historic and Battlefield Properties (Available Spring 2010)
2010 Better Models for Development is updated with new information on designing for water quality, green infrastructure planning, and new examples of exemplary projects from throughout the region. (Due out later this year).
