PRESS RELEASE: Piedmont Environmental Council–– In Albemarle County, 2,283 acres were protected by conservation easements in 2011, adding to a total of over 85,700 acres, or 18% of the total land.
Rex Linville, Land Conservation Officer for the Piedmont Environmental Council says, “It is great to see landowners who care passionately about the future of our rural areas continue to step up to the plate and protect their land. It is also great that we have such a strong team of private and governmental conservation organizations working together here in Albemarle County. None of this would have been possible without the efforts of Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Virginia Department of Forestry, The Nature Conservancy, and Albemarle County.”
See a map of protected lands in Albemarle County.
A few highlights from last year’s conservation projects include the following:
–Protection of a 220 acre property on Dudley Mountain south of Charlottesville, preserving a forested ridge line that is visible from Charlottesville and Biscuit Run State Park.
–Protection of a mid 19th century farmhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the surrounding 84 acres, within the viewshed of Route 29
–Protection of 120 acres of farmland and installation of approximately one mile of streamside fencing and a watering system to keep livestock out of the Hardware River, which will improve stream health and water quality.
A number of landowners amended conservation easements that had been done years ago to strengthen the restrictions and add additional protected acreage.
In total, conservation easements in Albemarle County now protect approximately 372 miles of streams and rivers, 32,000 acres of prime farmland, 57,000 acres of forests, 23,000 acres along Scenic Byways, and 36,000 acres in historic districts. These resources make Albemarle and Charlottesville great places to live and are fundamental to the local and state economies. A recent study by PEC found that nine environmental benefits, such as recreation, farm products, and water quality, contribute $21.8 billion to Virginia’s economy every year.
PEC, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2012, has been promoting private, voluntary land conservation in Virginia’s northern Piedmont since 1972, contributing to this region’s outstanding success. In the nine-county region where PEC works, approximately 12,100 acres were protected by conservation easements in 2011, adding to a total of over 348,000 acres or 15% of the total land in the region.
A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a land trust (such as a public agency or a non-profit conservation group) to permanently protect natural and cultural resources on their land.