Norther n V i r g i n ia Conservation Tr ust
Conservation: Protecting the land forever.
NVCT is dedicated to Saving Nearby Nature. That“ nearby” means that people throughout Northern Virginia benefit from this work, and each and every community can be certain that the Trust stands behind its commitment to the future and the value of protecting the land forever.
In the past year, NVCT has helped conserve land in Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Stafford
Counties. From the urban core to the developing suburbs to the rural areas, NVCT has worked to protect land through conservation easements, receiving land donations, and assisting governments to conserve land in perpetuity. Take a look at how individual landowners have made a difference in Northern Virginia.
Land conservation is the heart of a land trust’ s work. Each decision by a landowner to place his or her valued land in a conservation easement is a commitment to the future; an act that conserves our natural resources for the benefit of the community.
Alexandria Wetlands and Bird Habitat Preserved
The Trust is a first-time landowner in the City of Alexandria with the donation of a 2-acre parcel located where Cameron Run and Hunting Creek meet before flowing into the Potomac River. One of the last remaining tidal wetlands in the city, the property is sandwiched between major freeways and an apartment complex. The family that owned the land since the 1940s donated it to NVCT, helping conserve not only a sensitive environment, but an important migrating bird habitat listed as an eBird“ Hotspot” with more than 100 species sighted on the property.
Open Space Along Georgetown Pike Conserved
Landowners just off Georgetown Pike in McLean assumed their land was free from development pressure— until a large enclave of new homes went up on nearby land. They reached out to NVCT to create an easement that forever protects their property and renovated 1921 farmhouse that could have been split up for four high-end houses. The easement envisions a future for urban agriculture on the property’ s good soils and reduces density within the historic Georgetown Pike corridor, a Virginia Byway.
50 Acres of Prince William County Farm and Forest Land Protected
When a landowner in the Nokesville area of Prince William County witnessed the fragmentation and development of nearby farms, he decided to conserve his 50 acres of farm and forest land with NVCT. He had purchased the land to provide open space for his daughter’ s horses, and then, working with Virginia Department of Forestry, planted more than 3,000 loblolly pines to connect two forest patches on the land. His easement conserves land in the County’ s Rural Crescent, prevents any subdivision, keeps the fields open for farming, and protects forest habitat for wildlife.
4 n Annual Report FY2017