Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Virginia’s working farms and forests, battlefields and other historic sites, natural areas, parks and rivers are critical to its economy, culture and quality of life. In 1999, the assembly and governor established the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) to fund protection of these resources. The interactive map below depicts VLCF-grant projects funded since 2000.
| Name: | South Quay - Somerton |
|---|---|
| Category: | Natural Area Preservation |
| Grant Round: | FY15 |
| Acres: | 166.74 |
| Locality: | City of Suffolk |
| Management Agency: | Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Owner: | Private |
| ConserveVirginia: | None |
| Amount Awarded: | $70,000.00 |
| Applicant: | The Nature Conservancy |
| Latitude: | 36.5549032 |
| Longitude: | -76.892803 |
| Description: | This project protects a 166-acre tract of land adjacent to DCR's 2,882-acre South Quay Sandhills Natural Area Preserve in the city of Suffolk. The property is comprised of approximately 105 acres of pine sandhills habitat and 61 acres of cypress-tupelo swamp forest along Somerton Creek, a major tributary to the Blackwater River. The site is suitable for longleaf pine restoration and is one of the highest priority conservation areas in coastal Virginia for DCR and The Nature Conservancy. Purchase and management of the tract is needed to eliminate the threat of future incompatible land use, particularly sand mining, and to ensure successful restoration of the globally-rare native longleaf pine sandhills habitat. The project will build upon over 4,000 acres of land protection efforts by DCR, TNC, the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in the South Quay area. TNC was awarded a grant of $70,000 from VLCF to assist in acquiring the property in fee simple. Ownership of the property will be transferred to DCR. |
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