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: | Ellett Escarpment Natural Area Preserve |
|---|---|
| Category: | Natural Area Preservation |
| Grant Round: | FY23 |
| Acres: | 33.46 |
| Locality: | Montgomery County |
| Management Agency: | Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation - Division of Natural Heritage |
| Owner: | State |
| ConserveVirginia: | Natural Habitat & Ecosystem Diversity, Floodplains & Flooding Resilience |
| Amount Awarded: | $293,500.00 |
| Applicant: | Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation - Division of Natural Heritage |
| Latitude: | 37.220544 |
| Longitude: | -80.375328 |
| Description: | DCR’s Natural Heritage Division seeks $293,500 from VLCF to establish the Ellett Escarpment Natural Area Preserve in Montgomery County. This new preserve will protect the most at-risk cave adapted species in Virginia. The Ellett Valley Millipede is found in only three sites worldwide, all located near Blacksburg. Fee-simple purchase of two adjacent parcels will enable DCR to protect the entrance to the globally significant cave, home to both the Millipede as well as another significantly rare Virginia endemic, the Ellett Valley Cave Beetle. The 33 acres include mature, mostly deciduous, calcareous forests immediately surrounding the cave entrance and a narrow ecological buffer. |
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