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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 10, 2021
Contact: Julie Buchanan, Senior Public Relations and Marketing Specialist, 804-786-2292, julie.buchanan@dcr.virginia.gov

Virginia announces $4.8 million in land conservation grant awards
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants will help protect more than 6,100 acres.

RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation today announced $4.8 million in grant awards from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation that will help conserve more than 6,100 acres throughout the commonwealth.

Twenty-two projects will receive funding, and they range from conservation easements on multigenerational working family farms to the acquisition and permanent protection of cave and karst resources in Southwest Virginia to urban parkland in Richmond. Several projects will expand access to public outdoor recreation.

“The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants program uses our groundbreaking ConserveVirginia smart map to help ensure we spend our limited resources wisely on lands with the greatest conservation value,” Governor Ralph Northam said. “I am excited to see the variety of projects that will be made possible through this round of grants as we work to preserve these spaces for future generations."

The VLCF grant-making process incorporates ConserveVirginia, the commonwealth’s innovative land conservation strategy, which is based on “smart map” technology and draws from 21 different mapped inputs.

“Today’s announcement shows once again why the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation is Virginia’s most important land conservation program,” Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler said. “This geographically diverse array of funded projects meets high standards for protection of water quality and other natural resources and enhances equity by providing new public access to Virginia’s great outdoors.”

The 19-member VLCF board votes to approve the grants. Board members are appointed by the governor, the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the House of Delegates. The board includes the Secretary of Natural Resources, who serves as chair, and the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation provides administrative support to the VLCF through the state Office of Land Conservation.

“The Department of Conservation and Recreation looks forward to working with each of the grant recipients and to seeing the exciting results of these projects,” DCR Director Clyde Cristman said.

The board approved this round of awards at its June 10 meeting.

This is the second round of awards approved by the VLCF board in 2021. A list of first-round awards — approved on Feb. 5 — is posted on the DCR website.

Project Name	Location	Requesting Organization	Amount	Description
Farmlands Preservation
Forkland Dairy	Cumberland County	Virginia Outdoors Foundation	$500,000	Conservation easement to protect a 906-acre farm.
Protected Farmland along the Rappahannock River	Culpeper County	Piedmont Environmental Council	$208,000	Conservation easement to protect 732 acres of farmland.
Morse Brothers Farm	Nelson County	Virginia Outdoors Foundation	$70,750	Conservation easement to protect 106 acres of farmland owned by third-generation African-American farmers.
Kevin Jones Farm	Stafford County	Stafford County	$46,250	Conservation easement to protect a 70-acre historic farm bordering a perennial stream.
Forest Preservation
Eastern Shore Forest Conservation Initiative II	Accomack County	Department of Wildlife Resources	$400,000	Acquisition of 789 acres of forestland for migratory bird stopover habitat, fishing, hiking, hunting and public access.
Round Hill Swamp at Doles Farm	Southampton County	Department of Forestry	$225,000	Conservation easement to protect 705 acres of exceptional forest and prime farmland.
Three Creek Capron	Southampton County	Department of Forestry	$200,000	Conservation easement to protect 376 acres of riparian forest habitat.
Historic Preservation
Rollins Tract at Bristoe Station Battlefield	Prince William County	American Battlefield Trust	$285,000	Acquisition and conservation of 22 acres located in core areas of Bristoe Station Battlefield and Manassas Station Operations Battlefield of the Civil War.
Fussell’s Mill Tracts at Second Deep Bottom Battlefield	Henrico County	American Battlefield Trust	$282,000	Acquisition and conservation of 52 acres located within the Second Deep Bottom, First Deep Bottom, Glendale, and Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road Civil War battlefields, two of which saw involvement of African-American soldiers in the U.S.C.T.
Drexel-Morrell Center	Powhatan County	Belmead on the James Inc.	$228,450	Acquisition and conservation of 56 acres of woodlands and open space, plus a historic barn, at Rosemont to be used for historical interpretation of the Drexel and Morrell schools impact on African-American life.
Edwards	Rockingham County	Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation	$29,550	Acquisition and conservation of the 107-acre Edwards property, part of the Civil War Battle of Port Republic known as "The Coaling."
Natural Areas Protection
Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve Addition – Accokeek Bottomlands	Stafford County	Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Division	$450,000	Acquisition of a 52-acre addition to the natural area preserve that supports forested wetlands, extensive riparian buffer and songbird habitat.
Pickett’s Harbor Maritime Forest & Migratory Bird Habitat Protection	Northampton County	Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Division	$255,549	Acquisition of 4.5-acre addition to the natural area preserve to protect globally rare natural communities and internationally significant migratory bird habitat on the Chesapeake Bay.
The Cedars Natural Area Preserve - Kinzer Hollow Cave	Lee County	Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Division	$204,000	Acquisition of a 77-acre addition to the natural area preserve that supports a diverse and significant array of terrestrial, aquatic, and cave and karst resources found nowhere else in Virginia.
The Cedars Natural Area Preserve - Northeast Addition	Lee County	Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Division	$164,000	Acquisition of a 63-acre addition to the natural area preserve that supports rare plants, caves and groundwater quality of the Powell River.
Pickett’s Harbor Natural Area Preserve - Lake Allure Woods	Northampton County	Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Division	$142,298	Conservation easement on 44 acres of protect mature maritime forests adjoining the preserve and the largest natural lake known on the Eastern Shore. The area supports one of the largest concentrations of landbirds along the Atlantic Coast each fall.
Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve - Northeast Addition	Roanoke County	Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Division	$109,153	Acquisition of a 77-acre addition to the natural area preserve to protect habitat for the globally rare Piratebush (Buckleya distichophylla) and buffer for prescribed fire management needed to maintain the preserve.
Open Space and Parks
South Garden International LLC Public Access Land Expansion	Gloucester County	Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority	$312,000	Acquisition of 125 acres in the community of Naxera that will expand public access to state waters.
Nottoway River Wildlife and Recreation Area	Sussex County	The Conservation Fund	$264,500	Acquisition of 1,597 acres for a future wildlife management area on the Nottoway River.
Haskins Creek Waterfront Land Acquisition in Tappahannock	Town of Tappahannock	Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority	$200,000	Acquisition of 7 acres to expand public access to Haskins Creek and the Rappahannock River.
Blackwater Conservation Acquisition	City of Franklin	City of Franklin	$168,500	Acquisition of 203 acres along the Blackwater River for a trailhead on the Blue Water Trail and creation of a new public park.
The Green at the Science Museum of Virginia	City of Richmond	Virginia Outdoors Foundation	$90,000	Acquisition of 5.2 acres to convert a parking lot at the Science Museum into an urban park.

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