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Conservation organizations, land trusts
and conservancies that protect land

Land Conservation Organizations in Virginia | Virginia's United Land Trusts (VaULT) | National Land Conservation Organizations | Trade Organizations

Land conservation organizations in Virginia

Similar to public agencies that conserve land, there are many private, nonprofit conservation organizations that do so. Each typically serves a particular region of the state and/or exists for a particular purpose, such as habitat protection or historical preservation. Organizations focusing mainly on land protection are typically called land trusts or conservancies.

Land trusts and conservancies in Virginia

Move your mouse over the map or city name to display land trusts in your locality.

Statewide land trusts

Land Trust	Phone Number
APVA Preservation Virginia	(804) 648-1889
Ducks Unlimited	(410) 224-6620
The 500-Year Forest Foundation	(434) 384-2324
The Conservation Fund	(703) 525-6300
The Nature Conservancy	(434) 295-6106
Trust for Public Land	(202) 543-7552
Virginia Outdoors Foundation	(540) 347-7727

Nonprofit organizations in Virginia qualified to accept land for protection are defined (pursuant to the Virginia Conservation Easement Act, §§ 10.1-1009 through 10.1-1016, (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+10.1-1009) as being a charitable corporation, charitable association, or charitable trust that has been declared exempt from taxation pursuant to 26 U.S.C.A. § 501 (c) (3) and the primary purposes or powers of which include

• retaining or protecting the natural or open-space values of real property
• assuring the availability of real property for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use
• protecting natural resources
• maintaining or enhancing air or water quality or
• preserving the historic, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property

These qualified land conservation organizations are defined as "holders" in the act, essentially meaning they are eligible to acquire and hold a conservation easement by gift, purchase, devise or bequest. These groups must have had a principal office in the Commonwealth for at least five years. Until such a group meets these requirements, it may co-hold a conservation easement with another holder that meets the requirements.

In addition to holding easements, many land trusts and conservancies buy or are given land. And there are many conservation organizations that do not actually hold easements or acquire land. They work instead to educate and promote use of the various land conservation tools.

For information about how to start a land trust or conservancy, contact Office of Land Conservation, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 203 Governor Street, Suite 302, Richmond, Va. 23219, (804) 225-2048; fax (804) 786-6141; landcon@dcr.virginia.gov. Also, see www.lta.org for information provided by the Land Trust Alliance, a national organization that helps local land trusts by providing tools and resources needed to get started and improve.

Land conservation organizations conduct their own initiatives to identify and target priority lands to be preserved in their own regions. One example of this is The Nature Conservancy's Conservation by Design initiative. This initiative lays out a conservation approach comprised of four fundamental components:

• setting priorities through ecoregional planning
• developing conservation strategies
• taking direct conservation action and
• measuring conservation success

The New River Land Trust's effort to identify and develop an interconnected network of riverfront properties and islands that, in total, make up a "blueway" is another excellent such example. This blueway will offer protection of prime scenic properties along the New River while offering the public direct waterfront access for canoeing, fishing, etc. These and many other private efforts play major roles in conserving open-space land.

For more information about particular land conservation programs and initiatives, contact the individual land conservation organization listed in Land conservation organizations, land trusts, and conservancies in Virginia.

Virginia's United Land Trusts (VaULT)

Virginia's United Land Trusts (VaULT) organized in 2000 to address the growing interest and number of organizations involved in land conservation. It represents about 30 private land conservation organizations in Virginia. The group's goals are

• to promote land conservation efforts statewide
• to create or build land trust capacity
• to foster greater coordination and communication between land trusts in Virginia
• to coordinate private land conservation efforts with those of public sector agencies thus better enabling effective statewide conservation planning and green infrastructure promotion, and
• to promote high professional standards for land trusts in Virginia

For information about VaULT, contact: Beth Obenshain, Chairman, Virginia's United Land Trusts, at New River Land Trust, P.O. Box 11057, Blacksburg, VA, 24062-1057, email nrlt@newriverlandtrust.org.

National land conservation organizations

There are numerous national and regional land conservation groups as well. Some focus on particular resources and some provide generic information useful to all land conservation organizations. Here's a list of some of those groups:

• Land Trust Alliance - www.lta.org
• Trust for Public Land - www.tpl.org
• American Farmland Trust - www.farmland.org
• The Conservation Fund - www.conservationfund.org
• Civil War Preservation Trust - www.civilwar.org
• National Park Trust - www.parktrust.org
• Ducks Unlimited - www.ducks.org/conservation/Projects/ [Click here to visit Ducks Unlimited's mid-Atlantic website content.]

Land Conservation Organizations, Land Trusts and Conservancies in Virginia

Click on the land trust or conservation organization below for contact information. Click here to download the Virginia Land Conservation Directory, 2006 (PDF, 2.6MB).

Organization, location

Appalachian Trail Conference, Harpers Ferry, W. Va.
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, Richmond, VA
Blue Ridge Foothills Conservancy, Madison, Va.
Brandy Station Foundation, Brandy Station, Va.
Capital Regional Land Conservancy, Richmond, Va.
Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, Middletown, Va.
Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, Stafford, Va.
Central Virginia Land Conservancy, Lynchburg, Va.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Richmond, Va.
Civil War Preservation Trust, Washington, DC
500-Year Forest Foundation, Lynchburg, Va.
Friends of Chesterfield's Riverfront, Chesterfield, Va.
Friends of Dragon Run, Gloucester, Va.
Friends of the Rappahannock, Fredericksburg, Va.
Goochland Land Alliance, Goochland, Va.
Hampton Land Conservancy, Hampton, Va.
Historic Green Springs, Louisa, Va.
Historic Polegreen Church Foundation, Mechanicsville, Va.
James River Association, Richmond, Va.
Jamestown Compact Land Trust, Middleburg, Va.
Kernstown Battlefield Association, Winchester, Va.
Land Trust of Virginia, Leesburg, Va.
Mathews County Land Conservancy, Mathews, Va.
McLean Land Conservancy, McLean, Va.
Middle Peninsula Land Trust, Mathews, Va.
National Committee for the New River, West Jefferson, N.C.
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.
New River Land Trust, Blacksburg, Va.
Northern Neck Land Conservancy, Kilmarnock, Va.
Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, Annandale, Va.
Old Dominion Land Conservancy, Purcellville, Va.
Piedmont Environmental Council, Warrenton, Va.
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Vienna, Va.
Potomac Conservancy, Arlington, Va.
Preservation Alliance of Virginia, Richmond, Va.
Rivanna Conservation Society, Palmyra, Va.
Roanoke River Rails to Trails, Inc., South Hill, Va.
Rockbridge Area Conservation Council, Lexington, Va.
Scenic Virginia, Richmond, Va.
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, New Market, Va.
The Nature Conservancy, Virginia Field Office, Charlottesville, Va.
Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation, Trevillians, Va.
Valley Conservation Council, Staunton, Va.
Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, Exmore, Va.
Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Richmond, Va.
Waterford Foundation, Waterford, Va.
Western Virginia Land Trust, Roanoke, Va.
Williamsburg Land Conservancy, Williamsburg, Va.

Virginia land conservation organizations, land trusts and conservancies contacts

Appalachian Trail Conference
P.O. Box 807
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807
Phone: (304) 535-6331 Fax: (304) 535-2667
Area of Operation: The Appalachian Mountains/Trail
Email: atc-varo@appalachiantrail.org
www.appalachiantrail.org

Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
204 W. Franklin St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Phone: (804) 648-1899
Area of Operation: Eastern Shore to mountains of Blackburg
Email: clong@apva.org
www.apva.org/apva/index.html

Blue Ridge Foothills Conservancy
P.O. Box 116
Hood, VA 22723
Phone: (540) 948-5444 Fax: (540)-923-4841
Area of Operation: Madison and Green Counties

Brandy Station Foundation
P.O. Box 165
Brandy Station, VA 22714
Area of Operation: Brandy Station Battlefields (Culpeper County)
Phone: (540) 727-7718
www.brandystationfoundation.com

Capital Region Land Conservancy
P.O. Box 17306
Richmond, VA 23226
Area of Operation: Richmond City and Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, New Kent and Charles City counties
Phone: (804) 745-3110
www.capitalregionland.org

Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation
P.O. Box 229
Middletown, VA 22645
Phone: (540) 869-2064 Toll-free: (888) 628-1864 Fax: (540) 869-1438
Area of Operation: Cedar Creek Battlefield, Middletown, Va.
Email: cedarcrk@visuallink.com
www.cedarcreekbattlefield.org

Central Virginia Battlefields Trust
64 Brittany Lane
Stafford, VA 22554-7687
Phone: (703) 395-4236
Area of Operation: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Counties
Email: webmaster@cvbt.org
www.cvbt.org

Central Virginia Land Conservancy
Lynchburg, Va.
Phone: (434) 384-3785
Area of Operation: Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Nelson counties; cities of Bedford and Lynchburg
Email: info@cvalc.org
www.cvalc.org

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
1108 East Main St, Suite 1600
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 780-1392
Area of Operation: Chesapeake Bay watershed
Email: jlerch@cbf.org
www.cbf.org

Civil War Preservation Trust
1331 H St NW Ste 1000
Washington, DC 20005-4745
Phone: (202) 367-1861 Fax: (202) 367-1865
Area of Operation: Civil War battlefields
Email: jzanoni@civilwar.org
www.civilwar.org

500-Year Forest Foundation
1133 Old Abert Road
Lynchburg, VA 24503-6455
Phone: (804) 384-2324 Fax: (804) 384-3268
Area of Operation: Virginia
Email: info@500yearforestfdn.org
www.500yearforestfdn.org

Friends of Chesterfield's Riverfront
P.O. Box 2158
Chesterfield, VA 23832
(804) 796-1703 Fax (804) 796-1711
Area of Operation: James and Appomattox Riverfronts in Chesterfield County
www.co.chesterfield.va.us/riverfront/

Friends of Dragon Run
P.O. Box 882
Gloucester, VA 23061-0882
Phone: (804) 462-5608 Fax:
Area of Operation: Dragon Run watershed: King and Queen, Gloucester, Middlesex, and Essex Counties
Email: dragonswamp2@wmconnect.com
www.dragonrun.org

Friends of the Rappahannock
P.O. Box 7254
Fredericksburg, VA 22404
Area of Operation: Rappahannock River watershed
Phone: (540) 373-3448
Fax: (540) 373-8111
Email: info@riverfriends.org

Goochland Land Alliance
P.O. Box 1281
Goochland, VA 23063
Phone: (804) 556-5999
Email: info@goochlandlandalliance.org

Hampton Land Conservancy
4896 Burnham Rd.
Richmond, VA 23234
Phone: (804) 275-6476
Fax: (804) 275-6476 (call prior to faxing)
Area of Operation: Hampton and adjoining localities
Email: tmatteson1@mindspring.com

Historic Green Springs
P.O. Box 1685
Louisa, VA 23093-1685
Phone: (540) 967-1099 Fax: (540) 967-1308
Area of Operation: Green Springs Historic District, Louisa County

Historic Polegreen Church Foundation
P.O. Box 2111
Mechanicsville, VA 23116
Area of Operation: Richmond battlefield area
www.historicpolegreen.org

James River Association
P.O. Box 909
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Phone: (804) 730-2898 Fax: (804) 730-2898
Area of Operation: James River watershed
Email: afoster@jamesriverassociation.org
www.jamesriverassociation.org

Jamestown Compact Land Trust
P.O. Box 2272
Middleburg, VA 20118-2272
Phone: (540) 687-3654 Fax: (540) 687-6632
Area of Operation: Mosby Heritage Area - Loudon and Fauquier Counties
Email: tdodson@jamestowncompact.org
www.jamestowncompact.org

Kernstown Battlefield Association
P.O. Box 1327
Winchester, VA
Area of Operation: Kernstown Battlefield, Winchester and Frederick, Va.
Email: kba@kernstownbattle.org
www.kernstownbattle.org

Land Trust of Virginia
P.O. Box 14
Middleburg, VA 20118
Phone: (540) 687-8441 Fax: (540) 687-4619
Area of Operation: Loudon, Clarke and Madison Counties
Email: bruce@presidential.com
www.landtrustva.org

Mathews County Land Conservancy
P.O. Box 306
Mathews, VA 23109-0306
Phone: (804) 725-9685 Fax: (804) 725-1225
Area of Operation: Mathews County
Email: lcsmclc@ccsinc.com

McLean Land Conservancy
P.O. Box 224
McLean, VA 22101
( 703) 241-1095 Fax 703/241-1560
Area of Operation: McLean area, including McLean, Great Falls, and parts of Falls Church email awhyte@bellatlantic.net

Middle Peninsula Land Trust
P.O. Box 585
Mathews, VA 23109-0585
Phone: (888) 887-0909
Area of Operation: Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex counties
Email: director@mplandtrust.org

National Committee for the New River
4 N. Jefferson Ave.
P.O. Box 1480
West Jefferson, NC 28694
Phone: (336) 246-4871 Fax: (336) 246-6433
Area of Operation: New River watershed
Email: ncnr@fastransit.net
www.ncnr.org

National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 588-6000
www.nationaltrust.org

New River Land Trust
P.O. Box 11057
Blacksburg, VA 24062-1057
Phone: (540) 951-1704 Fax: (540) 951-2695
Area of Operation: New River Watershed
Email: betho@i-plus.net

Northern Neck Land Conservancy
P.O. Box 3
Kilmarnock, VA 22482
Area of Operation: King George, Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland and Lancaster counties
Phone: (804) 435-2814
Fax: (804) 435-2334
Email: nnlc@kaballero.com
www.nnconserve.org

Northern Virginia Conservation Trust
4022 Hummer Road
Annandale, VA 22003-2403
Phone: (703) 354-5093 Fax: (703)-354-5169
Area of Operation: Northern Virginia
Email: pgilbert@nvct.org
www.nvct.org

Old Dominion Land Conservancy
621 W. Main St.
Purcellville, VA 20132
Area of Operation: Fauquier, Loudoun, Rappahannock and Stafford counties
Phone: (540) 338-0077
Email: henry@odlc.us
www.odlc.us

Piedmont Environmental Council
P.O. Box 460
Warrenton, VA 20188-0460
Phone: (540) 347-2334 Fax: (540) 347-9003
Area of Operation: Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock Counties
Email: mmanner@pecva.org
www.pecva.org

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
118 Park St SE
Vienna, VA 22180-4608
Phone: (703) 242-0693 Fax: (703) 242-0968
Area of Operation: Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC
Email: info@patc.net
www.patc.net

Potomac Conservancy
19 West Cork St., Suite 201
Winchester, VA 22601
Phone: (540) 667-3606 Fax: (540) 667-7748
Area of Operation: Potomac watershed
Email: watkinson@potomac.org
www.potomac.org

Preservation Alliance of Virginia
108 E. Grace St., Suite 1
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 421-9800 Fax: (804) 421-9810
Area of Operation: Virginia
Email: pav@vapreservation.org
www.vapreservation.org

Rivanna Conservation Society
P.O. Box 141
Palmyra, VA 22963-0141
Phone: (434) 977-4837
Fax: (815) 846-0917
Area of Operation:
Email: exec@rivannariver.org
avenue.org/rcs

Roanoke River Rails to Trails, Inc.
P.O. Box 150
South Hill, VA 23970
Area of Operation: Brunswick, Charlotte, Halifax and Mecklenburg counties
Phone: (434) 447-7101 or (434) 757-7438
Email: pdc@spbc.state.va.us

Rockbridge Area Conservation Council
P.O. Box 564
Lexington, VA 24450
Phone: (540) 463-2330
Area of Operation: Rockbridge County and immediate surrounding area
Email: RACC@rockbridge.net
http://organizations.rockbridge.net/racc/

Scenic Virginia
P.O. Box 17606
Richmond, VA 23226
Phone: (804) 282-5522 Fax: (804) 282-5506
Area of Operation: Virginia
Email: email@scenicva.org
www.scenicva.org

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation
P.O. Box 897
New Market, VA 22844
Phone: (540) 740-4545 Fax (540) 740-4509
Area of Operation: Shenandoah Valley
Email: jhutch@shentel.net
www.shenandoahatwar.org

The Nature Conservancy of Virginia
490 Westfield Rd
Charlottesville, VA 22901-1633
Phone: (434) 295-6106 Fax: (804) 979-0370
Area of Operation: Virginia
Email: hriden@tnc.org
www.nature.org/virginia

Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation
P.O. Box 124
Trevilians, VA 23170
(804) 589-8989,(540) 832-2862
Area of Operation: Trevilian Station Battlefield
www.trevilianbattlefield.org

Valley Conservation Council
17 Barristers Row
Staunton, VA 24401
Phone: (540) 886-3541 Fax: (540) 886-1380
Area of Operation: Allegheny, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren
Email: john@valleyconservation.org
www.valleyconservation.org

Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust
P.O. Box 1114
Exmore, VA 23350-1114
Area of Operation: Accomack and Northampton counties
Phone: (757) 442-5885
Fax: (757) 442-5744
Email: veslt@verizon.net
www.veslt.org

Virginia Outdoors Foundation
324 Waterloo St.
Warrenton, VA 20186
Phone: (540) 347-7727 Fax: (804) 371-4810
Area of Operation: Virginia
Email: bcabibbo@vofonline.org
www.virginiaoutdoorsfoundation.org

Waterford Foundation P.O. Box 142
Waterford, VA 20197-0142
Phone: (540) 882-3018 Fax: (540) 882-3921
Area of Operation: Waterford National Historic Landmark District, Coctania River, and northern Loudoun County
Email: info@waterfordva.org
www.waterfordva.org

Western Virginia Land Trust
722 First Street, Suite L
Roanoke, VA 24016-4120 Phone: (540) 985-0000 Fax: (540) 985-0000
Area of Operation: Western Virginia
Email: dperry@westernvirginialandtrust.org
www.westernvirginialandtrust.org

Williamsburg Land Conservancy
5000 New Point Road, Suite 3101
Williamsburg, VA 23188-9411
Phone: (757) 565-0343 Fax: (757) 565-0049
Area of Operation: The Historic Triangle - Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown
Email: carenschu@widowmaker.com
www.williamsburglandconservancy.org

Trade organizations interested in land conservation

• Virginia Forestry Association
• Virginia Farm Bureau