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: | Conservation and Cultural Access in Amherst County |
|---|---|
| Category: | Forestland Preservation |
| Grant Round: | FY26 |
| Acres: | 421.25 |
| Locality: | Amherst County |
| Management Agency: | Virginia Outdoors Foundation |
| Owner: | Private |
| ConserveVirginia: | Agriculture & Forestry, Natural Habitat & Ecosystem Diversity |
| Amount Awarded: | $287,500.00 |
| Applicant: | The Conservation Fund |
| Latitude: | -79.130134 |
| Longitude: | 37.596723 |
| Description: | The Conservation Fund was awarded a VLCF grant for the protection of a 421-acre property in Amherst County. This unique project is a result of a collaborative between The Conservation Fund, Sweet Briar College (landowner), Virginia Outdoors Foundation, and the Monacan Indian Nation. The property, sitting atop Bear Mountain and Cedar Mountain, contains hundreds of acres of high quality hardwood forest in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sweet Briar intends to manage this property to maintain forest quality and wildlife habitat by maintaining 90% forest cover and 100’ forested riparian buffers, furthering the conservation efforts of surrounding landowners with several adjacent conservation easements. Additionally, the property is adjacent to land held and stewarded by the Monacan Indian Nation and will contribute to their efforts to protect Bear Mountain and the surrounding area from encroachment and development. Sweet Briar is committed to implementing one of the first cultural access easements in the commonwealth with the Monacan Nation to provide access to members of the Nation to further efforts on understanding and protecting the Nation's history in the area. |
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