Middleburg, VA (June 5, 2018) – The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) is pleased to announce it has received a $20,000 grant from Virginia Environmental Endowment for its Blue Ridge Conservation Priorities Initiative.

Several years ago, LTV began a study of a 200,000-acre area along the Blue Ridge in Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke, and Warren counties.  Of this 200,000-acre study area, only about 15% is currently protected through state and federal parks or by conservation easements, thus making it the largest unprotected stretch of the Blue Ridge in its entire 600-mile length.

The study produced 21 maps displaying natural resources, conservation values, and vulnerability to development.  A composite analysis was then completed, which identified 286 priority properties, totaling over 41,000 acres.  These 286 properties are all more than 50 acres in size and contain the greatest number of conservation values identified in the mapping.  The data compiled in the study will help direct and focus LTV’s efforts as it moves forward in its conservation work.

This generous grant from Virginia Environmental Endowment will help fund LTV’s efforts to reach out to the landowners in this critical area, identified in the study, with the goal of helping them permanently protect their properties through conservation easements.

To find out if your property is within the study area boundary or to learn more, call LTV at 540-687-8441 or email Seth Young at seth@landtrustva.org.

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The Land Trust of Virginia is a private land trust that partners with landowners who voluntarily protect and conserve properties with significant scenic, ecological and historic value.  LTV holds 165 easements protecting a total of almost 18,000 acres across 14 counties in Virginia.  To learn more, visit LTV’s website at https://landtrustva.org/