I wanted to post this last week, but got 'inauguration' delay :)
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Virginia Land Conservation Foundation approved grants to 16 projects totaled $4.3 million. Grants are distributed across the state, including a purchase of 275 acres on the Potomac River in Loudoun County for public park and acquisition of 1,100 acres in addition to 1,700 acres of Crow's Nest natural area preserve's portfolio in Stafford.
According to Kaine's office, the grants will add 8,390 acres to Tim Kaine's goal of preserving 400k of land by 2010. Projects are divided into four preservation categories: 1) farmlands and forest, 2) historic area, 3) natural area, and 4) open spaces and parks.
Here is a partial list of the 16 'approved' projects, via Virginia:
Farmlands and Forest Preservation Category
Richardson Purchase of Development Rights (Northampton County):
The 268-acre conservation easement in Northampton County will be the first purchased under the county's new Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. The property, farmed by the Richardson family since 1945, contains 104 acres of prime farmland soils, as well as 82 acres of forested migratory bird habitat and another 82 acres of marsh and wetland habitat. Grant Amount: $250,000.
Feedstone Hunt Club (Virginia Department of Forestry)
Purchase of a conservation easement on 1,072 acres of forestland in western Rockingham County owned by the Feedstone Hunt Club represents a significant inholding within the George Washington National Forest. Its protection will provide an unbroken expanse of managed forestland. This easement also will protect drinking water for the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Grant Amount: $275,615.
Clarke County Dairy Farm (Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority)
Purchase of a conservation easement on a 216-acre working dairy farm in Clarke County. The farm includes 2,800 feet of frontage on Opequon Creek, an impaired waterway, and a 1910 farm house determined by the Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission to be eligible for the National Register. Grant Amount: $146,000.
Big Woods (Department of Game and Inland Fisheries)
Will acquire 610 acres of the Big Woods tract in Sussex County, where DGIF intends to establish a new wildlife management area. DGIF has secured $550,000 in matching funds for this parcel as habitat for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Acquisition of the property will provide for sustainable wildlife and forest management and public access. Grant Amount: $550,000.
Frank C. Ott Farm (Fauquier County Purchase of Development Rights Program)
Purchase of a conservation easement on approximately 280 acres of farmland in Fauquier County, creating a contiguous block of nearly 900 acres of preserved farmland. This fourth generation working farm grows hay, soybeans, and corn with conservation practices including cover crops, minimum tillage and a nutrient management plan. The family also plans to fence livestock from streams and provide alternative watering facilities. Grant Amount: $198,400.
Historic Area Preservation Category
Adam Thoroughgood House (The City of Virginia Beach)
Reimbursement for the 2007 purchase of 2.5-acres next to the Adam Thoroughgood House property, a National Historic Landmark as one of the earliest documented structures in the nation. Currently undeveloped, the Virginia Beach property holds potential for significant archaeological resources and would be available for light passive recreational use. Grant Amount: $425,000.
Pamplin Pipe Factory (The Archaeological Conservancy)
Purchase of the 2.96 acre Pamplin Pipe Factory property in Appomattox County. The factory is listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places for the archaeological remains of two centuries of clay pipe manufacturing. The property will be placed under a historic preservation easement with the Department of Historic Resources. Ownership would be transferred to the Appomattox Historical Society and opened as a museum. Grant Amount: $61,000.
B. Williams and Co. Store (Mathews County Land Conservancy)
For acquisition of the B. Williams and Co. Store property adjacent to the four-acre Williams Wharf in Mathews. The property is eligible for listing in the Virginia Landmarks Register. The Mathews County Land Conservancy will combine the two properties for use as a museum. Grant Amount: $345,000.
Cool Spring Farm (Clarke County Easement Authority)
An easement purchase on 204-acre Cool Spring Farm in the Shenandoah Valley National Historic and Cool Spring Civil War Battlefield Historic Districts listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Owned by the Community of Cistercians, the property includes a historic farm house. The monks have worked with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to develop a nutrient management plan and use conservation best management practices. Grant Amount: $123,625
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