25 Years of Conservation Partners
A Short History of Conservation Partners
Inspired by their childhood memories on family land in Rockbridge County, Taylor Cole and Jim McLaughlin partnered to form Conservation Partners in 2001 to conserve Virginia's acres for future generations.
After conserving his own farm in Deerfield, Taylor Cole reflected on the conservation easement donation process and recognized the need for landowner assistance to further conservation efforts throughout the state of Virginia. Together, with his friend and attorney, Jim McLaughlin, they formed Conservation Partners in 2001with the goal of helping Virginia landowners conserve their lands. Just two years prior, the Land Preservation Tax Credit was created by Virginia's General Assembly to incentivize landowners to protect their farms, forest, and open spaces.
In creating the organization, Taylor and Jim knew that maintaining the integrity of the programs and credits would need to be prioritized to ensure continuity over time. As such, Conservation Partners' Quality Standards were implemented ensuring that all donations working with the company align with its mission and values.
While the Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit program has shown success, other challenged arose including the costs of easement donations. Being solution-focused, Conservation Partners created the Advance Funding program designated to assist with donation costs to alleviate the expense burden until the tax benefits could be realized. In recent years, increases in funding for various state and federal programs led the company into providing grant-writing services, allowing landowners to maximize opportunities for conserving their properties.
Throughout the years, Conservation Partners has remained at the forefront of advancing Virginia's land conservation goals working in partnership with landowners, state/federal agencies, localities, private land trusts, and expert professionals. We treasure all of the conservation donations we have worked with over the last 25 years. Spanning more than 75 counties and cities, hundreds of thousands of acres have been conserved thanks to generous donors who have chosen to work with us and our dedicated partners. From the iconic Natural Bridge State Park, a 1,600+ acre pristine habitat in Highland County, critical wetlands and marshes along Virginia's coastal regions, working farms in Southside and Southwest Virginia, historic properties that tell the stories of our Commonwealth to breathtaking views surrounding the Shenandoah Valley, all of the projects we have worked on have made an impact on preserving our beautiful state.
Conservation Partners by the Numbers
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Over 200,000 Acres Conserved
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75+ Counties and Cities
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20+ Easement Holders
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Over 1,000 Landowners
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More than $250,000,000 in Land Preservation Tax Credits
Conserving Virginia: One Acre at a Time
From the western Alleghany Highlands to the Eastern Shore, Conservation Partners has proudly served the entire state of Virginia. We are excited to share some of our favorite easements we have worked on over the years that have collectively made an impact on water quality, wildlife habitat protection, farmland preservation, and much more!
Conservation Stories
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Accomack County
In December 2008, Conservation Partners, with the partnership of the Eastern Shore Land Trust, helped protect over 1,300 acres of critical stopover habitat for various species of migratory birds, ecologically significant wetlands/marshes, and critical buffer areas of the Chincoteague Bay and Atlantic Barrier Islands.
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Alleghany County
In December 2017, the owners of Apple Horse Farm donated a conservation easement to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy on 850 acres. The property contains the Falling Springs Conservation Site as classified by the Department of Conservation and Recreation to contain one or more biologically significant karst resources.
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Amherst County
In November 2007, the Perrow family worked with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to permanently protect more than 500 acres. The property, containing almost 2 miles of frontage along the James River, created a lasting impact on water quality protections for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
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Augusta County
Conservation Partners assisted Walter and Joan Brown in conserving their Virginia Century Farm in partnership with the Black Family Land Trust in April 2024. The Browns received funding through the Agricultural Land Easement program through the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service for conserving 59 acres containing prime agricultural soils.
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Bedford County
Mark Ferguson and Alexander Dykes donated a conservation easement in June 2025 to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy conserving over 170 acres. Just over 100 acres of the property fall within a designated Nexus Area of Virginia's Wildlife Corridor Action Plan, protecting vital wildlife habitat. Additionally, the property provides protection of prime agricultural soils and water quality along Beaverdam Creek. The land goes back many generations of Ferguson's family and he is currently restoring the old historic cabin and family cemetery.
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Botetourt County
In December 2019, Conservation Partners assisted Springwood Properties, LLC in donating a conservation easement on 328 acres to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. In addition to conserving forest, farmland, and highly ranked for biodiversity, the conservation easement will now permanently protect the named caves found on the property- Karl's Pit, Stynes Cave, and Holy Smoke Cave.
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Buckingham County
Mary Katherine Shannon donated over 1,600 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in October 2014. The property has over 2.5 miles of river frontage along the Slate and North Rivers within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This easement helped further accomplish both federal and state goals of protecting the Chesapeake Bay's water quality and health.
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Caroline County
With close to 2 miles of road frontage, Bernice Rowe suspected her land would be slated for prime development in the near future. She knew Way Land Farm, farmed by her father in the 1960s, was worthy of permanent protection. In September 2022, she donated a conservation easement on almost 420 acres to the Land Trust of Virginia protecting the land from being subdivided into dozens of lots and preserving its rural character.
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Charles City County
The Virginia Least Trillium is a rare native plant in Virginia with diminishing populations. In May 2023, Marilyn Wetton donated a conservation easement on 58 acres containing forest and wetlands to the Capital Region Land Conservancy. The property contained two populations of the plant species that now has a conserved habitat to thrive along with other plant species and wildlife. The easement also supports Virginia's water quality improvement goals for the Chesapeake Bay and James River with over 900 feet of riparian buffer protection along West Run.
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Chesterfield County
In December 2013, the Thomas family donated a conservation easement on 253 aces to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The property is adjacent to Pocahontas State Park and now affords permanent protection of the public viewshed from the park alongside protection of the ecological viability of both the property and the park's shared ecosystems.
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Craig County
In April 2025, Wilderness Adventures, and outdoor recreational camp, donated a conservation easement on over 420 acres to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. The property contains high conservation values including water quality protection for Craig Creek and buffers that provide protection for up to two rare aquatic species- the Yellow Lance and Roughead Shiner. The property has also been identified as "resilient" under The Nature Conservancy's Resilient Lands Mapping Tool which estimates the property will be able to support ecological vitality and biodiversity as the world's climate shifts.
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Cumberland County
Forkland Farms, a Virginia Century Dairy Farm, has been in the Hazelgrove family since 1848. In March 2022, with funding from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the family donated a conservation easement on over 900 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The easement permanently protects prime agricultural soils, historic structures dating back to the early 19th century, wildlife habitat, and water quality.
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Essex County
Lloyd and Linda Mundie are no stranger to conservation easements. After two easement donations on their farms in Richmond County, they donated another in June 2025 to the Land Trust of Virginia on 142 acres in Essex County. With over 90% of the soil identified as prime agricultural soils, the Mundies received funding through the ACEP-ALE program provided by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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Fluvanna County
Upper Bremo is a significantly historic property consisting of over 1,500 acres within the Bremo National Historic Landmark District. The Bremo Trust donated a conservation easement on this property in December 2006 to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. In addition to the agricultural fields, forests, and wetlands, the property features the Upper Bremo Mansion built for General John Hartwell Cocke in the early 19th century and is considered a premiere example of the Jeffersonian Palladian style.
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Frederick County
In April of 2021, the McCann Family Land Trust entered into a bargain sale with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation for over 150 acres of land that falls within the core areas of the Second Battle of Winchester, Rutherford's Farm Battlefield, and Opequon Battlefield. The property is now open to the public with guided historic tours. In June 2025, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation donated an easement to the Land Trust of Virginia, ensuring permanent protection of the historic site.
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Gloucester County
Mount Prodigal, a historic farm on over 220 acres, features a dwelling with original portions dating back to the 1600s and 1700s. In October 2022, Rich Lands Inc. donated a conservation easement on the farm to the Land Trust of Virginia. Mount Prodigal can be seen in several photographs housed within the Library of Congress. The property also contains almost 9 acres of wetlands that are now permanently protected.
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Grayson County
Cresthaven Farm received Farm Bill funds from the ACEP-ALE program through USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service when they donated a conservation easement on 677 acres to Land Trust of Virginia in December 2025. A family owned and operated dairy farm, the conservation easement protects prime agricultural soils and water quality through buffer protections on more than a mile of streams.
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Halifax County
In December 2019, Hodges Farmlands LLC donated a conservation easement on over 800 acres protecting hundreds of acres of working forest full of loblolly pines. The property also contains over 20,000 feet of frontage along Mikes Creek which contributes to a tributary of the Dan River, the public water supply for Halifax and South Boston.
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Henrico County
In July 2022, Howard Eberly, a fourth generation farmer, donated a conservation easement of 28 acres to the Capital Region Land Conservancy. Four Mile Creek Farm is a core part of the New Market Heights Battlefield and also a prime habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. With frontage along New Market Road, the Virginia Capital Trail, and Four Mile Creek, protection of the property will significantly contribute to the green infrastructure within the Varina Landscape.
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Highland County
Fitz Gary purchased almost 2,000 acres in Highland County in the 1970s at an auction with money he had inherited from his father. In 2020, he permanently protected the ecologically diverse property with a conservation easement. Later that year, he donated a fee gift of the land to The Nature Conservancy, connecting two other preserves and national forests. The property is identified by the Virginia Division of Natural Heritage for potential habitat of rare and unknown species and contains six miles of Straight Fork, cold-water habitat for native brook trout.
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James City County
In October 2021, a conservation easement was donated on 800 acres to the Land Trust of Virginia. The property largely contributes to water quality protections within the Chesapeake Bay watershed with almost 2 miles of frontage on the Chickahominy River, 2.5 miles of frontage on Blackstump Creek, and over 150 acres of wetlands. The property has over 700 acres of "outstanding" ecological cores as identified by the 2007 Virginia Natural Landscape Assessment of the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Virginia Natural Heritage Program.
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Lancaster County
In December 2007, the Bellows family donated a conservation easement on almost 575 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The easement contains riparian buffer protections for four miles of perennial and intermittent streams into Mercers Pond, located at the center of the property. The entire system drains within the East branch of the Corrotoman River, a tributary of the Rappahannock River. 200 acres of the property provide scenic views for State Route 200. Additionally, the crop fields, forests, and stream areas of the property provide extensive wildlife habitat.
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Loudoun County
In December 2007, Rose Hill Farm LP donated a conservation easement on over 300 acres near Upperville to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Located within the core area of the Upperville Battlefield, the property contains the historic house, Rose Hill, along with associated outbuildings all dating back to the early 19th century. Additionally, the easement protects over one mile of frontage along Pantherskin Creek, a principle tributary of Goose Creek, a state scenic river.
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Madison County
In December 2021, Debra Speyer donated a conservation easement on over 270 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The property adjoins a 133-acre easement and is 0.6 miles from Shenandoah National Park with visibility from Old Rag. The property has also been identified as having high ecological integrity, providing significant wildlife habitat.
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Mecklenburg County
In July 2008, the Crump family donated a conservation easement on 305 acres to the National Wild Turkey Federation. The property contains frontage along Bluestone Creek and is 3 miles upstream from Buggs Island Lake, a major recreational public resource. The property's forest cover, field edges, hedgerows, warm season grasses, cool season pastures, and riparian areas provide significant habitat for a variety of wildlife including wild turkey.
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Nelson County
In September 2022, the Fischer family donated a conservation easement on 53 acres to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. The property, a wildlife haven, is identified as a resilient landscape as designated by The Nature Conservancy's Resilient Lands Mapping Tool which indicates the capacity to maintain species diversity and ecological function as the climate changes. The property also features a spring-fed pond, contributing to water quality improvement efforts in the surrounding watershed.
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Northumberland County
In November 2008, Mundy Point and Watts Point Farms donated a conservation easement on over 150 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. With almost 2.5 miles of shoreline with vegetated buffers on the Yeocomico River, Wilkins Creek, Drum Cove, and Mill Creek. The permanent protection of these shoreline aids in the water quality improvement and protection goals for the Chesapeake Bay as well as protecting the public scenic view for boaters along these waters.
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Orange County
In December 2022, Debra Speyer donated her third easement on 350 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The property lies within the entrance corridor of James Madison's Montpelier and is highly visible along Route 20, an arterial road designated as a part of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground connecting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to Montpelier. The property also is located within the Culpeper Basin Important Bird Area and contributes to bird habitat.
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Patrick County
A four-generation farm consisting of open pastureland, Spoon Creek frontage, and highly-ranked ecological cores was permanently protected after a conservation easement donation on 545 acres by BH Cooper Farm LLC to the Southern Virginia Land Conservancy. Two-thirds of the property is within the Spoon Creek Essential Conservation Site as designated by Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation which delineates habitat and occurrences for the state and federally endangered Small-anthered Bittercress.
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Powhatan County
In July 2024, Cindy Booten donated a conservation easement on 55 acres to the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District. The property along Three Bridge Road is ranked "high priority" by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Natural Heritage Explorer's ConserveVirginia 3.0 for water quality improvement. The easement also restricts commercial timbering on a 100-year-old hardwood forest. Golden Ring Farm is part of the Natural Lands Network which supports thousands of animal and plant species.
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Pulaski County
In August 2009, the Ingles family completed a bargain sale to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources using funds awarded from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation on historic Ingles Family Farm. The property, consisting of 312 acres, was purchased by Mary Draper Ingles in 1762 after her famous escape from Native American captivity and contains Ingles Ferry Tavern and is where they operated the Ingles Ferry until after World War II. There has been archaeological evidence of prehistoric Native American sites also documented on the property.
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Roanoke County
Located within the Catawba Rural Historic District, this 91-acre farm was permanently protected in December 2024 with a conservation easement from the McDonald family to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The easement contains protections for water quality along Catawba Creek, wildlife habitat, and deciduous forests. The property scored highly for ecological cores as identified by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Natural Landscape Assessment. The property was also identified as having habitat for the endangered Little Brown Bat.
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Rockingham County
The Lohr family has been actively farming in Rockingham since 1881, and in December 2016, a conservation easement was donated on Valley Pike Farm by Matt and Beth Lohr to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. With funds granted by the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the easement helps protect the prime farm soils, loggerhead shrike habitat, water quality within the Smith Creek watershed, and scenic views from Route 11 and Interstate 81.
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Scott County
In December 2002, the Brooks family donated a conservation easement on 205 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The property comprises of farmland, woodland, and steep forested mountain headwater areas on Clinch Mountain with springs and intermittent streams that feed into Big Moccasin Creek and the North Fork of the Holston River, an important aquatic habitat freshwater mussels. The property contains three prominent peaks of the Clinch Mountain range.
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Southampton County
In April 2013, BLD Farms Inc. donated two conservation easements on a total of 433 acres to the Virginia Department of Forestry. The two easements will help to protect prime ag soils and working forests, and wildlife habitat for various species including the rare Ravenfoot Sedge plant and Coastal Plain Bottomland Forest as identified by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Natural Heritage Program.
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Surry County
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Warren County
Between 2022 and 2023, Shane Cook donated three conservation easements on a total of 213 acres to the Warren County Board of Supervisors. With under a mile of proximity to Shenandoah National Park, this property strengthens the corridor of conserved lands in the Bentonville district. The easements also protect prime agricultural soils, working forests, and water quality along Flint Run.
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Westmoreland County
In December 2005, Lucy Dos Passos Coggin donated a conservation easement on over 900 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The property, Spence's Point, contains the historic family home of American novelist John Dos Passos. The conservation easement protects shoreline along the Potomac River. This shoreline has played a significant part in the study and research of American Bald Eagles due to the natural habitat that the forested riverbanks supported.
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Wythe County
In June 2010, Thomas Butt donated a conservation easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on over 350 acres. The conservation easement protects 120 acres of prime agricultural soils and 100 acres of working forestland. Additionally, the property also contributes to water quality protection for Cove Creek and scenic views from Route 600.
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Albemarle County
In December 2022, in partnership with the Land Trust of Virginia, Conservation Partners assisted in conserving over 400 acres of open fields, wetlands, and forested lands. In addition to the prime agricultural soils and water quality protections for Totier Creek, the easement protected the scenic views from a National Scenic Byway within the designated Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area. Many of the historic structures on the property date back to the mid-1700s and early 1800s.
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Amelia County
In October 2020, after a tragic accident that took her brother's life, Mary Nell Tatum helped make her brother's farmland preservation vision a reality when she donated a conservation easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on just over 400 acres. The family farm had been used by Virginia Tech for experimental and demonstrative agriculture. The easement helped permanently protect the agricultural and forestal use of the land in the future.
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Appomattox County
Conservation Partners, in partnership with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, assisted in conserving more than 1,600 acres in December 2017. In addition to the Chesapeake Bay watershed impact and scenic view protections, the property lies within the Appomattox Court House Loop of the Department of Wildlife Resources' Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and within the Central Piedmont Important Bird Area identified by the National Audubon Society. Permanent protection has ensured habitat for important bird species.
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Bath County
In December 2021, after decades of actively conserving land, the Semans family donated more than 600 acres containing pristine forest, ecological cores and wildlife habitat, karst features, and natural springs to The Nature Conservancy. Hobby Horse Farm is now used by TNC as a training center for their Allegheny Highlands program increasing conservation efforts within the Central Appalachians region which encompasses multiple states.
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Bland County
In July 2016, a conservation easement was donated on 773 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on a property containing a mixture of prime agricultural soils and forest spanning to the top of Walker Mountain with views from Interstate 77. The protection of the property, with its entire southern boundary adjacent to the National Forest, provided a major impact on wildlife connectivity.
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Brunswick County
In December 2009, generous landowners donated a conservation easement on over 2,300 acres within the Brunswick and Mecklenburg Counties to the Virginia Department of Forestry. With over 1,000 acres of the property designated as "Farmland of Statewide Importance" by the Natural Resource Conservation Service, this easement made a lasting impact on farmland preservation in Virginia.
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Campbell County
Airy Mont Farm was conserved in October 2016 with a conservation easement donation to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on over 560 acres of prime agricultural soils, scenic views from Route 705, and over a mile of frontage on Seneca Creek. The property is adjacent to Yoder Farm, a previously conserved farm containing 542 acres allowing VOF to have a contiguous block of over 1,109 acres of conserved land.
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Carroll County
In November 2006, the Turman family donated a conservation easement on 275 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. 65% of the property contains soil types considered to be of statewide importance as designated by the New River Soil and Water Conservation District. With visibility from two state routes, the conservation easement also protects the scenic views of the beautiful rolling hills.
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Charlotte County
In February 2022, Bob and Mary Janie Creecy donated a conservation easement on over 380 acres to the Southern Virginia Land Conservancy. The property is identified as "resilient" by The Nature Conservancy's Resilient Lands Mapping Tool, estimating that it can maintain species diversity and ecological function as the world's climate changes. After the passing of Mary Janie, Bob donated the property to The Nature Conservancy in May 2023.
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Clarke County
In January 2005, the Bauhans donated a conservation easement on almost 40 acres, eliminating any division rights to keep an open-space parcel in-tact in historic Clarke County. The following April, the landowners agreed to then conserve the adjacent parcel containing the historic 19th century house, prohibiting it from willful demolition and preserving the history of this special property.
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Culpeper County
In October 2019, the von Feilitzsch family donated a conservation easement on their 223-acre property, Henselstone, to the Land Trust of Virginia. In addition to protecting water quality and wildlife habitat, the easement also protects the historic legacy of the property. Henselstone was signficant for the attack at Corbin's Crossing, with Confederate Commander J.E.B. Stuart using the property as a launch pad for the initial attack on Union forces. It is believed that several soldiers killed in action were buried on the property.
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Dinwiddie County
In October 2014, the Jones family donated a conservation easement on 305 acres to the Virginia Department of Forestry. The entire property is a working forest and was identified as highly productive for loblolly pine by the Natural Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey. Loblolly pine is a major commercial timber species and is crucial for erosion control, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat.
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Fauquier County
In December 2013, Lawrence Bell and Susanne Brose donated a conservation easement on 32 acres to Fauquier County. This property falls within the Mosby Heritage Area which is a designated historic and cultural preservation area established in 1995 by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, the property is visible from Leeds Manor Road, a designated Fauquier County Scenic Road, providing scenic views to the public.
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Franklin County
In August 2009, David Robertson and Fannie Hall donated a conservation easement on over 230 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The beef-cattle farm has one mile of frontage on the Pigg River, which has been identified as "Threatened and Endangered Waters" by the Virginia Department of Wildlife and contains several at-risk species including the Yellow lampmussel, Roanoke logperch, and Orangefin madtom.
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Giles County
In December 2006, Mary Jo Osteen and Matilda Wood donated a conservation easement on 83 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Surrounded by the Jefferson National Forest, the property, known as "Woods Hole," comprises entirely of wooded slopes extending to the top of Sugar Run Mountain and is a well-known destination for through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The property also lies at the headwaters of Virginia's largest cave- The Sugar Run Cave System.
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Goochland County
Tuckahoe Point Farm is a 318-acre farm in both Goochland and Henrico Counties and is adjacent to the historic Tuckahoe Plantation, a National Historic Landmark. In her last will and testament, Ann Lee Saunders Brown instructed that Tuckahoe Point Farm be permanently protected through a conservation easement. In May 2021, Tuckahoe Point Farms LLC donated a conservation easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Of significant conservation value, the property has frontage along the James River contributing water quality protection.
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Greene County
In February 2024, Scott and Ann Mingledorff donated a conservation easement on 106 acres to the Virginia Department of Forestry. The property is primarily made up of working forest with soils that are designated as highly productive for black oak and tulip poplar by the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Web Soil Survey. The property also provides protections for wildlife habitat and scenic views from the Appalachian Trail. The Mingledorffs also rallied their neighbor, Steve Philips, to donate an easement on his 36-acre tract leading to a total of 142 contiguous acres conserved.
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Hanover County
With over 400 acres of prime agricultural soils, the conservation easement of Gould Hill, a 800-acre family owned farm, in January 2022 helped lead the way of farmland preservation in the Hanover County community. In addition to protecting the soils, the easement also contributes to water quality protections for the Pamunkey River. The Newcomb family went on to donate another conservation easement in Caroline County and has been instrumental in advocating for more Hanover farmers to consider conserving their land.
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Henry County
In November 2022, the Dyer family donated a fee gift of over 200 acres to the Southern Virginia Land Conservancy. This generous donation protects over a mile of the planned route of the Dick and Willie Passage, a rail-to-trail recreational project of the county. Additionally, the property fronts and protects over 1.3 miles of Mulberry Creek. The family's intention of the gift was to allow the community to enjoy the property recreationally.
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Isle of Wight County
In October 2021, LWJ Farm LLC donated a conservation easement on over 250 acres to the Historic Virginia Land Conservancy. In addition to protecting the prime agricultural soils, freshwater forests and streams, and wildlife habitat, the landowner further restricted commercial timbering adding extra protection to the forest.
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King William County
Bear Garden, a historic dwelling built in 1725, was originally part of a land grant given to Thomas Nelson by the English Crown. In November 2017, Elizabeth Flippen donated a conservation easement on 368 acres containing Bear Garden to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Over the last decade, she has continued to amend the easement to add more acreage, resulting in a total of 827 acres conserved containing various conservation values.
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Lee County
With over 230 acres of unfragmented forest, this property in Southwest Virginia provides extensive wildlife habitat and helps meet the forest conservation goals within the Virginia Forest Action Plan. In December 2021, the land was donated to the Land Trust of Virginia, offering an opportunity for permanent protection.
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Louisa County
In October 2016, the Kody family donated a conservation easement of over 450 acres to the Virginia Department of Forestry. Around 300 acres are stands of working forest with productive soils for yellow-poplar. Additionally, the property offers water quality protections for tributaries of Little River, North Anna River, and Pamunkey River.
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Mathews County
The Piankatank River has been identified by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as having impairments of fecal coliform bacteria from natural sources. In 2013, several counties including Mathews County and DCR came together with a water quality improvement plan. This property fronts the Piankatank River and has vegetative and forested buffers that help filter pollutants within the river. In August 2020, the Kostyal family donated a fee gift of this property to Friends of Dragon Run to aid further restoration.
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Montgomery County
Radford University's Selu Conservancy is an "outdoor classroom" located on 380 acres with a focus on habitat conservation. In June 2011, the University donated a conservation easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to permanently protect the property. Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation's Natural Heritage program identified two native plant species- Canby's Mountain-Lover and Walter's Violet. The property also features multiple sinkholes and karst features.
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Northampton County
With over 6.5 miles of waterfront along the Chesapeake Bay and other tributaries, this property lies within the Church Neck Conservation Site serving as habitat for migratory bird and waterfowl. In December 2009, Hungars Glebe LLC donated a conservation easement on 586 acres to the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust and the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District adding to a total of 1,656 acres of a conserved corridor surrounding the historic Glebe of Hungar's Parish, circa 1743.
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Nottoway County
Lewis Williamson donated a conservation easement in November 2018 on 287 acres of his multi-generational working farm to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. With the permanent protection of water resources and prime agricultural soils, Williamson was awarded monies from VOF's Preservation Trust Fund.
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Page County
In May 2021, the estate of Judith Harris was permanently protected by a conservation easement on almost 200 acres to the Valley Conservation Council (now Shenandoah Valley Conservancy.) The property contains soils designated as Soils of Statewide Importance by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the US Department of Agriculture.
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Pittsylvania County
With almost 1.5 miles of frontage along Dry Branch, which is within the Roanoke River watershed, and over 1.7 miles of unnamed tributaries, this property has been designated as a high priority for implementing best management practices by the ConservationVision Watershed Model. In December 2019, Roger Browne donated a conservation easement on almost 700 acres to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy.
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Prince Edward County
In November 2011, the Freeman family donated a conservation easement on over 500 acres to the Virginia Department of Forestry. With hundreds of acres of working forest and open fields, the permanent protection of this property helps to conserve prime soils, water quality, and natural habitat for turkey, deer, rabbit, and quail.
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Richmond County
In November 2008, the Menokin Foundation donated a conservation easement on almost 175 acres of Menokin Lands, a historic 500-acre property that contains the archaeological ruins of Menokin. Menokin was the home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, one of the signors of the Declaration of Independence. The property also borders several tributaries of the Rappahannock River, contributing to water quality protections of the surrounding watershed.
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Rockbridge County
In February 2014, the Natural Bridge of Virginia LLC participated in a bargain sale with the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund Inc to protect the historic Natural Bridge. The property also contains two significant natural communities of Appalachian Sugar Maple, Chinquapin Oak, Eastern Red Cedar, and Southern Appalachian Limestone Rich Cove as well as up to six cave entrances. Immediately following the bargain sale, the Virginia Land Conservation Legacy Fund donated a conservation easement to Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation.
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Russell County
In November 2011, Nancy Wolf donated a conservation easement on over 219 acres to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The property is located within the Clinch Valley Bioreserve, designated by The Nature Conservancy as one of the 39 "Last Great Places," comprising of the world's most important remaining intact ecosystems. The easement also helps to protect almost 5 acres of wetlands, karst features, and scenic views from two adjacent highways.
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Shenandoah County
A Shenandoah County landowner donated a conservation easement on almost 300 acres in December 2020 to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The property is a working cattle farm with mountain views and over 1 mile of frontage along the Shenandoah River. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has designated the area where the property lies as habitat for three listed Virginia Wildlife Action Plan threatened and endangered species: green floater mussels, brook floater mussels, and wood turtles.
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Spotsylvania County
In December 2022, Livingston Manor LLC donated a conservation easement on 429 acres to the Land Trust of Virginia. The property contains over 230 acres of prime agricultural soils along with Farmland of Statewide Importance as identified by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. The property also lies within the study area of the Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield. The easement will also help to protect over 50 acres of wetlands aiding in water quality and habitat protections.
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Sussex County
With frontage along the Anderson Branch of the Nottoway River and tributaries of the Chowan River, the conservation easement donation of over 470 acres made in November 2022 by Dobie Prince Project LLC to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation affords major water quality and improvement protections. In addition, the property contains prime agricultural soils, is a Virginia Century Forest, and has received awards including the Quail Habitat Buffer Award.
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Washington County
In December 2025, the Rolen family permanently protected 685 acres with a conservation easement in partnership with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. With funds awarded from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the easement aids in protections for the North Fork Holston River which is located within the North Fork Holston River-Laurel Fork- Wolf Creek Stream Conservation Site. The property also lies within the Clinch Mountain Loop, a Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, and is a part of the Wildlife Biodiversity Resilience Corridor.
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Wise County
In December 2025, Abe Quesenberry permanently protected over 660 acres with a conservation easement to the Land Trust of Virginia and the Lonesome Pine Soil and Water Conservation District. Using funds awarded from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the easement protects karst and cave areas which are a part of the Omega Cave System- the longest in Virginia and deepest east of the Mississippi River. The property ranks as "outstanding significance" for biodiversity with five cave-dependent species occurrences including the Little Kennedy Cave Beetle and Hubbard's cave millipede.
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York County
Historic Carter's Grove, an 18th century Georgian-style brick plantation home, is permanently protected with a conservation easement donated in December 2008 by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. The property also features unexcavated 17th century domestic, industrial, and burial sites from Martin's Hundred period, a Native American ossuary, and a historic 18th century cemetery. The easement also provides protections for the James River, Grice's Run Natural Area, and the Carter's Grove Agricultural and Forestal District.
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