Gov. Ralph Northam announced $5.89 million in Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) grants, which will fund a total of 19 conservation projects and protect more than 17,000 acres of land across the Commonwealth.
These VLCF grants will be used by private land trusts, local governments and state agencies to acquire and project significant lands in the following categories: farmland, forestry, historic resources, natural areas, and parks and open space.
“These 17,000 acres of newly-conserved lands will generate tremendous benefits for the Commonwealth,” said Northam. “We are protecting our precious natural resources, building resilience to climate change, and ensuring Virginia remains a great place to live, work, and visit.”
The VLCF board is composed of 19 members that are appointed by the governor, the Senate Committee on Rules and the speaker of the House of Delegates. The board includes the Secretary of Natural Resources, who serves as chair, and the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.
“These grants will help protect biodiversity, farms and forests, open space, and cultural and historic resources,” said Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler. “By incorporating our cutting-edge ConserveVirginia initiative into the VLCF grant-making process, we are ensuring our limited resources go to protecting the Commonwealth’s most valuable and beautiful lands.”
Grant applications were reviewed and scored by an interagency workgroup that recommended projects to the board, which approved the awards on Nov. 22. Administrative support for the VLCF is provided by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
“Thanks to the hard work of state staff, land trusts, local governments, and other visionary land conservationists, we have been able to fund a fantastic slate of projects this round,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “One exciting property is the Stanley Land and Lumber site in Charlotte County, which is on track to become Virginia’s 26th State Forest and will be managed to internationally-recognized sustainability standards by the Virginia Department of Forestry.”
In June, Northam announced a change to the VLCF scoring criteria that aligned it with ConserveVirginia, a new data-driven land conservation initiative, and added additional criteria that focuses on water quality improvements. Among the projects receiving grants, 89 percent are located within ConserveVirginia designated areas.
“VLCF has selected a diverse and impressive group of projects from across the Commonwealth,” said DCR Director Clyde Cristman. “The Department of Conservation and Recreation looks forward to supporting these projects and protecting our natural resources.”
The following table provides the project name, requesting organization, a brief description and VLCF funding amounts for the approved grants.
Note: The dollar figures given reflect only the state grant amount and not the total cost of the project.
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