PEC Press Release
Bob Lazaro
PEC Director of Communications
571.225.0198

361 Acres Conserved in Culpeper County for 2008
Portions of Two Civil War Battlefield Protected

In 2008, residents of the Piedmont protected 14,100 acres of open space through the use of conservation easements. In Culpeper County, 361 acres were permanently protected. Included this year, are two easements on portions of the Rappahannock Station battlefield (180 acres) and the Brandy Station battlefield (50 acres). This brings the grand total to more than 9201 acres of privately conserved land in the County (map attached).

The movement to protect privately-held rural land from development has been experiencing tremendous momentum in Virginia's Piedmont region, with landowners conserving an average of 23,714 acres every year for the last five years. The total for 2008 brings the number of acres conserved in the nine counties served by the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) to 307464 acres, an acreage that is larger than Shenandoah National Park

"We're immensely pleased at what communities in the Piedmont have been able to accomplish to provide a legacy of conserved open space for our children and future generations," says Chris Miller, President of PEC. "When it comes to conservation, this is one of the most successful regions in the entire country."

The Piedmont region continues to lead the state of Virginia, which is among the top five states in the nation for protecting land through private conservation easements. The nine counties of Virginia's Piedmont -- including Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier, Culpeper, Rappahannock, Madison, Orange, Greene, and Albemarle -- have conserved more land than almost any state in the nation.

Tom O'Halloran from Glengary Christmas Tree Farm in Culpeper who donated an easement said, "I have had such an enjoyable time growing up on the farm here in Culpeper I wanted my Grand Kids and their children to have the same opportunity to enjoy discovering nature and the how the land continues to nurture us physically and mentally."

Portions of two Civil War battlefields sites have been conserved. The first site contains a portion of the battlefield where the Rappahannock Station battle occurred on August 22-25, 1862 during the Northern Virginia Campaign of the Civil War and also a key portion of the Rappahannock Station battlefield during the Bristoe Station Campaign in November 1863. The property contains 1,775 LF of frontage on the Rappahannock River that is a State Scenic River and an important source of public drinking water. The easement is in partnership with the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Programs. The second site is a part of the Brandy Station battle, which occurred on June 9, 1863. Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle of the war and the opening engagement of the Gettysburg Campaign.

PEC's Director of Land Conservation, Heather Richards says, "The tremendous gains we've seen in conservation over the last few years reflect the growing awareness among Culpeper's residents of the importance of their landscape. Conserving green spaces does more than just protecting pretty views. It protects drinking water and air quality, reduces traffic, keeps taxes down and preserves family farms. These benefits are explicitly recognized in Culpeper County's Comprehensive Plan."

Bob Lee, the Executive Director of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) said, "VOF had its second best year in 2008 in terms of conservation easement acreage - 64,840 acres in 64 localities. This land conservation movement that was incubated in the nine-county PEC region has now expanded throughout Virginia. VOF has done more land conservation in the last four years, since 2004, than was accomplished in the previous 38 years. VOF now has over 525,000 acres under permanent conservation protection - this represents an area more than half as large as the state of Rhode Island. The PEC coordination model with VOF has now spread to other land trusts and conservation organizations throughout Virginia. Today, VOF holds easements in 102 cities and counties."

According to a 2003 study that was done by the American Farmland Trust in Culpeper County, farms and other open lands use only $0.32 in local services for every dollar of taxes paid, while homes require $1.22 for every dollar paid. Land placed under permanent easement also lowers the value used by the state to determine local ability to pay, which results in increased funding from the Commonwealth for schools and other county services.

Easements also support two major industries of the Piedmont: agriculture and tourism. Like other landowners, farmers can gain needed capital by voluntarily conserving their land and earning a substantial state tax credit which they may either use or sell on the open market. Farmers also benefit from reduced appraisal values on their land, which lightens their tax burden. In Albemarle, Clarke, and Fauquier counties, working farms also have the option of receiving money from publicly supported Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs. Culpeper also has an approved PDR ordinance; however, the county has not dedicated funding for the program.

Protecting the integrity of the rural landscape also preserves essential historic resources, provides vital habitat for wildlife, and safeguards the scenic views and recreation opportunities that sustain a high quality of life in the Piedmont. "Conservation easements are another great tool in the stewardship toolbox to help Culpeper citizens protect their cultural, historic, and natural resources, as well as working farms and forestland," said Abby Harper, PEC's Land Conservation Officer for Culpeper County.

For information about land conservation in Culpeper you can contact Abby Harper at 540.729.2234 or via email at aharper[at]pecva.org.