Bob Lazaro
PEC Director of Communications
571.225.0198

1514 Acres Conserved in Loudoun County for 2008
Over 300,000 Acres Conserved in the Piedmont
Portion of Aldie Civil War Battlefield Protected

In 2008, residents of the Piedmont protected 14100 acres of open space through the use of conservation easements. In Loudoun County, 1514 acres were preserved in 2008 bringing the grand total to more than 43836 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 area 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.

In 2008, Mary Leslie donated a conservation easement to the VA Department of Historic Resources permanently protecting a 97 acre property that is the core of the June 1863 Civil War battlefield outside the Village of Aldi. A prominent site along scenic Snickersville Turnpike in Loudoun County, the property, known, as the Leith Farm, has been in Mary Leslie's family for more than seven generations, since before the time of the 1863 battle.

The preservation of the Leith Farm has been a long-standing priority for PEC, as very little has changed at this well-known property since the time of the battle. The property's stonewalls, historic "Furr House" and gently rolling pasture that were part of the 1863 battle remain there today.

PEC's Director of Land Conservation, Heather Richards says, "The tremendous number of conservation success stories over the last few years in Loudoun County reflect an incredible awareness among Loudoun's residents about the importance of their landscape and its resources. 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 Loudoun 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, Rappahannock and Fauquier counties, working farms also have the option of receiving money from publicly supported Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs.

Protecting rural lands is a key component to ensuring a safe and adequate public drinking water supply in Loudoun County, as the Goose Creek watershed in Loudoun and Fauquier counties supplies drinking water to residents and businesses in eastern Loudoun. Rural land conservation is also critical to preserving a sufficient supply of the land and water that is needed for farming. 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 found in the Piedmont. "At PEC, we are committed to working with residents to sustain Loudoun County's high quality of life. Conservation easements help us to take care of many of the things that people care about the most, ensuring that Loudoun County remains an unparalleled place to live, work, play, and visit," said Michael Kane, PEC's Land Conservation Officer for Loudoun County.

For information about land conservation in Loudoun you can contact Michael Kane at (703) 371-4373 or via email mkane[at]pecva.org.