1,100+ Acres Conserved at Fox Mountain in Albemarle
This article is from the Spring 2009 Piedmont View. To read more articles, download the newsletter in pdf format.
The view from newly protected land on Fox Mountain. Courtesy of Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
A vast expanse of forest land in the foothills of the Blue Ridge is now protected, thanks in part to Robert French who donated a conservation easement on 1,112 acres of Fox Mountain, an approximately 2,300-foot peak just east of Shenandoah National Park in Albemarle County. This property connects to other protected lands to form an almost 2,400 acre block of private conservation land.
The property is working timber land, contributing to one of Virginia's largest industries. (The state's forestry industry has a total economic impact of $24 billion and provides about 150,000 jobs, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.) Under the conservation easement, Mr. French says, forestry will continue on a sustainable basis, by way of selective cutting at a pace that is no faster than the forest's growth. The easement also establishes a no-cut zone within 100 feet of streams, which will protect the water quality of Piney Creek, a tributary of the south fork of the Rivanna River which provides drinking water for the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle's growth areas.
Mr. French has established an impressive conservation legacy, having previously placed more than 12,000 acres of forest land in New England under conservation easements. He serves on PEC's Board of Directors and on the National Committee of the Land Trust Alliance, where he is active in defending federal incentives for private land conservation.
