Conservation Funding Workshop & Social

You’re invited to this free workshop to learn more about sources of funding and technical assistance for conservation and land management! Join friends, neighbors and staff from the John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District, Fauquier County’s Department of Agricultural Development, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and The Piedmont Environmental Council for an evening at Powers Farm & Brewery.

Workshop hosts will go over the basics of conservation easements, including opportunities to participate in the Fauquier County Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program and/or enroll in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) program, and learn more about agricultural cost-share programs offered by the Soil and Water Conservation District, for practices like livestock fencing and alternative watering systems, and programs like the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative to enhance wildlife and pollinators.

The event is informal and designed for neighbors to learn from each other’s experiences and engage with the organizations before and after the presentation. Hosts will be available following presentations to discuss which programs might be a good fit for your property and long-term goals.

The event is free and open to the public. While this event is in Fauquier County, much of the information is relevant to other geographies and all are welcome to attend.

Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

If you have any questions, please contact Bryn Sonnett at [email protected] or 540-347-2334 ext. 7067.

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Agenda

• 5:00 p.m.: Check-in. Food and refreshments will be available.
• 5:30-6:15 p.m.: Presentations
• 6:15-7:00 p.m.: Meet & greet your fellow community members and presenters

John Marshall Soil & Water Conservation District – Agricultural cost-share programs to improve soil health and water quality, including livestock exclusion fencing, alternative watering systems, riparian buffer plantings, nutrient management projects, and more.

Soil & Water Conservation Districts provide technical assistance and financial incentives to assist with the installation of approved conservation practices. Cost-share can range from 75% up to 100% of allowable costs for some practices.

The Piedmont Environmental Council – Introduction to conservation easements. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization designed to protect the scenic open space, wildlife habitat and/or forest and agricultural resources on private property. A donation of a conservation easement may provide for federal income tax deduction, Virginia state income tax credit, estate tax reduction, and reduced real estate taxes. The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) is a partnership between Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, PEC, American Farmland Trust and Quail Forever—is innovating new ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in the Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley. Together, VGBI partners work with landowners and producers in 16 counties to restore grassland habitat for the benefit of birds and farms. Plantings for the Piedmont, a partnership between PEC and Friends of the Rappahannock, supports qualifying landowners in the planting of native trees and shrubs on their property. From beginning to end, we help with material, labor and financial assistance. We connect landowners to third-party cost-share programs, and PEC grant funding helps cover other project costs. Qualifying counties include Rappahannock, Fauquier, Culpeper, Madison, Greene, Orange, Loudoun and Clarke.

Fauquier County Department of Agricultural Development – Fauquier County’s Purchase of Development Rights Program is a voluntary program that pays landowners to protect the farmland and natural resource assets of their property. This program allows landowners to enter into agreements to sell the development potential of qualifying property to the County while maintaining the right to continue to own and use the property. The purpose of the PDR Program is to protect farmland and retain the agricultural industry’s critical mass, in particular, farm parcels that are economically viable operations.

This event is made possible by the generous co-presenters and The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Julian W. Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund.

PEC’s Julian W. Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund was established in 2003 to protect land with important natural, historic, scenic and agricultural resources in Fauquier County. The Fund provides direct funding for environmental stewardship on working farmland, technical support for easement donations, and educational workshops on conservation and management options. Learn more about the Julian W. Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund and donate here.

Photo credits: Fauquier farmland aerial by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program; Eastern meadowlark by October Greenfield/PEC; Tractor by Bruce Jones; Riparian buffer tree planting by Pete Smith; Cattle using stream crossing courtesy John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District; Land management workshop by Hugh Kenny/PEC.