The Piedmont Environmental Council and Piedmont Foundation offer a number of programs and funding resources for land management and conservation activities.
- Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative Financial Incentives Program, which offers monetary incentive payments to farmers willing to adopt delayed haying or summer stockpiling best management practices to encourage an abundance and diversity of bird species on their working landscapes.
- Planting for the Piedmont Program, which provides free trees and shrubs along riparian areas (waterways including rivers, streams, and wetlands), technical assistance, and labor for improved water quality in the Potomac River and Rappahannock River watersheds. Check out the James River Buffer Program if you’re located in the James River watershed.
- Land Conservation Fund, with regional funds that include:
- Albemarle County Land Conservation Fund
- Bull Run Mountains Land Conservation Fund
- Catoctin Creek Conservation Fund
- Clarke County Land Conservation Fund
- Culpeper County Land Conservation Fund
- Greene County Land Conservation Fund
- James M. Rowley Goose Creek Land Conservation Fund
- Julian Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund
- The Krebser Fund for Rappahannock County Conservation
- Madison County Land Conservation Fund
- Orange County Land Conservation Fund
Numerous state and federal programs also exist to help landowners implement conservation practices and natural resource management efforts.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs)
- Culpeper Soil & Water Conservation District
- Agricultural Programs
- Residential Cost-Share Program
- For more information on conservation planning and cost-share programs in Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock Counties, contact Culpeper Soil & Water Conservation District at 540-825-8591
- John Marshall Soil & Water Conservation District
- Agricultural Programs
- Residential Homeowner Programs
- For more information on conservation planning and cost-share programs in Fauquier County, contact John Marshall Soil & Water Conservation District at 540-422-8490
- Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District
- Agricultural BMP Cost-Share (VACS) Program
- Virginia Conservation Assistance Program for Residential Homeowners
- For more information on conservation planning and cost-share programs in Loudoun County, contact Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District at 540-422-8490
- Lord Fairfax Soil & Water Conservation District
- Agricultural Best Management Practices and Cost-Shares
- Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) for Residential Homeowners
- For more information on conservation planning and cost-share programs in the Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren, and the City of Winchester. contact Lord Fairfax Soil & Water Conservation District at 540-465-2424 ext. 5
- Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) aims to improve Virginia’s water quality and wildlife habitat by offering financial incentives, cost-share and rental payments to farmers who voluntarily restore riparian forest buffers, grass and shrub buffers, and wetlands using CREP-approved best management practices (BMPs).
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
EQIP is a conservation program offered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns, such as:
- Improved water and air quality;
- Conserved ground and surface water;
- Increased soil health;
- Reduced soil erosion and sedimentation;
- Improved or created wildlife habitat; and
- Mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.
For more information and to find out how to get assistance, visit the Environmental Quality Incentives Program page.
Hardwood Initiative Cost-Share Program
VDOF’s Hardwood Initiative Cost Share provides cost share to private landowners (individuals, companies, LLCs, NGOs) who complete eligible hardwood management practices as recommended by a DOF forester. Cost share will be 75% of the cost, not to exceed the following per-acre limits.