our categories: open spaces and parks, historic resources, farmlands and forest lands, and natural areas. That brings in a lot of different kinds of projects.”

By law, funds must be evenly apportioned between the four categories. In addition, at least one-third of VLCF funding must be used to secure easements held or co held by a public body, like a local government or state agency.

State law also gives additional consideration to projects impacting local water supplies or designated Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas, projects that further the objectives contained in the Virginia Outdoors Plan, and projects that protect wildlife.

“There are so many different types of land conservation projects in Virginia, and the program is intended to find the best projects by going through a careful scoring process,” Sarah Richardson explained.

“As you can imagine, there can be farmland that has a historic house on it or open space that includes some forestry land,” she added. “That’s taken into account when scoring the projects.”

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The next round of VLCF grants has yet to be announced but will likely occur in late spring. The amount available will depend upon the actions of 2006 General Assembly. At press time, the governor’s proposed budged allocates $2.5 million to the foundation for fiscal years 2007 and 2008.

Governor Tim Kaine’s election campaign included much publicized proposals to better link land use and transportation, and in doing so he pledged to help localities conserve open space. The VLCF is a tool that can assist local planners and conservationists in that effort. “We like to have partnerships with communities and groups of all kinds,” noted Sarah Richardson.

With regulatory controls on development likely to remain a hot button topic for the foreseeable future, VLCF stands out as a partnership based alternative for targeted land conservation. Its mission is not to halt development but to identify and protect key lands. The matching grant approach, besides doubling the state’s investment, serves to ensure that winning projects have reached critical mass in terms of citizen support.

“Not only do these projects preserve lands,” said DCR Director Maroon, “many protect our water quality and will provide access to our most scenic and historic resources.”

ACROSS TOWN

Even as Shenandoah Battlefields begins to plan for public access and historic interpretation at Fisher’s Hill, citizens have begun to see the benefits of land conservation just down the road. Five years ago, Shenandoah County received one of the first VLCF grants: more than $300,000 toward the purchase of the 151 acre Keister Tract.

“At the time, we had already been working with some local committees identifying parkland we wanted to acquire,” recalled Marcus Ordonez, the county’s parks and recreation director. “Strasburg continues to be and has been a high development area in

vlcf grant categories and criteria

Natural Area Protection

•†Biodiversity rank

•†Global and state rare species

•†Existing protections for species

•†Tract size

•†Proximity to other wild lands

•†Applicant capacity to manage resource

•†Status as a state natural area preserve

Parks and Open Space

•†Public access or public water access

•†Greenway, blueway or rail trail

•†Scenic river, scenic road or Virginia byway

•†New recreation venue in a growing community

•†Proximity to existing parks or open space

•†Compatible with local comprehensive plan

Farmlands and Forest Preservation

•†Prime farmland

•†Unique farmland for value added crops

•†Family or owner operated farm

•†Adjacent to other farms or state forests

•†Water quality benefits from forest land

•†Suitable for forestry research or education

•†Threatened by non agricultural development

•†Compatible with local comprehensive plan

Historic Area Preservation

•†Historic significance

•†Virginia Landmarks Register status

•†Threatened by decrepitude or development

•†Applicant capacity for maintenance

•†Potential for public access

•†Public support

•†Compatible with relevant management plans