Saving land, building community
A new conservation easement held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation protects a highly visible portion of one of Rockingham County’s most distinctive landforms, “Mole Hill.” Dominating the landscape of Dayton and the Dry River area, and also highly visible from much of Harrisonburg, Mole Hill is relatively unique in its geology and has served as [...]
Public Hearing: Draft Comprehensive Plan for Staunton Corrected DATE: February 9, 2012 at 7:30 This is your chance to give input on the plan that will guide the city. In particular, those interested in the future use of the undeveloped areas of the city should tune in. The city has proposed a “Planned Farm Development” [...]
Curious to learn more about Augusta County, its history, resources and future? Join VCC and various guest speakers for a series of talks hosted by the Augusta Community Partnership and organized by Valley Conservation Council, Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District, and Augusta County Farm Bureau. All sessions will be held at 7pm at the [...]
View this wonderful short documentary about the development of rural cooperatives, produced by the US government circa 1948, and featuring the people and landscapes of Rockingham County. Great images of the Valley and its residents. Very enlightening and entertaining. Part 1 of The Rural Co-op Part 2 of The Rural Co-op Along with great footage [...]
VCC has been working for over 20 years to make it easier for farmers to permanently limit development on working lands. We are very glad to count the Virginia Farm Bureau as one of our partners. Farm Bureau and others have embraced a new legal template for easements on intensively worked farms. All the hard [...]
The 2011 Better Models for Development Awards were presented on May 25th at Court Square Theater in downtown Harrisonburg. VCC recognized 12 projects from throughout the region as examples of how to grow in ways that respect local character, create livable communities, complement historic resources, and conserve natural assets. View all the award winning projects [...]
Just one of the stories in the Spring 2011 issue of VCC’s Vision newsletter. In 2010, landowners in the Valley region donated conservation easements to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on 20 properties totaling 4,760 acres. Bath County was the clear leader in Valley acres conserved in 2010 with five VOF easements totaling 2,395 acres, but [...]
Communities Urged to Embrace “Better Models for Development” Staunton, Virginia — Better Models for Development in the Shenandoah Valley 2010, just released by the Valley Conservation Council (VCC), has a clear message: when the next development cycle starts up, let’s try for something better. The book encourages development that brings environmental benefits as well as [...]
Please join us on May 25th, in Harrisonburg. Click here for agenda and registration information. Join planners, elected officials, architects, developers and concerned citizens from throughout the Valley region for VCC’s Better Development Symposium and Awards ceremony. On the afternoon of May 25th we will have a full program including a tour of downtown projects, [...]
Help protect another 100,000 acres!
