Why Conserve?

Because there are many things worth saving here

• Four of Virginia’s top five agricultural counties and several top forestry counties are in the VCC service region.
• The value of farm products rose 65% from $505,087,000 to $833,676,000 between 1987 and 1997.
• The headwaters of both the James and Shenandoah Rivers begin in pristine mountain streams in this area.
• The region contains no less than 14 nationally significant Civil War Battlefields.
• Virginia ranks in the top 10 in the nation in globally rare plants and animals; the VCC region contains 33.7% of the natural heritage elements tracked statewide.
• Augusta County alone has 34 natural heritage sites identified, more than any other county in the state.
• The views from places like Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway are only as beautiful as the landscapes travelers gaze upon.

And there are threats to all of these assets

• One-third of all land ever developed in the region has been developed in just the last 15 to 20 years.
• An estimated 10,000 new housing units are already
  slated to be built in the coming years in Frederick County alone.
• New developments with hundreds or even thousands of houses are being proposed, some larger than many entire Valley towns.
• Of the nearly 50,000 acres of farmland lost in the region between 1987 and 1997, nearly 68% were in some of the state’s top-ranked agricultural counties, Rockingham (#1), Augusta (#2) and Shenandoah (#3).
• Though the Shenandoah River begins clear in the mountains the region contains 39% of Virginia’s impaired stream miles.
• The number of acres in apple trees declined from 73,044 acres in 1949 to 18,589 acres in 1997.
• Interstate 81 runs through 7 Civil War battlefields.

And there are more subtle reasons

We often speak to people whose land has been in the family for generations. Pride, love, and a deep sense of belonging to a place give them reasons to conserve their land. Other landowners may have a grudging affection for a farm that comes with intimately working a piece of ground for years. They understand the soil as their livelihood and farming and forestry as integral components of the local economy.

Friends and family may love a particular piece of property because it is the site of family gatherings, hunting weekends or fishing trips with old friends. For them the setting of the family homestead along the river or the tradition of taking the kids out to find berries or morels mixes a social connection with a natural one.

Still others are new to the land, new to the area. Their connection comes from a compeling love of the landscape–its beauty, its timelessness. They may have a sense that they have found a place to make their stand, a place where their efforts can save a bit of nature or restore some harmony to damaged property.

People from all over the world value the history of the Valley–from ancient Native inhabitations to the more recent European settlement. Our farming heritage and the pivotal role of the region in the Civil War make the Shenandoah region a national treasure.

Most people in the region and the many tourists who visit us simply love to see the open spaces, forested mountains and pastoral landscapes of a rural scene.

What many people don’t consider are the other values that conserved lands offer those of us who live in the towns and cities. Our water supplies can be protected through careful land conservation. Trees on forested hillsides and plant growth along streams and rivers helps filter and hold water, protecting areas further down stream from pollutants and flooding. Protecting land and encouraging growth in designated areas helps lower the tax burden on residents by saving money on schools, fire and safety, utilities, and roads.