Video Highlight: Protecting Working Land in the Shenandoah Valley
By Emily Bender on Monday, June 15th, 2020 in Agricultural Vitality, Conservation Easements, Land Conservation, Natural Resources | No Comments
By Emily Bender on Monday, June 15th, 2020 in Agricultural Vitality, Conservation Easements, Land Conservation, Natural Resources | No Comments
This video highlighting best management practices at Big Rock Dairy in the Shenandoah Valley is part of the Virginia CSP Champions series, which profiles producers across Virginia in the Conservation Stewardship Program with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Over the span of 2018-2020, the Simmons family engaged Valley Conservation Council to protect this working land […]
By Scott Kelly on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 in Land Conservation | No Comments
The board of directors of Valley Conservation Council (VCC) announced today that Staunton native John Hutchinson will serve as its new Executive Director. Hutchinson, who brings with him over three decades of conservation and development experience, will take the helm of the organization on January 1, 2020, aiming to expand Valley Conservation Council’s membership and […]
By Scott Kelly on Friday, October 4th, 2019 in Land Conservation, Natural Resources, VCC Programs | No Comments
When John Sweet made the decision to donate his 400-acre Highland County farm to VCC, his hope was that the farm might be used to help educate future conservationists for generations to come. Less than a year after making the gift, Sweet’s vision had already become a reality when David Weisenbeck, a student at James […]
By Scott Kelly on Friday, November 16th, 2018 in Agricultural Vitality, Conservation Easements, Land Conservation, Natural Resources, VCC Programs | No Comments
Marc and Eileen Read feel strongly about conserving land, especially when they look across the river from their 89- acre farm and see the small lot subdivision developed in recent years. To ensure that this would never happen to their property, they recently donated a conservation easement to VCC. The easement is designed to protect […]
By Scott Kelly on Friday, November 16th, 2018 in Land Conservation, VCC Programs | No Comments
Highland County resident John Sweet has been named Valley Conservation Council’s Conservator of the Year. The award, presented at Valley Conservation Council’s (VCC) annual conservation celebration, recognized Sweet’s lifetime of environmental stewardship, culminating most recently with a donation of his 386-acre farm to the organization. “When it came time for VCC’s board and staff to […]
By VCC on Tuesday, September 20th, 2016 in Land Conservation, VCC Programs | No Comments
The Trust for Public Land’s report “Virginia’s Return on Investment in Land Conservation,” shows that for every $1 invested by the state in land conservation, $4 in natural goods and services is returned to Virginia’s economy. Look for the full study at www.tpl.org/va-roi-report. The study was conducted in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and VIRGINIAforever. […]