BERRYVILLE, VA (Aug. 26, 2019) Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority chair Randy Buckley, vice chair George Ohrstrom, and Clarke County Natural Resource Planner Alison Teetor traveled to Fauquier County in late August to celebrate a milestone for land preservation in Virginia. The Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund has officially helped secure more than 100 conservation easements for working farms and forests by providing matching funds to support local Purchase of Development Rights programs.
In June, Clarke County and Fauquier County recorded the 100th and 101st easements, respectively, with funding from the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund. Clarke County has recorded more easements using these funds than any other locality — 37 properties for a total 2,987.41 acres. Fauquier County has preserved the most land using these funds (4,000 acres).
Messick’s Farm Market in Bealeton hosted the Aug. 29 event for Governor Ralph Northam, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring, Fauquier and Clarke county officials.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services administers the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund through its Office of Farmland Preservation. The Virginia General Assembly created the office in 2001 to educate the public about the importance of farmland preservation to the quality of life in the Commonwealth. It helps farmers preserve their land and transition their business between generations, and it assists local governments develop additional farmland preservation policies and programs.
“It was wonderful for Clarke County to be recognized for its 100th easement funded by VDACS,” said Ohrstrom. “Our county — the eighth smallest in Virginia — is one of the most successful at leveraging funding in order to protect farmland. All credit goes to our longtime natural resource planner, Alison Teetor. She has built relationships at the state and federal levels that enable Clarke County to maximize available funding opportunities.”
“My administration has made farmland and forestland retention one of our highest priorities, recognizing the significant contributions these lands make to our economy and the important role they have in Virginia’s history and outstanding quality of life,” Governor Northam said. “Together with our conservation partners, we are making the necessary investments in our communities to help maintain the rural and agricultural character of our Commonwealth and ensure our working lands remain unfettered by development and available for continued agriculture or forestry production.”
Since 2008, 16 localities have used the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund to purchase 102 conservation easements covering 13,917 acres at a cost of $32,897,840. Participating localities contributed $15,206,855 towards these projects, with the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund providing $11,896,900 and the remainder coming from a combination of federal, state, and private funds. Conservation easements supported by the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund ensure these protected lands stay intact as working farms and forests in perpetuity.
The Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority was created in 2002 in order to help landowners place the land they love into easements, preserving it for future generations. A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and Clarke County in which the landowner places specific restrictions on the use and development of their property. In return, property owners are financially compensated and receive estate tax benefits. Property owners may continue to use their agricultural or forestal land as sources of income.
Clarke County is 178-square miles (113,920 acres). More than 23 percent of its open space — 26,485 acres — is forever protected and hundreds of dwelling unit rights have been retired because of its successful conservation easement program.
For more information about conservation easements, contact Clarke County Natural Resource Planner Alison Teetor at 540-955-5134 or ateetor@clarkecounty.gov. Go to clarkelandconservation.org.
Learn more information about the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund and the Office of Farmland Preservation at vdacs.virginia.gov, or contact Jen Perkins, Office of Farmland Preservation coordinator, at 804-786-1906 (office), 804-382-6305 (cell), or jennifer.perkins@vdacs.virginia.gov.
