Programs

  • Land Conservation and Community Engagement

    IN 2022 CAPITAL REGION LAND CONSERVANCY, INC. ("THE CONSERVANCY) RECORDED THREE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS SOLELY HELD BY THE CONSERVANCY, ONE CONSERVATION EASEMENT CO-HELD BY THE CONSERVANCY, AND ACQUIRED THREE PROPERTIES UNDER OWNERSHIP. THE EASEMENTS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1) 0.85-ACRE EASEMENT IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND LOCATED ON DOCK STREET AND ALONG THE JAMES RIVER FOR THE JAMES RIVER ASSOCIATIONS JAMES BUZZARD RIVER EDUCATION CENTER AND EXTENSION OF THE VIRGINIA CAPITAL TRAIL; 2) 51.62-ACRE EASEMENT IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY IN THE WARE BOTTOM CHURCH BATTLEFIELD WITH FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR A FUTURE PUBLIC PARK OWNED AND OPERATED BY CHESTERFIELD COUNTY; 3) 12.65-ACRE EASEMENT IN HANOVER COUNTY WITH FRONTAGE ON TOTOPOTOMOY CREEK. THE CO-HELD EASEMENT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING: 1) 18.29-ACRE EASEMENT IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND AND HENRICO COUNTY CO-HELD WITH THE FRIENDS OF BANDY FIELD WITH A RESTATEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL 2014 DEED OF EASEMENT TO PROTECT A PUBLIC PARK LOCATED ON THREE CHOPT ROAD THAT IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE CITY OF RICHMOND THAT INCLUDES NATURAL HABITAT RESTORATION AND HISTORIC RESOURCES. THE LAND ACQUISITIONS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1) 28.1 ACRES IN HENRICO COUNTY ON NEW MARKET ROAD KNOWN AS FOUR MILE CREEK FARM. THE PROPERTY CONTAINS 12.4 ACRES OF PRIME FARMLAND, 1,128 FEET ALONG FOUR MILE CREEK, AND IS WITHIN THE CORE OF NEW MARKET HEIGHTS BATTLEFIELD AND THE CONGRESSIONAL BOUNDARY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICES RICHMOND NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK; 2) 37.56 ACRES IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, 0.934 ACRES IN COLONIAL HEIGHTS, AND 1.858 ACRES IN THE CITY OF PETERSBURG PURCHASED BY THE CONSERVANCY FOR FUTURE PUBLIC PARKS AND EXTENSION OF THE APPOMATTOX RIVER TRAIL. THE CONSERVANCY GRANTED A CONSERVATION EASEMENT TO THE VIRGINIA OUTDOORS FOUNDATION ON THE LAND IN COLONIAL HEIGHTS. THE CONSERVANCY IS WORKING TO GRANT ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION EASEMENTS TO THE VIRGINIA OUTDOORS FOUNDATION ON THE LAND IN THE CITY OF PETERSBURG AND APPROXIMATLEY 33 ACRES OF THE LAND IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY. THE CONSERVANCY IS WORKING TO GRANT A CONSERVATION EASEMENT ON 4 ACRES OF THE LAND IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY TO THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HISTORIC RESOURCES. THE PROPERTY CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 22,654 FEET ALONG THE SCENIC APPOMATTOX RIVER AND NUMEROUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PERTAINING TO 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY INDUSTRIAL MILLS, CANALS, AND DAMS; 3) 3.46 ACRES IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND THAT IS PLANNED AS A FUTURE PUBLIC OPEN SPACE AND PROPERTY PLANNED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CITY OF RICHMOND FOR INCLUSION IN THE JAMES RIVER PARK SYSTEM WITH CRLC HOLDING A CONSERVATION EASEMENT UPON ITS TRANSFER. THE CONSERVANCY FACILITATED ONE ADDITIONAL EASEMENT FOR THE EVERGREEN TEAM THE 56.16-ACRE PROPERTY IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY IS DOMINATED BY PRIME AGRICULTURAL SOILS AND HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON WATER QUALITY FOR SWIFT CREEK. THE CONSERVANCY NEGOTIATED AND FACILITATED A PURCHASE AGREEMENT FOR 14.5 ACRES AT MAYO ISLAND IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND FOR 11.4 MILLION. THE CONSERVANCY WAS AWARDED BUT HAS NOT YET FULFILLED OBLIGATIONS FOR GRANT FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF 1.5 MILLION FROM THE VIRGINIA LAND CONSERVATION FOUNDATION AND 7.5 MILLION FROM THE VIRGINIA COMMUNITY FLOOD PREPAREDNESS FUND TOWARDS THE ACQUISITION AND PROTECTION OF THIS PROPERTY AS A FUTURE PUBLIC PARK. THE CONSERVANCY IS HELPING TO RAISE THE REMAINING FUNDING FOR MAYO ISLAND AND TRANSFERRING IT TO THE CITY OF RICHMOND. THE CONSERVANCY MAINTAINED FULL ACCREDITATION BY THE LAND TRUST ACCREDITATION COMMISSION, AN INDEPENDENT PROGRAM OF THE LAND TRUST ALLIANCE. THE CONSERVANCY ALSO MAINTAINED ACCREDITATION BY THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND EARNED THE GUIDESTAR PLATINUM SEAL OF TRANSPARENCY FOR 2022. THE CONSERVANCY SPONSORED THE RVA ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL, VIRGINIAS UNITED LAND TRUSTSS ANNUAL CONFERENCE, AND CHOOSE CLEAN WATER COALITIONS ANNUAL CONFERENCE. THE CONSERVANCY COORDINATED GUIDED NATURE HIKES OF FIVE OF THEIR CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROPERTIES WITH A TOTAL OF 85 ATTENDEES; COORDINATED TWO VOLUNTEER CLEAN-UPS AT ONE PROPERTY OWNED BY THE CONSERVANCY FOR A FUTURE PUBLIC PARK; PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS MEETINGS OF THE RVAGREEN 2050 ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP AND VIRGINIA CONSERVATION NETWORK WORKGROUPS; STAFF ATTENDED THE VIRGINIAS UNITED LAND TRUSTS CONFERENCE HELD IN APRIL; STAFF ATTENDED THE CHOOSE CLEAN WATER COALITION CONFERENCE IN MAY; INCREASED TO 1,682 FOLLOWERS ON FACEBOOK, 948 FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM, AND 281 FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER; SHARED ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS WITH 2,356 SUBSCRIBERS VIA 33 EMAIL NEWSLETTERS; RECEIVED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM 632 DONORS INCLUDING 144 NEW MEMBERS; ACHIEVED 13% GROWTH IN TOTAL NUMBER OF DONORS SINCE 2021; HAD A RENEWAL RATE IN EXCESS OF 73%; AND GARNERED MORE THAN 130 PRESS MENTIONS DISCUSSING CRLCS CONSERVATION WORK AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAND CONSERVATION AND WATER QUALITY IN SUCH PUBLICATIONS AS THE RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, WASHINGTON POST, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, REUTERS, RICHMOND FREE PRESS, RICHMOND MAGAZINE, HENRICO CITIZEN, AXIOS, RICHMOND BIZSENSE, CHESTERFIELD OBSERVER, MECHANICSVILLE LOCAL, CHESAPEAKE BAY MAGAZINE, VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONAL NEWSLETTERS, AS WELL AS WCVE/NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, CBS6, NBC12, ABC8, AND OTHER LOCAL TELEVISION BROADCASTS. ONE NEWS STORY WAS PICKED UP BY ASSOCIATED PRESS AND WAS COVERED BY MORE THAN 60 NEWS OUTLETS NATIONWIDE. THE CONSERVANCY FACILITATED EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY ON THE URGENCY OF ENSURING THAT ALL VIRGINIANS HAVE DAILY ACCESS TO THE OUTDOORS; MAINTAINED A MODERN, USER-FRIENDLY CRLC WEBSITE WITH 10 BLOG POSTS; STAFF WERE GUEST SPEAKERS AT 6 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS; TABLED AT 8 COMMUNITY EVENTS; AND EDUCATED NUMEROUS LANDOWNERS IN PRESERVING THEIR PROPERTY. AT ITS VARINA LANDLAB, THE CONSERVANCY HOSTED 235 STUDENT VISITS FROM CLASSES AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY AND HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE CONSERVANCY PARTICIPATED IN THE RVAGREEN 2050 ENVIRONMENTAL WORKGROUP AND SECURING LAND FOR PUBLIC ACCESS IN RICHMOND CITY, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, AND HENRICO COUNTY. THIS INCLUDED CO-AUTHORING WITH TWO OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS A WHITE-PAPER PUBLISHED IN THE VIRGINIA CONSERVATION NETWORKS OUR COMMON AGENDA: 2022 ENVIRONMENTAL BRIEFING BOOK. THE CONSERVANCY ALSO PARTNERED WITH 4 POETS TO INCLUDE A CHAPTER IN WRITING THE LAND: WINDBLOWN I ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY. THE CONSERVANCY HOSTED THE 2022 CONSERVATION GAMES AS A MULTI-WEEK CELEBRATION OF CONSERVATION CONSISTING OF 8 VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EVENTS. THROUGHOUT THE GAMES, 280 PARTICIPANTS ACROSS TEAM FIELDS, TEAM FORESTS, AND TEAM STREAMS COMPETED TO EARN POINTS BY PARTICIPATING IN VOLUTEER ACTIVITIES WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING RICHMOND TOOLBANK AND HAPPILY NATURAL DAY. PARTICIANTS LEARNED FOR A COMBINED 174 HOURS AND SERVED A COMBINED 146 VOLUNTEER HOURS ACROSS CRLC EVENTS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS. THE GAMES ALSO RAISED APPROXIMATELY 38,000 TO SUPPORT THE CONSERVANCYS OPERATIONS.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2022
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
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    $701.2K