Lay of the Land

We have Virginia's newest state park, Sweet Run State Park, set to open May 26th. You may have already been there, if you've ever traveled down Harpers Ferry Road to visit the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, which will become the new state park.

How does beautiful rural land like this, much of it a former farm, get protected in perpetuity? That's where our festival's newest sponsor, Old Dominion Land Conservancy (ODLC), plays a part. ODLC assisted arranging the donation of the land to the state, helping protect Potomac River tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay watershed, preserving Appalachian Trail views and conserving the natural habitat for hundreds of animal species in the process.

Under the leadership and guidance of ODLC, more than 18,000 acres of land have been successfully designated and preserved in conservancy. Here's why the ODLC folks do what they do:
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"For us at ODLC, it’s more than just preserving open countryside, habitats and waterways we all love; it’s providing options for landowners and purchasers to maintain family legacies for generations to come."

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