A Trail with a View

Preserved farmland

This guest blog comes to us from one of our returning "Trailblazer" sponsors: Old Dominion Land Conservancy. We thank ODLC for their continued support of our festival—and for their work to protect our green spaces.

Scenic open space and farmland are constantly under threat of development throughout Northern Virginia. Land trusts, like Old Dominion Land Conservancy (ODLC), seek to work with landowners to protect these imperiled lands in perpetuity via conservation easement or land donations. We look to protect arable farmland, forests, riparian and wetland habitat, historic or heritage properties and scenic assets such as the Appalachian Trail viewshed. ODLC partners with landowners who are interested in preserving these vital resources not just for their benefit, but for future generations to enjoy. 

“We are blessed to have the Appalachian Trail in our backyard, and protecting the view from the trail is vitally important. This makes the work of conserving land along the trail one of our highest priorities," explains ODLC Executive Director Henry Stribling.

Last year, ODLC worked with landowners to protect 436 acres of land in Northern Virginia with conservation easements. This included more than 110 acres of hardwood forest and 100 acres of active farmland within Loudoun County. Over the years ODLC has worked to protect close to 40 properties within the Appalachian Trail viewshed or with direct access to the trail. In addition to this, many of our projects have enabled ODLC to protect in perpetuity almost seven miles of Potomac River frontage and portions of many key tributaries within Chesapeake Bay watershed throughout Northern Virginia. Since 2008, ODLC has partnered with landowners to preserve over 21,000 acres of land via conservation easement. 

2025 also offers ODLC the opportunity to begin management of a donated 58-acre property bordering the G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area. This property was neglected for many years and has been overwhelmed by invasive species. Additionally, much of the forest on the property is filled with dying ash and oak trees while the underbrush and trails have been taken over by green briar. We have work planned with our summer interns and local volunteers to reestablish the trails present on the property and establish a pollinator garden with bee hives. We look forward to improving this property for the benefit of the local community and future generations. 
 
--Geoffrey Nichols, Old Dominion Land Conservancy

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