Preserving the land we love

​Old Dominion Land Conservancy returns this year as a sponsor of our festival. (Thanks!) In this guest blog, ODLC's Geoffrey Nichols tells us about their work to protect Virginia’s land and waterways for future generations.


Are you looking to conserve rural land in Virginia? That's where Old Dominion Land Conservancy (ODLC) plays a part. ODLC works with landowners to protect important Virginia resources in perpetuity via conservation easement or land donations. ODLC partners with landowners who are interested in preserving their farmland, forest, wetlands and scenic assets—such as the Appalachian Trail viewshed. 

“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 more than 2,000 acres of land in Loudoun County with conservation easements. More than 1,100 acres of that land was in active agricultural use, helping to support everything from legacy cattle farms to the growing wineries in Loudoun. In addition to this, projects completed in 2023 have enabled ODLC to protect in perpetuity almost seven miles of Potomac River frontage and portions of many key tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay watershed throughout Northern Virginia.
 
Under the leadership and guidance of ODLC, more than 20,000 acres of land have been successfully designated and preserved in conservancy.

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