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tion - while necessary in moderation - is not the ideal solution.
We the people who own Rappahannock's real estate can preserve the character of the county, no matter what the government does or doesn’t do. Collectively, if we want to exercise it, we hold the power to keep Rappahannock looking forever pretty much the way it does today.
If we were to do that, in my view, we'd serve the community well - assuring that our landscape, our villages, our lifestyles, and our relatively low taxes all remain intact. And I believe that our collective property values would grow markedly in the bargain.
We can accomplish this do-it-ourselves project by voluntarily donating conservation easements - permanent development restrictions - on the real estate we own. My wife and I donated such an easement in 1977, and have never regretted doing so. The most recent easement in the county was granted two months ago by Freddie and Klara Kummli; it protects 839 acres along U.S. 522 north of Flint Hill.
As of today, 7,939 Rappahannock acres - 5.7% of all private land here - are protected by voluntarily-donated conservation easements.
Bear in mind that these easements are not only restrictions for landowners; they also prevent incompatible acts by others, keeping protected properties free of the towers, high voltage lines, gas pipes, new highways, landfills, and similar regional facilities which might otherwise be pressed upon Rappahannock by urbanization beyond our borders.
Every public hearing brings fresh evidence that we the people of Rappahannpck prefer our county the way it is. Some of us have only recently bought into our landscape, no doubt because we were attracted by its present character.
Some of us are from families that have been here for generations, and have repeatedly passed up opportunities to go elsewhere. Together, we have prevailed upon our leaders to designate Rappahannock a “Scenic County” - the only jurisdiction thus officially defined in all of Virginia.
So if we want to protect Rappahannock
See PROJECT, Page A8
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