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In 2004, the peoy ,e of the Piedmont set a record by protecting 23,790 acres of open space through the use of conservation easements. The movement to protect privatelyheld rural land from development has been experiencing tremendous momentum in this area, with landowners placing an average of 19,000 acres under easement every year for the last five years.
The record-breaking total for 2004 brings the total number of acres protected by easement in the nine counties served by the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) to almost 215,000 acres, an acreage that is larger than Shenandoah National Park
“We’re immensely pleased at what communities in the Piedmont have been able to accomplish,” said Chris Miller, President of PEC. “When it comes to conservation easements, this is one of the most successful regions in the entire country.”
The Piedmont region continues to lead the state of Virginia, while Virginia is among the top five states in the nation for protecting land through conservation easements. The nine counties of Virginia’s Piedmont—including Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier, Culpeper, Rappahannock, Madison, Orange, Greene, and Albemarle—have protected more land with conservation easements then almost any state in the nation.
Landowners in Rappahannock placed easements on sixteen properties last year, for a total of 4,121 acres. The overall total in Rappahannock is now over 20,000 acres. Sarah Gannon, PEC’s Conservation Officer for Rappahannock County, said, “momentum for conservation has been steadily building in Rappahannock County, with the result that 2004 was a record year for land protection. Just over 4,000 acres of private land were put into easement last year, compared to 1,500 in 2003.”
Among the properties placed under easement in
94.1%