RD340 - Virginia Outdoors Foundation Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2008


Executive Summary:
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2008 was replaced in its entirety by Virginia Outdoors Foundation on December 2, 2008.

Private land conservation represent two hallowed traditions of which Thomas Jefferson often spoke—private property rights and a sense of public stewardship for the conservation values inherent in natural settings. As holder of more conservation easements than any public land trust in the United States, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation is the Commonwealth’s best embodiment of these traditions. Fiscal Year 2008 was VOF’s second-biggest year in terms of recorded acreage. Our success is a testament to the demand among Virginians to conserve and protect for present and future generations the state’s natural and cultural heritage landscapes—our uncommon wealth.

A few highlights deserve special mention. We recorded our largest easement ever in Carvins Cove Natural Reserve—more than 6,000 acres owned by the City of Roanoke that protect public drinking water supplies for several jurisdictions. Our stewardship program monitored more properties than in any previous year. Our Web site was significantly improved as the primary vehicle for public information and program communication. Two widely distributed newsletters kept our friends and interested parties informed of new initiatives and noteworthy accomplishments. Private support for our public land conservation mission reached new levels thanks to several major contributions by foundations.

The seven VOF regional offices provide statewide program coverage, and VOF took its first easement in several additional Virginia jurisdictions. We still have more demand for open-space easement projects than we have human resources to address that demand, but in FY 2008 we expanded existing land conservation partnerships for program efficiencies and established new allies to extend our public education and outreach efforts. Also, the Virginia Land Preservation State Income Tax Credit Program received enhanced credibility as a result of continuing cooperation and collaboration between VOF, the Virginia Department of Taxation, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation as part of the new legislative requirements for conservation easement reporting and oversight.

The real strength of Virginia’s voluntary land conservation model is its cost efficiency. The land conservation tax credit, at 40 percent of the appraised value of a donated perpetual easement, is a cost-effective complement to public land acquisitions. Effectiveness and efficiency are particularly important now because, at recent rates of open land conversion, Virginia will lose more open land in the next 40 years than it lost in the previous 400 years. VOF is proud to be part of the fabric of a sustainable land use future for Virginia—balanced growth with reverence for heritage.