RD320 - Virginia Outdoors Foundation Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2010


Executive Summary:
*This report was replaced in its entirety on November 16, 2010 by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.

In the first decade of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s existence, only 53 open-space easements were recorded. Most of VOF’s work focused on conservation land acquisition, particularly in the Bull Run Mountains of Northern Virginia.

Today, VOF has a portfolio of more than 3,000 easements. As far as we know, we hold more easements than any other public or private land trust in the nation. Open-space and conservation easements are now the key ingredient in Virginia’s land conservation program, and the easement program has been the primary focus at VOF for several decades. Since 2000, we have used easements to permanently protect open space at a rate of five acres every hour. We now manage easements on nearly 600,000 acres. Only the U.S. Forest Service manages more protected land in Virginia.

As part of the recent VOF strategic planning process, the Board of Trustees was briefed on the history of VOF operations. The list of state parks, state forests, and natural area preserves originally acquired by VOF provided a compelling testament to the value of fee acquisitions. The adopted 2010-2013 Strategic Plan, under the Land Conservation section, directs the Board and staff to “Pursue land donations and acquisition opportunities that serve Commonwealth and VOF goals, including new conservation lands and trade lands.” Components of this strategic priority include:

• Adopt clear policies for when VOF will consider accepting gifts of land or funds for acquisition.

• Evaluate acquisition opportunities when they arise based on adopted policies and criteria.

• Pursue opportunities for receipt of trade lands, life estates, and other gifts that could provide support for VOF and its mission.

It is clear that conservation easements alone will not meet all of the open-space needs of Virginians. It is also clear that state funding for conservation land acquisition is likely to be extremely limited for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it seems appropriate for VOF to reenergize its efforts to collaborate with private sector philanthropists to fulfill our mission. Regrettably, some of VOF’s early visionaries are no longer here to help; but others remain and new conservation stalwarts have been engaged. We are committed to renewing the private/public cooperation and collaboration for land conservation envisioned in the farsighted prescriptions of the Virginia Outdoors Recreation Study Commission. Indeed, the creation of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation was one of the prescient recommendations of the Commission.

The past good conservation land acquisitions by VOF, the Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and other regional, state, and national non-profit conservation organizations represent focused and complementary models to inform our renewed emphasis on conservation lands ownership. If you would like to be part of this “back-to-the-future” program for permanent protection of Virginia’s irreplaceable cultural and natural heritage landscapes, contact Leslie Grayson, VOF’s deputy director for policy and acquisitions, at (540) 347-7727 to explore the opportunities.