NVCT Annual Report FY2014 | Page 5

Saving Nearby Nature ® NVCT accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, the first land trust in Virginia to achieve the recognition 2008 NVCT assisted in twophase acquisition of 2,872-acre Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve by Stafford County and the Commonwealth Board developed Vision 2025 as the 15-year plan for NVCT NVCT celebrates 20 years of Saving Nearby Nature® with more than 6,400 urban and rural acres conserved across the region 2008—2009 2010 2014 Conserving park land, protecting our communities Two separate easement donations to become parks Kettler, a leading real estate development and property management company, donated a conservation easement to NVCT and then conveyed the 18-acre parcel to Prince William County as a park. It is adjacent to Vantage Point, a townhouse community being developed by Kettler and Ryan Homes in Woodbridge. “Conserving land is such an important part of sustaining a healthy environment,” says NVCT’s Peggy Stevens. “We are delighted to be working with Prince William County on this newly accessible land, and we are grateful to Kettler for recognizing how protecting land forever enriches this community.” Vantage Point The NRA Foundation donated a conservation easement on a nearly 18-acre wooded property that had at one point been slated for development. Instead of construction that would have destroyed the wooded area and increased traffic and water run-off from the project, the land will become a park. The Town of Occoquan purchased the land from the NRA Foundation for the park, and the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, with a grant from outdoor retailer REI, will build 3,000 feet of trail. NVCT holds the easement to protect the land for future generations. NRA Foundation Fairfax land protected from a worst case scenario Imagine the value of 5-1/2 acres in the heart of Fairfax County that is zoned for heavy industry. Then imagine what building an allowable industrial plant would mean to the health of Indian Run as it flows into the Potomac, to the view from the adjacent office park, to the neighbors living in the nearby residential neighborhood, and to the people who regularly use the Indian Run Stream Valley Park. That’s a lot of “what could have been.” Instead, Cafferty-Indian Run LLC donated a conservation easement on the wooded property to protect forever the stream valley, the urban wildlife habitat, and the forest. There is a natural surface mulch trail through the property that is accessible to the residents, employees, and general public. Landowner Thomas Cafferty is no stranger to land conservation— he and his wife donated a conservation easement on five acres in Great Falls in 2005, and he is committed to protecting natural resources and to making the community more livable. Cafferty-Indian Run Cafferty-Indian Run Northern Virginia Conservation Trust ▪ Annual Report 2014 ▪ 5