NORFOLK, Va. — Governor Glenn Youngkin announced $14.7 million in Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants for 29 projects throughout the Commonwealth.
The projects include land acquisitions for new outdoor recreation and conservation efforts to protect forests and farmland, according to the governor's office. Grants were awarded to farmland preservation, forest preservation, historic preservation, natural area protection and open spaces and parks.
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A release from the governor's office detailed the some of projects awarded funding:
- Highlands-Lonesome Pine - Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (Wise, Buchanan and Dickenson Counties), $1 million for a conservation easement to protect 44,327 acres
- Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve-LCI Addition - Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (Floyd County), $3.6 million to acquire 1,000 acres adjacent to Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve
- Acquiring Rappahannock Tribe’s Ancestral Homelands Phase III, Rappahannock Tribe of Virginia (Richmond County), $1.7 million to acquire 964 acres on the Rappahannock River at Fones Cliffs
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The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation's board members were appointed by the governor, the State Senate and House of Delegates, according to a release from the governor. The Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry is on the board, and the department of Conservation and Recreation provides staff support.
“Our Commonwealth boasts so much history and natural beauty, from the mountains and waterways to farmland and vineyards and all the open spaces and parks we enjoy,” Governor Glenn Youngkin is quoted saying in release from his office. “Protecting working farmland and forests, creating new heritage tourism sites and increasing public access to outdoor recreational opportunities all support the key forces driving Virginia’s economy: agriculture, tourism and forestry.”
