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OUR VIRGINIA 2018 Year in Review
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At The Nature Conservancy, we hold ourselves accountable not only to you, our members, but also to our partners, to the public and even to the creatures whose survival remains at stake as we strive to protect the world’s natural resources. Our Virginia team works extremely hard to deliver on our promise to maximize your generous financial support.
When you see our work in the headlines, it’s usually for projects that make a big splash—literally, in the case of our oyster and seagrass restoration projects, which are the largest, most successful efforts of their kind on the planet. Our habitat restoration work, such as in the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Coast Reserve, is inspiring and informing conservation around the globe, including Australia’s undertaking of the largest shellfish restoration in that continent’s history. And in return, we benefit from the knowledge and experience of experts around the world.
Global networks like these don’t fall into place overnight. They happen because day after day, year after year—for decades—we have put in the work, building our credibility from the ground up and earning trust partner by partner.
Land stewardship, in particular, too often goes unsung, yet it epitomizes our organization’s long-term commitment to results. We all celebrate the establishment of a new preserve or completion of a major conservation easement—and rightly so—but our conservation work in that place has only begun. Our Virginia stewardship team cares for a preserve system that bookends the state from the Eastern Shore to the Clinch Valley. They are also responsible for monitoring each of our 218 conservation easements every year.
Our deep sense of responsibility has been key in gaining credibility and engaging partners, including government land-management agencies. These relationships enable massive restoration efforts, such as reintroducing fire to our Southern pine and Appalachian forest systems across tens of thousands of acres.
Thanks to our many partners around the world—and to loyal supporters like you—we achieve lasting, transformative conservation. I am grateful for your help as, together, we create a future for nature and people to thrive.
Locke Ogens, Virginia State Director
FROM THE DIRECTOR
With Great Conservation Comes Great Responsibility
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COVER The Channels Natural Area Preserve was protected through a partnership between TNC and the state. © Michael Speed; THIS PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT Locke Ogens at Piney Grove Preserve © Kyle LaFerriere; Potomac River at Fraser Preserve © Tom Hamilton; OPPOSITE PAGE Oyster farmer and TNC partner Tom Perry © Robert Clark
The Nature Conservancy in VirginiaVOLUNTEER BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Board Officers
John C. Ulfelder, Chair McLean
George C. Freeman III, Vice-Chair Richmond
Karl K. Kindig, Secretary Abingdon
Robert H. Trice, Treasurer Arlington
Charles W. Moorman, Immediate Past Chair Charlottesville
Board Members
Benjamin K. Adamson Richmond
Madge Bemiss Richmond
Clifford A. Cutchins IV Richmond
Christopher Davidson Richmond
Jane T. Fisher Charlottesville
James B. Fleming Alexandria
Matthew J. Gerber Charlottesville
W. Cabell Grayson Upperville
Thomas J. Hill Charlottesville
Roger H. W. Kirby Richmond
Don Laing Charlottesville
Deborah Lawrence Ph.D. Charlottesville
Gaylon Layfield Richmond
Wiley F. Mitchell Jr. Virginia Beach
Mamie A. Parker Ph.D. Dulles
Puja Seam Charlottesville
Hance West Glen Allen
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Your support can go wherever the need is most urgent, from restoring oysters here in the Chesapeake Bay to guarding elephants in Africa. — John Ulfelder, Chair
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Virginia’s natural lands help clean our air and water, moderate our climate, provide habitat for wildlife, and offer world-class outdoor recreation. But every year our state is losing well over 90,000 acres of open space, including forests, farmlands and marshes. The Nature Conservancy is answering a clarion call to action: protect and restore healthy lands on which our lives and livelihoods depend.
Our Once and Future ForestA new longleaf pine grove at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News pays tribute to the shipbuilding history of Hampton Roads. The museum partnered with TNC and Newport News Shipbuilding to plant the grove’s longleaf seedlings, each of which is named in honor of a vessel commissioned at the shipyard.
The South’s once-vast longleaf forests provided timber to build colonial America, along with tar, pitch and turpentine to construct and maintain vessels throughout the era of wooden sailing ships. Demand for these products—collectively called naval stores—led to the near- disappearance of longleaf from almost all of its former range, which stretched from coastal Texas to southeastern Virginia.
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Eyes in the SkyFrom Appalachian ridges to Eastern Shore marshes, one challenge is simply getting to places where we need to work. Enter the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), better known as a drone. As our eyes in the sky over inaccessible terrain, drones can collect more and better information than a human observer.
Forester Stuart Hale uses a drone to help analyze lands managed under our Clinch Valley Conservation Forestry Program. Stuart hopes that aerial imagery will become an easier means to assess tree health, productivity and potential problems. “Drones may offer a more effective, efficient way to monitor erosion, for example, or how invasive species are spreading,” he says.
On the Eastern Shore, Zak Poulton flies his drone over the watery wilderness of our Virginia Coast Reserve. “We can monitor beach-nesting birds with increased accuracy and less disturbance,” Zak says. Drone imagery can also help track the growth of restored oyster reefs and changes to adjacent shorelines. “The possibilities are limited only by our imagination,” Zak adds.
The Mariners’ Museum grove and recent volunteer plantings at Virginia Beach’s Mount Trashmore Park and Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area are reconnecting Virginians to our heritage. Visitors to these popular sites also learn about ambitious efforts to restore longleaf that are taking place a short drive away. On our Piney Grove Preserve, state lands such as Big Woods and South Quay, and private holdings such as Bill Owen’s Raccoon Creek Pinelands, TNC and our partners are restoring thousands of acres of resilient, fire-adapted longleaf pines. These rich habitats will be a key component of Virginia’s healthy future forests.
Firing Up a FixControlled burning remains one of our most effective tools for restoring forests that provide critical habitat and clean our water. Fire clears forest undergrowth and breaks up the canopy, encouraging longleaf seeds to germinate and affording young oaks the space and sunlight they need to thrive. This year, our TNC fire team joined with public-land agencies to conduct burns on thousands of acres across the state.
Highlights include 1,100 acres burned at South Quay Sandhills Natural Area Preserve, which is a priority site for longleaf restoration, as well as 950 acres at Mare Run on Warm Springs Mountain and 2,260 acres on nearby North
Short Mountain. “We had, by far, our most productive spring burn season,” says preserve and burn manager Bobby Clontz. “But we need more public-private resources to keep pace with the urgent need for more fire in our forests.”
ABOVE Controlled burn at Piney Grove Preserve © Kyle LaFerriere; RIGHT Zak Poulton launching drone at Virginia Coast Reserve © Robert B. Clontz; OPPOSITE PAGE TNC’s Bobby Clontz, with shovel, plants longleaf pine seedlings with Virginia Beach parks staff. © Daniel White/TNC
We had, by far, our most productive spring burn season. But we need more public-private resources to keep pace with the urgent need for more fire in our forests. — Bobby Clontz, Preserve Manager
ONLINE: Restoring longleaf pine at nature.org/foundingforest
PROTECTING OUR WATER
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Virginia’s wetlands, streams, rivers and bays feed into our Atlantic Ocean much like your blood circulates through the veins, arteries and heart of your body. Clean, abundant water is the lifeblood of our commu-nities, our wildlife and our economy, and The Nature Conservancy fosters innovative partnerships to protect our most vital natural resource.
Working for RiversOur Clinch Valley Program is protecting some of the nation’s most diverse and imperiled aquatic wildlife in the Clinch and Powell rivers of southeastern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. With support from the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program and other partners, we have steered nearly $7 million to farms where improvements such as livestock-exclusion fences will make the greatest difference in water quality.
To date, farmers who have qualified for the program are helping to ensure cleaner water along 80 stream miles. “Working as partners with these farmers, we can help improve both their bottom lines and the health of streams that run through their farms and feed into our rivers,” says project manager Ronald Lambert.
BY THENUMBERS
8Energy companies that have committed to being guided by a set of new best practices developed for the pipeline industry to reduce impacts on habitat health and water quality.
80Stream miles feeding into the Clinch River system that are being protected through a public-private partnership spearheaded by The Nature Conservancy.
$2–3MDollars that the new Clinch River State Park will generate annually to help revitalize local economies formerly dependent on coal.
ONLINE: Creating Clinch River State Park at nature.org/clinchvalley
THIS PAGE TNC will transfer Old Castlewood landing on the Clinch River to Virginia State Parks. © Daniel White/TNC; OPPOSITE PAGE, LARGE Potomac River at Fraser Preserve © Tom Hamilton; INSET Kayaking on the Clinch River near St. Paul, Virginia © Daniel White/TNC
Conservation that benefits local economies and our environment is also the impetus behind our partner-ship with the commonwealth to acquire land for the forthcoming Clinch River State Park and water trail. The state is on track to acquire its first anchor site for the park by year’s end, and TNC will soon be transfer-ring river-access sites at Artrip and Old Castlewood, both of which feature new canoe/kayak launches.
Increased access for paddling, tubing and fishing is already spurring excitement and fostering entrepre-neurship. River towns such as St. Paul, home to two outfitters and a new hotel catering to outdoor adventurers, see nature tourism as vital to a more diversified and sustainable regional economy.
Raising the Energy BarTNC facilitated a collaboration that resulted last summer in commitments from eight energy compa-nies to be guided by a new report titled Improving Steep-Slope Pipeline Construction to Reduce Impacts to Natural Resources. “The participants share a commit-ment to developing new energy infrastructure in ways that are safe and avoid and minimize environmental impacts,” according to the report, which outlines best practices for the pipeline industry to reduce impacts on habitat health, especially water quality.
“TNC’s approach to pipelines and other energy development emphasizes the mitigation hierarchy: Avoid-Minimize-Compensate,” says Senior Scientist Judy Dunscomb. “First, we identify ecologically sensitive areas that should be avoided altogether. Our next priority is to reduce environmental impacts as much as practicable. The last resort is to secure compensation for those impacts that cannot be avoided.”
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OUR YEAR IN PHOTOS
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OYSTERS DOWN UNDERBo Lusk and Andy Lacatell exchanged expertise with partners conducting Australia’s largest-ever oyster restoration. © Andy Lacatell/TNC
POWELL RIVER BLUEWAYS This Clinch Valley initiative won the
Appalachian Regional Commission Tennessee Project of the Year. © Don Oakley
EXPANDING EDUCATIONVirginia Coast Reserve will serve 4,600 local students and 400 teachers over the next three years, thanks to new NOAA and Volgenau Foundation funding. © Daniel White/TNC
BIRDING CHALLENGE We tallied 166 species on TNC project lands
during a 24-hour birding blitz in May. © Alex Novak/TNC
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Love photos? Follow us on Instagram! @nature_va
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OPEN FARM DAYAlmost 400 visitors enjoyed touring Brownsville Preserve by land and water during this spring event on the Eastern Shore. © Jennifer Davis/TNC
ONLINE: Read about Blair’s experiences with bears and other wildlife at nature.org/smythqa
WELCOME, BLAIR SMYTHNew director Blair Smyth joined the Allegheny Highlands program this summer. Portrait courtesy of Blair Smyth; bear cub © Melissa Gonzalez/USFWS
OKTOBERFORESTNearly 20 Virginia craft breweries helped TNC raise awareness of the connection between healthy forests and clean water. © Daniel White/TNC
LEAF POWEROur strong team of summer Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) interns gained hands-on conservation experience in the Allegheny Highlands and Clinch Valley. © Laurel Schablein/TNC
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An unstable climate and rising seas threaten the things we care about most: the health of our lands and waters, the well-being and prosperity of our communities, and all of our investments in protecting the natural world. The urgency of the climate crisis demands innovation, and science is telling us that nature must be central to our solutions.
Capturing Carbon Through Conservation ForestryThrough our Conservation Forestry Program in southwestern Virginia, we’re working to change the short-term thinking that has plagued Appalachian forest management for at least a century. Rather than viewing their timber as a piggy bank to be broken in an emergency, landowners have banked 22,000 acres of private forestland with our program, earning annual dividends and helping protect clean water.
As these forests grow, they absorb carbon dioxide like a giant sponge—a service that, under California’s cap-and-trade program, allows polluters to offset their emissions by paying into forestry projects. According to Conservation Forestry director Greg Meade, “This year, we successfully verified 158,905 tons of carbon captured—offsetting emissions from almost 18 million gallons of gasoline.”
COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND CREATING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
Nature’s Engineers: Oysters and EelgrassIn addition to their inherent value as habitat engineers, oysters and eelgrass are increasingly important in helping counter climate impacts by binding sediment, reducing wave energy and—in the case of oyster reefs—continually growing upward as sea levels rise.
A major challenge to restoring the Mid-Atlantic’s depleted oyster populations has been a scarcity of natural shells to which juveniles can attach themselves and rebuild reefs. But recent research shows that rock and concrete work just as well. In July, TNC joined with partners to deploy nearly 4,000 tons of crushed granite in the Piankatank River.
“This golf-ball-size rock provides a foundation on which oysters can build,” says Chesapeake Bay director Andy Lacatell. With 15 acres added alongside previously created oyster sanctuaries, the Piankatank is now home to about 270 acres of oyster reef. “Our goal is to restore another 160 acres,” Andy says.
Though less visible and less heralded—so far—than oyster reefs, underwater eelgrass meadows comprise a key part of the mosaic of healthy habitats that serve coastal communities as an early line of defense against erosion, inundation and storms.
From near total collapse during the 1930s, eelgrass in coastal bays off the Eastern Shore has rebounded to cover nearly 9,000 acres since TNC and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science teamed up to launch the world’s largest seagrass restoration project. Over the last decade, volunteers have helped collect millions of seeds to accelerate the return of eelgrass.
“Our eelgrass habitat is healthy enough now to spread on its own, but speeding up natural processes here improves nature’s chances of keeping pace with climate change,” says coastal scientist Bo Lusk. Flourishing eelgrass meadows offer a natural alternative to tradi-tional engineering for addressing coastal erosion; capturing carbon emissions; and providing vital habitat for fish, crabs, and bay scallops.
Our Living LaboratoryThe Virginia Coast Reserve, in particular, continues to serve as an extraordinary living laboratory, advancing scientific understanding of how nature can help coastal communities here and around the world better withstand the effects of our changing climate. Coastal Resilience, an interactive online app, collects this knowledge and empowers localities with the information they need to plan for a better future.
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ONLINE: Explore how we’re tackling climate change at nature.org/vaclimate
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Piankatank River oyster reef restoration © VCU Rice Rivers Center; Volunteers collecting eelgrass seed shoots © Robert B. Clontz/TNC; Seahorse found in eelgrass meadow © Bo Lusk/TNC
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PROTECTED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Approximately a quarter million of the nearly 350,000 acres across Virginia that The Nature Conservancy has helped to protect are composed primarily of TNC preserves and 218 private properties on which we hold conservation easements. Easements are binding, usually permanent legal agreements specifying how property can and cannot be used so that conservation values are protected. But what does “protected” mean? Recording a land acquisition or conservation easement at the courthouse is cause for celebration, but paper doesn’t make a preserve or an easement. People and persistence do. Annual monitoring of both preserves and easements is a commitment that The Nature Conservancy takes extremely seriously, not only to retain the highest Land Trust Alliance accreditation, but also to keep faith with our supporters and partners, including landowners. Maintaining good relationships and communications is critical to an effective monitoring program and, thus, to long-term conservation.
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP Bird survey at Forks of the Rivanna; Yellow-breasted chat at Forks of the Rivanna; Matt Zabik monitoring conservation easement; Entrance to Ashanti Farm; OPPOSITE PAGE Ashanti Farm in Albemarle County is protected by a conservation easement. All photos © Daniel White/TNC
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“After we buy land or complete a conservation easement, that’s when land protection work really begins,” says Matt Zabik, who coordinates Virginia’s monitoring program. Matt inspects almost 100 easements every year and supports colleagues across the state who ensure that every easement is monitored for compliance every year.
Forks of the Rivanna in Albemarle County epitomizes the public benefits that conservation easements on private property can generate. Restored forested wetlands and freshwater marsh provide excellent habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, while filtering water that feeds into the Rivanna River.
Annual monitoring of both preserves and easements is a commitment that The Nature Conservancy takes extremely seriously.
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WHERE WE WORK
BY THEN UMB ER S
218Conservation easements in Virginia that we monitor every year.
8,927Acres of eelgrass in Eastern Shore bays as a result of the world’s largest seagrass restoration.
347KAcres that The Nature Conservancy has protected across the commonwealth of Virginia.
121KAcres of public land across Virginia that we have helped to protect.
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MITCHELL AND LOIS BYRDWhen avian ecologist Dr. Mitchell Byrd began yearly aerial surveys of bald eagle nests in the 1ate 1970s, America’s most iconic bird had already landed on the endangered species list. Dr. Byrd soon discovered a rare hotspot for eagles along the James River and began casting around for help to protect it.
“I’d taken everybody I could think of on a boat trip to see 150 eagles—where else could you do this back then?” says Byrd. Finally, he connected with Michael Lipford, The Nature Conservancy’s new Virginia director at the time and our current Southern region director. “It wasn’t very long after that trip that the Conservancy bought the property,” Byrd adds.
That critical nesting and roosting habitat is now protected within the 4,325-acre James River National Wildlife Refuge. Some fellow researchers have suggested that the refuge should be renamed in honor of Dr. Byrd for his persistence in championing its protection.
In more recent years, Dr. Byrd also became a passionate supporter of conservation efforts on behalf of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers. Along with research colleagues at the Center for Conservation Biology, which he co-founded with Bryan Watts on the campus of William & Mary, Byrd helped keep tabs on every woodpecker released or hatched at our Piney Grove Preserve. Without TNC’s preserve, he says, “I don’t think that species would exist in Virginia anymore.”
For years after his “retirement,” Dr. Byrd worked alongside TNC staff as a conservation partner, and he served for nearly two decades as a
volunteer trustee and science advisor. He and his wife, Lois, are also long-time financial supporters and Legacy Club members.
Help The Nature Conservancy in Virginia create a brighter future for nature and people. Send your gift today in the envelope provided or, for other giving options, email [email protected].
“After serving on The Nature Conservancy’s board for 18 years and working with them on some significant land acquisitions, I believe the importance of their work is obvious. [My wife] Lois and I have been proud supporters through annual gifts, charitable annuities and a testamentary gift.”
— Dr. Mitchell Byrd, Director Emeritus, Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary
AT LEFT Dr. Mitchell Byrd at Piney Grove Preserve © Robert B. Clontz/TNC; Success at Piney Grove encouraged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. © Robert B. Clontz/TNC
GUIDING LIGHTS
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Bullfrog at VCU Rice Rivers Center, Virginia © Daniel White/TNC
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