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The Nature Conservancy Receives $350,000 Grant From Dominion Foundation

Funding Supports Critical Conservation Efforts in Virginia, West Virginia

Charlottesville, VA — July 15, 2004 — The Nature Conservancy recently received a $350,000 grant from the Dominion Foundation to fund critical conservation efforts in Virginia and West Virginia.  The grant to the Conservancy is one of the largest ever given by the Dominion Foundation. 

“We are delighted to recognize The Nature Conservancy’s vital role in protecting and conserving natural resources in Virginia and West Virginia,” said William C. Hall, Jr., president of the Dominion Foundation.  “Our natural resources are limited, which makes working in partnership with communities critical to fostering stewardship of those resources. The Nature Conservancy’s reputation as a land and water conservation leader prompted the Dominion Foundation to award one of our largest grants ever.”

In Virginia, $250,000 will go to support the Conservancy’s Wild Virginia Campaign, a $52 million comprehensive capital campaign to conserve and restore Virginia’s Last Great Places.  The Wild Virginia Campaign will fund the chapter’s ongoing statewide conservation efforts, which have already helped the Conservancy establish 46 preserves, five National Wildlife Refuges and nearly 70 state and local parks and natural areas. 

“We are grateful for our partnership with Dominion, as exemplified by this generous grant from the Dominion Foundation,” said Michael Lipford, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Virginia.  “As Virginia’s natural resources are continually put at risk, the Dominion Foundation grant will help the Conservancy protect Virginia’s most important natural places for present and future generations.”

In West Virginia, $100,000 will be used for the long-term management of the Bear Rocks Preserve, which was donated to the chapter in 1999 by two other Dominion units, Dominion Virginia Power and Dominion Appalachian Development Generation.  The Bear Rocks Preserve is a remarkably scenic, windswept summit atop one of West Virginia's highest mountains.  A well-known landmark on the Dolly Sods plateau, Bear Rocks is a 477-acre high- elevation heathland punctuated with wind-carved sandstone outcrops and is home to more than a dozen rare plant and animal species.  Bear Rocks is famous for its cool climate, alpine appearance and northern wildlife, including snowshoe hare, fishers and saw-whet owls.

“We are grateful for Dominion's long-term commitment to the stewardship of Bear Rocks and the high elevation ecosystems of the Allegheny Mountains," said Rodney Bartgis, state director for The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia.  "Thousands of people visit the preserve every year to enjoy its heathlands, cliffs, wildlife and dramatic views. The Preserve enables the West Virginia chapter to explore ways to restore spruce forests and cranberry bogs, engage others in discussing conservation of our subalpine areas and educate the public about mountain environments.” 

In addition to this grant, the Conservancy’s Virginia chapter recently received $500,000 from Dominion to mitigate the impacts of abandoned mined lands and historic industrial air emissions.  As part of this project, the Conservancy will conduct ecological restoration, reforestation and carbon sequestration on coal mined lands in the Clinch Valley of southwest Virginia. 

Funding for the grant comes from the Dominion Foundation, which is dedicated to the economic, physical and social health of the communities served by Dominion companies. 

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy with an energy portfolio of more than 25,500 megawatts of generation.  Dominion also serves 5.3 million retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.  Working with local communities and partners, the Virginia chapter has protected more than 250,000 acres and the West Virginia Chapter has protected more than 100,000 acres. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/virginia or nature.org/westvirginia.