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Virginia Natural Areas, Wildlife to Benefit from Federal Funding

Senator Warner, Congressman Moran and Congresswoman Davis Helped Secure More than $2 Million in Appropriations for Projects

Charlottesville, Virginia—1 December 2004—The Nature Conservancy today applauded Senator Warner, Congressman Jim Moran and Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis for helping to secure the appropriation of more than $2 million in federal funds to protect important natural areas across the state, including conservation projects on the Eastern Shore, the Middle Peninsula and Central Virginia.

Among the projects in Virginia that received funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) program are the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge and Hightop Mountain. The LWCF program allocates revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling leases to fund federal, state and local acquisition of recreation and conservation lands. Congress also approved federal Forest Legacy program funding for protecting land on Dragon Run. The Forest Legacy program enables the U.S. Forest Service to work with states and private landowners to enhance the management of America’s forest resources.

“These are important places for Virginia to protect wildlife, water quality and opportunities for public recreation,” said Michael Lipford, Virginia executive director of The Nature Conservancy. “We are fortunate to have legislators who recognize the importance of preserving our state’s outstanding natural heritage.”

The National Park Service received $1.38 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire Hightop Mountain, located in Greene County and near the Appalachian Trail. The Conservancy purchased the tract earlier this year with plans to transfer the property to the Appalachian Trail Office of the National Park Service. The property lies at the headwaters of the North Fork of the Rivanna River, which supplies drinking water for the citizens of Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received $500,000 to expand the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. The 1,127-acre refuge, established in 1984 and located at the southern tip of the Eastern Shore, serves as one of the most important stopover habitats for migratory birds in North America. The Nature Conservancy has worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify areas around the refuge for expansion.

Congress appropriated $600,000 in Forest Legacy funds to help the Virginia Department of Forestry and The Nature Conservancy protect land in the Dragon Run watershed. The Dragon Run watershed has long been a priority for protection as it is part of the largest unfragmented forest in the Chesapeake Bay ecoregion. More than 82 percent of the watershed is forested. Protection of the headwaters of Dragon Run will not only maintain water quality, but will help achieve goals set forth in the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement.