None The Nature Conservancy in Virginia Press Releases Search All Press Releases David Dadurka 240-731-1606 ddadurka@tnc.org

Nature Conservancy Seeks Buyer for Historic Eastern Shore Coast Guard Station

Conservation easement will protect 32-acre property

OYSTER, Va.—25 May 2006—The Nature Conservancy announced today that it is selling Cobb Island Station, a former U.S. Coast Guard station, and approximately 32 waterfront acres surrounding the historic building for $5 million. The Conservancy will retain a conservation easement to protect the building and surrounding property.

“The Nature Conservancy has worked since the 1960s to protect Virginia’s barrier islands,” said Steve Parker, who directs the Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve program. “We’re proud of our role in preserving and restoring Cobb Island Station since it is
such an important piece of the islands’ history.”

The proceeds of the sale will be applied to future conservation work on the Eastern Shore and elsewhere in Virginia, as well as to close any pre-existing financial obligations associated with the station.

Cobb Island Station was originally built in 1936 on Cobb's Island, seven miles east of its present mainland location. After decades of service, the station was decommissioned in 1964. The Conservancy’s purchase of Cobb's Island in 1973 included ownership of the former Coast Guard station. After lightning destroyed a sister station on Parramore Island, the Conservancy barged the 210-ton Cobb Island Station and its 90-ton boathouse to the mainland onto property it owns near the village of Oyster. The Conservancy completed renovations to the building in 2001 and has leased the property to a non-profit group since 2004.

The Colonial Revival building retains its original configuration and exterior. The station is composed of a three-and-a-half-story main building, with porches on three sides and a lookout cupola. The building features more than 11,000 square feet of living space, including entertaining areas, seven bedroom suites with baths, a commercial kitchen and a guest house. The property offers panoramic views of the seaside and includes more than 2,000 feet of waterfront on Oyster Harbor and Brockenberry Bay. 

The Conservancy conducted rigorous scientific and legal reviews in preparation for the sale of the Cobb Island Station to ensure that the ecological integrity of the property will be maintained. A conservation easement on the property will allow use as a bed and breakfast facility, retreat center or residence.  The easement will not permit subdivision of the property, timber harvesting or expansion of residential capacity, among other restrictions. The easement also contains provisions that protect the historic exterior of Cobb Island Station.

Encompassing 14 barrier islands and portions of the mainland, the Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve protects the last great expanse of coastal wilderness on the East Coast. The rich diversity of life on the barrier islands depends upon the water quality in the large expanse of bays, lagoons, mud flats and creeks along the seaside of the peninsula.

The Virginia Coast Reserve’s great ecological and cultural significance has been recognized through the following designations: UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve, U.S. Department of the Interior National Natural Landmark, National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research Site and Western Hemisphere International Shorebird Reserve Network Site.