BP, The Nature Conservancy Gift of 655 Acres Benefits State, York County

SEAFORD, Virginia—Representatives from BP, The Nature Conservancy and Virginia’s Natural Resources Secretariat today commemorated the donation of 655 acres of undeveloped land in York County. The land was donated by BP to the Conservancy earlier this year as a way of preserving the acreage. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries agreed to accept the transfer of this property as part of its system of wildlife management areas. The transfer will occur by the spring of 2007.

The commemoration was held at Seaford Elementary School, which borders the southern portion of the acreage. As part of the celebration, fifth-grade students were treated to an educational wildlife exhibit by DGIF officials.

“Preserving this acreage is important because it is the second-largest, undeveloped, privately held tract in York County,” said Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Preston Bryant Jr. “This donation fits perfectly with Gov. Kaine’s commitment to conserve 400,000 acres during his term—and the state commends BP and TNC for their efforts to preserve the acreage.”

The 655 acres is situated to the north of Seaford Road, to the east of Goodwin Neck Road and to the south of Back Creek Road. Because the acreage is undeveloped, it serves as an important environmental asset for York County.

“By preserving this property for future generations, BP America has made an important contribution to protecting water quality in the York River,” said Michael Lipford, Virginia executive director of The Nature Conservancy. “BP America provides an example for other corporate landowners in Virginia to follow. They are an organization with a progressive attitude toward conservation and the environment. We also are pleased to announce that we will transfer ownership of this property to the state, contributing to the governor’s land conservation goal.”

BP purchased the acreage during the 46 years it owned and operated the Yorktown Refinery.

“BP believes communities ought to be better off because of our presence,” said Steve Elbert, BP America’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “When we operated the refinery, we were part of the community here—providing good paying jobs, producing fuels people need for freedom and mobility. And, now that we no longer own the refinery, we thought it would be a good idea to return the acreage to those who should benefit—the community.”

The gift of 655 acres was preceded in December by another BP gift of land—25 acres to York County for its use. The 25 acres donated to York County are situated alongside the southern portion of the larger 655-acre parcel that will be preserved by the state.

“York County is very glad that this larger acreage will be preserved for future generations,” said Walter C. Zaremba, chairman of the York County Board of Supervisors. “Thanks to the goodwill of BP and The Nature Conservancy, preserving this acreage will provide environmental benefits to York County as well as ensuring that county residents do not have to worry about uncontrolled sprawl.”

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BP’s main activities are the exploration for and production of crude oil and natural gas; oil refining, marketing, supply and transportation; and manufacturing and marketing of petrochemicals. BP has a growing activity in gas, power and alternative energy businesses. It is the world’s second largest oil and gas company, producing around three per cent of the oil and gas consumed in the world through operations in 100 countries with more than 96,000 employees. To learn more, visit www.bp.com.

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 nearly one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States—including more than 230,000 acres in Virginia—and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres around the world. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/virginia.