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NATURE CONSERVANCY TO CELEBRATE 50th ANNIVERSARY ON OCTOBER 22

Conservancy and its more than one million members have helped protect over ninety million acres, including more than 225,000 acres in Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia - October 18, 2001 - The Nature Conservancy, the organization known for protecting nature's Last Great Places, will celebrate its 50th anniversary October 22, 2001.

Dedicated to preserving the lands and waters that harbor the world's array of plant and animal species, a small group of scientists founded the Conservancy in 1951 and soon set a precedent of taking direct action for conservation by purchasing and protecting 60 acres of land in New York. The Conservancy has remained true to its founders' vision; it now has protected more than 12 million acres in the United States and helped protect more than 80 million acres in 28 other countries across the rest of the Americas, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In sum, the Conservancy now has helped protect more than 92 million acres, an area greater than three and a half times the size of the entire state of Virginia.

In Virginia, the Conservancy in 1961 established its first preserve: Wildcat Mountain Natural Area in Fauquier County. Since then, with the support of 36,000 Virginia members, the Conservancy has completed nearly 700 projects, helping protect more than 225,000 total acres across the commonwealth. Many of these areas have been protected through cooperative projects with other organizations or agencies. Examples include Mason Neck and Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuges, Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve in Russell County and Ivy Creek Natural Area in Albemarle County.

The Conservancy uses science to identify conservation priorities, then works in a collaborative and non-confrontational manner to achieve tangible, lasting results in the protection of these places. Although the Conservancy is perhaps best known for its outright purchases of ecologically important areas, it now employs a wide array of additional conservation tools, from conservation easements, which allow private land owners to protect their property, to the negotiation of innovative agreements with private companies and government agencies.

As part of its effort to protect vital habitats, the Conservancy's work in the United States has led to the creation of a network of more than 1,400 nature preserves-including 33 in Virginia-that are enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year.

The 45,000-acre Virginia Coast Reserve on the Eastern Shore, for example, represents the last broad expanse of coastal wilderness remaining on the East Coast. The Conservancy's most popular Virginia preserves include Bottom Creek Gorge near Roanoke, Cumberland Marsh near Richmond, North Landing River in Virginia Beach and Voorhees on the Rappahannock River.

"The Nature Conservancy will continue to move forward eagerly and with confidence, inspired by the importance of the mission and propelled by the success of the past," said Steve McCormick, president and CEO of the Conservancy.