Public radio story on Virginia Department of Forestry F2F tree planting project implementation moving forward…
Congratulations to VDOF Forester David Powell, Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority Water Resources Manager Tamara Ambler, and farmer Richard Hudson on a great story!
Also thanks to WAMU and NPR for providing awareness about this program.
The Capital
Richmond, Virginia
Wednesday, December 1
The Rappahannock River Basin Commission has taken another step forward in its multi-year program to implement market-based solutions to restore water quality in the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay. At their quarterly meeting, in a unanimous vote (with one abstention), the Commission has decided to move forward with the testing of [...]
A few weeks ago, we featured a Success Story about former State Senator Doug Barclay and his trout fishing business on his farm on the Salmon River near Port Ontario, N.Y. That story discussed how one family has forged into market-based conservation.
Over this past weekend, my fishing buddy, Chris Mawdsley (owner of CrisCars in Orange) [...]
Rippin Run Video
On March 23, Laurie Miller and Greg Grymes recorded a conservation easement on their 87-acre property, Rippin Run Farm. Rippin Run Farm is located in Greene County, Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Found along the Old Fredericksburg Road (Rt. 609), it is a property within and around some [...]
As I have mentioned before, I am a fan of the organization PERC. I just received their Spring, 2009 volume of PERCReports and within is a cool piece on salmon in upstate New York. The article, Former State Senator Sees River as Magnet, by David Figura, (originally printed in the Post-Standard on October 12, ‘08) [...]
A 1613 acre historically-significant property is now for sale in Amelia County, Virginia, and can be viewed within the Conservation Property listings on this site. The property contains a portion of the Amelia Springs Battlefield and is protected by a conservation easement, held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Contact Philip Vannoorbeeck, at 804-514-6901, for more [...]
Bob Jordan died early Monday morning, January 5. Bob was my last living brother-in-law. His photography work graces the homepage of this website. He was a loving father, uncle, grandfather, and husband to my sister-in-law Mary.
Bob was an eagle scout. At his funeral yesterday, I realized that this training formed the structural foundation for his [...]
Congratulations to Mike Cooper, Marj Praml, and William “Chip” Steinmetz on completion of their American Conservation Broker (ACB) certification last week! Mike Cooper is an agent with Jobin Realty in Winchester and is VA and West Virginia licensed. Mike seeks clients that are concerned about the area’s natural beauty. Marj is a REALTOR in Winchester [...]
Nestled on the eastern slopes of the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Greene County, Virginia, Farmcolony is a farm-subdivision created in 1976. The subdivision contains 150 acres of working farm, 95 acres of homesites, and 40 acres of mountain open space.Farmcolony has been loved and nurtured by its residents throughout its history. [...]
Michael Collins’ July 23, 2008 Interview with Bundoran Farm Project Manager David Hamilton is provided in its entirety below.
1. David, first, what are the specifics on Bundoran? How many acres, lots, how much wooded/pasture, etc.
First, it’s bigger than most people think. Bundoran Farm comprises 2,300 acres, which for reference is about a third of the size of Charlottesville. [...]
Bundoran Farm is 2300 acres of rolling piedmont farmland in the Hardware River watershed located just twenty minutes from Charlottesville and the University of Virginia and nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the first of a two-part story, we focus on the development itself–the design, the lots,the amenities, and legal structure. In the [...]
In August, Conserv will feature a story on the one of the earliest modern conservation subdivisions in the U.S.-Farmcolony, in Greene County, Virginia. In September, we will interview a new real estate agent in Idaho working on his American Conservation Broker certification.
The July Success Story will feature an interview with David Hamilton, Principal, Community Design and Operations, for Qroe Farm Preservation Development, as he discusses Bundoran Far, a 2300 acre community of approxiately 100 homes in Albemarle County, Virginia, that also conserves productive agricultural and forestry uses on the site.
Click on the link below to see Part 2 video interview with Laura Winn Smith and Jim Duxsbury
Riverbluff Part 2
The new neighborhood of RiverBluff overlooks the Rivanna River just upstream from the Woolen Mills within the city limits of Charlottesville. As a conservation community, the 22-home development respects and responds to its dramatic natural setting. [...]
Click on the file below to view the Part 1 video with Laura Winn Smith.
Riverbluff Part 1
Conserv has selected Riverbluff, in Charlottesville Virginia, as the June, 2008 Success Story.
The developers of RiverBluff, PS2 Properties LLC, began with the goal to design a community that embraced environmental conservation and healthy living. Being so close to the [...]
Laura Winn Smith, American Conservation Broker (06), represents RiverBluff, a conservation development in Historic Woolen Mills in Charlottesville, Virginia. Riverbluff is a community of 22 homes designed by Frank Folsom Smith and Richard Price, with The Folsom Group, and features native plant landscaping, low impact development stormwater design, and green housing construction.
Conservation occurs through prototype real estate transaction in Virginia: Conserv Executive Director Michael Collins placed his 2-story Charlottesville Duplex on the market in the late summer of 2006 as a Conservation Property.
In the 1990s, John Hermsmeier build a home in the Mill Creek subdivision in Albemarle County, Virginia. He fought with his neighbors and the homeowners assn. for the right to create natural habitat. What happened when he sold his house and what is the status of the habitat now?