JAMES CITY COUNTY — The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV), a group that works to preserve ecological, historic and agricultural lands in the Commonwealth, announced the procurement of a 827.9 acre conservation easement in a part of James City County known as Shields Point.
Shields Point sits on the banks of the Chickahominy River and is in the watersheds of Blackstump Creek, the James River and the Chesapeake Bay. It contains approximately 444 acres of soils defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture as being either prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance.
A conservation easement is a strategy for protection and provides the opportunity for improvement of water quality, preservation of cultural and historic sites, protection of our plant and animal communities, sustaining working landscapes and natural areas, and enhancing our quality of life.
“Working with Conservation Partners and the Land Trust of Virginia has certainly been the right choice,” said land owner Hunter Vermillion. “With the easement in place, Shield’s Point will remain beautiful and be a benefit to the community as a whole. LTV is certainly one of the premier conservation organizations in Virginia.”
According to a press release from LCV, this is the organizations biggest easement of the year and its second biggest ever.
“To conserve such a large property in a new county is an amazing accomplishment as we work to expand our reach throughout the Commonwealth,” said LTV Executive Director, Sally Price. “The amazing diversity of wildlife and habitat now protected at Shield’s Point is a huge point of pride for us and we are thrilled to cross over the line to 24,605 acres in conservation easement.”
