Land Savers October 2024

LAND SAVERS MAY 2023 VOL. 27 ISSUE 2

OCTOBER 2024 8 4

www.brlcva.org

www.cvalc.org

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Clean Valley Council staff identifying macroinvertebrates

Students using nets to catch macroinvertebrates

Students learning about watersheds and how we all live downstream

Love at FirstSight Bedford gardener protects 390 acres with the Central Virginia Land Conservancy y TINA BADGER The Littlest Stewards: Creating Tomorrow’s Conservationists

Bay Day is made possible by a grant provided by the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.

It was love at first sight. Wendy Schumann knew the very first time she where she wanted to live. The property was not even for sale at the time, but she made inquiries through a local realtor and six months later was able to purchase the farm that had captured her attention. Having grown up in a small town, its scenic views and quiet mountainside setting chance to escape from the noise and bustle of busy Virginia Beach, where she lived and worked at the time. Wendy Schumann recently partnered with the Central Virginia Land Conservancy to protect that farm, 390 acres of forest and farmland in Bedford County, forever. Schumann’s land, which rises several hundred feet from Big Island Highway up the eastern W hen we think of land conservation, we are often looking at the bigger picture – landowners who have the resources and ability to put their property under a conservation easement because, at some point in their life, they learned that conserving the land and water is important whether for their family, the preservation of farmland, and or to pro ect th environment. For many, it is a lesson passed down from generation to g neration. However, for some, their first exposure t conservation and the importance of preserving forests, streams, and watersheds comes during the annual Botetourt Bay Days that Blue Ridge Land Conservancy organizes for area 4th graders. Teaching children the importance of riparian buffers, how watersheds work, and how “we all live downstream” may seem insignificant to some. Still, for many of the participating students, it is an eye-opening experience about how their choices can help protect the environment for years to come. Currently in its 12th year, the Botetourt Bay Days – called this because Botetourt County is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed - began as a way to get students outdoors, expose them to the environment, nd teac th m how By Kyle Simpson

Views from Schumann’s farm their daily activities impact the world around them. Bay Days includes all 4th graders in Botetourt County. Students travel by bus to Camp Bethel where they rotate between four stations learning about water quality, watersheds, natural resources, and soil and erosion. Blue Ridge Land Conservancy partners with area agencies including Clean Valley Council, Western Virginia Water Authority, Mountain Castles Soil a Water Conservation District, and Your Outdoor Classroom to run each station and get the students excited about keeping the water and environment clean. There is not much more satisfying than to see the light go on in a child’s mind when they realize that pollution created upstream ends up in pristine waters downstream. Or to see them pretend to be trees to model how riparian buffers keep the soil fromwashing away and into the water and watch them learn how a tree gets water from the ground to its leaves. And finally to watch the children wade in the creek to catch benthic macroinvertebrates and learn how they can indicate the health of the stream. It certainly takes you back to your childhood and remembering what sparked that passion in you to become a steward of the land and water. face of Suck Mountain, will be protected from development in perpetuity. An avid gardener, Wendy had always been attracted to tending the land and conservation. “I see it all here,” she remarked. Deer, bear, fox, coyotes, turkeys, skunks, opossums, and flying squirrels have all been regular sights around the property. Her gardens were kept strictly organic, with fresh vegetables just outside making their way into the kitchen for many a meal. Protecting her beloved home through a conservation easement provides peace of mind about her land even as she moves on. For more information, on how you can help save our beautiful scenery, or to learn how you, can conserve your own rural land, call 540-985-0000 ext. 2, or e-mail ebender@brlcva.org.

We protect the lands and waters you love, forever. BOARD OF TRUSTEES Wendy W. Kendrick President Janet Scheid President Elect J. Ross Wimmer, CPA Treasurer Eva M. Hartmann Secretary

Colbert L. Boyd Cynthia A. Gray David A. Hurt Lois K. James Mary L. Kegley

J. Breck Light Alan R. McPherson Susan E. McSwain Robert C. Mountcastle Hunter W. Naff

FROM THE DIRECTOR

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Helen A. Burnett Ruth T. Dickerson Broaddus C. Fitzpatrick Katherine K. Glass

Christina L. Gregory William J. Hunley Lowell F. Inhorn, MD Fiona M. Tower

On Bill and Helen They say character is what you do when nobody’s looking.

STAFF David C. Perry Executive Director Emily R.H. Bender Assistant Director Tina L. Badger

That defines Bill Hackworth for me.

And I don’t even know the whole story, because, you know. I wasn’t looking.

Project Manager Kacie E. Shifflett Stewardship Specialist Chris Holdren SVALC Program Manager Kyle Simpson CVALC Program Manager The Lemon House 1305 Maple Avenue SW Roanoke, VA 24016 540-985-0000

But I’d catch glimpses of my Raleigh Court neighbor walking Roanoke’s Murray Run greenway with his wife, Ann, both of them carrying small clippers in their hands. If you’ve run or walked the trails in Fishburn Park and haven’t been hit in the face by low-hanging tree branches or eager vines, you can probably thank Bill. One time a large tree on the edge of the trail fell over and down into a ravine, taking a big section of the trail with it. Bill didn’t wait for city parks employees or a volunteer trail crew to come fix the damage. He lugged heavy rocks and gravel hundreds of feet down the trail from the nearest parking area, repairing the trail damage so well, you’d walk past it a dozen times and never know there was ever a giant hole. And of course, as attorney for the City of Roanoke, Bill was instrumental in the drafting the conservation easements, held by the Blue Ridge Land

Land Savers United, doing business in your community as the Blue Ridge, Central or Southern Virginia Land Conservancy, is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, a mark of distinction in land conservation.

M E M B E R O F :

Conservancy and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, that protect over 11,000 acres of mountain bike and walking trails at Carvins Cove—the largest city-owned park this side of the Rocky Mountains. Oh, and you may have heard of a place called Mill Mountain. Yeah, he was the guy poring over deeds, surveys and maps to help the City of Roanoke protect iconic “Mill Hill,” too. Bill is a long-serving former member of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy board and a past president, too. If you ask me, if anybody defines the spirit of the Vic Thomas Award for Environmental Stewardship, it’s Bill Hackworth. Then there’s Helen Burnett. If one thing defined George Kegley, it’s that he never told you no when asked to help. He checked his calendar to see when he was available. And that’s Helen, a former board member and current volunteer. Does Kacie Shifflett need to someone to accompany her into the wilds of Craig County to monitor a conserved property? Call Helen.

We need volunteers to staff a table at the Earth Day celebration? Call Helen. Raffle ticket sales? Helen. Setting up tables and chairs? Helen. Silent auction items? Helen. Serve on a committee? Helen. The spirit of George is strong with this one. And I’m happy she’s this year’s recipient of the George Kegley Award for Volunteerism. Come join us at the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy’s Conservation Celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at Braeloch in Roanoke County. You’ll get to see the local conservation community honor Bill and Helen, and you’ll also enjoy a gourmet dinner, drinks, live music and special guest speaker, author and conservationist Jay Leutze. Y’all come!

And thank you, Helen and Bill.

David Perry Executive Director

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please join us for the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy ’s

2 0 2 4 CONSERVAT ION Celebration

Tuesday, October 8

5: 45 PM BRAELOCH AT GLENBURN FARMS 2353 HAMMOND DRIVE | VINTON, VA 24179 Come celebrate the hard work of local conservation heroes and enjoy food, drinks, and live music, raise funds to save the lands and waters you love!

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I T ’ S T H AT T I M E O F Y E A R AG A I N ! Time for our annual Conservation Celebration at Braeloch at Glenburn Farms in Vinton. But wait, something is missing, you say? What happened to the “auction”?This year we are doing something new. We will still have great food, awesome music, a beautiful setting, and a wonderful time with those who come to celebrate the hard work of local conservation heroes but there’s more! Instead of an auction this year we decided to raffle for a Trek Verve+ 3 Lowstep E-bike and it has been wildly popular - almost all tickets sold ahead of time.

To make things even more exciting we have the pleasure of welcoming Jay Leutze, author of Stand UpThat Mountain: The Battle to Save One Small Community in the Wilderness Along the Appalachian Trail as our keynote speaker. Stand UpThat Mountain has won numerous awards, includingThe Reed Environmental Writing Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center, and was named the Southern Independent

Booksellers Alliance Nonfiction Book of the Year. The American Bar Association honored the book at its Silver Gavel Awards dinner in July, 2013, citing it as “a work of art that has added to the public’s understanding of the law.” Jay Leutze will discuss conservation from our Appalachian backyard to the global effort to protect 30% of the earth’s land and water by 2030. For more information on the Celebration or to RSVP head to our website ( brlcva.org ), email Tina at tbadger@blueridgelandconservancy.org , or call the office at 540-985-0000 x 3 . H O P E T O S E E YO U T H E R E !

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A W A R D R E C I P I E N T S 2 0 2 4 CONSERVAT ION Celebration

GEORGE KEGLEY AWARD FOR VOLUNTEERISM

It was not a hard decision to pick Helen Burnett as the 2024 recipient of the George Kegley Award for Volunteerism. Helen has been a dedicated and tireless volunteer for the land conservancy for a number of years. Whether going on monitoring visits or tabling events we can always depend on Helen. Originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Helen Burnett settled in Roanoke and spent over 20 years in advertising, circulation and marketing management at The Roanoke Times followed by 15 years in sales and marketing at local retirement communities. As a cycling enthusiast, she is especially attracted to the beauty of rural back roads and this is what drew her to learning more about the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy and ultimately becoming a volunteer. Helen especially enjoys trips into the field, whether to meet a potential new donor and visit their property or to do a monitoring

Helen Burnett helping to monitor one of BRLC’s easments

visit on an existing easement. There is always something beautiful to see, birds and wildlife, a scenic view, a stream to protect, wildflowers in bloom, or discovering a nest of goose eggs while checking out an island in the James River! As a retiree, Helen enjoys travelling, book clubs and volunteering at her church, Second Presbyterian where she serves as Elder, is a member of the Bell Choir and participates in a variety of committees and outreach and mission projects like Habitat for Humanity. Among other past community activities she served as BoardMember and President for Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia, Trustee for TaubmanMuseum of Art, andWVTF reader for Radio Reading Service.

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VIC THOMAS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD

Bill Hackworth in the Hackworth Shade Garden at the Lemon House The A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award, given annually by the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the preservation of the natural heritage of western Virginia. This year our Vic Thomas Award goes toWilliam “Bill” Hackworth. Bill is a long time supporter of Blue Ridge Land Conservancy serving on the board and as a volunteer in many aspects, most recently keeping our Hackworth shade garden in tip top shape with his wife Ann. In Bill’s own words: “Ann and I have traveled extensively since we retired, and have visited some beautiful places in the world, but we are always glad to return to our own beautiful Roanoke Valley. I am proud of the work that the Conservancy has done to preserve the open spaces and viewsheds that we enjoy so much, and the expansion of its efforts into a larger part of the Commonwealth. When I was Roanoke’s City Attorney, I was fortunate to be in a position to facilitate placing of conservation easements on most of the City’s property at Carvins Cove and onMill Mountain - ensuring that those areas will be there for generations to come. One benefit of being involved with our Conservancy is the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of great people who share the same goals - prospective easement donors, conserved property owners while we are on monitoring visits, staff and board members, and all of the supporters who attend the annual Conservation Celebration. It is a wonderful community of like-minded people. I can’t imagine what our region would look like without them! I always have to smile when traveling around our countryside when I see a sign posted on a property announcing that it has been protected by a conservation easement with the Blue Ridge land Conservancy. Let’s hope that we see more and more of these!” Thank you, Bill, for your dedication to land conservation and the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy!

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R E P O R T S F R O M T H E F I E L D

Happy October, friends! Summer may have wrapped up, but there are good things on the horizon with a number of projects in the Central Virginia service area nearing completion. They say that good things take time and conservation easements are no exception. Easements are often a balancing act that have to meet

By kyle simpson

the needs of the landowners and their families, while protecting the natural qualities and conservation values of the property that make it special. Trying to plan for the future of your land and your family isn’t always easy, but having a plan in place can bring peace of mind and ensure that our natural heritage is left to future generations. Some easements move faster, some move slower, but there’s never any pressure from us. It’s your land and your decision and we will be here to support you every step of the way. As always, we want to thank our volunteers in the Central Virginia area. You’ll find them staffing booths at local events, planning upcoming events, out in the field even on hot summer days, building bridges with other local groups, and always doing the work of keeping Virginia beautiful for the generations ahead. If you see one out in the wild, please thank them for the awesome work that they do! Lastly, mark your calendars for 2025’s Cornerstone Celebration which will be April 5th back at Sweet Briar College. Hope to see you there!

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