NRCS, CRLC Announce Groundbreaking $3 Million Richmond-Area Easement Project Agreement
The historic Bacon's Castle house and farm in Surry County is an example of Richmond-area property covered by a conservation easement (Photo: Virginia NRCS).
Richmond, Va. – In partnership with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC) will be conducting the first easement-focused Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project in Virginia.
The “Preserving Working Farms and Securing Urban Ag” project will accelerate the rate of land protection in the greater Richmond area to curtail the possibility of having farmland converted to other uses. NRCS is providing up to $1.5 million in financial assistance for the purchase of conservation easements in the target counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan, as well as the city of Richmond.
CRLC and its supporting partners, making use of tax credits and other state incentives, will match the NRCS funds, bringing the total financial assistance for landowners to just under $3 million.
“Conservation easements allow landowners to protect agricultural and forest land from redevelopment,” said Dr. Edwin Martinez Martinez, Virginia’s state conservationist. “NRCS, which offers funding for both ag land and wetland restoration easements, is well-versed in working with landowners interested in preventing the loss of agricultural land in urban settings, securing the future of these smaller spaces.”
CRLC has helped protect roughly 13,000 acres of working farms and forests and currently holds more than 20 easements on over 2,400 acres. With the RCPP project, it is poised to continue protecting vulnerable land and water resources in the Richmond area.
“Capital Region Land Conservancy is pleased to have been awarded RCPP funding through a national merit process and looks forward to deploying these resources to assist producers and landowners to protect working farms as well as preserving urban agriculture sites” said Parker C. Agelasto, CRLC’s executive director.
Landowners receiving services from the Amelia, Hanover, Dinwiddie and Quinton NRCS service centers may be eligible to participate in this project. Interested individuals must submit a signed CRLC easement application form and complete required forms with NRCS by April 24, 2023, to be considered for funding in Fiscal Year 2023.
Amelia Service Center: 804-561-2947 (Goochland, Powhatan counties)
Hanover Service Center: 804-537-5225 (Hanover County)
Dinwiddie Service Center: 804-469-7297 (Chesterfield County)
Quinton Service Center: 804-932-4376 (City of Richmond; Charles City, Henrico and New Kent counties).
For more information on Virginia RCPP projects, visit the Virginia RCPP webpage.. To learn more about CRLC projects and activities, visit the Capital Region Land Conservancy website.
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