Saving Land in Western Virginia Winter 2012-2013

Saving Land In Western Virginia

Winter 2012-2013

2011-2012 Annual Repor t Land+Link Photography Competition Gibsons Save Land for Grandchildren L a n d Tr u s t H o s t s “ B a y D a y ” “ T h e G r e a t Wo r k o f O u r A g e ” - C o m m e n t a r y by L i z a F i e l d ‘

westernvirginialandtrust.org

Western Virginia Land Trust Promoting the conservation of western Virginia’s natural resources – farms, forests, waterways, and rural landscapes.

722 First St., SW, Suite L Roanoke, VA 24016-4120 Phone/fax (540) 985-0000 www.westernvirginialandtrust.org

Board of Trustees Sandy Light, President Stephen M. Claytor, Vice President F. Fulton Galer, Treasurer Whitney H. Feldmann, Secretary M. Rupert Cutler Lynn M. Davis Lucy R. Ellett Peter M. Fellers Broaddus C. Fitzpatrick Robert H. Hunt George A. Kegley Samuel B. Long J.W. “Bill” Mason David N. Maxson John H. Parrott, Jr. Linda W. Pharis Janet Scheid James M. Turner, Jr.

Advisory Council Liza T. Field William M. Hackworth Talfourd H. Kemper Robert B. Lambeth, Jr. Barbara B. Lemon Stephen W. Lemon Jeanne M. Martin John B. Williamson, III

Staff David C. Perry Executive Director Diana M. Hackenburg Project Manager 2

Winter 2012

From the Director’s Desk

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t was hot.

The sun is approximately 93 million miles away from the earth, but the extra 3,000 feet of altitude in Salt Lake City made it feel like we were on the planet Mercury.

It was dry.

Salt Lake City averages about 16.5 inches of rainfall a year. The Roanoke region averages about 43.

There was no shade.

Believe me, a dried up, solitary cottonwood is no match for a majestic, spreading oak tree when it comes to shade.

But we loved it. The land trust’s project manager, Diana Hackenburg, one of our trustees, Janet Scheid, and I had a wonderful learning experience at the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally in Utah last month. Rally is the national land conservation conference, held annually at various locales around the country.

This year’s conference brought together around 1,600 conservationists to learn the latest trends in land conservation, to share experiences, successes and horror stories, to make new friends and greet old ones, and above all, to know we’re not alone.

No, we’re not alone. Every day, thousands of people come to work with the goal of helping the communities they love preserve the landscapes and special places that made them fall in love in the first place. Every day, thousands of people just like Diana and I are on the phone with landowners, exchanging e-mails with lawyers, bushwhacking through the understory looking for an old fence line, or talking with schoolchildren about land and why it’s more than dirt.

During our four days in the Utah desert (okay, most of it was spent inside an airconditioned hotel or conference center), we learned an awful lot, and we’ve brought that back to Virginia to help make your local land trust more vibrant, stronger and more effective.

And that means more of this beautiful Blue Ridge countryside forever protected for the benefit of our children and theirs.

So thank you, Salt Lake City. We’ll see you all again next year—in the Big Easy!

It turns out that a tiny land trust in New Mexico is struggling for funding in this tough economy, too. And what do you know—a land trust in Maine conserved a major source of drinking water for its community, just like our land trust did at Carvins Cove. They scratch their heads over how to monitor thousands of acres of land with a handful of volunteers just like we do. But they get it done—just like your local land trust does.

David Perry

Cover Photo: Land+Link Photography Competition First Place Winner “Redbud Heart” by Jess Lloyd of Blacksburg.

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President’s Point of View

he Western Virginia Land Trust’s days are numbered!

That’s right—when you read the next issue of Saving Land, it will be from the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, the new name the Board of Trustees has chosen for the organization.

Why the change? A number of reasons.

First, we no longer cover Western Sandy Light Virginia in the same way we did when we served 23 counties all the way to the Kentucky and Tennessee borders. Our service area is much more focused on the Roanoke region, consisting of Roanoke County and the six counties that border it, as well as the cities of Roanoke, Salem and Bedford. So we needed a name that spoke to this region’s identity better than the old name did.

Second, the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is embarking on a multi-million dollar campaign to brand our region—from Lexington to Blacksburg and all points in between—as “Virginia’s Blue Ridge,” and we knew the timing of their announcement was more than coincidence.

Third, we needed a name that evoked a passion for the work that we do, and nothing stirs up images of mistcovered blue-green hills, quiet country farms and cleanflowing streams like the name “Blue Ridge.” Fourth was the change from “Land Trust” to “Conservancy.” For too many, “land trust” meant a bank or financial institution, while “conservancy” harkens to an organization that is protecting nature and the great outdoors.

And lastly, we’ll no longer be confused with our neighbors at the West Virginia Land Trust, who do great work in the Mountaineer State but don’t have much of a presence in the Commonwealth! We hope you’ll agree our decision to “re-brand” ourselves was a wise one, and one that will result in more interest in land conservation and more of our beautiful Virginia countryside protected in perpetuity.

On behalf of the natural treasures of the Blue Ridge, I wish you a joyous—and scenic—holiday season.

Table of Contents Winter 2012 - 2013

Feature

Departments

6 - 13 2011-2012 Annual Report

2 3 4 14 16

From the Directors Desk President’s Point of View News & Events People & Places Celebration 2012 Recap

“Through the Looking Glass” by Ricardo Valdivieso of Boones Mill – a finalist in the 2012 Land+Link photo competition.

Winter 2012

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is the season for giving! There are many ways to support the land trust this holiday season:

• Make your amazon.com purchases using the link on the front page of westernvirginialandtrust.org and the land trust receives a small commission on each purchase – at no cost to you.

• Make a donation to the land trust in honor of your family and friends this season. They’ll receive a special card announcing the gift as well as a year’s worth of our Saving Land in Western Virginia magazine.

• A land trust-affiliated Kroger gift card makes a unique present for the hard-to-shop-for recipients on your list. Each time they refill the card, WVLT receives a small commission at no cost to the cardholder.

• Consider a larger gift of appreciated stock, real estate, or used vehicles.

• Help us by donating the little things that keep us running. Currently, we are in need of: carpet, copy paper, gas cards, and grocery store gift cards

Botetourt Fourth Graders Discover the Chesapeake Bay Watershed When most of us hear the word “classroom,” we envision a room with four walls, a blackboard, and desks neatly tucked into rows. This description did not hold true during October for Botetourt County fourth graders as they literally traveled out of the classroom and into the creek – Looney Creek that is.

Students dressed like beavers to learn about their many adaptations.

On October 16th and 2 3 r d , t h e We s t e r n Virginia Land Trust brought these students to the Preece property near Buchanan to experience firsthand their connection to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funds for the trips were provided by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund through the sale of Chesapeake Bay license plates.

Looney Creek, which meanders through the Preece property, flows into the James River near the town of Buchanan. The James River then flows eastward across Virginia, emptying into the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads. Commonly, students here at the headwaters do not realize the important 4

Winter 2012

role their communities play in the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The land trust worked with local organizations to create five distinct activity stations related to the Chesapeake Bay. Students rotated throughout the stations, hearing from experts in each field of study and completing hands-on activities to increase their understanding of the various ecosystem components.

The partner organizations and their respective activities were Clean Valley Council doing a stream school to analyze the water quality of Looney Creek; Mountain Castles Soil and Water Conservation District and the Western Virginia Water Authority using the Enviroscape Model to teach about watersheds, Camp Bethel with soils and soil erosion, the Virginia Department of Forestry talking about the importance of forests, and Claytor Nature Study Center and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Agency teaching about animal adaptations.

To learn more about Bay Day and to view photos from the trips, visit www.westernvirginialandtrust.org/news_events/ bayday.

Image Credit: Muffet, Flickr Creative Commons

Give this season to WVLT

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Land+Link Photo Competition and Exhibition

ver 30 participants wowed us with their interpretations on the theme of “Nature’s Gift” in this year’s Land+Link Photo Competition.

Our celebrity judges - Pete Eshelman, Director of Outdoor Branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership; Nancy Gray, President of Hollins University; Mark Taylor, Outdoor Editor of The Roanoke Times - had the difficult task of sorting through the submissions and choosing the best of the best. After much deliberation, “Redbud Heart” by Jess Lloyd of Blacksburg was chosen as this year’s winning photo and it appears on the cover of this issue of Saving Land. The judges also named “Golden Sunshine” by Alyssa Bennett of Roanoke the winner of the Young Photographer’s division.

The winning photos and finalists will be displayed at the O. Winston Link Museum through December 5th. Also, from now until December 4th, we encourage everyone to visit www.westernvirginialandtrust.org/photo to help pick the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

The exhibition will end on December 5th with a free, opento-the-public closing reception from 6-8pm at the Link.

We invite everyone to attend the reception and bid on the finalist’s photos in a silent auction to benefit the land trust and Link Museum.

Vote for the People’s Choice Award

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t’s time to voice your opinion to determine this year’s People’s Choice Award. Visit www.westernvirginialandtrust.org/photo to choose your favorite of the finalist photos. Voting ends December 4th and the winner will be announced at the December 5th closing reception.

Open Division Second Place – “Nature’s Cotton Candy”

by Connie Pruitt of Axton

Young Photographer’s Division First Place – “Golden Sunshine”

by Alyssa Bennett of Roanoke

Open Division Third Place – “Foggy February Morning on the Farm”

by Sherri Quick of Bedford

Winter 2012

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2011-12 Annual Report - Western Virginia Land Trust Letter from the President and Executive Director

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arly Simon sang “these are the good old days,” and we agree.

We mean it. The economy is rocky, business is slow, and too many folks are unemployed, but your local land trust had one of its best years in 2011-12. To quote another famous person, US Admiral David Farragut, the year’s theme could have been “Damn the torpedoes—full speed ahead!”

The fall started with yet another fantastic Conservation Celebration, where we honored two of Roanoke’s finest, George and Louise Kegley, with the Vic Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award. At the same time, we held our first photography competition in conjunction with the O. Winston Link Museum, titled appropriately “Land+Link.” Our top-notch judges (Hollins University President Nancy Gray, Roanoke Times outdoors editor Mark Taylor, and Roanoke Outside’s Pete Eshelman) selected a fine group of finalists and overall winners.

These prints were then auctioned off at the Conservation Celebration as fundraiser for both the land trust and the Link Museum.

As winter turned into spring, the land trust lost one of its long-time stalwarts—lost him to the golf course, that is. Executive Director Roger Holnback retired after 11 years with the trust and was sent off with a party at Sandy Light’s home and a pair of Gore-Tex hiking boots after more than a decade of wet feet. Assistant Director David Perry stepped forward to assume Roger’s role, and was soon followed by Diana Hackenburg, WVLT’s new project manager and a product of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Diana got right to work on two of the land trust’s projects, the new garden club initiative and the annual Race for Open Space. The garden club, which graced the cover of the fall issue of Saving Land, taught nearly 30 children at Roanoke’s Grandin Court Elementary School the connection between the farm and the food on their tables. It was such a success that the land trust is planning on expanding it to more schools in the spring of 2013.

Meanwhile, June’s Race for Open Space drew around 6

150 runners, featured a new 5K Classic, and raised about $4,500 for the land trust’s outreach and stewardship programs.

And to wrap up the year, more than 5,000 acres of land were permanently protected with conservation easements in the WVLT service area. To give you an idea of how much land that is, picture yourself walking across a football field from the back of one end zone to the other.

Now repeat that 4,999 more times. That, my friend, is a lot of land.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the generous financial support from the community.

Thanks to YOU—the person who realizes how important protecting our environment for tomorrow’s generation is—we’re able to carry out our mission and keep the lights on at the same time. Let’s say that again—thanks to YOU—our donors, our volunteers, our wonderful board, and our partners, the landowners who have voluntarily placed conservation easements on their land—the Western Virginia Land Trust can call 2011-12 a successful year.

One more quote, this time from Janet Jackson: “What have you done for me lately?” That’s right—the work doesn’t stop, and neither do we. We’re only as good as the work we accomplish today. Check back next year for even more good news.

On behalf of our region’s irreplaceable forests, farms, streams and mountaintops,

David Perry Executive Director

Sandy Light President

Winter 2012

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

Highlights from 2011 - 2012

George and Louise Kegley accept the A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award.

• An additional 5,000 acres of land were protected in the Western Virginia Land Trust’s service area. This is approximately the same area as 5,000 football fields— quite an accomplishment!

• The Western Virginia Land Trust Board of Trustees voted to change the organization’s service area by focusing more intensely on the Roanoke area and surrounding counties. Other local land trusts and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation will focus on three counties to which WVLT will devote fewer resources.

• The land trust honored George and Louise Kegley of Roanoke with its annual A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award at the Conservation Celebration in Roanoke County in September. George and Louise permanently protected their historic Monterey Farm with a conservation easement in 2007 and have been tireless advocates and supporters of the land trust. The Conservation Celebration, which featured a gourmet local foods dinner, bluegrass music, local beer, wine and cider, and a silent auction, raised nearly $30,000 for WVLT’s land preservation efforts.

• In the fall, WVLT and the O. Winston Link Museum held their first joint project, the Land+Link photography competition. More than 100 photos were entered. Two dozen finalists were selected along with three overall winners, while the public voted on a People’s Choice winner at a reception in September. The winning photographs graced the front and back covers of the winter 2011-12 edition of Saving Land.

• In May, WVLT presented our continuing education program entitled, “Conservation Easements: A Changing Landscape” to a live audience at the Roanoke Higher Education Center and as a webcast. Land conservation professionals including Fulton Galer, David Hurt, Robert Lambeth, Stephen Lemon, Sam Long, and Dave Perry presented on the ins and outs of conservation easements.

Cox Conserves Heroes Finalist Janet Scheid (third from left) poses with WVLT Trustees and Staff.

• WVLT board member and former president Janet Scheid was selected as the Roanoke finalist in the Virginia’s Cox Conserves Heroes Program. Created in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, Cox Conserves Heroes recognizes local environmental volunteers and makes donations to local environmental nonprofits on their behalf. Janet graciously chose the Western Virginia Land Trust as the recipient of her $2,500 award.

• Former Assistant Director David Perry was named director in March after the retirement of long-time Executive Director Roger Holnback. Perry had been with the land trust for about five-and-a-half years prior to stepping up to the top spot. Diana Hackenburg joined the staff in April as the new project manager. An Ohio native, Diana holds degrees from Marietta College and Indiana University.

• The second potluck dinner for WVLT members took place in March at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Roanoke. The program by Jonna McGraw was about a coffee growing initiative in Rwanda that helped settle the tragic genocide in that country.

• WVLT held the fourth annual Race for Open Space in June. New this year was a 5K Classic in addition to the popular 3K run/walk. Around 150 people participated in the event along the Roanoke River in Roanoke County’s Green Hill Park and the event raised more than $4,500 for the land trust.

• New trustees joined the land trust’s board, including Pete Fellers, a farmer from Bedford County, Broaddus Fitzpatrick, a retired attorney from Roanoke, David Maxson of Roanoke County, formerly in development, Bill Mason, who works in HVAC sales and lives in Roanoke, and John Parrott, a vice president with Rutherfoord.

Winter 2012

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

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Goals for 2012 - 2013

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he land trust’s top goal in the 2012-13 fiscal year will be to produce a new strategic plan that charts a bold course for the organization. Utilizing input from each of the land trust’s working committees, the plan will focus on: • Broader community awareness through the rollout of the organization’s new name in 2013 and new outreach efforts such as a film and discussion series; • Expanded educational efforts through programs like the garden club and Bay Day-type experiences; • Evaluation of special events to ensure appropriate return on investment and attainment of goals; • Developing a strategic land conservation plan to prioritize where the land trust will focus its efforts to address the region’s conservation needs;

• Increased interaction with government officials as conservation programs receive scrutiny during tight budget times at the state and federal levels; • Making periodic checks of the land trust’s readiness for reaccreditation with the Land Trust Alliance in 2016; • And developing community partnerships by networking with community leaders in the land trust’s service area, participation in service and civic clubs by staff, and working with local citizens to identify their own local conservation priorities.

The Western Virginia Land Trust is also proud to announce it will host the 2013 VaULT (Virginia’s United Land Trusts) conference at the Hotel Roanoke in April of 2013.

• Increased fundraising, both for operational expenses and for the land trust’s stewardship fund at the Foundation for Roanoke Valley;

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Winter Fall 2012 2012

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

2011-2012 Giving List

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he following individuals, families, companies, and foundations donated to the Western Virginia Land Trust in the fiscal year 2011 (from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011). Our deepest thanks to all of these supporters who make our land conservation work possible.

Benefactor ($5,000 or more) William M. Claytor Family Memorial Fund In memory of William M. Claytor Mr. & Mrs. George A. Kegley Land Conservation Fund at the Foundation for Roanoke Valley Lanford Brothers Co. Conservation Celebration and Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. & Mrs. William J. and Barbara B. Lemon Land Conservation Fund at the Foundation for Roanoke Valley Woltz & Associates, Inc. (in-kind) Wordsprint (in-kind) Conservation Celebration sponsor

Cox Communications Conservation Celebration sponsor Dixon, Hubard, Feinour, Brown, Inc. Conservation Celebration sponsor Earth Environmental and Civil, Inc. Conservation Celebration sponsor Elbert H, Evelyn J, Karen H Waldron Charitable Foundation, Inc. Mrs. Betty H. Field Mr. & Mrs. Spencer Frantz Mr. Roger B. Holnback In memory of Olive and Peter Holnback Hometown Bank Conservation Celebration sponsor Jordan’s Custom Framing Land+Link sponsor Jim & Pat Kermes Conservation Celebration sponsor Conservator ($2,500-$4,999) Mrs. Anna Lawson Blue Ridge Catering Ms. Anne P. Long Conservation Celebration sponsor Mr. John L. Manetta Cox Enterprises and the James M. Matched by Norfolk Southern Cox Jr. Foundation Ms. Deborah Moura Mr. & Mrs. Frank Ellett Norfolk Southern Foundation Race for Open Space sponsor The Ohrstrom Foundation and Farrell Foundation Bryant Crane Charitable Fund Conservation Celebration sponsor The Orvis Company Mr. & Mrs. Al Hammond Conservation Celebration and Land+Link Conservation Celebration sponsor sponsor Ms. Mary L. Kegley Roanoke County In honor of father, George Kegley The Roanoke Star-Sentinel (in-kind) Nancy O. Gray and David N. Maxson Conservation Celebration sponsor The Morris Family Foundation Rockydale Quarries Corporation Conservation Celebration sponsor Sustainer ($1,000-$2,499) Rutherfoord, Inc. Appalachian Power Co. Conservation Celebration sponsor Conservation Celebration sponsor Steel Dynamics Roanoke Bar Boxley Materials Company Division Conservation Celebration sponsor Conservation Celebration sponsor Mr. & Mrs. John P. Bradshaw Mr. & Mrs. Glenn O. Thornhill JR. Land+Link sponsor Conservation Celebration sponsor Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated Mr. & Mrs. David and Rebecca Conservation Celebration sponsor Wallenborn Conservation Partners, LLC Western Virginia Environmental and Conservation Celebration sponsor Social Trust Foundation Corrugated Container Corporation Conservation Celebration sponsor

Steward ($500-$999) Mrs. Karen L. Barnhart Brown Edwards and Company, LLP Conservation Celebration sponsor Brughs Mill Country Store Conservation Celebration sponsor Cherry, Bekaert & Holland Conservation Celebration sponsor Mr. & Mrs. William D. Elliot Mrs. Robert N. Fishburn Dr. & Mrs. R. Wayne Gandee GE Foundation Matched gift of Mr. & Mrs. Gene R. Richter Graham-White Manufacturing Co. Conservation Celebration sponsor Mr. & Mrs. William M. Hackworth Mr. & Mrs. David A. Hurt Cynthia Petzold and Lowell Inhorn Mr. & Mrs. James and Anne Jennings Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Ed Kohinke Sr. Knotty Oak Hill LLC In memory of Frank Otey Smith Mr. Robert B. Lambeth Jr. Mr. Daniel F. Layman Ms. Sandy Light Mr. & Mrs. Richard G. Long Jr. Martin, Hopkins & Lemon PC Conservation Celebration sponsor Mr. & Mrs. John W. Mason Meyers and Woods Appraisal Group, Inc. Miller, Long & Associates, Inc. The Newbern Foundation Partners in Financial Planning, LLC Conservation Celebration sponsor Peaks of Otter Conservation Association Mr. & Mrs. Bittle W. Porterfield Conservation Celebration sponsor Mrs. Carol W. Pruner Roanoke Gas Conservation Celebration sponsor Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op Conservation Celebration sponsor Mr. Paul D. Ross Jr. Mrs. Betty Ware In honor of George and Louise Kegley

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

Associate ($250-$499) Mr. & Mrs. Thompson Berdeen Blue Ridge Copier Race for Open Space sponsor Botetourt County Board of Supervisors Mr. Guy W. Buford Carilion Clinic City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation Race for Open Space sponsor Deke and Jane Coulter Dr. Paul A. Distler Draper Aden Associates, Inc. Race for Open Space sponsor Linda E. Durham Ph.D. Mr. & Mrs. Robert K. Egbert Environmental Services & Consulting, LLC Garden Club sponsor Mr. Scott Fauber Dr. & Mrs. Mark E. Feldmann Mr. W. Heywood Fralin Mr. & Mrs. James S. Frantz Jr. Mr. F. Fulton Galer Mr. & Mrs. Ray L. Garland Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore Attorneys Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. & Mrs. David R. Goode Mr. David Higginbotham Mr. Robert H. Hunt Ms. N. Jane Ingram Ms. Annette S. Kirby Mr. Frank M. Lacy Jr. Mr. & Mrs. W. Tucker Lemon Mr. & Mrs. Kirk Ludwig Nan Mahone and Bill Wellborn Martin’s German Service Race for Open Space sponsor Dr. & Mrs. John R. Merten Moore-Harvey, Inc. Mrs. Elizabeth H. Muse Joel & Bob Richert Roanoke Outside Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. Smith Dr. & Mrs. Anthony R. Stavola Elizabeth Stinson and Paul L.

Angermeier Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Temeles Jean and Dick Wertz Jason Wilson and Debra Lineweaver Mr. & Mrs. Clifton A. Woodrum III Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. & Mrs. Robert Woody Friend ($100-$249) Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Adkins J. M. Ambrose-Cosby Mr. & Mrs. D. Stan Barnhill Dr. & Mrs. A. Sidney Barritt III Bedford County Hunt Club Ms. Elizabeth H. Belcher Ms. Laura E. Benjamin Dr. Jean A. Smith and Dr. Michael Berry Mr. & Mrs. Hugh H. Bond Mr. David A. Bowers Mr. & Mrs. Frank A. Boxley Sr. Brambleton Imports Race for Open Space sponsor Ms. Anita M. Braun In memory of Larry Braun Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence L. Bright Mr. & Mrs. Mervin W. Brower Mr. & Mrs. George B. Cartledge Jr. Chevron Humankind Employee Funds Mr. & Mrs. Daniel S. Chitwood Mr. and Mrs. John M. Claytor In honor of Steve Claytor and the Claytor family The Honorable Glen E. Conrad Copperhead Plumbing and Heating Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. T. Joseph Crawford Mark and Susan Currie Mr. & Mrs. Milton Danner Ms. Lynn M. Davis Peter and Sandy Dawyot Mr. & Mrs. W. Howard Dickerson Dr. Charlotte D. Dietz Mr. Walter M. Dixon III Mr. & Mrs. John and Hoye Duckworth Mrs. Patricia P. Ebbett Mr. & Mrs. Frank R. Ellett Fellers Family Limited Partnership Mr. & Mrs. James A. Ford

Mr. & Mrs. D. Norris Ford Mr. & Mrs. David L. Foster Mr. Christopher L. Fowler Mr. & Mrs. John C. Garber Dr. & Mrs. John M. Gilkey Global Metalfinishing Race for Open Space sponsor The Honorable Robert W. Goodlatte Dr. & Mrs. William N. Gordge Ms. Joyce L. Graham Dr. & Mrs. J. Bruce Hagadorn Ms. Alice T. Hagan In memory of Hugh J. Hagan, Jr. MD Mr. F. Stanley Hester Jr. Fred and Mary Hitz Ms. Carol B. Hodges Ms. Phyllis Bagley Hoefer In memory of Philip Rutherford Bagley Mr. William E. Holeman Homestead Creamery Race for Open Space sponsor Mrs. Anne M. Howard In honor of Lynn and Tim Mr. James E. Howell Matched by Norfolk Southern Mr. & Mrs. William J. Hunley Mr. David S. Hunt and Ellen Aiken Mr. & Mrs. W. Arnold Hurt Interactive Achievement Race for Open Space sponsor Mrs. Susie V. Jamison Mr. David A. Jenkins Mr. & Mrs. James F. Johnson Dr. David C. Jones Mr. & Mrs. Warren R. Kark Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Kelly Mr. & Mrs. Talfourd H. Kemper Mr. & Mrs. Alton L. Knighton Ms. Christina C. Koomen Mr. Richard M. Kurshan Mr. & Mrs. Stanard F. Lanford Jr. Mr. & Mrs. James B. Lee Dr. & Mrs. Edmund M. Lesko Mr. & Mrs. Joseph D. Logan III Dr. & Mrs. James L. Lynde Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Lynn Mr. & Mrs. J. Granger Macfarlane Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Malishaucki Brooke and Emily Mallory Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Martin Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Martin

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

Ms. Emily Ann Mason Mr. Alex McIver Dr. & Mrs. Julien H. Meyer Jr. Mr. Philip E. Montano In honor of the hard working staff at WVLT Dr. & Mrs. W. T. Norris Jr. Mr. & Mrs. James G. Overholser Matched by Norfolk Southern Ms. Wanda C. Partyka Photo USA Land+Link sponsor Mr. & Mrs. Robert P. Pitner Mr. and Mrs. Frank D. Porter III Mr. & Mrs. James W. Quigley Mr. & Mrs. Michael K. Quinn R.M. Johnson and Sons Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club J. David and Frankie Robbins In memory of Evelyn Marie Mitchell Mr. Walton I. Rutherfoord Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Ryan Mr. & Mrs. David M. Savitz Ms. Janet Scheid and Mr. Bud LaRoche Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. Tim C. Shank Mr. John R. Simmerman In memory of Thomas M. Jackson Sr. and Betty Jackson Ward Mr. Paul K. Simms In memory of L. Earl Simms Dr. Victor S. Skaff Jr. Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. & Mrs. Michael K. Smeltzer Mr. & Mrs. Walter M. Spangler Mrs. Robert H. Teter John and Linda Thornton Oak Grove Insurance Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. James M. Turner Turner Long Construction, Inc. Race for Open Space sponsor Mr. & Mrs. D. Kyle Umberger III Mr. L. Robert Vaughan Matched by the GE Foundation Mr. Loren H. Walker Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Waters Dr. Dale A. Wickstrum Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing Race for Open Space sponsor

John and Marilee Williamson Mr. & Mrs. James M. Wilson Dr. & Mrs. John R. Wood Ms. Suzanne R Wright Mr. & Mrs. Edward D. Yost

Ellen W. Glover Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Goad In honor of George and Louise Kegley Mr. & Mrs. R. Gene and Laura Goley Matched by ExxonMobil Foundation Mrs. Nancy H. Greer In honor of her children Supporter ($50-$99) Mr. Kossen Gregory Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Ayling Mr. Pete Haislip Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Ballas Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Harris Dr. & Mrs. Walter S. Barton Dr. Joanna H. Harris Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Bissell Mr. & Mrs. James D. Harshfield Mr. & Mrs. W. Chan Bolling Mr. Paul A. Haskins Ms. Nancy A. Bourne Mr. & Mrs. Henry W. Herzog Jr. Mr. Denis J. Brion Mr. & Mrs. Martha and Brian K. Mr. & Mrs. Daniel W. Brown Hooker Mr. & Mrs. C. Whitney Brown Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Royce Husted Bryant Crane Charitable Fund of the Mr. & Mrs. R. Devereaux Jarratt Vanguard Charitable Endowment Mrs. Geneva K. Jenkins Program In memory of John Jenkins Jr. Paula L. Bumgarner Ms. Myra-Delia D. Kagey Mr. & Mrs. M. Caldwell Butler In honor of George and Louise Kegley In honor of George and Louise Kegley Mr. Richard F. Kegley Mr. & Mrs. Stephen B. Cates Dr. Thomas F. Keller Ms. Beth A. Christopoulos Mrs. Margaret H. Kelley Mrs. Mary S. Copenhaver Sally and Joe Lemmer Mr. & Mrs. James L. Crowgey Mr. & Mrs. Rodney Lorence Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm Rupert Cutler Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Lovegrove Mr. & Mrs. H. Lawrence Davidson In honor of Rich and Lisa Lovegrove Ms. Amy K. DeHart Charles C. Manning Ms. Pauline B. Dickens Ms. Betty Marr Rev. & Mrs. Park P. Dickerson Ms. Mary A. McMichael Mrs. Barbara M. Dickinson Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Miller In memory of Robert Fishburn Mr. David B. Miller Ms. Ruth Alden Doan Mr. William J. Modica Mr. & Mrs. David R. Dougherty Mr. David M. Naff Dr. & Mrs. F. Joseph Duckwall Dr. Robert L. Nutt Ms. Jeanne M. Duddy Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Osterhoudt Mr. John Eckman and Carol Nash In honor of Sandra Light ExxonMobil Foundation Bob and Kristin Peckman Mrs. Nancy Felch III Ms. Linda Pharis Ms. Liza T. Field Staci Hunt-Ramsey and Derek In honor of Rupert and Gladys Cutler Ramsey Ms. Doris Flandorffer Mr. & Mrs. Jerry L. Reed Ms. Sharon H. Foster Mr. & Mrs. William F. Reidenbach In memory of Margaret and Arlie A. Corbett Dr. & Mrs. John W. Robinson and in honor of Arlie and Sam Harper Dr. & Mrs. William H. Robison Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allen Garland Mrs. Donna Rogers Mrs. & Mrs. Josh C. Gibson Ms. Mary Lou Shaffer Leslie Giles and Daniel Pezzoni Mr. Thomas W. Skelly In honor of George and Louise Kegley

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

Elaine Stephenson Interiors, Inc. In honor of Mrs. Martha Hartley SustaiNS Committee Mr. & Mrs. William A. Thomasson Ms. Paula A. Thompson Mrs. Frances M. Trent Mr. Maurice C. Turner Matched by Norfolk Southern Dr. & Mrs. Edgar N. Weaver Jr. In honor of Mark and Whitney Feldmann Dr. & Mrs. Jesse A. Webster Mrs. Betty K. Weddle Mr. John P. Whittle Mr. Ryland A. Winston Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Donald Witt Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Woodward Mr. Joseph E. Yates Jr.

Member (under $50) Ms. Shonna L. Allen Dr. Karen Mays Asbury Mr. Bane Atkinson Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Vincent T. Basile In honor of Sandy Light Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Baynton Mr. & Reverend Michael L. Bentley In honor of sons Alex and Matthew Mr. Thomas Brobson Mrs. Martha Brooks Brown Dr. & Mrs. Joseph G. Brown Ms. Patricia A. Buck Michael and Monica Burgoon Camlach Farm Eleanor M. Clark Mr. Samuel Edmond Coffey Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Copty Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence M. Covington Mr. & Mrs. James E. Covington Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Roy & Barbara Creasy Thelma Dalmas Mr. & Mrs. Curtis E. Davis Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Carl Dietrich Ms. V. Anne Edenfield Mr. & Mrs. Roger W. Ehrich Gloria Elliott & Associates Dr. & Mrs. Mark E. Feldmann Jr. Mr. Hugh C. Fisher Jr. Mr. John D. Frasca Ms. Wileina F. Furrow

Rev. and Mrs. Tupper Garden Mr. & Mrs. J. Randolph Garrett III Mr. James R. Gray Mrs. Jane Haddad Rev. C. Nelson Harris Mr. Alfred A. Hawley Ms. Judith L. Hensley Mr. Michael Hertz Mr. Michael R. Hicks Mr. & Mrs. David P. Hill Mrs. Barbara A. Horton Ms. Jane C. Hundley Mr. & Mrs. Kevin S. Hurt Mr. Bruce E. Ingram Ms. Sandra L. Jennings Stephen C. and Liza R. Jett In honor of Ned and Janet Yost Mrs. E. Pam Johnson Mr. & Mrs. McMillan H. Johnson Mr. Richard Jones Mr. & Mrs. Clayton G. Jones Dr. & Mrs. James A. Kelly Dr. & Mrs. Stephen S. Kennedy Mr. Marc Killingstad Ms. Jan Kinsey Mr. & Mrs. David L. Lemon Mary Jean and John Levin Mr. Peter A. Lewis In honor of George and Louise Kegley Mr. Robert E. Lockhart Mr. David Lovegrove Mr. James T. Lucas Jr. The Luminescence Foundation, Inc. Ms. Letitia Lunsford Mr. Robert S. McNamara Dr. & Mrs. J. Milton Miller Mr. Robert H. Minor Dr. & Mrs. Chimer D. Moore Jr. Mrs. Rose Motley In honor of Juan Motley Ginny and Bob Mullen Ms. Dorothy A. Mundy Mr. & Mrs. Richard E. O’Dell Ms. Emily Painter Mr. & Mrs. William L. Parker Judge and Mrs. Richard C. Pattisall Mr. & Mrs. Anthony H. Payne Ms. Rebecca S. Perdue Roanoke Valley Garden Club Virginia and Michael Reilly Mrs. Nancy B. Robertson

Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Rohrback Mrs. Kathleen Simpkins Ms. Helen Smythers Southern Environmental Law Center Mr. & Mrs. Wayne G. Strickland Mr. & Mrs. Daniel C. Summerlin III Mr. Frederick D. Swartzendruber In memory of Dr. Edwin Williams Mr. & Mrs. H. G. G. Tornatore Mrs. Betsy P. Vannoy Mr. & Mrs. William G. Wall II Dr. & Mrs. Jackson R Webster Mr. & Mrs. W. Keith Weinwurm Ms. Virginia K. West Frances H. Williams Mr. Mark J. Wilson Mr. Harry W. Woolridge Ms. Mary Jane Zody Garden Club Supporters Fralin & Waldron Environmental Services & Consulting Jesse Freedman Judy Hensley Mulch N’More Northwest True Value Janet Scheid Scotts Miracle Gro Southern Exposure Seed Exchange St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church Townside Gardens Grants Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund Grant Land Trust Alliance Excellence Enhancement Program Southeast Land Trusts Matching Grants Program

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

FINANCIAL SUMMARY FY 2012: July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012

13% Community Outreach

30% Management Where Your Dollars Go

15% Landowner Education

Management

Stewardship

Development Landowner Education Community Outreach

$52,231 $39,173 $34,821 $26,115 $21,763

Total Expenses

$174,103

30.0% 22.5% 20.0% 15.0% 12.5%

20% Development 22% Stewardship

The Western Virginia Land Trust (WVLT) was formed in 1996 and works to preserve our region’s unique scenic, historic, agricultural, recreational and natural features. We work in seven counties in the Roanoke region: Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, and Roanoke. WVLT is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit and is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.

2% Newsletter

2% Kroger

Advertising

Card

2% Seminars 1% Investments

3% Misc.

47% Contributions

4% Race for Open Space

Sources of Revenue

5% Restricted Contributions

11% Stewardship Fund

23% Conservation Celebration

Contributions Conservation Celebration Stewardship Fund Restricted Contributions Race for Open Space Misc.

Newsletter Advertising Kroger Card

Seminars

Investments

$82,781 $40,925 $20,000 $8,108 $7,015 $5,113 $3,750 $3,601 $3,300 $850

Total Income

$175,443

47.2% 23.3% 11.4% 4.6% 4.0% 2.9% 2.1% 2.1% 1.9% 0.5%

The Western Virginia Land Trust is audited annually by Foti, Flynn, Lowen & Co. Winter 2012

WESTERN VIRGINIA LAND TRUST 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

13

Gibsons Save Franklin County Farm for Grandchildren “We wanted them to have a place to call home”

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rom a comfortable farmhouse at the bottom of a long, green hill in the middle of Franklin County, William “Benny” and Martha Sue Gibson enjoy parttime retirement and part-time babysitting for four small grandchildren. They have saved their 375-acre farm with a conservation easement for the benefit of those little folks.

therapist in Roanoke; Jacob, a partner in Interactive Achievement, where his father works; Abe, who is completing a doctorate in the history of science at Florida State University, and Josh, who works in land conservation.

When asked, Josh stated that his parents have always been interested in family heritage and this was something they wanted to do.

Their beef cattle farm is rented by Mike Altice of Burnt Chimney. The farm once produced tobacco, corn and soybeans, but it’s about 60 percent pasture now and the rest is in forest. The Gibsons cut timber and replanted almost 75 acres of white pine. They often see wild turkeys and deer on their hills.

The Gibsons are following traditions started by the late Dr. F. B. Wolfe, Martha Sue Gibson’s father and a respected Franklin County doctor and medical examiner for many years. After the Gibsons met at East Carolina University, they married and settled on Dr. Wolfe’s farm 37 years ago. After an 1870 house burned while they were away Benny Gibson holds grandchildren Miles and Ainsley on vacation in 1996, they replaced it with their two-story while Martha Sue is holding Addison and Lera.

Ainsley and Addison are twins. frame home on Buck’s Creek. It’s surrounded by rows of colorful flowers, Martha Sue’s project, along with her After much family discussion, the easement was fully cooking and babysitting skills. supported by their four sons. “We wanted them to have a place to call home,” Benny Gibson said about his sons and Originally from Coeburn in Wise County, Wolfe came grandchildren. Two of their daughters-in-law are expecting to Franklin County after World War II with a fellow two more grandchildren, raising the future babysitting roll physician, Dr. Henry Lee, a native of the county. Wolfe bought three farms, including what is now the Gibsons’ to six. acreage, and established a stock farm with registered cattle The family treasures a hilltop view of the Blue Ridge, a long in the Pleasant Hill community, a short distance west of stretch of woodland with walking trails, a two-acre lake for Rt. 220, south of Rocky Mount. fishing and a two-mile road frontage they are saving as open land. The easement, held by the Virginia Outdoors Wolfe found time to operate Camp Pleasant Hill, a summer day camp for youngsters in a cabin on a hill above the Foundation, will allow additional house sites. fishing lake. He brought doctors of different specialties to Gibson taught for 15 years and served as principal for take care of the campers. another 15 at Franklin County High school. He does parttime human resources work for Interactive Achievement, a Roanoke diagnostic testing firm for schools. Martha Sue Article and photo by George Kegley, WVLT Trustee Gibson, a longtime nurse, continues in outpatient surgery two days a week, when she isn’t doing grandmother chores.

The sons who approved the easement are Bays, a physical

14

Winter 2012

“Vista Blue” by Kerry Kinnison

The Land You Save May Be Your Own “Keep up the Great Work!” hat’s my feeling toward all the noble souls undergirding this land trust, protecting farms, mountainsides and creeks, visiting landowners, or doing the nitty-gritty of fund-raising, paperwork, seminars and other chores.

T

The “Great Work” of our age, as Father Thomas Berry perceived, is to keep our lovely, miraculous, once-in-auniverse biosphere from premature demise. If we can bring the other species to extinction, we can also protect them—now, in the only time possible to do so.

maples cooling their homes, the native greens, healing wildflowers and insect-eating songbirds protecting their gardens, the rich compost bins and clotheslines—might feel astonished that we not only live without these natural resources, but purposely eliminated them as too uncouth for our elevated position on earth.

The newer, life-depleting landscapes, known by ecologists as “the suburban desert,” have spread like an algae bloom across the U.S., eradicating phenomenal acreages of native habitat.

Humans, after all, love the living world, and are sparked “In my childhood, the singing of the birds in the morning with a genius and yearning for life that can step up and do was almost deafening,” Roger Martin, a retired park ranger in Patrick County, told me. “Now the silence is deafening. this Great Work of our age.

I haven’t seen a scarlet tanager in years and they once Land trusts like WVLT do that work more efficiently than were common...Many other species have seemingly any other conservation endeavor I’ve seen. If saving life disappeared.” on earth were a for-profit business (in a society that valued life more than money), a land trust like WVLT would top A main reason: lack of former nesting habitat—here, where our perfect lawns spread out today. any Fortune 500 in profitability.

Yet within our land trust (and any conservation organization), there’s an overlooked means of increasing these yields. And it doesn’t require any phone calls or meetings, grants or budget-drain!

To restore protective thickets, groves and biodiversity that welcome back songbirds, tree toads, owls, pollinators, native plants and a sense of joy, the National Wildlife Federation offers tips for home, school, churchyards and businesses. (See www.nwf.org.)

Most land trust members influence a small piece of this planet. Whether their home address or a churchyard, a school or hospital campus, even the kitchen sink and driveway that drain into a nearby river—these add up to huge potential for helping the biosphere.

Meanwhile, shade trees to cool your dwelling, canopied islands and pathways instead of the gas-guzzling lawn, a clothesline for “solar drying,” and a curtailment of sink and car-washing chemicals will over time reduce chunks of mountaintop removal, coal-burning soot, climate change Most of us learned our landscaping habits from chemical/ and water pollution. lawn-equipment industry ads—and the flattened, unnatural, green-carpet monoculture they’ve promoted to Land conservation works great at home. After all, conserving the home planet is Great Work. spawn like algae, all around us.

Our ancestors, 100 years ago—greatly helped by the By Liza Field, WVLT Advisory Council Member apple, cherry and nut trees around them, the oaks and Winter 2012

15

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Wytheville, VA Permit No. 172

722 First Street, SW, Suite L Roanoke, Virginia 24016-4120 Phone/Fax 540/985-0000

Conservation Celebration 2012 Cherishing the land and those who work to protect it

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he evening was cool for a September night, but that didn’t stop the fun at this year’s Conservation Celebration. Over 150 supporters gathered at Braeloch on September 16th to celebrate the achievements of Mrs. Barbara Lemon and Mr. and Mrs. Ned Yost. The land trust would like to thank all of the attendees for helping us create an unforgettable, special event. Thank you to all of the individuals and businesses

who sponsored the celebration and bid at our silent auction.

By the end of the night, we raised over $34,000 to help us preserve our region’s greatest natural landscapes.

From left to right: Bill Lemon, David Perry, A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award recipient Barbara Lemon, and WVLT Trustee Lucy Ellett.

Janet and Ned Yost accept the Land Saver Award.

To see more photos of the celebration, visit www. westernvirginalandtrust.org/celebration. See you next year at the 2013 Conservation Celebration!

Photos by Alex Smythers