Protecting Virginia’s Iconic Shenandoah Valley

Valley Conservation Council is a member-supported nonprofit land trust that protects the farms and forests of the greater Shenandoah Valley. Our service region includes 11 counties; Frederick, Warren, Shenandoah, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Bath, Rockbridge, Alleghany, and Botetourt. Since our founding in 1990 our mission to serve and conserve the 11 counties of our service region has never wavered. We are dedicated to protecting the natural resources and agricultural legacy of the Shenandoah Valley and Allegheny Highlands. During our 30+ year history, VCC and its partners have conserved tens of thousands of acres of private farms and forests, and plan to protect tens of thousands more.

Public Notice of Accreditation Renewal for Valley Conservation Council

The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Valley Conservation Council is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. A public comment period is now open.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs.

Accreditation underlies the promise we make to the landowners of the Shenandoah Valley in protecting their land forever – it is the foundational promise that Valley Conservation Council will continue to do right by its members, its communities, and the land is promises to protect by abiding by the highest standards for Land Trusts across the Country.”

Adam Schellhammer, Executive Director, Valley Conservation Council.

The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Valley Conservation Council complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-practices .

To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org.

Comments may also be mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

Comments on Valley Conservation Council’s application will be most useful by March 22nd, 2024.

Across our 70+ easements, VCC protects over 8,500 acres of Virginia farmland and forest

58 Miles of Streams and Rivers Buffered

1509 Acres of Active Farmland Protected

1591 Acres of Soils of Statewide and National Importance Protected

Conservation Easements

Our primary mission as a land trust is to protect and conserve land through conservation easements. We hold multiple kinds of easements including open space easements, active agricultural easements, forest easements, and riparian easements along rivers and creeks across the Valley.

Thanks to our friends at Kline May Reality for producing this video to show what VCC is all about!

Public Events

We are your community land trust hosting free educational events up and down the Valley. Check to see if there are events happening near you with the link below.

Support Us

VCC is a member supported non-profit. Our accomplishments would not be possible without the generous support from our members. If you support the work we do, consider supporting us so we can continue protecting the farms and forests of the Shenandoah Valley.