Fauquier County landowners placed 3,150 acres in conservation easements last year, according to the Warrenton-based Piedmont Environmental Council.

That brings the total protected land to approximately 94,500 acres, or 23 percent of the county. Fauquier continues to lead the state in private land conservation, with more acres protected than any other county in Virginia.

“Fauquier County has long been a leader in recognizing the importance of protecting their natural, scenic and cultural resources,” PEC Vice President for Conservation and Rural Programs Heather Richards said. “The conservation values protected by easements in 2011 include the scenic vistas that draw tourists and the agricultural soils that support our thriving farm community and way of life.”

Among the properties protected last year is Fawnborough, a 218-acre farm directly across Route 17 from Great Meadow at Old Tavern. This conservation easement protects rolling scenery that is highly visible from Route 17, as well as the racecourse at Great Meadows, a major draw for visitors to Fauquier County. 
Last year’s conservation projects also include 458 acres at Al Mara Farms in Midland, protected through the county’s Purchase of Development Rights program. Patty and Jeff Leonard’s property is comprised largely of cropland and pasture that supports a working, multi-generational family-run dairy operation.

The easements on both Fawnborough and Al Mara are held by Fauquier County, which holds the easements on almost two-thirds of the local land protected last year, including both purchased and donated easements.

In total, conservation easements in Fauquier County protect approximately 380 miles of streams and rivers, 49,000 acres of prime farmland, 38,000 acres of forests, 33,000 acres along Scenic Byways, 25,000 acres in historic districts, and 9,000 acres of Civil War battlefields.

PEC, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2012, has been promoting private, voluntary land conservation in Virginia’s northern Piedmont since 1972. In the nine-county region where PEC works, approximately 12,100 acres were protected by conservation easements in 2011, adding to a total of more than 348,000 acres or 15 percent of the total land in the region.

A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a land trust (such as a public agency or a non-profit conservation group) to permanently protect natural, scenic and cultural resources on the land.