Growing up, Wade Hawkins watched neighboring farms be developed throughout the 1990s. His father and grandfather tried to purchase and save some of them, but couldn’t compete with developers. Wade didn’t want his family’s farm to suffer a similar fate, so he protected the land with a VOF easement.
Category Archives: News
Virginia Outdoors Foundation Protected 27,300 Acres in 2014
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation permanently protected 27,300 acres of farmland, forests, and other open space through 125 conservation easements in 2014. For the second consecutive year, the largest region for …
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Survey finds VOF easements largely protecting working farms and forestland
A new survey of 631 landowners who granted conservation easements to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) since 2000 reveals that landowners are primarily managing those lands for agricultural production and/or …
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November 6 board meeting relocated to Capitol Square
Note: This post was updated on October 31, 2014. In response to growing public interest, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s scheduled November 6 Board of Trustees meeting has been relocated to Senate …
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VOF expands public comment period for Nov. 6 board meeting
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation will be expanding the public comment period at its Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, November 6, 2014 in Richmond in order to accommodate growing interest …
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VOF statement on proposed gas transmission lines
Update: The Highland Recorder reported in August that the Spectra proposal has been suspended. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation has learned that three energy companies—Dominion Resources Inc., Spectra Energy, and EQT …
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VOF board votes to no longer accept easements with retained oil and gas rights
At its April 22 meeting, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted that, going forward, it will decline to accept charitable gifts of easement that retain rights for on-site …
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Family protects 350-year-old farm along the Mattaponi River
It’s one thing for a farm to stay intact for 350 years. It’s another thing for a farm to stay in the same family for that long. Next year, Locust …
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Governor McAuliffe Appoints New VOF Board of Trustees Chair
Governor Terry McAuliffe recently appointed Stephanie Ridder, of Flint Hill, Va., to be the new Chair of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Ms. Ridder grew up in Fairfax …
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Videos from March 13 oil & gas forum now online
Videos from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s March 13, 2014 forum about conservation easements and oil and gas production are now accessible through VOF’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/vofonline. The approximately 4.5-hour …
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