Capital Region Land Conservancy

In 2022 Capital Region Land Conservancy, Inc. ("the Conservancy) recorded three conservation easements solely held by the Conservancy, one conservation easement co-held by the Conservancy, and acquired three properties under ownership. The easements include the following: 1) 0.85-acre easement in the city of richmond located on dock street and along the james river for the james river associations james buzzard river education center and extension of the Virginia Capital trail; 2) 51.62-acre easement in chesterfield county in the ware bottom church battlefield with funding provided by the american battlefield protection program for a future public park owned and operated by chesterfield county; 3) 12.65-acre easement in hanover county with frontage on totopotomoy creek. The co-held easement includes the following: 1) 18.29-acre easement in the city of richmond and henrico county co-held with the friends of bandy field with a restatement of the original 2014 deed of easement to protect a public park located on three chopt road that is owned and operated by the city of richmond that includes natural habitat restoration and historic resources. The Land acquisitions include the following: 1) 28.1 acres in henrico county on new market road known as four mile creek farm. The property contains 12.4 acres of prime farmland, 1,128 feet along four mile creek, and is within the core of new market heights battlefield and the congressional boundary of the national park services richmond national battlefield park; 2) 37.56 acres in chesterfield county, 0.934 acres in colonial heights, and 1.858 acres in the city of petersburg purchased by the Conservancy for future public parks and extension of the appomattox river trail. The Conservancy granted a conservation easement to the Virginia outdoors foundation on the Land in colonial heights. The Conservancy is working to grant additional conservation easements to the Virginia outdoors foundation on the Land in the city of petersburg and approximatley 33 acres of the Land in chesterfield county. The Conservancy is working to grant a conservation easement on 4 acres of the Land in chesterfield county to the Virginia department of historic resources. The property contains approximately 22,654 feet along the scenic appomattox river and numerous archaeological sites pertaining to 18th and 19th century industrial mills, canals, and dams; 3) 3.46 acres in the city of richmond that is planned as a future public open space and property planned to be transferred to the city of richmond for inclusion in the james river park system with crlc holding a conservation easement upon its transfer. The Conservancy facilitated one additional easement for the evergreen team the 56.16-acre property in chesterfield county is dominated by prime agricultural soils and has a significant impact on water quality for swift creek. The Conservancy negotiated and facilitated a purchase agreement for 14.5 acres at mayo island in the city of richmond for 11.4 million. The Conservancy was awarded but has not yet fulfilled obligations for grant funding in the amount of 1.5 million from the Virginia Land conservation foundation and 7.5 million from the Virginia community flood preparedness fund towards the acquisition and protection of this property as a future public park. The Conservancy is helping to raise the remaining funding for mayo island and transferring it to the city of richmond. The Conservancy maintained full accreditation by the Land trust accreditation commission, an independent program of the Land trust alliance. The Conservancy also maintained accreditation by the better business bureau and earned the guidestar platinum seal of transparency for 2022. The Conservancy sponsored the rva environmental film festival, virginias united Land trustss annual conference, and choose clean water coalitions annual conference. The Conservancy coordinated guided nature hikes of five of their conservation easement properties with a total of 85 attendees; coordinated two volunteer clean-ups at one property owned by the Conservancy for a future public park; participated in numerous meetings of the rvagreen 2050 environmental working group and Virginia conservation network workgroups; staff attended the virginias united Land trusts conference held in april; staff attended the choose clean water coalition conference in may; increased to 1,682 followers on facebook, 948 followers on instagram, and 281 followers on twitter; shared organizational news with 2,356 subscribers via 33 email newsletters; received contributions from 632 donors including 144 new members; achieved 13% growth in total number of donors since 2021; had a renewal rate in excess of 73%; and garnered more than 130 press mentions discussing crlcs conservation work and the relationship between Land conservation and water quality in such publications as the richmond times-dispatch, Washington post, houston chronicle, reuters, richmond free press, richmond magazine, henrico citizen, axios, richmond bizsense, chesterfield observer, mechanicsville local, chesapeake bay magazine, various organizational newsletters, as well as wcve/national public radio, cbs6, nbc12, abc8, and other local television broadcasts. One news story was picked up by associated press and was covered by more than 60 news outlets nationwide. The Conservancy facilitated education and advocacy on the urgency of ensuring that all virginians have daily access to the outdoors; maintained a modern, user-friendly crlc website with 10 blog posts; staff were guest speakers at 6 community organizations; tabled at 8 community events; and educated numerous landowners in preserving their property. At its varina landlab, the Conservancy hosted 235 student visits from classes at Virginia commonwealth university and henrico county public schools. The Conservancy participated in the rvagreen 2050 environmental workgroup and securing Land for public access in richmond city, chesterfield county, and henrico county. This included co-authoring with two other non-profit organizations a white-paper published in the Virginia conservation networks our common agenda: 2022 environmental briefing book. The Conservancy also partnered with 4 poets to include a chapter in writing the Land: windblown i anthology of poetry. The Conservancy hosted the 2022 conservation games as a multi-week celebration of conservation consisting of 8 virtual and in-person events. Throughout the games, 280 participants across team fields, team forests, and team streams competed to earn points by participating in voluteer activities with partner organizations including richmond toolbank and happily natural day. Particiants learned for a combined 174 hours and served a combined 146 volunteer hours across crlc events and community events. The games also raised approximately 38,000 to support the conservancys operations.

The Conservancy owns seven fee-simple properties on 12/31/22. These properties consist of the following: 1. Approximately 9.5 forested acres in chesterfield county comprised of 3 islands in the scenic appomattox river that are visible from nearby parks in chesterfield county and dinwiddie county and integral to the appomattox river trail master plan. 2. 39 acres in henrico county on long bridge road upon which the Conservancy granted a conservation easement to the Virginia department of historic resources. The property contains archaeological potential to understand significant historic themes associated with the rise of a regional stoneware pottery industry and changes in african american settlement patterns and communities in the Region from the antebellum period through the civil war, reconstruction and into the twentieth century. 3. 13.1 acres in the city of richmond that is planned as a future public open space and property planned to be transferred to the city of richmond with crlc holding a conservation easement upon its transfer. The property contains 2.2 acres of wetlands and 2,367 feet along grindall creek. As a future park, the property will serve more than 2,000 residents within a 10 -minute walk of their homes. 4. 353.27 acres in henrico county previously protected with conservation easements held by the Conservancy was acquired by the conservancys disregarded entity crc Land holdings llc for its historic resource and water quality benefits in eastern henrico county, the acquisition of which will allow for public access and ecological restoration and research opportunities. 5. 28.1 acres in henrico county on new market road known as four mile creek farm. The property contains 12.4 acres of prime farmland, 1,128 feet along four mile creek, and is within the core of new market heights battlefield and the congressional boundary of the national park services richmond national battlefield park. 6. 37.56 acres in chesterfield county, 0.934 acres in colonial heights, and 1.858 acres in city of petersburg purchased by the Conservancy for future public parks and extension of the appomattox river trail. The Conservancy granted a conservation easement to the Virginia outdoors foundation on the Land in colonial heights. The Conservancy is working to grant additional conservation easements to the Virginia outdoors foundation on the Land in the city of petersburg and approximatley 33 acres of the Land in chesterfield county. The Conservancy is working to grant a conservation easement on 4 acres of the Land in chesterfield county to the Virginia department of historic resources. The property contains approximately 22,654 feet of frontage along the scenic appomattox river and numerous archaeological sites pertaining to 18th and 19th century industrial mills, canals, and dams. 7. 3.46 acres in the city of richmond that is planned as a future public open space and property planned to be transferred to the city of richmond for inclusion in the james river park system with crlc holding a conservation easement upon its transfer. The Conservancy holds twelve conservation easements on 12/31/22. These easements consist of the following: 1. 0.7099 acre property in the city of richmond which is adjacent to the james river park preserving the iconic view of downtown richmond from richmonds south side. 2. 0.7099 acre property in the city of richmond adjacent to the above property preserving the iconic view of downtown richmond from richmonds southside. 3. 145.22 acre property in powhatan county known as norwood that is listed on the national register of historic places and adjacent to the james river. 4. 180.84 acre property in chesterfield county with one mile of frontage on the james river containing 80 acres of emergent wetlands and adjacent to wetlands owned by the Virginia commonwealth universitys rice rivers center and across the river from 810-acre dutch gap conservation area and within the viewshed of henricus historical park. 5. 96.31 acre property in hanover county with 42 acres prime farmland soils and 0.5 miles of road frontage along taylors creek road to afford traveling public view across open fields and of historic westerham house. 6. 49 acre property in henrico county with 32 acres of prime farmland soils and soils of statewide importance and 970 feet of frontage on the james river and 0.3 miles of road frontage along osborne turnpike to afford traveling public view across open fields of historic landscape. 7. 0.765 acre property in the city of richmond, the limitations and obligations of which will help preserve the viewshed of the james river from libby hill, consistent with the Virginia general assemblys house joint resolution 658 in 2007. 8. 3.036 acre property in the city of richmond with 307 feet of frontage and forested vegetated riparian buffer on the james river park north bank and the kanawha canal of the james river also being in a watershed preservation area of high value. 9. 1.33-acre easement in the city of richmond with a portion of the property being designated as a highest priority Land in the floodplains and flooding resilience category of conservevirginia 3.0; approximately 744 feet of forest/vegetated riparian buffers along wetlands and rattlesnake creek. 10. 0.85-acre easement in the city of richmond located on dock street and along the james river for the james river associations james buzzard river education center and extension of the Virginia Capital trail. 11. 51.62-acre easement in chesterfield county in the ware bottom church battlefield with funding provided by the american battlefield protection program for a future public park owned and operated by chesterfield county. 12. 12.65-acre easement in hanover county with frontage on totopotomoy creek. The Conservancy co-holds sixteen conservation easements as of 12/31/22. These easements consist of the following: 1. The Conservancy co-holds 1 easement with the Virginia department of conservation and recreation, as of 12/31/22. This easement consists of 384.6 acres in city of richmond. 2. The Conservancy co-holds 2 easements with Virginia outdoors foundation, a Virginia state agency, as of 12/31/22. These easements consist of 337.4 acres in powhatan county and 262 acres in chesterfield county. 3. The Conservancy co-holds 7 easements with the henricopolis soil & water conservation district as of 12/31/22. These easements consist of 734 acres in henrico county. 4. The Conservancy co-holds 3 easements with james river association, a tax- exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, as of 12/31/22. These easements consist of 278.5 acres in goochland county. 5. The Conservancy co-holds 1 easement with chesterfield county as of 12/31/22. This easement consists of 26.9 acres in chesterfield county. 6. The Conservancy co-holds 1 easement with the Land trust of Virginia, a tax -exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, as of 12/31/22. This easement consists of 73.55 acres in hanover county. 7. The Conservancy co-holds 1 easement with friends of bandy field, a tax -exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, as of 12/31/22. This easement consists of 18.29 acres in the city of richmond. The Conservancy holds conservation easements for the protection of natural habitat, preservation of open space, and preservation of a historically important Land area. It did not release, extinguish, or terminate any easements in 2022. Irc sections 170(h)(4)(b)(i) and 170(h)(4)(b)(ii) do not apply because the Conservancy does not hold any conservation easements on a certified historic structure. The Conservancy spent 420 hours monitoring, inspecting and enforcing conservation easements in 2022. It incurred 21,214 of expenses to monitor, inspect, and enforce easements during 2022. All of the properties subject to a conservation easements the Conservancy holds or co-holds are in Virginia.