Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Virginia’s working farms and forests, battlefields and other historic sites, natural areas, parks and rivers are critical to its economy, culture and quality of life. In 1999, the assembly and governor established the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) to fund protection of these resources. The interactive map below depicts VLCF-grant projects funded since 2000.
| Name: | Piney Grove Vernal Pools Project |
|---|---|
| Category: | Natural Area Preservation |
| Grant Round: | FY20 |
| Acres: | 447 |
| Locality: | Sussex County |
| Management Agency: | The Nature Conservancy |
| Owner: | Private |
| ConserveVirginia: | Natural Habitat & Ecosystem Diversity, Floodplains & Flooding Resilience, Protected Landscapes Resilience |
| Amount Awarded: | $367,000.00 |
| Applicant: | The Nature Conservancy |
| Latitude: | 36.97707 |
| Longitude: | -77.067558 |
| Description: | Utilizing a VLCF grant, TNC acquired and then deeded 331 acres of forestland, and also granted an open-space easement over an additional 116 acres of adjacent land on TNC’s Piney Grove Preserve, to DCR to establish the new 447-acre Piney Grove Flatwoods Natural Area Preserve. TNC’s Piney Grove Preserve comprises one of the largest blocks of fire-maintained southern pine savanna in Virginia and supports one of just two breeding populations of the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker in the state. TNC and state conservation agency partners will work to restore pine savanna habitat on the newly-created Natural Area Preserve to facilitate growth of the red-cockaded woodpecker population in support of range-wide recovery efforts for the species. This acquisition also ensures permanent protection of four vernal pools on the property that support populations of several state-rare amphibian species. |
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