Created in 2019, the fund is named for Malcolm Forbes Baldwin, Land Trust of Virginia's former board member and friend, in honor of Malcolm's lifetime of service to conservation and his support for family farms in his community. Malcolm worked tirelessly to support other farmers and encouraged many in the local farming community to conserve their land as he had permanently. The fund is utilized to help underwrite the fees for conservation easement donations on properties that have historically been in agricultural use.
Lloyd and Linda Mundie run a 5th generation farming operation. With the assistance of the Baldwin Fund, they have now ensured that future family members will have the opportunity to continue this legacy. When asked about the easement donation, Lloyd stated,
"With the way farming and land prices are going, we are trying to plan for the future. This is one way we can give my grandchildren a good start by locking this land in, so it will never be used for anything but farming. They are young now, but we hope some of them will stay and farm. I am so blessed to wake up every morning and go to work with my three sons."
We aim to continue building this fund to help farmers conserve their properties. Every day, these working farmers make the critical decision, including financial implications, to permanently protect their farmland from development. With your help, we can do just that! By supporting this fund, you're helping make the conservation of Virginia farmland a reality!
Mars Blue Ridge
Conservation Fund
Our iconic Blue Ridge Mountains are an amazing resource that helps define our Commonwealth, but they are as vulnerable as they are visible. Your contribution to this fund will protect this wonderful resource for the benefit of wildlife, hikers on the Appalachian Trail, and all of us who enjoy these unique mountains' history and scenic beauty.
This property consists of 85.99 acres of rolling grasslands and forested areas that are steeply sloped. The property has approximately 1,400 feet of frontage on Riley Hollow Road and is visible from Shenandoah National Park, the Appalachian Trail, Skyline Drive, and the Hogback Overlook.
This property consists of 121.16 acres located amongst a high density of other conservation easements. It is also within the viewshed of the Appalachian Trail and Skyline Drive at the Hogback Overlook. Nearly half of the property (56 acres) features soils that are defined as being either “Prime Farmland” or “Farmland of Statewide Importance.” The easement also protects important forest acreage and water resources, including a perennial stream.
Deborah Whittier Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund
This fund represents a testament to our collective commitment to the conservation and preservation of Virginia's Civil War history. Since its inception, the Fitts Fund has been pivotal in safeguarding 27 unique properties spanning thousands of acres across a dozen Virginia counties, helping protect threatened historic landscapes permanently. The fund is used to help reduce the easement donation costs that landowners face, which can sometimes be a disincentive to pursuing the conservation option.
The "Crednal" Property
This property is entirely within the Unison Battlefield Historic District. On the evening of Nov. 1, 1862, J.E.B. Stuart and his staff officers dined at Crednal, and the following day, the property was at the center of the fighting during Phase 6 of the battle.
Established in 2009, The Fitts Fund was created in memory of the late Deborah Whittier Fitts, a long-time professional journalist who reported for both the Loudoun Times Mirror and the Civil War News. Many considered her to be the nation’s leading journalist covering Civil War preservation issues. For over a decade, Fitts wrote eloquently about the struggle to protect Virginia's Civil War landscapes. She covered many significant Civil War preservation battles that made national headlines, such as the proposed Disney theme park near Manassas, the successful preservation of Brandy Station, and many other nationally significant Civil War battlefield preservation efforts.
In the 16 years since Deborah's passing, Land Trust of Virginia has used the Fitts Fund to help protect the historic battlefields that were so important to Deborah and continue to be important for our shared understanding of our nation’s history. The fund has been very effective, and we want to thank those who have contributed to this Fund for making this preservation work possible.
While we’ve celebrated significant successes, there is much more work to do, and there are many more important properties in need of protection.
At the Land Trust of Virginia, our focus is on donated conservation easements, not on the much more costly purchase of land. We work with landowners interested in preserving their properties, maintaining the beautiful scenic landscapes we all enjoy as we pass through the Virginia countryside. The most important element of conservation easements is that they permanently preserve open space, by preventing the type of excessive development and subdivision of land that, if left unchecked, will continue to consume farms, forests and historic landscapes.
We aim to continue building the Deborah Whittier Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund to help conserve threatened battlefield lands, and your support of the Fitts Fund is very much appreciated! Currently, there are a half-dozen important battlefield properties we’re working to protect, and we look forward to sharing the wonderful results of our work with you. Thank you for your support of LTV and historic preservation!