Rolling apple orchards permanently preserved

MIDDLEBURG, Va., March 15, 2022 – The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) is pleased to announce two nearly contiguous conservation easements in Rockingham (a new county for LTV to hold an easement) and Shenandoah Counties, thanks to the generosity of The Bowman Family. These 342-acre and 165-acre properties are in heavy agricultural use including apples, corn, and cattle.
The Bowman’s properties are nearby to several protected lands including three other conservation easements and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. Combined, these properties contain 395 acres of “Prime Farmland Soils” or “Farmland Soils of Statewide Importance”, 51 acres of forest, 1,956 feet of Fort Run streambed and 2,435 feet of Holmans Creek.
“This is the first time we have completed two easements at once for a family and we were thrilled to do so,” said LTV Executive Director, Ashton Cole. “The Bowman Family is one of the largest producers of apples in the Shenandoah Valley. We hope their conservation leadership will encourage others to make this same generous choice to protect their working farmlands forever.”
The Bowman’s easements are the 237th and 238th easements completed by the Land Trust of Virginia. For more information about their work, please visit http://www.landtrustva.org.

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About the Land Trust of Virginia
The Land Trust of Virginia is a nonprofit organization that partners with private landowners who voluntarily protect and preserve properties with significant historic, scenic, or ecological value. LTV has worked with 240 families, conserving a total of 30,721 acres in 31 counties in Virginia. While LTV charges landowners for their services, the fees charged only cover about 28% of LTV’s actual costs, so fundraising is essential to our mission.