This property is near Waterview....upriver from Urbanna on the south side of
the Rappahannock....if you google Harry George Creek, Middlesex Co, VA you can
see where it is located!There is some good news in the world!!!Maggie Gerdts
Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Bob McDonnell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2012
Contact: Jeff Caldwell
Phone: (804) 225-4260
Email: Jeff.Caldwell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Governor McDonnell Announces Protection of 640 Acre Weeks Farm
Middlesex family farm is one of the largest waterfront farms along the lower
tidal Rappahannock River
PHOTO LINK: The 640-acre conservation easement in Middlesex County protects
more than seven miles of tidal shoreline along the Rappahannock River and its
tributaries.
RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that one of the largest
waterfront farms along the lower tidal Rappahannock River has been permanently
protected from development by a conservation easement produced through a
partnership of the landowner, Minnie K. Burch, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation
(VOF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS).
“The 640-acre tract will protect more than seven miles of shoreline on the
Rappahannock River from future development,” said Governor McDonnell. “This
easement is part of our efforts to protect more open space, as well as working
farms and forests. To date, we have conserved more than 114,100 acres since
2010.”
The property contains some of the most highly productive farmland in the region
and the easement will ensure that the farm will be permanently available for
production. The easement protects the property’s prime soils and shoreline by
restricting future development. The land can never be divided and there are
limits on the size and number of buildings and structures. In addition, the
landowner will follow a conservation plan which will conserve the soil and
water quality through farming practices such as no-till.
Mrs. Burch, who grew up working on the farm along with her four siblings, said,
“A dear friend told me about conservation easements. She knew what the farm
meant to me and how I never wanted to see it sold or developed. I decided that
a conservation easement was just the tool I needed to save the farm.”
“Large waterfront farms are in high demand for residential development
throughout the tidal Chesapeake Bay region,” said VOF Executive Director Bob
Lee. “The vast scenic shoreline and easy access location of Weeks Farm made it
ripe for development.”
VOF worked with NRCS to enroll the land in the federal Farm and Ranch Lands
Protection Program (FRPP), which provides matching funds to help purchase
development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses.
To purchase the development rights and place the easement on the farm, NRCS
provided 47 percent of the funding through FRPP, VOF provided 16 percent
through its Open Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund, and the remaining 37
percent was donated by Mrs. Burch to the Commonwealth, for which she will
receive state and federal tax benefits. VOF’s contribution was made possible
thanks to funding approved by Governor McDonnell for the Virginia Land
Conservation Foundation, which is administered by the Department of
Conservation and Recreation and provides much of the funding for the Open Space
Lands Preservation Trust Fund.”
“I congratulate Mrs. Burch, VOF, and NRCS for working together to permanently
preserve the historic Weeks Farm,” said Todd P. Haymore, Secretary of
Agriculture and Forestry. “In addition to the environmental benefits that they
provide, working farmlands produce jobs and opportunities for our rural areas,
create products for marketplaces, and generate tax revenue for localities. I
encourage landowners who are interested in preserving their working lands to
contact organizations like the Virginia Outdoors Foundations as well as the
Department of Forestry and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
to explore available conservation options in the Commonwealth.”
The seven miles of tidal shoreline will be protected with 100-foot riparian
buffers that will not only help the water quality of the river, but also
provide valuable continuous habitat for eagles and other wildlife. Combined
with a late 2011 recordation of another 178-acre VOF easement, the protection
of Weeks Farm makes a total of 818 acres preserved along the shorelines of
Harry George Creek and the Rappahannock River.
“This part of Middlesex County experiences a lot of development pressure even
in this economy, and the property could have been a forced sale out of the
family for a large-lot waterfront community,” says VOF’s Estie Thomas, who
managed the project for approximately five years from conception to completion.
“Instead of losing yet another family farm, we have saved the farm for Mrs.
Burch and future farmers in the region.”
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