Just in Time for Earth Day: New Partnership Conserves Special Land in Northumberland

Lancaster, Va. — To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Northern Neck Land Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy have announced their new partnership to protect an ecologically-significant property in Virginia’s Northern Neck.

Last month, the Northern Neck Land Conservancy secured an environmentally-sensitive, 225-acre site near Dameron Marsh in Northumberland County. Known locally as “Bayview,” the site is located near the intersection of Balls Neck Road and Balls Lane and has extensive Balls Creek and Chesapeake Bay frontage. 

“This land is a key habitat –  part of the Chesapeake Bay estuary and in the vicinity of  the Natural Area Preserves at Hughlett’s Point and Dameron Marsh,  as well as the Northern Neck Land Conservancy’s recently conserved Ditchley and Gascony sites,” says Elizabeth Friel, Executive Director of the Northern Neck Land Conservancy. “Connecting these conserved areas allows us to truly protect this landscape for the long term.” 

The purchase of this property is in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and is funded through the Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund. The Nature Conservancy will maintain its conservation easement on the property and will restore a portion of the wetlands in an area of the site. 

“This site provides a unique opportunity to restore former wetland areas to functioning forested wetlands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and we are excited to embark on the full restoration and protection of this ecologically-important property,” says Karen Johnson, Director of Wetland and Stream Mitigation for The Nature Conservancy. 

The partnership is beneficial to both organizations and to the local community, as it will help further preserve the rural heritage, scenic resources, and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

“The Northern Neck Land Conservancy spent more than a year evaluating this proposal, and we are thrilled to take on this partnership to ensure the property is forever protected,” stated Kirwan King, President of the Northern Neck Land Conservancy.