By Alicen Hackney
Michael and Christine Downing of Northumberland County were presented with the 2026 Helen and Tayloe Murphy Conservation Champion Award at Northern Neck Land Conservancy’s annual Boots and Barbecue event in early October.
The Helen and Tayloe Murphy Conservation Champion Award recognizes people in our community who have made a significant contribution to protecting natural resources and the unique rural heritage of our region.
The Downing family, including Michael’s siblings and the couple’s daughters, exemplify a legacy of land conservation as the most recent generations to steward Bleak House, a certified Virginia Century Farm established in 1641. Over the centuries, their forebears farmed the land, and they hope their descendants will be able to do the same.
In 2017, Michael and Christine, Mark and Mary Elizabeth Downing placed 96 acres into a conservation easement. Since then, Michael and Christine have protected an additional 918 acres across three other easements, bringing their total to 1,014 acres. This makes them the first single family to conserve more than 1,000 acres with the Northern Neck Land Conservancy! By taking action to protect their land, the Downings have ensured that their family can continue to farm the beautiful property, wildlife can travel safely, and everyone can continue to enjoy the scenic rural landscape. It is a multifold success for regional conservation with deep historic roots.
“Farmers play such an important role in protecting natural resources and preserving the rural heritage of the Northern Neck, and so it was fitting that Michael and Christine Downing of Bleak House Farm receive this year’s award,” said Northern Neck Land Conservancy President Chip Minor. “They have placed over 1,000 acres in easement; they are first-rate farmers and are highly respected in the community.”
At this year’s Boots and Barbecue event, Michael and Christine Downing received a certificate to honor the award and were celebrated by a crowd of like-minded folks in the Northern Neck Land Conservancy’s conservation community.
Guests at the event stepped out in intermittent rain to enjoy live music by Pat and Bill Gurley and Fiddlesticks, an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet, fried oysters, and a village of conservation focused exhibitors sharing their expertise. Guests also toured the historic Lawson Bay Farmhouse owned by the Robison family in White Stone, where the Steamboat Era Museum and Lancaster Historical Society spoke about the interesting history of the property overlooking the Rappahannock River.
As the region’s local land trust, Northern Neck Land Conservancy is committed to preserving working farms, forests, historical sites, scenic views and healthy watersheds. Everyone can support regional land conservation. Visit the Land Conservancy’s website at https://nnconserve.org/ to learn more.