About Us
Mission Statement
To preserve the rural heritage of the Northern Neck by conserving its lands, water, economies and culture for future generations.
If this is your introduction to organized and intentional private land conservation in our region, welcome and thank you for your interest!
Northern Neck Land Conservancy is a dedicated group of board members, staff, and landowners working together to permanently protect land that is valuable to our region's economy, environment, and way of life.
We invite you to read stories from regional easement donors, learn how to establish a conservation easement, and discover why these projects are beneficial to both landowners and our regional communities
The Northern Neck Land Conservancy is a member supported non-profit land trust, incorporated in January 2004 under Section 501 c 3 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code. As a private non-governmental organization we assist landowners who step forward to protect their land by placing a permanent restriction on development using a conservation easement.
The conservation easement, which is a legal document, allows landowners to decide how they would like their land to be used, now and in the future. Northern Neck Land Conservancy provides interested landowners with information and guidance as they work with various personnel through the easement donation process.
Our staff and board are available to answer your questions and support your conservation goals at any time. We welcome your call, email, or visit.
This mission and the four goals recognize that the preservation of our heritage and quality of life is fundamentally dependent on the health and vitality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, forests, wetlands and open ground. Critical to accomplishing this mission is the need to ensure that landowners have the tools and resources to assist in sound land use planning and management of properties.
Strategic Plan Summary 2025-2030
Goal 1: Protect more land.
Over a five-year period, Northern Neck Land Conservancy will double the number of conservation easements it stewards, increasing the number of protected properties from 50 to 100.
Safeguard held land interests in perpetuity.
Provide excellent ongoing easement stewardship for held properties.
Ensure organizational capability to enforce easements when needed.
Ensure long-term stewardship and enforcement funding resources for each easement held.
Assess regional land conservation values and prioritize critical land protection.
Ensure board, staff and other stakeholder understanding of essential conservation priorities and strategies.
Maintain effective GIS prioritization data and analysis.
Continually refine knowledge of conservation threats and opportunities.
Engage owners of priority lands.
Implement successful outreach events: Land Legacy Forum, Preservation of Farmlands, Woodlands and Wetlands, Boots and Barbecue
Continually refine understanding of landowner and other conservation audiences and ways to engage them.
Increase capacity for high impact land protection projects.
Identify partners and collaborate on shared goals.
Leverage partnerships to increase impact and compete for funding
Establish formal partner agreements when possible and appropriate.
Create additional outreach and resource materials for key landowner audiences.
Produce audience-specific materials as well as an annual report.
Goal 2: Build a Conservation Community.
Increase the number of people in the region who understand, value and are willing to take action to help protect open space land.
Elevate the value and appeal of joining the Land Conservancy’s conservation community.
Annually administer the Helen & Tayloe Murphy Conservation Champion Award.
Ensure that participating with the Land Conservancy is fun!
Share conservation success stories.
Celebrate conservation easement donors.
Engage and equip regional land conservation ambassadors and champions.
Educate and engage:
- Professional advisors: attorneys, appraisers, accountants, etc.
- Supporting members.
- Community influencers.
- Past Land Conservancy board members.
Create and strengthen partnerships with, and value for, allied organizations.
Identify complementary goals and potential efficiencies with regional groups, like organizations and local government.
Leverage Bay View property.
Showcase the Land Conservancy’s mission, offer public access to open space land and water and increase community conservation.
Prudent property management including forest management and invasive plant mitigation as needed.
Capital improvements: parking pad, hiking trail and signage.
Goal 3: Ensure mission-essential capacity and resources.
Increase organizational capacity and secure financial resources to ensure effective outreach, permanent land protection and wise financial management.
Ensure sound and sustainable policies and practices.
Maintain Accreditation.
Continually review and improve policies and practices.
Anticipate and adapt to land use trends and threats.
Ensure sufficient funding.
Ensure transparent and effective financial management to include excellent annual operating and long-term budgets, investment oversight and annual financial review.
Development of unrestricted funding resources for annual operations. Highlights: the Northern Neck special license plate, and annual sponsorship opportunities.
Development of restricted funding resources for long-term easement stewardship and enforcement, as well as special projects.
Advocate for state and federal funding that prioritizes land conservation. [Northern Neck Land Conservancy is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. It does not lobby lawmakers. It does not take a position on specific issues or projects. The organization does educate lawmakers about the importance of adequate funding for essential conservation programs.]
Leverage participation in regional and statewide conservation communities.
Maximize Northern Neck Land Conservancy’s membership in VaULT – Virginia’s United Land Trusts, the Our Virginia Outdoors Coalition, the Rappahannock River Roundtable and other groups.
Ensure clear and consistent messaging.
Build capacity for efficient and effective events.
Maintain effective messaging assets: Elevator Pitch, brochures, etc.
Maintain ongoing story-telling system blog-style website and eNewsletter content, as well as utilizing mapping resources.
Ensure effective messaging channels: Website, eNewsletter, social media, etc.
Ensure sufficient staffing.
Ensure the right number of staff and ensure appropriate professional development.
Ensure a highly effective board of directors that reflects the diversity of the region and provides sufficient talent, time and “treasure” to meet strategic goals.
Directory
Board of Directors
Community leaders serve on the Northern Neck Land Conservancy Board of Directors and their experience and backgrounds provide the special expertise and skills necessary to efficiently and effectively conserve land in our region. Each county of the Northern Neck is represented on the Board.
Officers
| Elliot “Chip” Minor III, President | Westmoreland |
| Horatio “Whit” Turner, Vice President | King George |
| James "Jim" Russell, Secretary | Northumberland |
| Stuart “Stu” Ashton, Treasurer | King George |
| Barbara Day, At Large | Northumberland |
Board Members
| Douglas Adler | Lancaster |
| Barry Bates | Essex |
| Anne Brumley | Westmoreland |
| Thomas "Tommy" Blackwell | Essex |
| Robert Hedelt | Fredericksburg |
| Kevin Howe | Northumberland |
| Leslie “Les” Kilduff | Northumberland |
| Thomas Naughton | Northumberland |
| John Meier | Westmoreland |
| Laurie Schlemm | King George |
| Courtney Sisson | Richmond |
| Emily Wilkinson | Richmond |
Staff Directory
Lisa Biever
Executive Director
lisa@nnconserve.org
Alicen Hackney
Community Engagement Officer
alicen@nnconserve.org
Drew Gladwell
Stewardship Director
drew@nnconserve.org
Cari Kitchens
Office Manager
cari@nnconserve.org
Duncan Griffiths
Conservation Easement Manager
duncan@nnconserve.org
Visit Us: 483 Main Street, Suite B, Warsaw, VA
Northern Neck Land Conservancy
483 Main Street
Suite B
Warsaw, VA 22572
Mailing Address
Northern Neck Land Conservancy
PO BOX 697
Warsaw, VA 22572
Join the Conservation Community
Contact Us
804-250-2334
Info@nnconserve.org
Lisa Biever
Executive Director
lisa@nnconserve.org
Drew Gladwell
Stewardship Director
drew@nnconserve.org