400 years of history testify to the Richmond region’s pivotal role in the establishment and endurance of our state and our nation. The course of the James River and the course of the United States have intertwined since 1619 when the Virginia Legislature first met. 160 years later the Capitol moved to the city settled at the Falls of the James, surrounded by an abundance of natural resources and beauty. Today the seven counties ringing Richmond continue to attract 21st century settlers, making the capital area one of the three fastest growing regions in Virginia.
But those resources no longer seem boundless and can only support our communities in the future if we manage them more wisely than we have lately. At the current rate of development, more land will be consumed here in the next twenty years than in the previous 400 years. This is a trend that threatens our prosperity, our quality of life, and our health and that, if continued unabated, will leave to our children a world of diminished opportunity.
The Capital Region Land Conservancy is dedicated to a more balanced vision for our region’s future. Ensuring that our cities, suburbs, towns, and rural areas all thrive requires an integrated approach to conservation. The Capital Region Land Conservancy fills a gap in conservation services not met by the many important organizations active in Richmond and the surrounding counties. CRLC stands alone in its singular focus on the Richmond region and its mission to provide education and support to property owners who want to make the stewardship of their land a gift to their communities and to future generations through the donation of permanent conservation easements.
What’s at Stake
Did you know that . . .
• The entire CRLC service area is within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest and most biologically diverse estuary in North America (an estuary is a body of water where ocean saltwater mixes with freshwater from rivers.) In 2000 Virginia entered in a multi-state agreement to improve the health of the Bay so that by 2010 it and its tributaries will no longer be “impaired.” Part of that agreement requires Virginia to protect 20% of its land within the watershed by 2010.
• Natural areas act as a filter for stormwater runoff, protecting the quality and quantity of ground and surface water resources. Runoff from roads, parking lots, and buildings (“impervious surfaces”) carry pollution and sediment into waterways while eroding natural stream channels, threatening human health and aquatic species. In 2007 the James River Association gave the health of the James River an overall grade of “C”.
• A one acre parking lot creates 16 times more runoff than a one acre meadow. Between 1992 and 1997 land development in the Richmond region increased at a rate almost four times that of actual population growth. In less than a decade over 12,000 acres in Chesterfield and Henrico counties were paved or built on.
• 400 years ago, during his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay and the James River, Captain John Smith observed forests along nearly all of the Bay and River. 26,000 acres of forestland are destroyed every year in Virginia and the rate is accelerating.
• CRLC’s service area is home to four major farmer’s markets and eleven Pick Your Own/Fresh-Picked farms. In less than 40 years, farmland in Chesterfield County declined by over 70% and by 60% in Henrico and New Kent counties.
CRLC thanks the James River Association, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for their excellent publications and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ website that are the sources for this information.