Looking out from the Moorman’s River Overlook in Shenandoah National Park, you’re treated to a breathtaking sweep of the forested, rolling foothills of the Piedmont. What’s not immediately apparent from this viewpoint is the fact that the majority of the land you see is privately owned. The connectedness of these forests to the broader ecoregion is also not visible, but it’s an extremely valuable piece of the conservation puzzle in our region.
Skyline Drive winds through a narrow band of the National Park, buffered by the contiguous and privately owned foothills of the Piedmont. Photo by Hugh Kenny
Shenandoah National Park is part of the larger Appalachian Corridor, widely recognized as a global conservation priority for a variety of reasons. It provides a migratory pathway for birds and other wildlife to move across the eastern landscape, and protected, connected lands are integral to their success. The contiguous blocks of natural forestland are essential for biodiversity, climate resiliency and drinking water protection.
Because the public lands of Shenandoah National Park are very long and narrow, the adjacent privately owned lands play a major role, both as part of the greater Shenandoah ecosystem and as a buffer to the core of protected lands that make up the park. That’s why over the past few years, the Piedmont Environmental Council has been facilitating a large, landscape-scale conservation project to permanently protect these areas, which we call the Southern Shenandoah Borderlands.
The Southern Shenandoah Borderlands project is focused on widening this narrow corridor of protected lands along the Blue Ridge, not just for its important natural habitat value, but also for the many other co-benefits it provides to our local community. These co-benefits include protecting the quality of the waterways that flow into our local reservoirs, enhancing public access to outdoor spaces, improving public health, and maintaining crucial ecological services like flood resiliency and carbon sequestration. These privately owned borderlands also comprise the scenic viewshed enjoyed by park visitors and community members alike.
Over the past five years, PEC land conservation staff in Albemarle County have initiated and facilitated this high-priority project by working with private landowners, as well as local, state, and federal partners to bring it to fruition. As the lead organization and project advocate, PEC successfully applied for two phases of federal grant funding through the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program on behalf of the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF). The grant funding will be used to purchase open-space easements on five properties to permanently protect over 5,000 acres of forestland in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge.
The easements, which will ultimately be held by the VDOF, will protect not just the forest, but also the headwater streams that support native brook trout and flow into the public water supply for Albemarle, Charlottesville, and other downstream communities. The project area also includes habitat for numerous species of concern, including the cerulean warbler, timber rattlesnake and the federally endangered James spinymussel.
Our rural landscape in Albemarle County faces tremendous pressure, and as patterns of growth and development continue to unfold, it is reassuring to know that the vast forests of the Shenandoah Borderlands, as well as the myriad of public benefits they provide, will be protected forever.
This article appeared in the 2024 winter edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.