Two Virginia Properties Permanently Protected as Wildlife Sanctuaries

Published on May 13, 2008 - 6:06:31 AM

By: The Humane Society of the United States

May 12, 2008 -- The Humane Society of the United States Wildlife Land Trust has received conservation easements on two forested properties in Virginia, thus enabling their permanent protection for wildlife. The resulting wildlife sanctuaries comprise nearly 200 acres of habitat.

The first sanctuary, established by Howard and Mary Gold, is located high on the western slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, alongside the U.S. National Park Service's Blue Ridge Parkway and north of the village of Meadows of Dan. The 10-acre property is almost entirely forested except for an open meadow, which blooms with native wildflowers in the spring. The Golds inherited the land from a family member in 2001, and were immediately inspired by its natural beauty. "The first time I saw the place, I really wanted to be able to save it for the future," said Mrs. Gold.

A conservation easement is a permanent and legally enforceable agreement between a landowner and a land trust. The landowner agrees to establish the property as a permanent wildlife sanctuary-an agreement that is binding on all future owners of the property-and the land trust enforces the terms of the agreement. For The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust, these terms always include no recreational or commercial hunting or trapping.

"We wanted no development, but we also didn't want any hunting or trapping," stated Mr. Gold, who expressed grave concern about the impact of habitat loss on deer, opossums, birds, butterflies and other wildlife that frequent the sanctuary. "I just feel sorry for these animals that don't have anywhere to go. And if you don't plan now, there's no telling what's going to happen 30, 40 or 50 years from now."

Meanwhile, an anonymous donor protected another 189 acres in the western Piedmont Region of the state, near the town of Warrenton. The resulting sanctuary includes the steep slopes of Prickly Pear Mountain, whose thermals and updrafts attract hawks and other soaring birds. Like the Golds, this donor is committed to protecting wildlife and habitat. "The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust was the only organization we could find that protected both wildlife and their environment in a planned and conscientious manner," says the donor.

"Finding an organization to serve general conservation purposes and to provide wildlife with a permanent sanctuary is not an easy task for landowners," says Robert Koons, executive director of the Trust. "Our niche, as the only national organization that prohibits recreational and commercial hunting and trapping on its sanctuaries, offered these donors the opportunity to fulfill their key goals."

For the Golds, these goals are realized each time they visit their land and celebrate its wildness. "When I go there, it just changes my whole viewpoint about life. I just slow down, and I'm in another place, another world," concludes Mrs. Gold.

Since its founding in 1993, the Wildlife Land Trust has worked with private landowners to create 99 permanent wildlife sanctuaries where recreational and commercial hunting and trapping will always be prohibited. In addition, the Wildlife Land Trust works in collaboration with a variety of partners to protect many other vulnerable lands to benefit wildlife. Proud of its affiliation with The Humane Society of the United States, the Wildlife Land Trust joins in campaigns to protect wildlife from cruel and indefensible practices such as poaching, steel-jawed leghold traps, Internet hunting and canned shoots. Join our online community at wildlifelandtrust.org. Saving Lives by Saving Land.

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