Mission: Nvct conserves land that has natural, historical, and cultural value to our communties. This is done by acquiring land and conservation easements, providing stewardship of protected lands, and building public support for conservation. We do this work in partnership with landowners, businesses, public agencies and private organizations.
Programs: Land conservation & stewardship of conserved land in perpetuity - conserving land that has conservation value is the primary mission of nvct. Program revenue covers personnel costs of staff that meet with landowners, negotiate the terms and conditions of the deed of conservation easement, and shepherd the process from initial contact to the recordation of the deed. Associated revenue also covers the cost of professional fees associated with each transaction such as lawyer, appraisal, and environmental assessment expense. Deeds of conservation easement commit the holder (nvct) to perpetual monitoring and defense of the easement's specifications and conservation values. Program revenue covers personnel costs of staff that produce baseline studies as well as conducting and documenting annual visits to the conserved properties. The accumulated documentation is key to future defense of the property should there be challenges or degradation of the conservation values in the future. Associated revenue also covers the cost of professional fees associated with each conserved property such as legal fees and photography.
public outreach and education about benefits of land conservation - outreach is designed to educate the public about the benefits of land conservation and to encourage landowners to consider donating conservation easements or their land itself to nvct.
fiscal sponsor of virginia united land trusts - nvct has agreed to be the fiscal sponsor of the virginia united land trusts (vault). Vault became independently incorporated in the commonwealth of virginia in june of 2017 and now receives a charitable designation from the irs. Revenue from grants and dues funds the cost of having a part time executive director and various sub programs of vault. Sponsorships and registration fees fund the expense associated with the annual conference.
Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is an accredited land trust. Accreditation means Northern Virginia Conservation Trust meets national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has demonstrated to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission its commitment to excellence. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. Learn More: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about.
