On March 14, the NNLC held its Annual Meeting at Historic Menokin.  Some fifty members and supporters gathered to recognize the achievements of the past four years.  Founded in 2003, the NNLC has already made significant steps in its work to preserve the rural heritage of the Northern Neck.

The annual meeting opened with a short address by President Mary Louisa Pollard. She thanked the owners of 19 individual parcels of land which were placed under conservation easements in the past year.  Totaling over 2,700 acres distributed across the five counties of the Northern Neck, these lands included over six and a half miles of shoreline.

As a way of spreading information about  land preservation agreements, the NNLC hosts small ‘Farm Country Gatherings’  to provide a forum for informal discussions about the legal and financial ramifications of conservation easements and to explain the tax benefits available to landowners who choose this method of  securing the future of their properties.  Pollard announced the next ‘gathering’ would be held in King George on May 20, and encouraged anyone who would like to attend to contact the NNLC. 

Pollard also spoke of two booklets that will be available in a month or so, focusing on land preservation agreements and on environmentally sound strategies in land stewardship.  In addition, the NNLC is compiling a list of ‘Century Farms’ in our region – properties that have been in the ownership of the same family for a century or more.