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Four conservation projects in Virginia got a recent boost from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
Photo Above: The Shenandoah Mountain Act in Congress would protect 92,562 acres.
© Brad Striebig
In Amherst County, the Monacan Indian Nation received $207,000 to help acquire and protect 100 acres on Bear Mountain, an area that’s been home to the tribe for more than 10,000 years. In Montgomery County, a $175,500 grant will help the New River Land Trust purchase an easement on 65 acres; about 20 acres of the land will be a state Natural Area Preserve. In Grayson County, the New River Soil & Water Conservation District will use its $314,300 to protect 145 acres as a public park. The fourth grant was $33,500 to help protect a 700-acre property of woodlands and streams in Washington County. vof.org.
Land protection efforts in western Virginia also advanced this summer when U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine introduced two bills in Congress. The Shenandoah Mountain Act would establish a 92,562-acre “scenic area” in Rockingham, Augusta and Highland counties. The designation applies only to land already publicly owned in the George Washington National Forest. friendsofshenandoahmountain.org.
The second bill was the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act. It would add 5,600 federal acres to two existing wilderness areas in Bath County — Rich Hole and Rough Mountain — which are also entirely on publicly owned land in the George Washington National Forest. Proponents are cautiously optimistic it will pass this year. vawilderness.org.
The story above first appeared in our September / October 2025 issue.
