Thank you for joining Virginia’s United Land Trusts at the 2023 Virginia Land Conservation and Greenways Conference.
WOW! Approximately 250 land conservation & greenways colleagues representing 100 organizations, agencies, and local governments, as well as more than a dozen high school and college students gathered in the stunning Shenandoah Valley.
Highlights of the conference included:
- Celebrating with Senator Hanger (One Million Acres Conserved by the Land Preservation Tax Credit!) and hearing landowner stories about their connection to the land
- Hearing from Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture & Forestry, Matt Lohr, and Secretary of Natural & Historic Resources, Travis Voyles
- Enjoying seven fabulous field trips and networking with colleagues at the beautiful JMU Arboretum
An enormous thank you to the planning committee, sponsors, presenters, and field trip organizers for helping us deliver this content! We look forward to seeing all of you in 2024!
Questions about the conference?
General conference questions: Ellen Shepard, Virginia’s United Land Trusts
Email: eshepard@vaunitedlandtruts.org
Phone: (540) 529-1595
Questions about the program: Hallie Harriman, The Piedmont Environmental Council
Email: hharriman@pecva.org
Phone: (540) 347-2334, #7066
CLE background materials for Thursday, April 27, 2023
CLE background materials for Thursday, April 27, 2023
(3 credits total, 1.5 confirmed, 1.5 pending)
https://vaunitedlandtrusts.org/annual-conference/
The two sessions are:
Enabling Conservation, Course Documents
8:30-10am, Enabling Conservation: A Tour of Virginia’s Conservation Easement Act and Open-Space Land Act – a panel of nonprofit and government practitioners will cover the two foundational enabling acts for conservation in Virginia. Documents linked below or available on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w0molx9vxhbvc9m/AADtJlRxOt1Jf6w6H40DbBpDa?dl=0.
| Title | Link |
|---|---|
| Course Agenda, Table of Contents, and Faculty Names and Credentials | |
| Code of Virginia Code Chapter 10.1. Virginia Conservation Easement Act | |
| Code of Virginia Code Chapter 17. Open Space Land Act | |
| Historic Alexandria Found v City of Alexandria 858 SE2d 199 2021_Standing Issue In Context of Open Space Easement But Not on OSLA Grounds | |
| Virginia Attorney General Opinions_OSLA and VCEA Use Value Taxation | |
| Virginia Attorney General Opinions_OSLA and VCEA Use Value Taxation Minimum Acreage Requirements | |
| Virginia Attorney General Opinions_OSLA and VCEA Merger Doctrine | |
| US v Blackman 613 SE2d 442 270 Va 68 2005_Validity of Easements in Gross for Conservation Prior to VCEA | |
| NKK0712 Course Approval Live 3_17_2023 | |
| Virginia Attorney General Opinions_VOF Public Body Under OSLA | |
| Virginia Attorney General Opinions_Use of Appurtenant Easements Related to Fee Lands Owned by Land Trust | |
| Virginia Attorney General Opinions_OSLA Defining Open Space Land | |
| Update on Developement in VA Law on Historic and Open Space Easements by George Freeman 1988 | |
| Enabling Conservation_VAULT Conference 2023_V1 |
Stewardship
10:30am-Noon, Foreseeing the Future: Easement Drafting to Avoid Stewardship Tangles – The lawyers from the attorney general’s office, VOF, and in private practice will discuss best practices for careful easement drafting to minimize future interpretation complications.