Conservation Update from VCC
Valley Conservation Council will soon be looking for a new Executive Director to lead the next chapter in VCC’s growth and development. Under the leadership of Natasha Skelton, VCC doubled the amount of land we steward, received a gift of a 400-acre farm in Highland County on which we plan to host educational seminars and events, and applied for accreditation with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Natasha recently received an offer she couldn’t refuse from a fellow conservation organization, and with many well wishes from the staff and board, moved on to her new position.
As VCC begins the search for our new Executive Director, our Board of Directors is pleased to announce that our Associate Director, Scott Kelly, has stepped up to serve as Acting Executive Director. A long-time Shenandoah Valley advocate, Scott has been visiting the Valley since his childhood, has worked with VCC in various capacities since 2012, and has served as Associate Director since 2017. He holds degrees from Cornell University and Virginia Tech, as well as a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University. He has more than a decade of diversified professional experience, including service as vice president of his family’s healthcare IT business in Sperryville.
During this transitional period, our three-person staff continue their work to protect the greater Shenandoah Valley region. As of this writing, we are working with over a dozen landowners wishing to place conservation easements on their property, are developing an outreach strategy to promote riparian buffers and other best management practices adjacent to our rivers and streams, are participating in multi-organizational conservation efforts at the local and state level, and are planning our next annual meeting (location and time to be announced soon).While the faces of our staff and board change over time, be assured that VCC is continuing to full its mission, and continuing to prosper. We remain indebted to our membership for all you do to enable this important work, and look forward to chatting seeing you at our next event.
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