WHEREAS, for 25 years, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has been dedicated to its mission of "Saving Nearby Nature" by conserving land and waters with natural, historical, and cultural value to the community; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust serves urban, suburban, and rural communities in the Counties of Arlington, Caroline, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, and Stafford and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust stewards and monitors land with conservation, historical, and cultural values on parcels of all sizes, from small lots in heavily developed urban areas to largely undisturbed land, forests, grasslands, other habitats, and working farms in rural areas; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust holds 99 conservation easements, owns 21 parcels, and has conserved nearly 6,500 acres of private and public land, including a 70-acre great blue heron rookery in Stafford County, protecting one of the largest nesting sites in the Chesapeake area; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has conserved 12 conservation properties designated as Virginia Treasures by the Governor in 2016 and protected the Alexandria at the Ready Civil War site, Lily's Beloved Farm in Fairfax County, Oak Hill in western Fairfax County, the Crow's Nest in Stafford County, and the Murray-Dick-Fawcett House in Old Town Alexandria; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust offers technical assistance to help local governments achieve comprehensive local plans in a way that preserves and enhances natural resources; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust builds engagement with the community through opportunities for volunteering, special programs and workshops, training courses, and outreach events; and

WHEREAS, many areas of Northern Virginia face increasing development pressures which leave few opportunities to save natural resources on which all Virginians depend; the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is one of the few organizations with the goal, ability, and foresight to save diminishing lands and waters; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust was the first land trust in Virginia to be accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and is the leading nonprofit land and water conservation trust organization in Northern Virginia; and

WHEREAS, over the years, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has fulfilled its mission through the hard work of the Board of Directors, staff members, and volunteers and the able leadership of its officers and board members; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust hereby be commended on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's work to sustain the thriving natural spaces in communities throughout Northern Virginia.