The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) has announced its newest conservation success in Great Falls.
The 13-acre-plus property within the Pond Branch watershed in Dranesville District will be preserved in perpetuity courtesy of a conservation easement donated by a Great Falls couple, NVCT officials said Oct. 27.
The site, which includes a mix of forest and agricultural fields, will continue to serve as a wildlife haven that also minimizes flooding, improves air quality, and preserves native-plant life.
The conservation easement will protect the property from future development, preserve its natural habitat and agricultural value, and maintain its scenic open space and historic significance, officials said.
The Hardman family, the property’s longtime owners, said they appreciated people who assisted in the site’s perpetual protection.
“Over the 30 years we’ve lived in Great Falls, the disappearance of our area’s pastures and woodlands has heightened our appreciation of our own property’s woods, rolling terrain and creek bed,” the family said in a statement released by NVCT. “Our many large trees improve air quality, provide relief from the intense summer heat and provide a safe habitat for wildlife.”
NVCT began working with the Hardman family more than a year ago to see if their dream for the future of the property could become a reality.
The property’s main house, built in 1979 and expanded over time, is nestled within an expansive matrix of natural lands surrounding the Potomac Gorge. The area teems with wildlife, as witnessed by regular sightings of a wide range of mammals and resident and migratory birds, NVCT officials said.
Several wildlife species of concern, including wood turtles and brown and tri-colored bats, have been detected at the site, according to the Virginia Department of Fish and Game’s Fish and Wildlife Information Service.
The property includes segments of Mine Run, a tributary directly connected to the Potomac River about a mile away, and some of these areas have been recognized by state and county officials as critical to maintaining watershed quality.
The Fairfax County government has designated more than 6 acres of the property a Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area. About 8 acres of the site are covered by tree canopy, consisting mostly of good-quality, large-diameter trees in a wide range of native species.
“It’s unusual to get such a mix of agricultural and forest values protected along with a critical stream,” said NVCT conservation director Matt Gerhart. “We feel grateful to the Hardmans for taking such an important step for the sake of the property and Great Falls’ future.”
The easement also represents a successful collaboration from a partnership between NVCT and the Georgetown Pike Rural Preservation Trust, a new local volunteer effort to protect and enhance the Georgetown Pike corridor.
Since its founding in 1994, NVCT has protected nearly 9,000 acres in urban and rural areas. For more information, visit www.nvct.org.
