Conserving farmland, forests, open spaces and historic places
in Virginia’s New River region

28,500 acres and counting!

Welcome
The New River Land Trust conserves farmland, forests, open spaces and historic places in Virginia’s New River region. Our home is changing rapidly and we are in danger of losing our vital landscapes and our feeling of connection to the land -- literally the grounding of our communities.

To enhance life in our communities, the New River Land Trust will work with landowners and local governments to protect land for farming, forestry, natural habitat, and recreation. Our region includes Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax and Radford.

How the Land Trust Protects Land
We are losing the natural heritage and beauty that define the New River region. Our work is urgent. A primary goal of the New River Land Trust is outreach to landowners to tell them about conservation easements. We seek to conserve our region’s rural character through sustainable agriculture, by minimizing habitat fragmentation and by protecting our views, especially along the New River and the New River Trail State Park. We have established an endowed fund at The Community Foundation of the New River Valley to ensure that donations and bequests to the Land Trust stay in the New River region. To enhance life in our communities, the New River Land Trust will work with landowners and local governments to protect land for farming, forestry, natural habitat and recreation. Our region includes Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles,Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax and Radford.

Does the New River Land Trust Region Need a Land Trust?
Growth is rapidly changing the landscape of the New River region. Dairy farms and woodlands are disappearing, changing forever the character of our communities. Development now clutters our views, including those from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife habitats are fragmented. Acting alone, individuals and public officials lack the organized resources to ensure change will be a positive force. The New River region is critical to the health of the New River and the Roanoke River (whose headwaters rise in Montgomery and Floyd counties). The New River’s designation as an American Heritage River adds urgency to our efforts to protect from haphazard development. Landowners whose property harbors streams, river and wetlands are key partners in protecting land. This organization joins with 1,100 other land trusts, including the Western Virginia Land Trust, in protecting over four million endangered acres—making a major impact on the American landscape.