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Virginia

Policy

Join The Nature Conservancy in Virginia in Shaping Conservation Policy

Rolling mountains covered in different shades of green trees stand in the foreground of a cloudy blue sky.
Clinch Mountain Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains. © Kyle LaFerriere Photography

Joining Forces to Build a Sustainable Future for Virginia

For more than 60 years, you have helped The Nature Conservancy protect nature through conservation policy. We all share a deep connection to Virginia's breathtaking landscapes, from the rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic barrier islands. With your support, let's continue to build on that legacy.

Our Policy Positions

We partner with policy leaders to strengthen the connection between nature and people and to advance nature-based solutions.

Explore Our Legislative Priorities

    • TNC VA is advocating for Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act, a $230 M annual dedicated funding bill to increase funding for conservation grant programs, state parks, trail development, and land acquisitions by Virginia’s natural resources state agencies.  
    • TNC VA is advocating for a bill to establish a statewide land conservation goal of protecting 20% of Virginia’s land by 2035. 

  • TNC in Virginia is advocating for budget amendments to:

    • Secure state funding that will enable placing over 62,000 acres of the Cumberland Forest under public access easement - this would be the largest conservation easement in Virginia history. 

    • Fund an engineering study of costs to renovate the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center, where TNC scientists work closely with state wildlife biologists to breed freshwater mussels and restore aquatic biodiversity in the Clinch River.  

    • Increase funding for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. 

    • We are working with partners to advance bills that support increased distributed energy generation by increasing the quota for small-scale solar projects, expanding long and short-term utility energy storage requirements, and pilot virtual power plants to balance supply and demand of power on the electrical grid. 

    • TNC VA expects one or more solar bills to be introduced this legislative session impacting the ability of localities to approve and site solar projects. We will be monitoring this legislation and weigh in where there are opportunities to provide our policy, public administration or scientific expertise. 
    • We are supporting legislation and a budget amendment to fully fund the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Program and increase the per KW reimbursement rate for projects build on brownfield sites.

  • Download a copy to support your discussions, committee work, and budget planning. Contact information for our Government Relations Manager is included.

Policy, People + Nature Share a Vital Connection

Land connects us. It is the foundation of our existence, providing us with food, energy, and space where we build our cities and communities. Our culture and way of life are deeply connected to the natural world, reminding us that we depend on healthy lands, waters, and ecosystems. Our land flows with natural springs and rivers that produce water, supports vital wildlife corridors for endangered species, and ecosystems for marine life. It protects vulnerable coastlines and adds beauty to developed areas. Recognizing this fundamental connection, we must conserve our land in order to safeguard all we cherish for generations. 

Bald cypress trees rise up from the waters of Lake Drummond, surrounded by mist and fog.

Feature

Virginia's Living Landscape

The Great Dismal Swamp, located in southeastern Virginia, is one of the largest remaining intact swamps in the eastern United States. It supports a variety of wildlife including black bears, bobcats and over 200 species of birds.

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A view of reflecting water and a vast blue sky at the Brownsville Preserve on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Brownsville Preserve A view of the Brownsville Preserve, located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and purchased by TNC in 1978. © Margaret Van Clief/TNC

How TNC Uses Land Acquisitions & Conservation Easements to Conserve Virginia

These powerful and effective tools allow us to protect open space lands from intensive development. TNC uses land acquisition to purchase land to preserve it for conservation, agriculture, and outdoor recreation. Conservation easements offer a unique solution, allowing landowners to protect their land while continuing to live on and use their land, at the same time potentially providing them with tax benefits.

  • Advocate for land conservation and help improve water quality and supply, boost resiliency against storms, and conserve diverse habitats and species. It also has economic benefits such as support for agricultural productivity and creating more opportunities for people to get outdoors and connect with nature. Investing in land conservation today ensures a healthier, more resilient environment and quality of life for all who call our state home.

  • Our mission of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. 

    We see an exciting future for nature. A future filled with opportunities and possibilities. A future where nature beats the odds. Where a better tomorrow exists thanks to forests, grasslands and streams. Coral reefs and mountain ranges. Animals great and small. Our human communities. By collaborating across boundaries, borders and divides, we can manifest this a reality because together, we find a way.

How to Work Together

to Make a Difference

  • Partner

    Invite us to the table to collaboratively address nature loss alongside landowners, organizations, communities, and local & state government agencies.

  • Policy

    Develop conservation policies that reflect our shared values and goals, ensuring the protection of nature while enabling effective natural resource management strategies.

  • Fund

    Invest in our future by funding initiatives that encourage conservation of our lands and waters, and balance development with ecological integrity.

Five people working in shallow water, using concrete oyster castles to build new reef at a site near Wachapreague on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
Building Resilience TNC staff and volunteers use concrete oyster castles to build new reef at a site near Wachapreague on Virginia's Eastern Shore. © Mark Schwenk

Decades of Hands-on Expertise Working with Communities & Government at All Levels

Since 1951, we have shared policy recommendations and fostered a world where both people and nature thrive. As a non-partisan, evidence based organization, we strive to advance policy solutions that support the diversity of life.

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Advance Meaningful Policy for Virginia

Thoughtful conservation policies drive meaningful statewide progress. Let’s unite to conserve nature, empower communities, and ensure lasting solutions for wildlife and biodiversity today.

A man rides his bike on a curved trail, surrounded by trees.
A ruby-throated hummingbird perched on a plant.
An Eastern Newt climbing on moss.
A smiling man wearing a snorkel and wetsuit in the ocean holds eelgrass in his hand. A boat and three more people collecting eelgrass are in the background.
A weathered wooden gate is overgrown by a tall, flowering bush. The mowed pastured behind the gate stretches to a line of tall trees. A mountain ridge rises along the horizon.
A man rides his bike on a curved trail, surrounded by trees.

Natural Resources: Rock climbing at Hidden Valley Recreation Area. © Travis Dove

A ruby-throated hummingbird perched on a plant.

Ruby-throated hummingbird: Female ruby-throated hummingbird patiently waiting for her turn at the feeder in Pembroke, Virginia. © Michael Sporer

An Eastern Newt climbing on moss.

Red Eft: An Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) exhibits its Red Eft state in Breaks, VA. © Steven David Johnson

A smiling man wearing a snorkel and wetsuit in the ocean holds eelgrass in his hand. A boat and three more people collecting eelgrass are in the background.

Restoration Success: Volunteer Al McKegg collects eelgrass shoots in South Bay, Eastern Shore of Virginia. © Alex Novak / TNC

A weathered wooden gate is overgrown by a tall, flowering bush. The mowed pastured behind the gate stretches to a line of tall trees. A mountain ridge rises along the horizon.

Turkey Tail Mushroom: (Trametes versicolor). This species of fungi displays a variety of colors; green is the result of algae growing on them. © Nancy Carey

Take Action for Virginia

Policy makes conservation possible. Every acre we preserve, every river mile restored, every habitat we save for wildlife is because of you.

Download Our Positions

Real Stories, Real Impact

Low morning clouds are reflected in the still water of a creek that winds through green wetlands.

Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund

For more than 25 years, The Trust Fund has helped TNC make large-scale freshwater conservation in Virginia possible.

The mirror like surface of a large pond reflects the tall pine trees and limbless, bleached snags that line its edge.

Land Protection at VVCR

Working with local, state, and federal partners, the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve protects land on the Eastern Shore through land acquisition and conservation easements.

View from a rock outcrop looking over rolling forested green mountain ridge tops as the sun sets behind a bank of clouds.

Virginia’s Public Lands

Celebrating the contribution public lands make to Virginia’s natural heritage, culture and economy, and the role TNC has played in protecting them.

By Daniel White