Gillette Tract Preserved on Nottoway River
Photo Credit: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Gillette Tract Preserved: Ensures Long-Term Protection of Nottoway River’s Scenic and Ecological Riches
Greenville, S.C. — August 22, 2024: A new conservation easement on the Gillette tract will protect 2,100 feet of the Nottoway River frontage in southeastern Virginia, supported by a grant from the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (EFCF). Managed by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF), this easement will preserve water quality, scenic beauty, and wildlife habitats, and reinforce protection for the river and its tributaries.
The Nottoway River, a Scenic River and Blueway Trail flowing into the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary, will benefit from this effort, ensuring its ecological and scenic value for future generations. Brandi Colander, Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this significant milestone for environmental preservation and to assist with the conservation of another important easement along the Nottoway River.”
Eligible for the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, the easement supports the river’s exceptional attributes and safeguards its environment. The river is also classified as “Threatened and Endangered Waters” by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, protecting rare species like the Roanoke Logperch and Dwarf wedge mussel.
The property includes natural heritage resources such as Bald Cypress and Coastal Plain Bottomland Forest, contributing to a continuous wildlife habitat corridor. Estie Thomas, Easement Manager at Virginia Outdoors Foundation, noted, “This is another important puzzle piece that fits in with all of the important land protection along the Nottoway system, and VOF is proud to work on this partnership with the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund.”
About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund:
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva in December 2015 to protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects. Learn more at http://envivaforestfund.org/
About Virginia Outdoors Foundation:
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation is established to promote the preservation of open-space lands and to encourage private gifts of money, securities, land or other property to preserve the natural, scenic, historic, scientific, open-space and recreational areas of the Commonwealth.
Learn more: https://vof.org/
About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at www.usendowment.org.
Media Contacts:
Aleta Rogers, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (aleta@usendowment.org; 864-233-7646)
