Three Greene County families have granted conservation easements to the state, providing protection against large-scale development for nearly 400 acres of mountainside.
Virginia Department of Forestry officials said they have recorded easements protecting 395 acres on Snow and Hightop mountains west of Stanardsville.
The properties are 97 percent forest and include the headwaters of several streams that are primary tributaries of Matties Run and Buffalo Creek, within the Rivanna River watershed.
A 163-acre Hightop Mountain easement was granted to the state by Jay Mason, the grandson of W. Roy Mason, an Episcopal missionary who served at Mission Home and was involved in the construction of the Hightop Episcopal Mission.
The acreage shares almost 2,000 feet of property line with Shenandoah National Park. The easement means the property may never be subdivided.
The property contains one of several springs contributing to Buffalo Creek, which flows into the Roach River to the north fork of the Rivanna River.
Brothers David and Paul Saunier provided Snow Mountain easements of 170 acres in two parcels. The properties are within a half-mile of each other and the Mason easement. The property may never be more than three parcels and future development is restricted.
The property has been in the family since 1967, said Paul Saunier.
Bill and Brenda Jones provided an easement for 62 acres that share property lines with both Saunier easements. The lot may not be divided in the future, and the size and location of existing and future buildings will be limited.
The donations were the result of efforts by the Blue Ridge Foothills Conservancy, Piedmont Environmental Council and the forestry department, with support from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
The easements are among the first to receive funding under the department’s Forests to Faucets program, introduced in 2010. The program is designed to protect and enhance water quality through financial incentives to landowners participating in forest management and conservation, including easements.
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