Eagle Scout Candidate Doing His Part Improving
the Trail System at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve

CHARLESTON, WV — Boy Scout Troop 31 Buckskin Council will be clearing and rebuilding trail paths this Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve in Charleston. The 50+ acre preserve is a public recreation space that is owned by Kanawha County Parks and Recreation (KCPRC) but is protected from future development under a conservation easement that is held by the West Virginia Land Trust (WVLT). The preserve was donated by Dolly Wallace Hartman and her family for the enjoyment of the residents of Kanawha County. It is accessible from Adrian Drive off of South Ruffner Road in South Hills.

This project is a part of a recently awarded Sustainable Kanawha Valley Initiative Grant. The purpose of the project is to support the efforts of Charleston City Council to change national public perception of Charleston as an unhealthy city by assisting the goal of creating 100 miles of marked biking, jogging and hiking trails. The West Virginia Land Trust, in conjunction with partners for the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission, Charleston Land Trust, Boy Scout Troop 31, Buckskin Council, Wilbur Smith Associates and Marshall University- IST will work together over the next year to improve the existing trail system at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve by creating a new trail head, improving existing trail head and adding signage and other amenities.

The WVLT is a private, member-supported, non-profit organization and West Virginia’s only statewide land trust. Since its incorporation in 1995, the organization has helped protect over 17,000 acres statewide through voluntary conservation easements. Conservation easements are voluntary contracts between a landowner and a land trust, such as the WVLT, government agency or another qualified organization. These contracts allow the landowner to place permanent restrictions on the future uses of some or all of their property for the purpose of protecting scenic, wildlife, botanical, recreational, agricultural or historical resources.

Conservation easements are donated by the landowner to the WVLT, who in turn then has the authority and obligation to enforce the terms of the easement. The property, however, still belongs to the landowner who has exclusive rights to use, sell or give the land to others. No two conservation easements are the same, because they are tailored to individual landowner needs. The WVLT works closely with landowners to afford flexibility and meet the custom needs of each property. The easement document is a legal instrument signed and recorded in the county of record; therefore, restrictions of the easement are permanent and stay with the land forever.

The WVLT’s mission is to help preserve the special places that give West Virginia its distinctive character. If you would like to volunteer, become a member or need more information on the West Virginia Land Trust please visit: www.wvlandtrust.org, call 866.982.5863 or email wvlandtrust@te-associates.com.