Our Protected Land

1994

• Organization was incorporated as The Appalachian Conservancy, Inc.

1995

• West Virginia legislature passes enabling legislation for conservation easements
• Received first land donation of 84 acres from Elizabeth Zimmerman in Monongalia County, now called Elizabeth’s Woods
• First conservation easement in Monongalia County (100 acres)

1997

• Organization name changes to West Virginia Land Trust

1998

• Conservation easement in Harrison County (179 acres)

2001

• Conservation easement on 52-acre Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve in Charleston. (The land was donated to the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission by Dolly Wallace Hartman.)

2003

• Conservation easement in Kanawha County (55 acres)

2005

• Conservation easement in Monroe County (54 acres)
• WVLT received a Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation grant to facilitate a greenway plan for the greater Charleston/South Charleston area

2006

• Inaugural Special Places Celebration in Charleston, honoring Dolly Wallace Hartman

2007

• Four easements in Jackson, Greenbrier, and Monroe Counties (totaling 484 acres)

2009

• WV Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund was created

2011

• Received first round of lawsuit settlement funds allowing the organization to grow
• Conservation easement in Jackson County (15 acres)

2012

• Morgantown office opened
• Conservation easement in Monroe County (436 acres)

2013

• Conservation easement in Pocahontas County (384 acres)

2014

• Three conservation easements in Monroe and Summers Counties (733 acres)
• Purchased the Gauley River Canyon in Fayette/Nicholas Counties (665 acres)

2015

• Received land donation in Hardy County called the Poppy Bean Preserve (66 acres)
• Conservation easement in Pocahontas/Randolph Counties (111 acres)
• Applied for LTA accreditation
• Inaugural Blue Jean Ball in Morgantown

2016

• Received National Land Trust Accreditation
• Purchased Camp Bartow Historic Site in Pocahontas County (14 acres)
• Conservation easement in Grant County (14 acres)
• Received land donation of Ancient Forest Preserve in Doddridge County (190 acres)
• Received land donation of two islands in the Ohio River – Upper Twin and Gallipolis Island

2017

• Purchased 236 acres in Monongalia County to expand Elizabeth’s Woods, creating the larger Toms Run Preserve
• Purchased the iconic viewshed of Bickle Knob in Randolph County (123 acres)
• Purchased Needleseye Park in Fayette County, to be used for a public climbing park, hiking and mountain biking (283 acres)
• Three conservation easements in Greenbrier, Pocahontas and Monroe Counties (1,039 acres)

2018

• Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission officially donated the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve to WVLT for ownership (52 acres)
• Conservation easements Pocahontas, Fayette and Randolph Counties (578 acres)
• Purchased 4 acres to expand Poppy Bean Preserve in Hardy County

2019

• Poppy Bean Preserve expanded by 4 more acres (now 74 acres total)
• Purchased the Yellow Creek Natural Area in Tucker County for public recreational access (860 acres)
• Received donation of Piney Creek Preserve in Raleigh County (613 acres)
• Grand Opening of Camp Bartow’s Interpretive Tour

2020

• Grand opening of Toms Run Preserve in Monongalia County
• Six conservation easements in Summers, Fayette, Jefferson and Pendleton Counties (2,932 acres)
• The Nature Conservancy donated 481-acres in Monroe County known as Cove Mountain Preserve to WVLT
• Received donation of 4,800 acres in Fayette/Kanawha Counties known as Mammoth Preserve
• Received 35-acre donation in Clay County known as Quaker’s Landing
• Received 123 acres donation in Monongalia County known as Almas Grove and Whiteday Springs
• Purchased Jenkinsburg Recreation and Natural Area in Preston County (13 acres)
• Purchased a 25-acre property in Greenbrier County known as Arbuckles Fort Preserve

2021

• Accepted a 204-acre property in Monroe County known as Mountain Lake
• Accepted a 41-acre property in Monroe County known as Potts Creek
• Accepted a 113-acre donation in Marion County known as DeBerry

2022

• Purchased three properties in Summers County to create the Little Bluestone Community Forest (211 acres total)
• Purchased 30 acres in Preston County to expand Jenkinsburg Recreation and Natural Area
• Worked with The Archaeological Society to co-purchase Arbuckles Fort Preserve in Greenbrier County (25 acres)
• Received a land donation in Monongalia County known as the Airport Park (36 acres)
• Received a 173-acre land donation in Lincoln County known as the Morris Family Preserve

2023

• We now have 5 caves, 29 Nature Preserves, 32 Easements, 139 miles of streams, 12 rare or endangered species and 23 miles of Recreational Trails and 22,769 acres in 28 WV Counties being protected.
• Grand opening of Marie Hall Jones Ancient Forest Preserve in Doddridge County

Marie Hall Jones Ancient Forest Preserve was inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network, a national network of protected forests.

• Accepted a 148-acre donation in Monroe County known as Greenville Saltpeter Cave
• Accepted a conservation easement on Moulton Park (Jefferson County)
• Grand opening of the Waterfall Trail at Piney Creek Preserve (Raleigh County)

2024:

• WVLT celebrated the organization’s 30^th
• Elizabeth’s Woods section of the Toms Run Preserve was inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network, a national network of protected forests
• Grand opening of Arbuckle Fort Preserve (25 acres in Greenbrier County owned in partnership with The Archaeological Conservancy)
• Conservation easement in Putnam County (87 acres)

2025:

• Strategic Planning