State, Local Funds to Help Protect 500 Acres of Old-Growth Cypress Swamp along 5 Miles of the Blackwater River

Isle of Wight County and The Nature Conservancy partner on wetland protection project

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA — June 20, 2007 — The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation has awarded $400,000 for the protection of 500 acres of mature swamp forest along more than five miles of the Blackwater River in Isle of Wight County. With this funding, Isle of Wight and The Nature Conservancy will protect river frontage filled with ancient cypress and tupelo trees. The property is located across the river from the Conservancy’s 78-acre Blackwater River Preserve, which supports one of the highest densities of 1,000-year-old trees in the eastern United States.

Tom Ivy, Chairman of the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors, says “Isle of Wight County has established the

protection of our natural resources as a top priority. Through our Open Space Fund and Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements Programs, the Board has committed to becoming a leader in conservation. We are pleased the Governor of Virginia has established the same priorities for the Commonwealth and is supporting our local efforts through this generous award."

The Blackwater River flows from its headwaters in Prince George County to the North Carolina line, where it joins the Nottoway River to form the Chowan River. The cypress-tupelo forests found on the Isle of Wight property are among the few places remaining in coastal Virginia where visitors can view a forest with tree sizes similar to those that likely existed at the time of European settlement.

“This project is an excellent example of a local government leveraging its financial resources with state conservation funds to protect natural places that it cherishes,” said Brian van Eerden, The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Rivers Program director. “Isle of Wight is to be commended for having the foresight to establish an Open Space Program to capitalize on important conservation opportunities like this.”

Isle of Wight intends to match the state funding through its Open Space Program to purchase the property. Upon completion of the purchase, The Nature Conservancy and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation will hold a conservation easement over the property that will prevent future development or timber extraction on the property.

The ecological value of the property lies not only in the presence of mature cypress and tupelo trees, but also its contribution to the protection of the drinking water supply for over 700,000 residents in the Norfolk metropolitan area. In addition, keeping these forested wetlands intact will help benefit flood abatement efforts in the Blackwater River watershed, which has faced two severe floods in the past seven years. Protecting these forested wetlands also will contribute to water quality in the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound, the nation’s second-largest estuary.

The 500-acre property is currently held by a timber investment management organization (TIMO) on land formerly owned by International Paper. The Nature Conservancy worked with this conservation-minded TIMO last year to acquire 20,830 acres in southeast Virginia. Roughly 2,000 additional upland acres adjacent to this property remain in working forest as part of a fiber supply agreement with the local International Paper-owned timber mill.

State, Local Funds to Help Protect 500 Acres of Old-Growth Cypress Swamp along 5 Miles of the Blackwater River

Isle of Wight County and The Nature Conservancy partner on wetland protection project

Blackwater Swamp, Isle of Wight, Virginia © Daniel White/TNC