Land Conservation

Rebecca R. Rubin

Land preserved through a community effort, led by Downtown Greens.

2030 Vision

This 2030 vision for land conservation describes a more resilient and flourishing community with durable, connected landscapes and equitable access to nature, able to deliver critical, life-supporting ecological services even in an era of climate change – fresh air, clean water, dedicated areas for shelter, food and corridors wildlife and habitat, and public green spaces for children and families. The actions described below taken by the city and its residents contributed to our healthy, thriving community and also collectively helped buffer the extremes of climate change, including loss of life and property, intense heat, flooding, water-borne contamination, longer and more intense allergy seasons and more. Protecting and restoring nature proved to be one of the best ways for the City of Fredericksburg to protect human health from the ravages of climate change, meet its climate and energy goals, and protect its natural ecosystems at the same time. As an added benefit, more visitors were drawn to Fredericksburg because of its natural beauty and ecological assets – interconnecting parks, trails, wildlife and habitat.

Action steps that the city and its residents took to achieve this vision

In achieving its vision, the city realized that no one action alone would achieve the desired consequences, and that a combination of policy measures, community land acquisition and land conversion, private land conservation, mitigation measures and more would be needed as outlined below.

  • Policy targets for conservation: City council and planning staff met in a series of convening forums with residents to identify specific “2030” conservation targets for preservation of non-federal, non-state, community-based green space (for wildlife and habitat) and open space (for human use). GIS mapping to identify high priority conservation targets was a key part of this initiative. As a result of the convening forum, certain existing land designations such as the Industrial Park, were re-designated for conversion into natural lands, to serve a critical function as climate buffers to provide shade and cooling in summertime, help guard against flash flooding, and provide much-needed outdoor recreational space for the rapidly developing city. The city learned from other programs, such as the the GreenSeams program in greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which permanently keeps floodprone lands in high-growth areas from being developed and has preserved more than 3,000 acres of land that can store 1.3 billion gallons of water.
  • Equipping city planners with adequate information for land conservation. The city utilized resources provided by the American Planning Association, a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States, which has for many years now recognized the need for resilient communities and supplies articles and resources for planners, ranging from hybrid communities blending nature with sustainable buildings and technologies to policies and plans that combat environmental racism.  The city became a key partner in the “Naturally Resilient Communities” initiative, together with other county governments, planners and conservationists. The city also took advantage of APA’s key resource for planners – its Climate Change Policy Guide as well as other resources such as the Climate Resiliency Toolkit.
  • Nature-based engineering solutions.  The city introduced several lower cost, nature-based solutions rather than hard engineering solutions to shield reservoirs from pollution, and improve treatment plants and septic systems. Following the example of NY city, Bluebelts – ecologically rich and cost-effective drainage systems that naturally handle runoff on streets and sidewalks were introduced.  Acreage in the area formerly known as the industrial park – now an ecological preserve anchored by the Downtown Greens site – provides water filtration capabilities. In implementing nature-based solutions, the city also followed the example of Folly Beach, South Carolina, which incorporated nature-based solutions into its Community Rating System and received a 30-percent reduction in flood insurance premiums.  (FEMA’s Community Rating System enables community property owners, renters, and businesses to earn lower flood insurance rates by getting credit for actions like preserving open space, restoring wetlands, and developing a living shoreline that reduce risk under the National Flood Insurance Program.)
  • Fredericksburg Land Preservation Bond Program.  As many other cities and counties across the US have done (Fairfax, VA; Henrico County, VA; James City County, VA; Stafford County, VA; Broward County, Fla; Town of Southold, NY; South Portland, Maine; Summit County, Utah; Missoula, Montana; Pima County, CA to name just a few)   Fredericksburg established a Land Preservation Bond Program to advise and manage the essential acquisition of conservation lands identified by the 2030 priorities above for wildlife habitat and open space recreation. The conservation almanac provides a more complete list of helpful and available programs and resources, including but not limited to bond funds.
  • Stewardship Advisory Council. In order to make best use of credit trading programs and the wealth of available grant opportunities available through federal and state programs as well as through foundations, the city established an unpaid Stewardship Advisory Council composed of citizens with environmental expertise to guide and advise the above initiatives – as well as advise the city on the use of Virginia’s credit trading programs (wetland and stream credits, phosphorous credits under the stormwater management program point source nutrient trading) and applicable credit trading programs such as greenhouse gas registries outside Virginia.
  • Private Land Conservation.  The city realized that of the 56 million acres of land conserved by land trusts in partnership with residents in the U.S, 24.7 million of those acres were conserved by private landowners taking advantage of income tax incentives for land conservation Knowing this, the City of Fredericksburg developed partnerships with local land trusts such as Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, Land Trust of Virginia, Trust For Public Lands and sought funding from sources such as the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and the Virginia Outdoor Foundation so that city residents could support land conservation goals through a combination of acquisitions made in partnership with land trusts and through greater emphasis on private land conservation through conservation easements. The city also passed a tree protection ordinance to conserve significant trees, tree canopy, and trees with historic significance on public and private property.