One of our most
precious natural resources, undeveloped rural land, is
slipping away unbeknownst to much of the population. The
rate of rural land lost to development in the 1990s was
about 2.2 million acres per year. If this rate continues to
the year 2050 – when today’s toddlers are middle-aged – the
United States will have lost an additional 110 million acres
of rural countryside. That’s about equal to the combined
areas of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia.
The conservation movement, that leads the effort to
protect these areas and other vital natural resources, is a
public-private partnership dependent on strong leaders and
engaged voters. Tri-Rivers Conservation Foundation works at
the grassroots level, providing financial support to
organizations that directly educate the public, especially
children, regarding the importance of sound environmental
policies and practices and ways that individuals can
positively impact their environment.
Since it’s founding in 1991, Tri-Rivers Conservation
Foundation has invested over $200,000 in organizations
involved in preservation, development or study of natural
and cultural resources in the Louisa Resource Area. A major
focus has been
Langwood Education Center and Camp, a
facility run by Louisa County Conservation Board (LCCB).
Tri-Rivers Conservation Foundation has helped supported LCCB’s development of this facility by contributed funds for
land acquisition, installation of high and low ropes courses
and a multi-faceted makeover in 2004. The project that
currently gets the most attention is the Louisa Interpretive
Center, a facility planned for the forty acres adjoining
Langwood. Please click on Interpretive Center on the main
menu to learn more about this ambitious project.
Louisa County has tremendous potential in the area of
conservation education. As board members of Tri-Rivers
Conservation Foundation we have come to understand the power
of catalyzing conservation efforts by supporting
organizations that directly impact the public, especially
children. As our country becomes more urban and less people
are familiar with natural areas and their importance, we
feel that it is imperative that organizations such as ours
continue to make conservation a priority and to facilitate
the work of environmental educators.
Through annual contributions by individuals and
organizations we can do our part to further the conservation
movement. Please consider becoming a supporter of Tri-Rivers
Conservation Foundation.
Al Bohling, President
