Capital Region Land Conservancy urges conservation easements to protect Goochland farmland and tree canopy

Parker Galesto, executive director of the Capital Region Land Conservancy, presented the organization’s conservation work and a regional vision to the Goochland County Board of Supervisors on May 6.

Galesto said the land trust, founded in 2005 and merged with the Goochland Land Alliance in 2014, has helped conserve about 15,000 acres across the Greater Richmond region and currently holds three conservation easements in Goochland County. "Conservation easements are perpetual deeds that a landowner voluntarily gives to a land trust," Galesto said, describing easements as instruments that extinguish specific development rights while allowing owners to retain property interests.

Galesto walked the board through maps and models the organization uses, including the state's development vulnerability model and ecological cores and wildlife corridors that run through western Goochland. He said Goochland has roughly 4.5% of its land area under permanent conservation, below regional and national averages Galesto cited. He also flagged a tree‑canopy net loss figure for the county of 542 acres since 2017, citing U.S. Forest Service reporting presented in his slides.

The presentation emphasized the Land Preservation Tax Credit program in Virginia, which Galesto said provides a 40% state tax credit based on the appraised value of a donated easement; the credit can be sold, he said, and that mechanism has encouraged easement use in Virginia. The conservancy noted examples of regional projects — including Malvern Hill and transfers to the National Park Service — and a local example: Tuckahoe Plantation, which Parker said is protected under an easement.

Tad Thompson, owner of Tuckahoe Plantation and an easement donor who spoke during the public comment portion, addressed the board and described the personal and fiscal benefits of easements. "The tax credits...can be sold under Virginia law," Thompson said, adding that his family has used easement tax benefits while retaining working‑farm operations and enjoying reduced annual property assessments.

Board members asked about how easements affect future land use and whether they permanently freeze activity. Galesto replied that easements are written to specify reserved rights: they can allow future changes that the landowner reserves, or they can extinguish specific development rights depending on the deed language and any grant requirements. He also described cooperative easement arrangements the conservancy has used with the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District to co‑hold easements under the Open Space Act and the Conservation Easement Act.

Galesto said the conservancy can work with county planning staff to align easements with the county comprehensive plan and encouraged county assistance in educating landowners about easement options.

There was no formal board action associated with the presentation during the meeting; the session was informational and followed by audience questions and public comment.