RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has completed the acquisition of 1,916 acres in the City of Suffolk to add to South Quay Sandhills Natural Area Preserve.
The agency acquired the land with the critical assistance of The Nature Conservancy with support from the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The site, located about a mile east of the existing preserve, contains one of the largest blocks of contiguous forest in the region and includes an abundance of wetlands. Its permanent protection will benefit water quality in the nationally significant Albemarle-Pamlico watershed. The expansion brings the total acreage of the preserve to 5,668.
“Conserving this land as part of South Quay Sandhills Natural Area Preserve is an important step for protecting biodiversity and improving water quality in the Chowan River basin,” said DCR Director Nikki Rovner. “We celebrate the hard work by all our partners, especially The Nature Conservancy and the Coastal Zone Management Program, for making it happen.”
“We are thrilled that this special habitat in southeastern Virginia will now be protected by DCR, helping to connect landscapes and ensuring we continue to support the restoration of one of the South’s most imperiled and biodiverse ecosystems with a host of rare and significant species that depend on this globally significant forest type,” said Daniel Hannon, TNC Virginia Pinelands land protection manager.
“DCR’s acquisition of this property is so important for longleaf pine, for wildlife, and for the communities in the region,” said Ryan Green, program manager of Virginia CZM. “And we’re truly excited by the partnership that has supported this project, and we look forward to the growth to come there too. This project exemplifies what both Virginia CZM, and our long-time federal partner NOAA, envisioned this historic federal investment in coastal resources could mean for the Commonwealth.”
Located within a global biodiversity hotspot, most of the site is considered to have “very high” ecological value, and protecting it from development and incompatible forestry activities will benefit water quality and wetland integrity, while providing excellent opportunities for future longleaf pine restoration. The property also serves as an important link in a conservation corridor connecting to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
DCR acquired 1,046 acres Sept. 18, after acquiring the first 870 acres on April 23.
The largest funding source for the project was a $5.6 million habitat protection and restoration grant awarded in 2023 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. The project also received grant awards from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation.
“Bringing this property into South Quay Sandhills Natural Area Preserve gives us an opportunity to understand the landscape more fully,” said Lesley Starke, Virginia Natural Heritage Program chief of natural areas stewardship and acting director. “As we incorporate it into long-term stewardship and restoration planning for the preserve, we look forward to working with Tribal Nations that have connections to this landscape.”
“Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants can provide essential funding to leverage federal funds making significant projects such as South Quay Sandhills possible,” said Suzan Bulbulkaya, land conservation manager at DCR. “VLCF funding is targeted to projects that conserve our working farms and forestlands, historic places, park lands and natural areas like this one. The VLCF program is proud to play a critical role in those transactions to support the ongoing conservation efforts of our partners.”
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