Virginia Creates New State Conservation Area at Buffalo Mountain With 2,211-Acre Acquisition
Richmond — Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger on October 15 announced the creation of a new Virginia State Conservation Area at Buffalo Mountain through the acquisition of 2,211 acres in Floyd and Carroll counties, bringing the total Department of Conservation and Recreation land at Buffalo Mountain to 4,332 acres.
The project, carried out through the Department of Forestry with a $9.5 million federal Forest Legacy grant and in partnership with The Conservation Fund, surrounds the existing Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve and protects nearly 14 miles of native trout streams. The streams sit in the headwaters of the New River, which the governor's office said provides drinking water to more than 675,000 people in Virginia and West Virginia. The land had been held by the Lawson family for over a century.
The state said DCR will develop a management plan and expand public access. An earlier phase expanded the existing natural area preserve by 975 acres to 2,121 acres; the preserve draws about 15,000 visitors a year.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：弗吉尼亚州水牛山山顶岩石坡面。摄影：Antepenultimate，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
