Protecting the Farmland and Forests of the Cacapon-Lost River Watershed since 1990
In 1989, five Cacapon watershed landowners shared with each other their concerns about what was happening to the landscape around them because of unplanned development. These discussions led to Articles of Incorporation in 1990 for the Cacapon & Lost Rivers Land Trust. In 1995, the Land Trust secured its nonprofit status and its first easement.
United around a shared passion for stewardship, the Cacapon & Lost Rivers Land Trust and local landowners have permanently protected over 14,000 acres by merging local values with permanent conservation action.
Despite the economic pressures that have devastated nearby valleys over the past twenty years, natives and newcomers alike have worked to protect this valley by sustaining family homesteads and protecting surrounding parcels.
This partnership between the Land Trust and the people of this Valley, unprecedented in West Virginia and nationally recognized for its success, greatly enriches historic preservation and conservation movements, bringing to light the need to investigate, pursue, and listen to the enduring connection between people and place.