Recognizing Tim Murray & Dee Dee Sellers’ Contributions in Protecting the Rural Character of Mauzy
For the past four years, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley has recognized local conservation heroes who dedicate themselves to protecting the natural resources and cultural heritages that make the Valley so unique. This year, we’re excited to present the 2025 Valley Treasure Award to Tim Murray and Dee Dee Sellers. Tim and Dee Dee have worked tirelessly over the past 20 years to maintain the agricultural landscape of Mauzy, a small community in Rockingham County with rich history and scenic beauty, particularly by engaging their community to prevent excessive development of the I-81 interchange at Exit 257.
With Tim and Dee Dee’s leadership, the community of Mauzy has been able to protect water quality and the rural character of their area. In 2022, Tim and Dee Dee shared handwritten notes with their friends and neighbors in northeastern Rockingham County to rally together to stand up to a proposal for rezoning that would allow for a large-scale truck stop where Route 11 crosses I-81. This truck stop would have been located on 31 acres of agricultural land with no public water or sewer, near the ecologically vulnerable Smith Creek. By encouraging fellow residents of Mauzy to attend planning commission and board of supervisors meetings and leading a letter-writing campaign, Tim and Dee Dee played an instrumental role in showing decision-makers that the community values its agricultural and forested lands.
Celebrate with us!
Saturday, November 8
2pm – 5pm
Tenth Legion Mt. Valley
Ruritan Club
1037 Mauzy Athlone Rd,
Broadway, VA
(directions)
After successfully preventing this rezoning and the environmental damage that may have resulted, the Mauzy community, led by Tim and Dee Dee, pursued a more binding measure for keeping Mauzy rural. They led the charge for the creation of an Ag-Forestal District in Mauzy comprising over 1,800 acres of private land, the first new Ag-Forestal District in Rockingham County in 25 years.
Their work is not done– the truck stop proposal has returned once again. Still, these efforts have been no small feat. These accomplishments can be attributed to Dee Dee & Tim’s perseverance and commitment to their community in establishing guardrails to continue the preservation and resiliency of the Mauzy region. The Alliance is pleased to honor these local conservation heroes as our 2025 Valley Treasure award recipients.
Honoring Tim & Dee Dee
Join us in celebrating Tim & Dee Dee on Saturday, November 8th at 2 PM for a special ceremony, where we will honor both Valley Treasures Tim Murray and Dee Dee Sellers and North Star Juanita Burtner at the Tenth Legion Ruritan Club. The event is open to everyone – RSVP here.
About Valley Treasure
The Shenandoah Valley is an extraordinary place, with its iconic farming landscapes, beautiful streams, world-class public forest lands, and rich cultural history. We recognize and are grateful for the many community members that work quietly to conserve the land, water and way of life in their corner of the Valley. The Valley Treasure award is an opportunity to meet and recognize those folks.