Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative

In 2017, recognizing an opportunity to increase coordination and teamwork towards achieving shared goals in water quality, soil health, and farmland protection, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley spearheaded the creation of the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative (SVCC).

The SVCC is a partnership of regional nonprofits, land trusts, watershed groups, and state and federal conservation agencies. Through the SVCC, these partners identify opportunities, coordinate expertise, and motivate conservation action. The SVCC creates a formal way for partners to leverage each other’s strengths, networks, and funding sources to increase outcomes beyond what any partner could acting individually.

Through the SVCC partners have brought more than $6 million to our region for land and water conservation. This funding goes towards:

Protecting rural land in permanent conservation easements
Implementing practices on farms that improve local water quality and build healthy soils
Improving outreach and networking with landowners and farmers
Managing the Shenandoah Valley Fund
Testing innovative approaches to land and water conservation

Shenandoah Valley Fund

For landowners considering an easement, but concerned about the up-front costs, check out the Shenandoah Valley Fund, a revolving loan fund to help landowners cover easements costs, created by the Alliance and our partners in the SVCC.

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SVCC Staff

The SVCC is supported by two full time staff members, the Project Manager who works to build collaborative capacity and strengthen the partnership, and the Conservation Field Assistant who works directly with local Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts.