Open-space easement protects 286 acres on James River in Surry County
Posted by Dave Neudeck at The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is the holder of a new open-space easement that protects 286 acres at Cedar Fields, a historic property on the James River in Surry County.
The easement was funded from the 2020 Surry-Skiffes Creek Restricted Funds Grant Round which made $1.4 million available for certain historic preservation and land conservation projects to mitigate impacts from the Surry-Skiffes Creek-Whealton Transmission Line Project.
Cedar Fields is located on a bluff above the southern banks of Cobham Bay, directly across the James River from Historic Jamestowne and Jamestown Island.
“The protection of Cedar Fields through an open-space easement ensures that the viewshed from some of the nation’s most important Colonial landmarks remains unspoiled,” Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler said. “The Commonwealth’s ConserveVirginia model is one of the first statewide resources in the nation to map scenic viewsheds, and this site is evidence that the model works.”