MONROE COUNTY W.Va. (WVDN) – The Monroe County Farmland Protection Board (MCFPB) partnered with the West Virginia Agricultural Land Protection Authority and the Natural Resources Conservation Services to fund a voluntary conservation easement on a farm in Monroe County.
Rita and Charlie Pitzer protected 92 acres of land in the Red Sulphur District of Monroe County. The Property possesses State and Locally-recognized agricultural soils, which is of high importance to the Program. When asked about the land being protected by the conservation easement, Charlie Pitzer stated, “This is how I want it to stay.”
The purpose of the Farmland Protection Program is to preserve land for farm use. The farmland protection board acquires conservation easements under the West Virginia Voluntary Farmland Protection Act §8A-12-21. Since its inception in 2002, 26 easements and 4,537 acres have been placed under protection in Monroe County; 2,175 of those acres have been donated to the Program.
The farmland protection board has successfully leveraged local resources to bring in over $2.2 million of State, Federal and non-profit organization funds to protect farms in Monroe County. This money goes directly into the hands of local farmers.
For more information about this program, contact Amy Moloney at 304-667-4877 or send an email to amy@saddlebackservices.org. Sept. 15 is the deadline for applications in 2023.
