Northern Virginia Conservation Trust

The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) is non-profit land trust that owns properties and conservation easements in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia with the goal of conserving natural resources.

While the trust does own a number of properties outright, the majority of its holdings are conservation easements, which are legal rights that limit in perpetuity how the portion of the land specified in the easement may be developed. These are either purchased by the trust or donated by the landowner, who receives tax benefits (including deductions and transferable credits) from the donation.

The trust was founded in date established::1994 by attorney Richard Bliss.

In December 2012, the NVCT board voted to pursue additional methods of acquiring land in addition to conservation easements and restructure the management of the organizaton, leading to the departure of President Michael Nardolilli and Vice President and General Counsel T. Whit Field. Nancy Hyde was named interim executive director of the trust. The current director is Peggy Stevens, who formerly headed up the Westport Land Conservation Trust in Massachusetts.

The trust annually awards its lifetime achievement award, which was renamed the Jean R. Packard award in 2011.

In 2012, the trust was the first organizational winner of the Sally Ormsby Environmental Stewardship Award.