Established in 2002, Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation (BCLP) is a volunteer, citizen-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of working to conserve open space and preserve our rural life and landscape.
BCLP is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors and advised by an 11-member Advisory Council. (Click on Who We Are for lists of Board of Directors and Advisory Council members and a brief history of the organization.)
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Landowner's Workshops on Conservation Easements
If you are a landowner and would like more information on the possibilty of preserving your land through a conservation easement, Western Virginia Land Trust is sponsoring a whole series of workshops. Click here to get the whole schedule. There is bound to be one near you.
First Annual BCLP/CVCC Conservation Essay Contest
Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation in partnership with Central Virginia Community College are sponsoring this essay contest. Complete entry packets with details, including Deadlines, Rules and Eligibility, are available at the CVCC Administrative Office or click here for a downloadable entry packet. Additional scholarships of up to $200 available to students enrolled at the Bedford Branch CVCC. “Need-based” students may qualify for matching CVCC Scholarships. Please see your financial aid advisor for details: 587-7901.
ALL ENTRIES MUST BE COMPLETED AND POSTMARKED BY FEBRUARY 10, 2009!
AWARDS NIGHT WILL BE HELD MARCH 19, 2009 AT THE BEDFORD BRANCH CVCC.
The 2025 Comprehensive Plan
Bedford County has finalized and adopted a Comprehensive plan. If you have a broadband connection you can download a copy of the the plan at this link. You can also just pick up a free CD of the plan at the Planning Dept. A paper copy will cost you.
Bedford County Agricultural Economic Development Advisory Board
You should also be aware that there is now a Bedford County Agricultural Economic Development Advisory Board which is an independent advisory board established by the Bedford County Board of Supervisors It was established in the spring of 2007.
Their mission is to develop and implement a continuing plan to sustain and enhance our rural economy, including (but not limited to) support for farms, dairies, cattle operations, orchards, specialty growers and businesses that support agriculture.
· Educating and preparing the next generation of agriculturalists is a special concern.
· Their goal is to raise awareness of local farm production through education and special events.
· The Board is dedicated to preserving and conserving farmland in Bedford County. The group now has their own website. Click here
BCLP and Land Preservation Issues In the Local News
We try to keep copies of most of the pertinent articles. letters to the editors and editorials found in the local newspapers concerning BCLP and the issues we are working on. Click here for a link to an index of all articles
Donate to BCLP!
BCLP is supported solely through donations. Gifts to BCLP are deductible for state and federal income tax purposes. To make a donation, make checks payable to Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation and send to: BCLP, PO Box 86, Bedford, VA 24523.
For information about our current programs and projects and our organizational tenets, Click on What We Do.
Governor's Environmental Policy
The following is a link to a very important speech outlining the Governor's environmental policies. Governor Tim Kaine spoke at the 17th Annual Environmental Virginia Symposium on April 20, 2006 held at the Virginia Military Institute Cameron Hall
The following link is to four articles of commentary on Kaine's speech which appeared in assorted regional newspapers following Kaine's speech.
2004 Citizen Surveys
The extensive citizen surveys conducted by Bedford County in 2002 and 2004 as part of the updating of its Comprehensive Plan revealed that preserving Bedford County’s beauty – our scenic views, rural character, farmland, woodlands, natural habitats and hunting areas – and protecting our natural resources significantly outranked economic development, transportation and utilities in level of importance to citizens.
In fact, Bedford County residents indicated they want to spend 18.46 cents of every tax dollar on land and natural resource protection – only 4.54 cents less than they want spend on education. To learn more about the results, Click on Citizen Surveys.
New Slide Show Available
To obtain a free copy of BCLP’s newly released DVD, Finding the Balance in Bedford County: Where are We Growing?, a 23-minute multi-media slide show about planning for the preservation of open space in Bedford County, Click on Finding the Balance to review or print out a transcript of the show.
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The future should not be a matter of chance, but a matter of choice.
Michael Chandler, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Virginia Tech, Bedford Citizens Planning Academy, January/February, 2003.
Did you know preserving open space saves money?
To learn why, Click on Cost of Community Service Studies.
Note: The study specifically done on Bedford County by the American Farmland Trust has just been completed. Click on the above link to find out more information
Are you curious about the multiple tax benefits of a conservation easement?
Click here to learn more about conservation easements.
Click on Summary of Tax Benefits of Conservation Easements for a narrative summary of tax benefits and on A Hypothetical Case Study to see how the numbers crunch.
What do our young people think about growth and quality of life in Bedford? You may be surprised!
In 2005, BCLP expanded the contest to all three high schools in Bedford County. The 2005 BCLP Student Essay Contest winners are: Austin Mitchell of Staunton River High School, Nathan Fesmire of Jefferson Forest High School, and Anne L. Toms of Liberty High School. Each student received a cash award of $500, presented by BCLP Board members at the schools’ Award Ceremonies in early June, 2005. All the winners are seniors and were selected by their respective teachers.
Click on Student Essays to read the winning essays
Grassroots Articles
This series of 20 articles on planning, growth and land use issues in Bedford County was originally published in the Bedford Bulletin in 2002 and 2003 in a weekly column entitled, Grassroots Articles were written by BCLP volunteers, who researched each topic. Each article was reviewed by Bedford County’s planning staff prior to publication to ensure accuracy.
The purpose of the column was to keep citizens informed about the county’s planning process and to provide information on a variety of local growth, land preservation and development issues. These articles were subsequently collected into a publication entitled, A Primer on Homegrown Community Planning.
For a free copy, write BCLP or Click here where you will find the articles in their order of publication, as well as instructions on how to print out the publication in its entirety.
Facts & Stats
Do you know how many farms went out of agricultural use between 1997 and 2000? Click here to get the facts on Bedford County.
Political Action
Contacting your local, state, and US representatives, or writing letters to the editor are some of the ways we can work to preserve open space. For your convenience the following links are to pages with contact information.
