| Chesapeake Islands Donated to
Nature Conservancy
(Note: Could the future of this donated land be "Lots for sale in a Last Great Place," as happened off the Virginia coast when TNC got some prime oceanfront property and began subdividing?) January 10, 2003 Clam, Virginia (ENS) - A cluster of Chesapeake Bay islands on Virginia's Eastern Shore has been donated to The Nature Conservancy for permanent protection as a natural area. The remote Accomack County islands harbor numerous species of songbirds and waterbirds as well as the northeastern beach tiger beetle, which is federally listed as a threatened species. Mrs. Ernest Carroll Justis and John Justis, whose family has owned the islands for several generations, completed the donation to the Conservancy on December 30, 2002. "This is a very generous and significant gift," said David Harris, director of land programs at the Conservancy's Virginia Coast Reserve. "It is an important tract, with extensive salt marshes, an upland ridge and beaches that support colonies of rare tiger beetles." Located southwest of Guard Shore, where Guilford Creek joins the Chesapeake Bay, the tract includes two crescent shaped ridges, or islands, known as Jobe's Island and Cedar Island. Harris said these islands and marshes comprise about 525 total acres, with 75 acres upland and the remainder salt marsh. Guard Shore and the adjacent marshes have been purchased by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. There are no buildings on the islands except for the remains of a few hunting cabins. The Justis family used the property as pasture for their cattle in the 1920s and 1930s and during springtime, would drive calves across the marsh to the islands, where the cattle would remain until being sent to market in the fall. Although the Conservancy owns several parcels on the Chesapeake Bay side of the Eastern Shore, most of its holdings are on the barrier islands of the seaside. The Conservancy has now turned its attention to the bayshore, where one of the East Coast's most critical habitat corridors for migratory birds is under increased pressure for development. "The Justis property is along a route that ornithologists say is used extensively by migrating songbirds," said Harris. "So protecting a large tract such as this means a great deal. It is the first gift of property we've received since we began focusing on the Chesapeake side of the peninsula." As part of the transaction, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation will hold a conservation easement precluding any future subdivision or development of the islands. |