Title 10.1, Title 10.1. Conservation

A. It shall be unlawful for any person, without express, prior, written permission of the owner, to: 1. Break, break off, crack, carve upon, write, burn, or otherwise mark upon, remove, or in any manner destroy, disturb, deface, mar, or harm the surfaces of any cave or any natura…

A. It shall be unlawful for any person, without express, prior, written permission of the owner, to store, dump, litter, dispose of or otherwise place any refuse, garbage, dead animals, sewage, or toxic substances harmful to cave life or humans, in any cave or sinkhole. It shall …

A. It shall be unlawful to remove, kill, harm, or otherwise disturb any naturally occurring organisms within any cave, except for safety or health reasons; however, scientific collecting permits may be obtained from the Department. B. Any violation of this section shall be punish…

It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale any speleothems in this Commonwealth, or to export them for sale outside the Commonwealth. Any violation of this section shall be punished as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Neither the owner of a cave nor his authorized agents acting within the scope of their authority are liable for injuries sustained by any person using the cave for recreational or scientific purposes if no charge has been made for the use of the cave, notwithstanding that an inqu…

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: "Conservation easement" means a nonpossessory interest of a holder in real property, whether easement appurtenant or in gross, acquired through gift, purchase, devise, or bequest imposing limitations or affirmative o…

A. A holder may acquire a conservation easement by gift, purchase, devise or bequest. B. No right or duty in favor of or against a holder and no right in favor of a person having a third-party right of enforcement arises under a conservation easement before its acceptance by the …

A. Where an easement held pursuant to this chapter or the Open-Space Land Act (§ 10.1-1700 et seq.) by its terms is perpetual, neither the interest of the holder of a conservation easement nor a third-party right of enforcement of such an easement shall be subject to state or loc…

Whenever any instrument conveying a conservation easement is recorded after July 1, 1988, the party responsible for recording it or his agent shall mail certified copies thereof, together with any attached plats and a notice specifying the date and place of recordation, to the co…

An action affecting a conservation easement may be brought by: 1. An owner of an interest in real property burdened by the easement; 2. A holder of the easement; 3. A person having an express third-party right of enforcement; 4. The Attorney General of the Commonwealth; 5. The Vi…

A conservation easement is valid even though: 1. It is not appurtenant to an interest in real property; 2. It can be or has been assigned to another holder; 3. It is not of a character that has been recognized traditionally at common law; 4. It imposes a negative burden; 5. It im…

Whenever any holder as defined in this chapter, or the successors or assigns thereof, shall cease to exist, any conservation easement and any right of enforcement held by it shall vest in the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, unless the instrument creating the easement otherwise prov…

Nothing herein shall in any way affect the power of a public body under any other statute, including without limitation the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Historic Landmarks Board, to acquire and hold conservation easements or affect the terms of any such easement …

Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, an easement held pursuant to this chapter shall be construed in favor of achieving the conservation purposes for which it was created.

There is hereby created the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, hereinafter referred to as the Foundation, a body politic and corporate to have such powers and duties as hereinafter provided.

A. The Foundation shall be governed and administered by a Board of Trustees (the Board). The Board shall have a total membership of 20 members that shall consist of 18 citizen members and two ex officio voting members as follows: four citizen members, who may be members of the Ho…

The chairman of the Board shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, including the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, and the Sena…

A. The Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation shall serve as executive secretary to the Foundation and shall be responsible for providing technical assistance and performing any administrative duties that the Foundation may direct. B. The Department of Conserva…

A. The Foundation shall establish, administer, manage, including the creation of reserves, and make expenditures and allocations from a special, nonreverting fund in the state treasury to be known as the Virginia Land Conservation Fund, hereinafter referred to as the Fund. The Fo…

In order to carry out its purposes, the Foundation shall have the following powers and duties: 1. To prepare a comprehensive plan that recognizes and seeks to implement all of the purposes for which the Foundation is created. In preparing this plan, the Foundation shall: a. Estab…

The Foundation shall seek to achieve a fair distribution of land protected throughout the Commonwealth, based upon the following: 1. The importance of conserving land in all regions of the Commonwealth; 2. The importance of protecting specific properties that can benefit all Virg…

Any private owner of the fee interest in land that is subject to a perpetual conservation easement pursuant to Chapter 10.1 (§ 10.1-1009 et seq.), any holder of such an easement, or any holder of a third-party right of enforcement of such an easement may submit a request, pursuan…

The Foundation shall expend restricted funds only in accordance with the applicable restrictions, or allocate such funds to the designated or otherwise appropriate state agency subject to such restrictions. The state agency receiving restricted funds shall expend such funds only …

A. No matching grant shall be made from the Fund to any holder or public body for purchasing an interest in land for the protection of a natural area unless: 1. The holder or public body has demonstrated the necessary commitment and financial capability to manage the property; an…

Moneys from the Fund shall not be expended for the acquisition of any property interest through eminent domain.

Gifts, devises and bequests of money, securities and other assets accepted by the Foundation, whether personal or real property, shall be deemed to be gifts to the Commonwealth, which shall be exempt from all state and local taxes and shall be regarded as property of the Commonwe…

The accounts and records of the Foundation showing the receipt and disbursement of funds from whatever source derived shall be in such form as the Auditor of Public Accounts prescribes, provided that such accounts shall correspond as nearly as possible to the accounts and records…

All state officers, agencies, commissions, boards, departments, institutions and foundations shall cooperate with and assist the Foundation in carrying out its purpose and, to that end, may accept any gift or conveyance of real property or interest therein or other property in th…

There is hereby established in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Wild Spanish Mustangs Fund, hereafter referred to as the Fund. The Fund shall consist of such moneys as may be appropriated by the General Assembly and such other moneys as may be mad…