CENTREVILLE — Despite its location in bustling Northern Virginia, the largest remaining working farms in the area will stay that way.
On Sunday, September 9, politicians and conservationists gathered at The Winery at Bull Run to celebrate a recent achievement in preserving history, nature, and business.
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and the winery worked together to create a 90-acre conservation easement on the property in Fairfax County. The winery and farm sit near the Manassas National Battlefield in neighboring Prince William County.
The protection of this property buffers one of the largest contiguous land areas managed for conservation purposes within Fairfax County and the Northern Virginia region. The easement area is home to three distinct water features including Bull Run stream, which is part of the watershed of the Occoquan Reservoir, a major source of public drinking water in Northern Virginia, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A 100-foot vegetated buffer will be maintained around all streams,” states an email from NVCT.
“Through a lot of hard work we have turned this farm into a very successful farm winery and agro-tourism business which can compete and flourish in a modern era and area in which we live in. This business allows us to continue to honor the agricultural legacy of the land while preserving it as a family-run farm, that is open for hundreds of thousands of visitors to enjoy every year,” said The Winery at Bull Run Owner Jon Hickox.
Josh Saks, deputy secretary of natural resources for the state of Virginia, spoke at the event about how this conservation easement aligns with the goals of the governor’s office.
“Governor Northam said he would work to identify the lands of highest conservation value to all Virginians. People wonder what that means. Well it means places like this. It means places that leverage economics and leverage recreations and again tie into our shared history,” said Saks.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova spoke about the conservation easement.
“I know that we all sort of scratched our heads over looking at the layout for being able to preserve open space while at the same time being able to build some lovely homes that would not interfere with the fusion and with the property where we are standing right now…Actually it was a smart way of looking at a piece of property, a large piece of property, and finding a way to have everything that we want,” said Bulova.
Fairfax County Supervisor Kathy Smith also spoke at the event about how the winery is aligned with the board of supervisors’ vision.
“I appreciate John’s vision because it matches what the board of supervisors want to do. We want to ensure that there’s open space in Fairfax County and we want to diversify our economy, and what better way to do it,” said Smith.
“This is why we do what we do, celebrating the protection of a new piece of property in Northern Virginia that helps make livable communities and the places that we all love remain like they are for future generations,” said Alan Rowsome, executive director at NVCT.
Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and complimentary wine tastings. Despite the rain, some guests still participated in tours of the grounds, where they heard about the historical, natural, cultural and economic value of the winery. Because of its location next to the Manassas National Battlefield Park, a major site during the Civil War, historical artifacts unearthed during farming at the winery are displayed in the tasting room.
