After a lifetime of interest and commitment to conservation, Harry Holcomb and a group of local landowners joined forces in 2003 to protect the Eastern Shore’s prime farm and forestland, scenic creeks and bays, critical wildlife habitat, and historic resources. The group included Suzanne Wescoat, Steve Parker with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Ed Tankard, Jeff Walker, Lucius Kellam, George Savage, and Denard Spady with Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore (CBES). In response to an increase in development pressure and growing concern over balancing growth and preservation, the group, with community support and input, formed the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust (VES Land Trust), a local, grassroots organization that represents and preserves the Eastern Shore way of life through permanent land preservation.

We’ve Grown!

The VES Land Trust is now an accredited land trust with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, has preserved more than 14,456 acres on the Eastern Shore, and holds 84 donated conservation easements.