"The Central Virginia Land Conservancy presents the Cornerstone Award annually to an individual or group for their efforts to protect Central Virginia's natural resources."

2025 Winner - Senator Creigh Deeds

The 2025 Conservation Cornerstone Award was presented to State Senator Creigh Deeds for his long history of preserving and protecting Virginia’ natural resources. A native-born Virginian, Senator Deeds introduced legislation in 1999 that vitalized the limited effectiveness of the Land Conservation Foundation that existed in Virginia at the time. Virginia was dead-last among the 50 states in per capita spending on natural resources, but due to Senator Deed’s foresight, Virginia’s conservation easement legislation is now the strongest in the nation.  More than 1,250,000 have been conserved since 2000 – more than five times the size of Shenandoah National Park.  Senator Deeds also helped to expand renewable energy tax credits, fought against the Atlantic Coast & Mountain Valley Pipelines, and worked to maintain the tax credit program that protects natural resources and preserves land for future generations.
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2024 Winner - Shannon Brennan

Shannon grew up on a 100-acre farm in Montgomery County and learned from her parents that nature is to be cherished. Her parents emphasized the notion that all waste is a crime against nature. That conservation ethic has followed her throughout her life.
 
Shannon has been a longtime newspaper reporter. She began writing about pollution and loss of biodiversity in the early 1980s, adding climate change to her focus more than 20 years ago. She has written numerous articles and columns on conservation easements after her mother put their family farm in an easement. For six years she served as a volunteer on the board of the Central Virginia Land Conservancy using her family’s example to promote the use of conservation easements as a means to permanently preserve our farms and forests.
 
For the last 10 years, Shannon has authored a weekly column, For the Love of Nature. One week she may share details on a particular bird, plant or insect and generally how to love and appreciate nature. The next she may advise on ways to reduce our collective impact on the planet by planting for pollinators, keeping cats indoors and eating less meat.
 
In addition to her weekly journalism Shannon is also a volunteer for the Lynchburg Tree Stewards, the Central Virginia Master Naturalists, the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club and the James River Association where she has the dubious title of river rat. Shannon shares her knowledge giving community talks on climate change, birds, national parks and ways to reduce our too-rapid destruction of the natural world that supports us. She previously served on the Robert E. Lee Soil and Water Conservation Board and the City of Lynchburg Subdivision Review Committee.
 
Shannon has dedicated her life to protecting our environment and natural world. Her passion should be an inspiration to us all. Thank you, Shannon for your relentless efforts to preserve our planet. 
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2023 Winner - Wendy Kendrick

A Maryland native, Wendy has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interpretation, Recreation, and Resource Management from U Maryland and since has served as a National Park Ranger. This is the evidence that she comes to land conservation honestly.
 
Wendy and Keith and family moved to a farm in Amherst County in order to escape the busyness of the Washington DC metro life. In 2004, she and Keith worked with Virginia Outdoors Foundation to have an easement placed on their land. Wendy didn’t understand why VOF wasn’t more active in promoting conservation easements; the conservation officer told her, “why don’t you do it?” At the very same time, a small group of conservation minded folks in Lynchburg were also vetting the idea of starting a regional land trust. One fateful evening at Randolph Macon Women’s College, Wendy and the group came together to hash out the start of Central Virginia Land Conservancy.

CVaLC had a fair amount of enthusiasm and varying degrees of success during the next few years. Board members termed out or moved on and the one main constant was always Wendy. She became President in 2010, continued to invite land owners to conservation meetings and keep CVaLC alive through what I know were thin times. Interestingly, I believe her cell phone is still the official CVaLC phone number.

100 acres of land on Tobacco Row Mountain in Amherst County was a turning point. VOF thought the land was not significant enough to warrant an easement, Wendy disagreed, and sought out Dave Perry at Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. You see, Wendy might be a little stubborn, maybe even a tad pugnacious,  but in a good way. She believed and that was the start of the merger of CVaLC and BRLC. ​