On Sept. 10, the Service purchased the first conservation easement included as part of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The 186-acre tract protects 2.2 miles of riparian and freshwater tidal marsh along Little Carter Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock River in Richmond County, Virginia. The purchase price was about 50 percent of fair market value of the property. Under the terms of the easement, no residential or commercial development will occur and the landowners will establish and maintain at least a 100-foot buffer adjacent to all wetlands. The landowner retains rights to farm, harvest timber and hunt on the property.

NORTHEAST REGION, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE -- Conserving the Nature of the Northeast