By RUSTY DENNEN

The Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge has grown by another 260 acres.

The Trust for Public Land and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service last week closed on Bower Hill, a tract Along Farnham Creek in Richmond County. The purchase price was $1.5 million.

The property sits adjacent to Laurel Grove, 463 acres of refuge land with mature hardwoods, also on Farnham Creek on the southern end of the county.

"With the addition of Bower Hill, over 720 contiguous acres will be permanently protected" along the creek, one of the refuge's focus areas, said Joseph McCauley, the refuge manager.

"We are grateful to all those who made this addition possible, including the Reed family who decided that wildlife conservation was the best outcome for this property."

The Trust for Public Land worked with the family to protect ecologically important land along the river, protect migratory bird flyway areas and to increase public access to the watershed.

"The Rappahannock River Valley is steeped in Virginia's rich cultural and natural heritage, which the refuge helps protect while sheltering birds and other wildlife, and offering visitors opportunities to enjoy wildlife in their natural setting," said Lynda Frost, the trust's project manager.

Funding for the purchase came through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Founded in 2006, the Rappahannock refuge now contains 25 parcels totaling about 8,500 acres along 65 miles of the river. The smallest covers a little more than 6 acres. The 1,100-acre Tayloe tract in Richmond County is the largest. The refuge runs along both sides of the river.

The Trust for Public Land has worked with landowners and the refuge to add more than half of the total acreage. It was part of a partnership of federal, state and local agencies and nonprofits that helped secure purchases and conservation easements.

Several of those were made under the Army Compatible Use Buffer program outside Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County. The aim there is to keep development away from the training base.

Since 1972, the trust has helped protect more than 2.8 million acres nationwide, including more than 18,000 acres in Virginia.

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com