Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and Prince William County Collaborate to Conserve Doves Landing

Manassas, VA (January 3, 2025)—The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and Prince William County have joined together to conserve Doves Landing Regional Park and ensure future passive outdoor recreational opportunities for the community. This collaboration came about following significant community support at Doves Landing park planning meetings for the property to be placed under a conservation easement. The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust was chosen to steward Doves Landing in perpetuity and will ensure the park remains a sanctuary for wildlife and people. Outdoor education and passive recreation amenities will be added to benefit the community while preserving the land.
 
”We are proud to continue and enhance our partnership with Prince William County by forever protecting Doves Landing for all to enjoy,” said Alan Rowsome, Executive Director of NVCT. “Local residents spoke loudly and clearly about their desire to see this special place conserved for its natural beauty, and we are committed to working with the dedicated county parks staff to fulfill that promise.”
 
“The need to preserve our natural and cultural resources for future generations to enjoy freely from development pressure is stronger than ever and we are grateful for partners like NVCT who make the conservation easement process easy for jurisdictions like ours ” says Seth Hendler-Voss, Director of Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation. "We are proud to serve a community and board of elected officials who prioritize our unique environment.”
 
Doves Landing is a 308-acre Prince William County Park with access to the Occoquan River. 95% of the land is forested, and areas along the river are considered crucial wetland habitat. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors acquired the land in the 1990s. It remained vacant, and there were no plans to make it a park until 2013 when the Board of County Supervisors designated Doves Landing as Parks and Open Space, and county staff approved a master plan for the park. An additional 73 acres was acquired and added to the park in 2020. Groups like the Prince William Conservation Alliance have been advocating for the protection of Doves Landing Park since its inception. 
 
In 2022, DPR launched a master plan update process, through which residents expressed a strong desire for passive recreation use and protection from future development. DPR staff recommended NVCT as the conservation easement holder based on their existing partnership with mitigation bank easements throughout the county and their involvement in the Preserve at Long Branch parcels and the Sinclair mill site; both of which are across the Occoquan River from Doves Landing. 
 
Currently, Doves Landing has approximately 3 miles of trails and 1 mile of shoreline access to the Occoquan River. Trails throughout the park provide views of the diverse wildlife habitat and the waterway without significantly impacting the area.
 
Collaboration between Prince William County, NVCT, and area residents helped make this success story happen, and it will benefit wildlife and community members alike. Moving forward, NVCT will monitor and steward the land to ensure that it remains undisturbed and will work actively with the county to manage the site. 
 
The next project update meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 8 from 7-9 pm and is open to the public. For more information, click here.
 
For all the latest updates and to read the full master plan report, click here.