Listening to the Land

Jamie S. Ross has worked for over thirty years writing, directing and producing documentary work on American history and culture. Most recently she was producer and co-writer of the acclaimed four-part PBS environmental history series,A History of Mountains and Peoples, selected as the Best Video of the Year by the American Library Association. For her work on the series, Ross received the Mountain Hero award from the Mountain Institute. She has been named a National Scholar by the Council on Basic Education and has served as a Fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Tom Cogillis a freelance photographer, born in Hollywood, California and for the past thirty-five years a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia. His work has appeared in US News World Report, American Heritage, National Geographic, NG Traveler, Science, Nature, The Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications. For the past 10 years he has worked increasingly in documenting the work of individuals and foundations doing social projects in Latin America.

"After years of building relationships with communities throughout the nation, the Land Trust Alliance has discovered something truly essential to land conservation - people love to hear stories about their land. The Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust truly celebrates these connections in Cacapon Voices through the stories of people who love a place so much that they put its protection ahead of their own needs. These stories give me hope for the future of land conservation because these are stories about the why of saving land, not just the how."Rand Wentworth, President Land Trust Alliance "When I owned property in the Lost River Valley, where my life's work was inspired, I admired the principles and values of the landowners. I also realized that if the special beauty of this place was to be conserved, it would only happen if this was what the local people wanted. As you read the history of these individuals, you will understand how the Cacapon River Watershed became what it is today. This precious resource could not have been placed in more loving and caring hands. These hardworking people have passed along a national treasure so unique and important to future generations and the environmental health of the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed, that we cannot ignore its presence. By more fully understanding their love of this community and the land, we can join with them in their quest to preserve the natural habitat and their heritage. Together we have the rare opportunity to protect one of the most biodiverse, and one of the last remaining intact watersheds in the entire Chesapeake Bay drainage."Patrick Noonan, Founder, American Farmland Trust and The Conservation Fund