• In the Commonwealth, the rate of land consumption in the past decade has been 2.5 times greater than the rate of population growth.         
• In the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, Virginia pledged to permanently protect 20% of the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2010.         
• As of July 2007, nearly 155,000 acres of land have been placed into protective easement and applied toward Governor Kaine's Land Conservation Initiative.         
• Virginia ranks in the top 10 among all states in rare plants and animals.

• Using the ACUB program, Fort A.P. Hill and its conservation partners purchased an easement on more than 1,300 acres of land directly adjacent to the installation. This was a successful first step in actively protecting the borders of Fort A.P. Hill against incompatible development that could hamper critical, realistic military training. Considerable interest in this program has been shown by additional landowners surrounding Fort A.P. Hill and thus the Army, the Commonwealth, and partner conservation organizations are working to secure funding to take advantage of this mutually beneficial opportunity.      
• To create a buffer for noise and smoke as well as proactively contend with encroachment from sprawl and other incompatible land uses, Fort Pickett has begun to develop a 106 acre easement to preserve parcels adjacent to the installation. The Army has contributed $250,000 of up front costs for the conservation easement and Fort Pickett remains actively committed to partnering with landowners, conservation organizations and universities including the World Wildlife Foundation, Wabuston Water Conservation, and Virginia Tech.      
• Defense Supply Center Richmond is working to contribute approximately 20 acres to conservation purposes.      
• DuPont has permanently protected 17 acres across the Commonwealth of Virginia since 1995.      
• V-REMS partners joined with local and national conservation organizations including The Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect the natural habitat of eagles, waterfowl, shad, herring, striped bass, and alewife in the Rappahannock River National Wildlife Refuge.      
• To help advance this state priority, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) encourages land conservation by accepting it as an environmental commitment measurement within DEQ's Virginia Environmental Excellence Program

*In some cases, the accomplishments identified are the results of individual V-REMS partners' voluntary efforts. In others, environmental projects were already in effect when organizations joined V-REMS and experiences were shared. In most cases, partners identified common problems or needs or solutions, shared their experiences and metrics, and developed joint projects resulting in environmental improvements.

Projected Metrics of Success
The following metrics are based on land conserved through the year 2010. The calculations for estimating the metrics of success are based on a series of assumptions such as the amount of land each partner owns, how much land they are allowed to contribute, and how land is contributed. While the process for calculating and evaluating the metrics of success will undoubtedly evolve on its own, suggestions are welcome.

• To date, V-REMS partners have been instrumental in permanently protecting approximately 1,500 acres of land in the Commonwealth of Virginia.    
• At least four federally-listed threatened or endangered species found within V-REMS partner's land conservation easement boundaries will now be protected. They include the shortnose sturgeon, sensitive joint vetch, small whorled pogonia, and swamp pink.     
• Over 280 species' habitat protected (based on calculations from Rappahannock website)     
• Land easements were purchased from contributions of over $3 million from the Department of Defense, $1 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and $1 million from private groups.