Andrea and Chris Winkle
Years ago, Andrea and Chris Winkle were living in Georgia with their family. They began the process of looking for property in Northern Virginia but it was the year of the housing market crisis, so the Winkle’s stayed where they were. During their search, however, they had looked at their current property several years before they bought it when they were trying to sell their farm in Georgia. In 2015, they sold their Georgia farm and began looking in the Northern Virginia region once again. After an exhausting search for farms in the area, their current property suddenly came back on the market at the end of their search, and feeling it was serendipitous, they purchased it.
Today, the Winkle’s live on a 90-acre farm in Loudoun County, which they have named “Stonehaven.” The property is laden with rocks and stones, but very few people know there is a house there because it is tucked away in a small valley. They chose their property because no matter what happens to properties around them, they would still be able to enjoy the peacefulness of a country setting.
“It truly feels like a small haven. When we were traveling in Ireland, my son and I went riding at a fox hunting farm with the name, ‘Stonehaven,’ and I thought, perfect!” said Andrea Winkle.
Andrea and Chris live on a beautiful farm with a gorgeous barn for their horses. Some of the wildlife the Winkle’s have seen on their land include bears, deer, otters, racoons and groundhogs, fox, and a few aquatic wildlife in the pond.
“I love the views, forest land, the water ways, the fresh air and the peacefulness.” said the Winkle’s.
Their farm was officially conserved back in 2004, making the Winkle’s the second landowners to live on the conserved property. This easement was NVCT’s 44th conservation easement as an organization. Today, NVCT has conserved more than 7,000 acres of land in urban and rural places in its service area of more than 2.9 million residents.
Land conservation provides natural places for children to play, scenic views, and green spaces that help improve mental health and well-being. From working farms and forests, to urban lands, parks and nature preserves, NVCT is your local land trust saving nearby nature now and for future generations.