Conservation Requires Collaboration —Compass Datacenters and NVCT protect 14 acres of rare ecological community found only in Northern Virginia

At the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT), we often say that conservation requires collaboration. Our latest success is a perfect example of this principle in action. In partnership with Compass Datacenters, we’re proud to announce the permanent protection of 14 acres of a rare ecological community on Goose Creek, a state-designated Scenic River and public water drinking source. 

This newly conserved land features a globally rare ecosystem identified by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as Northern Piedmont Mafic Barren — a unique landscape characterized by exposed mafic rock outcrops with a distinct community of lichens, mosses, and herbs with scattered, stunted trees. This unique ecosystem serves as part of a critical corridor and resting spot for wildlife navigating the area’s interconnected waterways. 

Northern Virginia is rapidly growing — in both land development and business expansion. We recognize the need for datacenters to support our technological future, but we also know the essential need to preserve open space, clean water, and healthy ecosystems for our communities today and generations to come. What Northern Virginia needs most is these natural resources so that we can ensure that future generations can continue to thrive and enjoy the beauty of Northern Virginia landscapes. 

Upon discovering Northern Piedmont Mafic Barren on its Leesburg Campus, and learning of efforts to protect Goose Creek, Compass Datacenters rescoped the project to include an additional 14 acres of open space (providing for a total of 71 acres of open space on the Leesburg Campus) for the protection of the Northern Piedmont Mafic Barren and for creation of a permanent conservation easement and potential passive use park along the Goose Creek. 

That’s where NVCT stepped in. As Northern Virginia’s regional land trust, we worked with all parties to craft a solution that meets the needs of people, nature, and the broader community. The environmental value of this land is significant. It lies within a Reservoir Protection Zone and a Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Natural Heritage Conservation Site and is designated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a high-priority conservation site. The area helps improve habitat connectivity, protects nearby waterways from contamination, supports a globally rare ecosystem, and can serve as a natural floodplain during heavy rains. 

“Protecting this globally rare ecosystem ensures that future generations can experience a unique part of Northern Virginia’s natural heritage that might otherwise have been lost. NVCT is proud to have helped secure this lasting conservation success as part of our mission to protect nearby nature across the region in all its many forms. Great things happen when we can come together to achieve something meaningful, and conservation continues to be a bridge that unites us.” - NVCT Executive Director, Alan Rowsome

Loudoun County Little River District Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony echoed the importance of this effort, stating:

“I am very pleased that the globally rare mafic barren will be preserved for current and future generations. Thank you to Compass Datacenters for realizing the significance of this site and taking on the monitoring and management. Thank you to NVCT for working with the landowner on a permanent conservation easement. Partnerships like this are important because data centers are large-scale industrial uses, and offsetting this use with conservation shows that both are possible together.”

Compass Datacenters has agreed to monitor and maintain the Northern Piedmont Mafic Barren occurrences over time according to a stewardship plan crafted in coordination with environmental consultants. Among other approaches, Compass Datacenters will strive to prevent potentially harmful overshading and will remove invasive plants that threaten the ecosystem. 

By protecting this land, we’re not just preserving a unique ecosystem — we’re helping fulfill local, state, and federal conservation goals. Every protected place matters, and every acre counts. We celebrate this success as a win for the environment, for community advocacy, and for a new collaboration that has made this conservation success story possible.