KETH

Most of the land we conserve at NVCT is private; willing landowners recognize the value of nature in their own backyards and choose to preserve it. To track the properties we protect, we give them names. For those that won’t become public nature preserves or are not part of an existing public space, we typically assign a name based on the landowner’s name.

We often joke that when announcing some of our land closings, we could include any nondescript forest photo in the announcement, and no one would really know whether that was the property being discussed.  

This time, we’re sharing the name we assigned internally because it tells a story. KETH looks artistic, feels singular, and its appearance makes you wonder, “Why the all caps?” Together, Knaur, Eddy, Tryon, and Hess make up KETH, and together they protected 1.4 acres of forest on a road that connects to the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Amy Tryon, Ethan Eddy, Jodi Knauer, and Kenneth Hess are neighbors who share an undeveloped lot that once held a house built in 1953. In 2024, they purchased this lot to protect the trees. They worked together to tear down the old house by hand, allowing nature to take over. Now the lot serves as an extension of their shared residential yard, a nature preserve between their homes! Nondescript to some, but to the landowners, us, and other conservation advocates, it is part of the area’s scenic value and an important part of the greater ecosystem.

Additionally, this property is within the Central Potomac corridor. Defined by its relation to the Potomac River, this region is vital to fighting river pollution, providing habitat for species that live along its shore, and is therefore crucial to life in the region. The Central Potomac is our home along the Potomac River, and every property protected by NVCT in this region improves our quality of life.

Less than a mile from its banks, KETH will provide many benefits to the Potomac River and the Central Potomac region. Rainfall and runoff will filter through its soil before entering the river. Birds, small mammals, and wildlife looking to drink or hunt in its waters will pass through this protected land on their way to the river. This parcel of land has value to the greater Central Potomac region.

Like any land protected by the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, we want to use properties, when possible, to connect people to their place, their environment, and nearby nature. The KETH easement borders a preschool, and the landowners are enthusiastic about the possibility of a preschool using the property as an outdoor classroom.  

Another property protected before the year end is always worthy of celebration. We love working with landowners who recognize the importance of conservation efforts and land protection. We are especially grateful when we are given the opportunity to share their stories with others. Stay tuned for next month’s Lore of the Land piece where we sit down with the KETH landowners to hear their side of this conservation success!