Partner Spotlight: White House Farm Foundation

This September marks the third anniversary of the Fall Festival at Leopold’s Preserve, hosted in partnership with the White House Farm Foundation with generous support from the Plein Family Foundation Trust. We’re proud to be part of an event that continues to connect the local community with nature through hands-on exploration and environmental education. As we reflect on this year’s successes and look ahead to new opportunities for growth, we also took a moment to celebrate the progress made by both the festival and our partnership.

The partnership between the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) and the White House Farm Foundation (WHFF) began in the late 1990s, when Scott Plein, founder and CEO of WHFF, was introduced to NVCT by Mike Rolband, of Wetland Studies and Solutions. Scott quickly became a supporter of our mission. Although WHFF wasn’t founded until 2010, Scott maintained a relationship with NVCT over the years, becoming increasingly involved after launching the concept for Leopold’s Preserve. The success of that project strengthened the partnership, with WHFF providing increased financial support and continuing to collaborate. Over time, the relationship expanded to include joint events, such as our Fall Festival at Leopold's Preserve, and conservation outreach efforts. Today, WHFF also serves as a conduit between NVCT and developers in Prince William County, helping to identify and secure new opportunities for land conservation.

To help highlight the environmental impact of WHFF’s work in Northern Virginia and the power of collaboration in advancing our shared mission, we spoke with Marie Pinto, Executive Director of the White House Farm Foundation.

1. How long have you worked for WHFF? How did that journey begin?

   “I have worked here for 3 and a half years, I started in February of 2022.”

   
   

   Marie began working in the communications department first. She was drawn to the White House Farm Foundation because of her background in environmental science and archaeology, Marie studied both these subjects at the University of Virginia. Ecology and history are key components of WHFF’s mission to educate and connect the public with nature through teaching on the cultural, ecological, and historic importance of Leopold’s Preserve. Marie was promoted to Executive Director in June of 2025. It was a natural move, since Marie was not only excellent at promoting WHFF’s work, but also deeply understood the organization.

   
   

2. What interested you in being a part of WHFF’s mission? How do you see this job aligning with your interests?

   
   

“The mission of the foundation is to enrich individuals with knowledge of and involvement with our natural ecological systems, holistic community planning, and respect for local history, and culture. I love the ecological and environmental aspects of this job, as well as connecting people with nature.”

3. In your own words, what does WHFF accomplish? How does your work benefit NOVA?

   “The clearest and most numerical measure of our impact at Leopold’s is that 13 thousand people visit each year. Leopold's Preserve is open all year round from dawn to dusk and is totally free to the public. “ It’s a site to decompress, run, and walk your dog, which is important for the community. Working with Bull Run Mountains Conservancy, we are able to offer naturalist-led hikes for free as well to promote environmental education.”

   
   

   Marie continued to describe Leopold’s impact beyond public access to nature; it also serves as a model for development in that area, showing that you can have clustered housing and a natural component to satisfy housing needs and nature needs. Leopold’s Preserve was created alongside a Haymarket housing community.

   
   

4. What are some of the most exciting or impactful projects you're currently working on?

   “WHFF is working on the historic rehabilitation of the White House in Luray, the home of early European settlers in the Shenandoah Valley. Hopefully, when it is done, we will be able to provide tours, which has been a much-requested desire from the public. We also have several habitat restoration projects at Leopold’s that our volunteers assist with, such as native plantings. Next year, we plan to conduct tree planting in areas where invasive plants have been removed. Finally, we have a project to re-route a portion of the trail that is badly eroded.” 

   
   
   

   

   

   As for our most fun collaboration, we are already starting our plan for next year’s Fall Festival!

   
   

5.  What are some of the positive impacts you’ve seen from WHFF’s work?

   “Seeing people create a connection to nature.” Marie shared that WHFF engages about 200 people a year through their volunteer programs. “It may be people who just need service hours, but they can learn about native plant management or trail maintenance, and through hands-on work, they take these lessons with them to their own backyards.”

6. What can individuals do to support conservation education and awareness in their communities?

   “Volunteer with us! We are always looking to host people; we typically do this on Friday mornings and once a month on Saturday. Word of mouth is one of the best ways, such as a conversation about how something is invasive. Lanternflies are popular to discuss at the moment, and many people have started to take action to help eradicate this harmful invasive species.”**

7. What’s the most rewarding part of working in conservation education?

   “Interacting with the public, my previous job was with the National Parks in Richmond, which is great, but I didn’t get to interact with the public as much. I knew I was helping contribute to conservation, but it was hard not getting to see any tangible impact right away.”

   
   

   Marie finds that the opportunity to interact with the public—such as at an event like the Fall Festival—makes it almost instantaneous to see how a spark for nature begins in someone. The gratification of the work we do is more instant.

The continued work of the White House Farm Foundation and NVCT at Leopold’s Preserve shows that conservation is not just about protecting land—it's about building community, fostering connection, and creating opportunities for people to engage with nature in tangible, inspiring ways. We’re grateful for WHFF’s partnership and look forward to many more seasons of shared stewardship, celebration, and growth at Leopold’s Preserve.