Job Posting: Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board Executive Director

OUR MISSION: The Berkeley County Farmland Protection Program aims to protect the agricultural, rural, and scenic aspects of a West Virginia County undergoing significant residential and commercial growth.

WHO WE ARE: Berkeley County is the fastest growing county in West Virginia. The county comprises over 400 square miles in the Eastern Panhandle of the state, which places us within the Washington/Baltimore metropolitical statistical area. Our program was the first to be enabled in the state, and presently we hold the largest number of both easements and conserved acreage. The area is served by Interstate 81, US Route 11, and the Amtrak and MARC rail systems.

WHAT WE DO: Using locally generated funds (a percentage of Transfer Tax income) combined with Federal funds (NRCS and others) the Berkeley County Farmland Protection Program (BCFPP) purchases permanent easements on qualifying properties. These easements protect the agricultural, environmental and scenic attributes of the property and, most importantly, enable and support the continued agricultural use of the land. To date, the Program has purchased perpetual easements on 80 + properties that protect over 8000 acres. Several “super clusters” of easements have emerged in the process, creating and protecting large agriculturally productive areas throughout the county.