Back in September, the Shenandoah National Park Trust presented a showing of this exciting film, a compilation of videos created to illustrate extreme “field sports”. The funds raised at this event, and others sponsored by the Trust, benefit its ongoing support of projects at the Shenandoah National Park.
We had an opportunity to attend, and it was an exhilarating look at how we can play in the environment in both planned and very much spontaneous ways. Check to see if it is coming soon to your town!
Photo Courtesy of the Banff Centre
Lancelot “Capability” Brown, the British landscape architect attributed with the creation of the “park landscape” was once asked to take on a project in Ireland. He famously declined, saying, “I’m not yet finished with England.” Brown’s statement stemmed from his notion that each of his projects was not separate from his other work, but rather each of the parks he was creating was part of a larger system of interconnected green space.
Today, the Conservation Fund is taking up Brown’s mantle with its promotion of the idea of green infrastructure, which it defines as “a network of natural areas and open spaces that conserves ecosystems, helps sustain clean air and water and provides many other benefits to people and wildlife.” With its Strategic Conservation Toolkit, the Fund is providing guidance to agencies at all levels to balance land protection and development.
To learn more about how we here at Field Sport Concepts are helping our clients develop their own green infrastructure, please check out our site at www.fieldsport.com. And if there are any topics you’d like to see covered on our blog, we’d love to hear from you!
Until next time,
Greetings from Field Sport Concepts! It has been a hot and dry summer here in Charlottesville and we’d like to head into fall refreshed by looking again at a few vibrant Field Sport projects. Recently, we’ve also been working to develop our blog as a hot source for content related to conservation, working landscapes, and current events. Check it out and subscribe here!
Do you have an interesting project or event to tell us about? Give us a call or drop us an email.
The Fork Farm and Stables
Rural Conservation at its Finest
Situated at the confluence of two rivers in southern North Carolina, The Fork is an 1,100 acre working farm with a wide variety of topographic features, fields, woods and flood plain. Field Sport Concepts was retained to assist in the re-imagining of its potential value for outdoor recreation.
A feasibility study was performed in order to ascertain the property’s suitability for a combination of uses including equestrian sports and breeding programs, wildlife habitat and management, and sustainable, environmentally friendly farming. What we discovered was a rural landscape steeped in Native American and colonial history, enriched by a local agricultural tradition and ready to be molded by the creative eye of an outdoor enthusiast and committed conservationist. Read more…
Little Mountain Ranch
Lounging along the northwestern slope of Little Mountain in Highland County, Virginia, the property stretches from the ridge top to the valley floor along the Jackson River. This rich landscape offers views from a rocky ridge, trails through forested slopes, and wide open meadows in a fertile floodplain. Field Sport Concepts Ltd. produced a master plan for Little Mountain Ranch devised to enhance the existing natural resources and landforms, preserve wildlife habitat, and introduce opportunities for rural recreational pursuits.
In order to enable the owner to put the entire property under easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, McKee Carson, the FSC land planning affiliate, formulated a “by-right” development plan illustrating the traditional rural lot allowance for this land. This plan was employed to appraise the post development value of the property and, thereby, to determine allowable conservation tax credits. Read more…
Stream Corridor Bioengineering
Poor land stewardship on this central Colorado ranch left the new land owner with multiple areas of severely eroded stream bank. Riparian cattle grazing decreased habitat complexity both instream as well as along the riparian corridor. Degraded stream banks and a loss of habitat biodiversity resulted in excessive sediment loads, decreased spawning habitat, lack of instream structure and an overall deficiency in aquatic and terrestrial production. Additionally, a previous restoration attempt left over 200 large boulders in stream and plugged numerous side channels.
Trout Headwaters Inc., after a thorough assessment, developed a stream design that would address and combat these problems. THI’s stream design improved bank stability, instream habitat and water quality while creating naturally functioning channel characteristics. The construction of bioengineered “soft” banks, specifically suited to the sites hydrologic and geomorphic conditions were implemented to achieve THI’s project goals. Read more…
All the best,
Bob McKee
Once again summer it upon us and that means it is time for the FSC Summer Newsletter.
Oakhaven Ranch
Over the past 25 years, Blackburn Architects has had the privilege and pleasure of working on over 100 equestrian facilities designing barns and other equine facilities in a variety of settings and climates for projects both small and large in scope. Despite the various components that come into play with each project, the firm strives to create equestrian facilities that fit each client’s lifestyle and farm management methods with respect to the vernacular of the site and, of course, the health and safety of the horses who inhabit the barns.
The naturally beautiful yet rugged terrain of the Texas Hill Country inspired a project that reflects our design philosophy. Oakhaven Farm, near Austin, Texas, is designed as a peaceful equestrian retreat for the personal use of the owners’ family and their horses. Local resources harvested from the site such as stone and cedar timber allow the equestrian facilities at Oakhaven Farm to unobtrusively complement the land it occupies. Read more…
Playa Secreta
Luxury Resort, Gulf of Fonseca, El Salvador
Embraces Environmental, Social and Cultural Sustainability
Panorama International, a Field Sport Concepts’ affiliate, is designing a new resort and residential community in El Salvador. Playa Secreta, situated in a natural amphitheater overlooking the Gulf of Fonseca, has been conceived as a totally sustainable luxury resort destination.
The present state of the land reflects past indiscriminate agricultural and logging practices which have caused loss of topsoil and eliminated natural barriers to catastrophic erosion. Therefore, it will be necessary both to remediate its landforms and water sources as well as to develop systems to sustain them into the future. In this evocative setting, Playa Secreta seeks to have a truly minimal impact on the environment during its construction as well as when it is in operation. This veritable city will incorporate the best technology available for conserving energy and water resources. Read more…
The Jackson River Club
Lying lightly on the land, spans two miles of Virginia’s finest trout fishery.
Flowing from its headwaters in Highland County, Virginia to where it meets the Cowpasture River to form the James, the Jackson River is one of the most pristine, scenic and in some stretches, untouched rivers on the east coast and certainly one of the finest wild trout fisheries in Virginia.
The Jackson River Club, conveniently located just 10 miles from the Homestead Resort, is a picturesque property, an outdoorsmen’s dream. Abundant wildlife including deer, bear, grouse and turkey flourish in and around the club’s 750 acres which adjoin several thousand acres of the George Washington National Forest. Read more…
All the best,
Bob McKee
For those of us enthusiastic about conservation and all its many dimensions, we would like to share with you a new publication we’ve just come across. Thanks to friends on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, owners of an historic farm, I was introduced to A Sustainable Chesapeake: Better Models for Conservation, by The Conservation Fund. This compilation is a remarkably insightful and refreshing compendium of cutting edge thinking about conservation of a significant watershed in the United States. It shares with us measures which are not only possible and commendable but also inspiring. We hope you will enjoy this book. Let us know what you think about it.
Dear Landowners, Conservationists and Outdoor Enthusiasts,
Welcome to the initial blog posting of THE FIELD SPORT CONCEPT!
Field Sport Concepts, Ltd. is an affiliation of professionals, each with unique talent and expertise and a common passion for the outdoors and the sustainable use of our natural resources. We keep abreast of innovative ways to conserve land, wildlife, history and culture in our projects. One thing that is true about conservation is that it is scalable – its principles can be applied to large ranches and farms as well as smaller parcels.
The projects each of our affiliates has in its portfolio range from conservation residential communities to restoration of sections of major rivers in the West and to designs of elaborate as well as more modest equestrian centers, throughout the United States and abroad. First-class shooting facilities, hunting and fishing preserves and ecosystem services round out our expertise, all of which concentrate on ecologically responsible undertakings. Certain of our efforts come together to create extraordinary resort destinations internationally. We are committed to providing our clients with economically feasible solutions for both short and long term sustainable ownership of their land.
Let us hear from you, about your interests, pursuits and endeavors in conservation and outdoor activities. Please visit our website at www.fieldsport.com for a more complete overview of who we are and what we do.
Sincerely,
Bob McKee
FSC Founding Principal
With the transition to spring we can once again look forward to days in the field enjoying the bounty of recreational opportunities found in nature. Below are a few ways FSC has been working to make these opportunities even more enjoyable.
Colorado Mountain Ranch Stream Restoration
Field Sport Concepts affiliate, Trout Headwaters, Inc. stream and wetland restoration project benefits Colorado mountain ranch property.
Stream and wetland restoration work was completed on the Sleeping Dog Ranch during early spring of 2009. The project was an acclaimed success and is described in this brief case study by FSC affiliate, Trout Headwaters, Inc.
Tumbling out of the San Juan Mountains into the Powderhorn Valley, Cebolla Creek gains speed and volume as it collects water from hillside springs and mountain snowmelt. Making its way north to Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison County, the Cebolla offers some of the best dry fly fishing in Colorado. Read more…
Beretta Trident Program
The Beretta Trident Program was introduced in the United States at the Safari Club International meeting in Reno, Nevada, January 22, 2010. Initially, this program is designed to provide sportsmen and women an objective assessment of sporting venues offering wing shooting and/or shotgun shooting sports in the United States, and ultimately, of any venue of interest, including sporting clubs, gun clubs, shooting estates, and leisure real estate, world-wide.
Beretta, the noted purveyor of quality firearms for over 500 years, has partnered with Sporting Heritage Group to manage all aspects of the program. Sporting Heritage Group will employ a unique rating system to make its assessments and grant Beretta’s quality endorsement. The program is intended to advocate for the traditional heritage of the sporting life while providing much needed consumer confidence in selecting sporting destinations. Read more…
Inaugural Symposium
Residential Development and the Working Landscape: Collide, Contain, Coexist or Coalesce
Located at Bundoran Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, The Baldwin Center for Preservation Development is a non-profit foundation that describes its mission as “to showcase innovative practices in agricultural preservation, environmental stewardship and sustainable growth”.
To further its mission, The Baldwin Center sponsored its inaugural symposium, Residential Development and the Working Landscape in October 2009. McKee Carson principal Bob McKee participated in the symposium along with more than 50 others from private, public and non-profit sector interests around the country representing farming and agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation, land trusts and conservation, development and real estate. They were joined by professors from the Universities of Virginia, North Carolina, and Massachusetts, as well as Ohio State and Harvard. The major non-profit organizations represented were The Nature Conservancy, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Piedmont Environmental Council. Read more…
All the best,
Bob McKee
Landowners, Conservationists and Outdoor Enthusiasts…
“What is Field Sport Concepts?”
Those of you who enjoy hunting, fishing, equestrian or other outdoor activities may be familiar with the term “field sport”. In this inaugural newsletter, we would like to take the opportunity to give you a glimpse of our company’s philosophy and innovative approach to assisting landowners in making their vision for their property a reality.
Field Sport Concepts, Ltd (www.fieldsport.com), was founded in 1993 with the sole purpose of providing “innovative solutions for the preservation of rural lands.” At the core, our company is deeply committed to the conservation and preservation of rural land. We accomplish this goal by employing land use concepts that are both ecologically and financially sustainable as well as supporting the perpetuation of a rural lifestyle that includes outdoor recreation.
Many landowners feel obligated to subdivide and develop their real estate holdings in order to fully capture the financial value of these assets. Though this type of development may be the highest and best use in certain situations, alternative conservation and field sport revenue streams are available and should be explored. FSC’s primary goal is to enable landowners to realize their dreams of creating a place that can be passed on to future generations while being both economically viable and ecologically sustainable.
These concepts are as valid today as they were sixteen years ago when we started to use them as the cornerstone in our land planning practice. Operating through affiliations with related professionals around the country, the structure of our organization can provide an array of services and expertise to support a landowner’s objectives.
From conservation easements utilizing federal and state tax credits to generate income, to emerging market-based payments for ecosystem services enabling landowners to capitalize monetarily on natural resources that currently exist on their property, the evolution of alternative land use scenarios and financing mechanisms has given us many tools for the accomplishment of our stated purpose.
We trust you will share in our excitement for these types of opportunities and will look forward to subsequent issues of our newsletter. Future newsletters will expand on the services we provide, describe what makes our association of affiliations unique and highlight completed projects.
We look forward to hearing from you with questions you may have or suggestions of topics you would like addressed in future newsletters.
My best,
Robert B. McKee, PE, LA
Founding Principal