Bundoran Farm + Audubon International

As the land planners, landscape architects and civil engineers of record for the preservation development at Bundoran Farm (http://www.bundoranfarm.com/) , we are excited to share with you the news that Audubon International has chosen this project to receive their Gold Signature Sanctuary designation. Please read the article below that describes the plan for this farm and why it meets this prestigious standard. This award recognizes the values that we have always espoused; developing land in an environmentally sustainable manner while maintaining the economic value for the landowner. Conservation of rural land and wildlife habitat can coexist with the manmade landscape to create a place that is preserved for future generations.

Bundoran Farm Designated a Gold Audubon Sanctuary

Bundoran Farm, located in Albemarle County, was recently designated as a "Certified Gold Signature Sanctuary" by Audubon International. Signature certification is awarded only to new developments which are designed, constructed, and maintained according to Audubon International's standards for planning and environmental stewardship.

The highest level of certification, gold, is reserved for projects complying with the most exacting of these standards. Bundoran Farm is the first development in the Commonwealth of Virginia to receive this honor and the first working farm to be certified in the Audubon International Signature Programs.

"Bundoran Farm has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program and are to be commended for their efforts in fostering sustainable development and land management with emphasis on protecting and sustaining land, water, wildlife, and natural resources where people live," comments Nancy E. Richardson, Director, Signature Programs, Audubon International. "Bundoran Farm clearly excels as an example of good stewardship and we look forward to continuing our relationship to protect and enhance the environment in Virginia."

To become certified, each Signature member must design and implement a Natural Resource Management Plan for the property by addressing the following: Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Enhancement, Water Quality Monitoring and Management, Integrated Pest Management, Water Conservation, Energy Efficiency, and Waste Management. The designation of Signature Certification is contingent upon the quality and completeness of the Natural Resources Management Plan and its implementation.

Located just 15 minutes from Charlottesville and the renowned University of Virginia, the 2,300 acres of Bundoran Farm are nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Two ponds provide a place for quiet reflection or fishing, and farm buildings and cottages dot the landscape, framing views that typify the slower pace and natural beauty of the Albemarle County lifestyle. This land remains intact today because of a legacy of family stewardship, a tradition of care that will continue for generations to come.

Bundoran Farm is not just a place of rare visual beauty. It is a thriving landscape of cattle and orchards - a place where deer, fish and birds find quiet refuge. A place where a network of over fifteen miles of walking and riding trails winds amongst mature Piedmont forest species. And where, most importantly, all of this will remain intact for future generations. In fact, 90 percent of Bundoran Farm will remain untouched by residential development thanks to the careful process of Preservation Development.

Bundoran Farm is the location of a new kind of rural community. At the heart of this community is a new economic, environmental and social way of life called Preservation Development. This innovative concept of land preservation, combined with extremely limited residential development, has been practiced and refined over thirty years.

In the case of Bundoran Farm, these principles will result in a low-density community of approximately one hundred homesites, with the great majority of the farm's acreage put under a proven system of easements and deed restrictions to ensure the beauty, character and vitality of this land in perpetuity. With the purchase of their individual homesites, owners enjoy the expansive acreage and beauty of the entire working farm and forest. They can experience the benefits of living on a large farm without the investment of time and management such a parcel would typically require.

Audubon International is a not-for-profit environmental education organization dedicated to educating, assisting, and inspiring millions of people from all walks of life to protect and sustain the land, water, wildlife, and natural resources around them. By helping people make sound environmental decisions and take environmentally responsible actions, Audubon International seeks to foster more sustainable human and natural communities. The organization works with communities in 26 different countries.