The Fischers
NELSON COUNTY, VA
Conserving a Wildlife Oasis in the Viewshed of the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway
Ken Fischer and Selkie stand at the base of the meadow that rises to the gazebo, the best viewpoint on the property.
A variety of wildlife including snapping turtles, a blue heron, cottontail rabbits, and a black bear have found a haven in Nelson County. And they aren’t the only ones! Following his time serving as a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy during the Vietnam War, Ken Fischer worked in the Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital. One of his coworkers at the hospital moved back to her home in Waynesboro and invited Ken and his wife, Janice, to visit. Within a few years of visiting that coworker, Ken and Janice made their home on 50-plus acres in Afton, in October of 1989.​​​​
​The combination of wildlife and history on the property made Ken and Janice fall in love with their new home. It is also what made them want to protect the property forever through the use of a conservation easement with Central Virginia Land Conservancy (CVaLC). Emily Bender, the Assistant Director at CVaALC, states that, “CVaLC has been excited to work with the Fischers to protect their beautiful property since the project was started earlier this year. This easement will ensure that part of the view from the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway is protected forever!”
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The Lynchburg-based land trust suggested the Fischers reach out to Conservation Partners to help them assemble a quality team to assist them through their easement donation process. Ken spoke very highly about everyone working on their easement, from his attorney and his appraiser to the staff at CVaLC and Conservation Partners. “Everyone I’ve met has been a pleasure. I thought to myself ‘I want them all to be my friends even after the process is complete.''' In fact, in the few years since their conservation easement recorded, Conservation Partners’ E.C. Myers, who served as the project lead for the Fischers, has been welcomed to many of Ken and Janice's dinner gatherings.
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​​​​From their portrait window in the sitting room, the couple can watch rabbits, deer, songbirds, wild turkeys, butterflies, and the occasional black bear enjoying the meadow. The cozy front porch provides a view of these and other animals exploring the property’s mixed hardwood forest. In the woods, Ken enhanced the spring-fed wetlands by digging a quarter acre pond, and the Green Treefrogs, American Bullfrogs, and Spring Peepers that have made their home here make their happiness well known with their joyous croaks.​​
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If you were to follow one of the paths up from the pond, through the open space, you would find the prime viewpoint on the property– the gazebo Ken crafted by himself (bringing in a few friends only to help him move it to perch on the top of the hill). The gazebo was built just outside of the old barn, containing three milking stalls and two mule stalls, which Ken has repurposed as his woodshop, filling it with cherry, walnut, maple, and more.
The dock extends out over the quarter-acre pond, which is fed by a natural spring.
​​​​​​​​​While preserving the natural beauty of the property, the Fischers have made the property their own by growing a beautiful garden with a particularly prolific fig tree and by adorning their home with Janice’s detailed knitted hangings and Ken’s handcrafted furniture. The original Chestnut log cabin, also handcrafted, is preserved as the living room of the Fischers’ home, which was built to encompass the original structure. Nobody is certain how old the cabin is, but based on assessment records, it could date from the 1830s.
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It makes perfect sense that when E.C. asked Ken and Janice why they haven’t traveled abroad since they applied for their passports years ago, they replied, “Why would we go somewhere else when we have this right here?”
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