CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – With over 80% of land in Virginia privately owned, conservation groups in the Commonwealth know the success of their initiatives will depend largely on how much local support they get.

With that in mind, the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative – a partnership of five environmental groups – the Shenandoah National Park Trust and the Rappahannock River Roundtable are holding a free open house for landowners in Etlan and Syria on Friday at Ducard Vineyards.

About a dozen conservation-focused organizations will be on hand at the event, which will run from 3-6 p.m.

“We decided to have a conservation event that’s dedicated to creating a community around our habitats and protecting them,” Lauria McShane, Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative assistant, told The Corner this week. “Etlan is a very special community because it is right along the Shenandoah National Park itself. When you think of Shenandoah National Park, the benefits that you get from hiking there and from getting to the top of the mountain is what you’re seeing off of the mountain. What becomes important to protecting our national park and to our habitats in that area is actually what we’re seeing from on top of the state park. And that’s where Etlan comes in.”

McShane noted Etlan is the closest community to Old Rag Mountain. Friday’s event will connect that community to resources and organizations who can assist people with technical or financial assistance for creating and protecting the environment in that area.

“We have a large community of landowners and farmers that are in that area that can create great habitat,” McShane said.