The 496-acre Windham Farm property that houses Doukenie Winery north of Hillsboro has been placed in conservation easement with the Land Trust of Virginia.

Windham Farm, owned by Hillsboro residents George and Nichola Bazaco, is on the eastern side of Short Hill.

The property contains nearly 135 acres of forested mountainside and 360 acres of agricultural land.

The land trust is a nationally accredited nonprofit organization that protects open space and natural and historic resources in Virginia.

A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement that allows a landowner to permanently limit the type and amount of development on their property while retaining private ownership. The owner can sell the property, but all future owners are subject to the conditions of the easement.

The Land Trust of Virginia monitors, defends and enforces its conservation easements.

Windham Farm is one of the largest single easements taken by the land trust, which now holds more than 10,000 acres of easements in Loudoun and surrounding counties.

For more information, visit http://www.landtrustva.org.