Patch is pleased to announce the winner of a $500 donation from Patch is Annandale-based Northern Virginia Conservation Trust.

Earlier this month, Patch ran a contest in which a local environmental non-profit organization would win a $500 donation from Patch.

NVCT is an organization that helps both governmental organizations and individual landowners “voluntarily preserve natural areas, trails, streams and parks," according to the NVCT website.

"Founded in 1994, NVCT has preserved 5421 acres in Northern Virginia. NVCT currently holds 97 conservation easements and ow ns 21 properties, including 70 acres protecting one of the largest Great Blue Heron nesting sites in the lower Potomac region,” the website states.

NVCT won Patch’s donation based on a random drawing from comments on this article, where comments counted as nominations for the donation. The randomly selected comment came from NVCT’s Jon Scott. Six other readers also nominated NVCT.

Patch readers nominated about three dozen groups ranging from statewide organizations to neighborhood groups. Here is the complete list of nominees:

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