In 1975, Elizabeth "Babs" Conant saw survey stakes with red ribbons along the shore of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and feared that the 80-acre Greer property, part of historic River View Farm, would be developed and destroy the wildlife-rich area she loved. After Conant invited Dave Morine of The Nature Conservancy to explore Ivy Creek by canoe, he was impressed by the habitat, and the Conservancy partnered with her to purchase the Greer property. Conant's mother donated $150,000 to the Conservancy's revolving fund, enabling the Rann Preserve to be established. Bill Cole, the Conservancy's first Virginia director, then worked with city and county citizens and officials to secure a federal grant, and in October 1978 Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville became co-owners of the new Ivy Creek Natural Area, with the city later adding 38 adjoining acres. As chair of the Conservancy's local project committee, Conant organized volunteers to raise funds, clean and clear structures, and plant trees, and she also investigated River View Farm's African American history dating to the 1870s, leading to documentation of the Carr and Greer families. In 1977, The Nature Conservancy gave Conant an Oak Leaf Award for her efforts to preserve the area. Development threats continued, and in 1979 the newly formed Ivy Creek Foundation, led by Paul Saunier, joined the Conservancy and local government to acquire the neighboring 97-acre Fleming tract, bringing the publicly owned natural area to 215 acres. Today, Ivy Creek Natural Area is open daily, offers trails and public programs, serves school groups, includes an Education Building erected in the late 1990s and a historic barn restored in 2011-2012, and remains managed by the nonprofit Ivy Creek Foundation as a public-private conservation partnership that preserves both natural and local history.