At this summer’s Sunset Safari event, The Piedmont Environmental Council, the Shenandoah National Park Trust, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute recognized The Volgenau Foundation for its leadership and philanthropy in land conservation and restoration of native habitats in Virginia and beyond since 1994.
Chris Miller
President’s Letter – Spring 2019
As I sit in my office, I can see the maple trees budding and about to burst open with the excitement that comes with every springtime in the Piedmont region. And that is how I feel about all of the upcoming activities we have planned this spring to help create better, more sustainable communities throughout our region.
President’s Letter – Winter 2018
When PEC was created in 1972, the underlying motivation for many of the founders was to help the communities where they lived and the landscape they loved respond to massive forces of change. Thank you for continuing that work; we are proud to work with you and on your behalf.
President’s Letter – Winter 2017
As we near the end of 2017 and contemplate the future, I am increasingly convinced that we, as Americans, as Virginians, and as members of our various communities, need to focus on finding common ground around critical issues of quality of life. This has been a year in which many of our core assumptions about conservation and environmental protection have been challenged and, in some cases, cast aside. Now, more than ever, we need to remember why we all have been working so hard for so long….
Proposed Albemarle courthouse relocation would be a move in the wrong direction
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors is considering moving the County Courthouse from downtown Charlottesville to somewhere on Rt. 29. The move would make both court systems less efficient, cost taxpayers significantly more money, generate additional car trips between separate city and county courts, and further splinter the city-county relationship. This text was taken from an email alert sent out on December 15, 2017.
President’s Letter – Fall 2017
Our region is close to long-term averages for annual precipitation this year. Given the plentiful rainfall, stories about a shortage of drinking water seem odd. However, those stories are everywhere you look. For instance, in Fauquier County, water shortages from a combination of reduced ow and contamination in existing wells spurred negotiations for new wells in Marshall. Also, concerns about the availability of water were central to the debate over future development in Warrenton. Greene County is considering constructing, at considerable expense, a new storage reservoir for withdrawals from the Rapidan River. In addition, Loudoun Water is purchasing quarry sites along Goose Creek for future storage….
President’s Letter – Summer 2017
Some may not know that PEC is also the fiscal sponsor for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization that focuses on planning and policies that support the best possible solutions for the greater Washington D.C. area. Earlier this month, CSG celebrated their 20th anniversary….
Post-election thoughts
Coming out of the election there is a lot of concern, particularly within the environmental community, about the direction that federal policy will go over the next four years. What parts of campaign rhetoric will become reality? On that subject, only time will tell.
Here at The Piedmont Environmental Council we have historically tried not to rely on federal policies, but rather the direct actions of residents, landowners, and businesses in the Piedmont region. It’s a bi-partisan approach, and something we have found people of all political stripes can rally around.
In that vein, here are some post-election thoughts from The Piedmont Environmental Council’s President, Chris Miller:
President’s Letter – Summer 2016
We are mourning the loss of Bill Backer, long-time PEC supporter and Piedmont Foundation President, who passed away on May 13, 2016. An advertising genius who taught the “world to sing” when he created the 1971 “Hilltop” commercial for Coca-Cola—what many consider to be the most famous commercial ever.
Bill loved the Piedmont and chose to make Fauquier County his permanent home in 1994. I’ve known Bill for over 20 years. He was a man of incredible intellect and insight into the human spirit…
President’s Letter – Spring 2016
In February, I faced a new challenge—explaining the mission and programs of PEC to millennials. I was asked to give a guest lecture to an audience of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania, which included my daughter Caroline, a freshman…