As our 50th anniversary year comes to a close, we are taking stock in the effects of our collective efforts over the last half century toward meaningful conservation and better communities in Virginia’s Piedmont. We are ever grateful to our generous and committed supporters and members who’ve made it all possible, as well as our many partners and dedicated staff. As we head toward the close of 2022, we invite you to look back at a few highlights of our work together this past year.
Orange County
PEC’s Orange County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Orange’s rural character, environment and historic resources.
Connecting People and Place in a Built Environment
Through the Town to Trail initiative over the past few years, Gordonsville has doubled its public open space and multiplied everyone’s contributions, large and small.
On the Ground Updates – December 2022
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Town to Trail: Gordonsville Park Network
An effort by friends, neighbors, local businesses, and PEC to create an expanded park network in the Town of Gordonsville.
2022 Highlights
Learn about our efforts to expand conservation and restoration efforts, empower local communities, invest in public access, and connect consumers to local farms in 2022.
2022 Photo Contest Winners
Here are our 2022 photo contest winners! Take a look at these incredible images from around the Virginia Piedmont.
Wilderness Crossing Town Hall Recap and Next Steps
It was great seeing so many folks at our Wilderness Crossing town hall late last month in Locust Grove. Below you can find a recap with some of the key takeaways from the event and an update on where things stand in Orange County’s approval process.
Resources from Wilderness Crossing Town Hall
PEC and partners from the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition held a community town hall on October 25, 2022 at the Locust Grove Middle School to share information about the proposed Wilderness Crossing rezoning and development in Orange County, VA.
Wilderness Crossing Town Hall on Oct. 25
As reported in my last email, the Wilderness Crossing proposal continues to wind its way through the rezoning application process in Orange County.
Virginia’s Former Gold Mines with Priority Level for Reclamation – PEC Web Map
In 2022, The Piedmont Environmental Council was proud to partner with volunteers from UVA’s Clark Scholars program on a project to analyze the reclamation status of former gold mine sites throughout the Commonwealth. Using data pulled from the Virginia Department of Energy’s Mineral Mining online mapping interface, the student’s research enabled PEC to create a new WebMap that visually displays former mine sites “OLAC ranking,” a measure of prioritization for reclamation based on potential or assessed contamination.