This week, American Rivers released its 2026 list of most endangered rivers, and the Potomac River leads the list, due in large part to uncontrolled data center growth throughout the watershed.
Maps & Resources
The Piedmont Environmental Council Celebrates New Legislation Supporting Sustainable Energy
The Piedmont Environmental Council is delighted to announce that 12 solution-oriented energy bills that PEC either authored, informed, and advocated for have been adopted into Virginia law.
Virginia Piedmont Protects 5,552 Acres in 2025
In 2025, landowners and conservation organizations in The Piedmont Environmental Council’s nine-county region conserved over 4,178 acres through conservation easements. The Conservation Fund’s purchase of Oak Hill in Loudoun County and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s acquisition for the Bull Run Mountain Natural Areas Preserve added another 1,374 acres.
Shenandoah Borderlands project protects 5,000 acres for clean water, habitat, scenic viewshed
Shenandoah National Park is one of Virginia’s most beloved and visited outdoor spaces, attracting 1.7 million visitors in 2025. It’s also a global conservation priority for biodiversity protection and climate resiliency. For these reasons, The Piedmont Environmental Council has been strategically identifying and conserving privately-owned lands running along the park’s eastern edge with a project called the Shenandoah Borderlands Conservation Initiative.
Hilton Farm: A Key Piece of the Conservation Puzzle in the Rappahannock-Rapidan Watershed
You know that feeling when you’re putting together a puzzle and there’s that “Aha!” moment, when filling in one missing piece brings everything together? Hilton Farm in Orange County is an example of this phenomenon playing out in conservation form.
15,000 Reasons to Celebrate: Plantings, Partnerships and Protecting Water
After compiling the data for 2025’s spring and fall plantings, I sat staring at my screen. Could that be right? Did we actually plant 15,000 trees last year?
Meet the Team: Conservation
At the heart of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont is our dedicated conservation team. You’ve likely met some of our conservation staff somewhere in your community (whether you knew it or not!), but few people know the tremendous work they do behind the scenes.
Who’s Protecting the Piedmont? – Spring 2026
Here, we highlight three people who are protecting the Piedmont by growing local food, stewarding conservation easements and donating to make PEC’s work possible.
General Assembly Update — Spring 2026
Every day, Piedmont Environmental Council staff engage at the local, state and federal levels to shape public policy with an eye toward protecting and restoring the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont while building strong, more sustainable communities. The Virginia General Assembly serves as the main stage for these efforts.
On the Ground Updates – April 2026
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.