In Greene County, young Dustin Watson works the 274-acre cattle farm co-owned by two elder family members.
Maps & Resources
Conservation Stories Across the Region: Beth Plentovich and Howie Kelly, Protection Through Perseverance
Beth Plentovich and Howie Kelly know the true importance of relentless incrementalism for achieving exponential results.
Conservation Stories Across the Region: Anne & Dru Crawley, Filling in the Missing Piece
Walking along the gravel driveway of Anne and Dru Crawley’s property, five miles from the village of Amissville, I recognized immediately the significance of this 63-acre stretch of land.
2023 Land Conservation Totals
In 2023, 6,315 acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties were permanently protected with 52 conservation easements.
Conserving a Cultural Crossroads
On Oct. 27, 2023, Historic Germanna’s executive director, Jennifer Hurst Wender, and board president, Keith Hoffman, signed a perpetual open-space easement on Siegen Forest.
A Conservation Journey in Madison County
Carolyn Smith’s Madison County property has been on quite the journey since her parents first purchased the former cattle operation in 1965. Donating a 129-acre conservation easement in late 2023 came on the heels of decades of successful land stewardship by Carolyn, her parents, and a community of partners who have worked to restore and repair the land for wildlife habitat, pollinators and native plants.
6,315 acres conserved in nine-county region last year
The Piedmont Environmental Council reports that in 2023, 6,315 acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties were permanently protected with 52 new conservation easements.
The Piedmont Environmental Council announces new board officers
The Piedmont Environmental Council Board of Directors has a new board chair, David Aldrich, and new board officers: Leslie Cockburn, vice chair; Margrete Stevens, secretary; and Chris McLean, treasurer.
Reshaping the Future of Farm to Table: Expanding Local Meat Processing Capacity in Virginia
This video tells the story of partners coming together to give small Virginia producers more options to process meat products from their farms.
PEC lawsuit confirms abuse of FOIA by Orange County for the benefit of Amazon
The Virginia FOIA lawsuit that PEC filed against Orange County in October concluded last month with officials turning over the requested documents, thus avoiding a hearing in court.