A quick update on the Charlottesville Western Bypass and DC Outer Beltway
Maps & Resources
Restoring Local Food Systems — An educational seminar series in Charlottesville
Though the local food movement has picked up momentum in our region, there are still a number of challenges that local food producers and distributors face as they try to create a sustainable local food economy. Last January, The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) hosted a work session for their Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters in Charlottesville, Loudoun, and the Northern Piedmont. The goal was to provide a space in which local food providers could bring up a topic of interest, meet others who are interested in a similar issue, and then take part in constructive conversations and strategic planning centered around a plan of action.
On the Ground (Summer 2013)
There’s a lot going on throughout the region, including short stories from Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison and Orange.
What is a Comprehensive Plan, and Why Should We Care?
Six of PEC’s nine counties are in the process of updating their Comprehensive Plans, or will be doing so soon. It can be easy to tune out these updates, but revisions to the ‘Comp Plan’ can mean drastic changes to the look, feel, and functionality of your county, town, and day-to-day life. This is because the Comp Plan is the community’s most important document regarding land use, growth, development, transportation, and resource utilization.
Summer Update on the Outer Beltway
VDOT is pushing to create a new major highway in Northern Virginia referred to (among other names) as the Outer Beltway. PEC’s take? This mega-highway would cut through a National Park, open up over 100,000 acres to residential development, and has the potential to actually increase traffic congestion on I-66 and Rt. 50. The good news is—after years of trying to get more press coverage and citizen engagement on the issue—we may have reached a turning point.
A Conservation Ethic — A Profile of Marie Ridder
To say that Marie Ridder, 88, is an accomplished woman is an understatement—and as I drove to meet her for our interview, I was both excited and nervous. Marie has been a highly successful journalist and editor who would later devote her career to social and environmental issues.
The Piedmont Through the Viewfinder
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and that couldn’t be more true than when it comes to the beauty of Virginia’s Piedmont. No one knows this better than our regional photographers.
On the Ground Conservation – Spring 2013
The Bowers Family made a generous donation of nearly 160 acres to PEC in 2012. This land—adjacent to the Hickory Ridge Farm subdivision near Earlysville—will be permanently conserved as a rural property by PEC. The property features mixed hardwood forests and a wooded stream valley, which helps protect the Rivanna River watershed.
Remembering Celia: Honoring one of Madison County’s 2012 easement donors
Celia Porter Dollarhide (January 1940 — December 2012) and her siblings never quite had a hometown. Their father, Robert Porter, Jr., was a general in the U.S. army and the family moved often. So, when General Porter retired in the ‘60s and settled at Middle River Farm in Madison County — the 140 acre tree farm became the family’s home base.
Uranium Mining: Going…Going…Gone?
In 2007, Virginia Uranium, Inc. (VUI) made their intentions clear: they were going to persuade lawmakers to lift the Commonwealth’s standing moratorium on uranium mining and milling. The company had their eyes set on a large deposit of uranium in Southwest Virginia, and they adamantly ignored the numerous warnings and unknowns. Determined to break ground in Pittsylvania County, VUI poured millions into a massive lobbying effort and PR campaign to make it happen. They pulled all of the stops— including flying legislators to France.