This annual publication highlights some of the new opportunities that are available to land owners this year. Articles include Expanded Land Conservation Incentives in 2013, PEC's Sustainable Habitat Program, and Continuing a Legacy of Conservation.
Maps & Resources
PEC’s Legacy Society: Leaving Your Mark
PEC has worked for 40 years to promote and protect the natural resources and vibrant communities of the Piedmont. We would not be where we are today, however, without the dedication of concerned citizens who support the work that we have done and are doing.
Looking Back and Moving Forward: 40 Years with PEC
The Piedmont Environmental Council turned 40 this year. For individuals, a 40th birthday might be a dreaded event—where friends and families don black hats and tell jokes about getting older. For a regional, non-profit organization, however, it’s something else altogether. As our staff, board members, friends and supporters look over the last 40 years of hard work and collaboration—we are filled with pride and gratitude.
Spout Run Watershed Gets Some T.L.C.
Clarke County’s Spout Run watershed is comprised of 14 miles of perennial streams, many of which are spring-fed. So, Spout Run has the potential to provide clean water and support a large variety of wildlife species. Yet, the streams are considered unhealthy due to the levels of nutrients and sediment from fertilizers, livestock, and other human-related activities. For this reason, the Spout Run watershed is on Virginia’s State Impaired Waters List. This is bad news not only for the wildlife and people living around the watershed, but also for those downstream—including the Chesapeake Bay.
Protecting the Jordan – A Community Effort
When James and Karen Allen placed their Flint Hill property under a conservation easement this August, they protected over 100 beautiful acres of scenic open space and viable farmland; over 4,000 feet of the Jordan River; and more than 1,600 feet of front-age on Zachary Taylor Highway—one of Virginia’s Scenic Byways.
Orange County’s Rural Areas Under Threat
Since 2008, Orange County has had a subdivision ordinance that calls for time-phased divisions of land—limiting the number of divisions allowed on a property over a specific period of time. This aspect of the ordinance allows the County to regulate the speed of development in the rural area.
Landscaping to Make a Difference
In the Eastern U.S., the crop that takes up the largest acreage isn’t corn, hay, or soybeans—it’s mowed lawns.
Looking Beyond Property Lines to Restore the Thumb Run Watershed
PEC’s Sustainable Habitat Program Manager, James Barnes, often works with landowners in the Piedmont on a one-on-one basis—helping them find ways (and funding) to improve their properties to restore wildlife habitat and water quality. This conservation work is important, and Barnes has worked with many excited landowners. He’s realized, however, that to make a lasting difference in habitat resoration in the Piedmont, landowners will need to start looking past their property lines.
Culpeper Rebuilt
Residents across the Commonwealth were shocked August 23, 2011 when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, centered in Louisa County, shook the east coast. Downtown Culpeper was one of the hardest hit communities—left with numerous damaged historic buildings. Some of these buildings had to be immediately condemned due to their instability, and the County’s total damages were initially estimated be over $6.5 million.
On the Ground
PEC has been hard at work in many areas these last few months. Read a brief story from each of our 9 counties.