With spring in full bloom across the Virginia Piedmont, The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is pleased to announce the release of the 2025-2026 Buy Fresh Buy Local guide, a bi-annual handbook that helps to connect residents throughout the region to fresh local food directly from farmers, farmers markets, and food businesses in their communities.
Maps & Resources
Solarize Piedmont Returns for 2025, Making Solar Power More Accessible to Virginia Homeowners
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), in collaboration with the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), is excited to announce the launch of Solarize Piedmont 2025.
Piedmont Environmental Council welcomes new board members from Charlottesville and Culpeper and Madison counties
The Piedmont Environmental Council Board of Directors has approved three new members this year: Jane Fisher of Charlottesville; Andrew Gutowski of Culpeper County; and Kemp Hill of Madison County.
Bluebell Walk on Cedar Run April 13 to honor Mike Stevens
Each year in April, a spectacular display of thousands of bluebells appears on the banks of Cedar Run at Bonny Brook Farm. Sunday, April 13, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. — rain or shine — community members are invited to celebrate this rite of spring with The Piedmont Environmental Council and host Margrete Stevens.
Conserving a Crown Jewel in Culpeper County
Western View Plantation in Culpeper County gets its name from the panoramic vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park seen from its pastures and fields. This 700-acre working farm exemplifies the kind of agricultural operation that sustains a thriving rural economy.
Thanks to the efforts of many — including a farming family dedicated to conserving farmland for the continuation of our local food systems — PEC used $1.6 million of state and federal funding to purchase an Agricultural Land Easement that now permanently protects the excellent soils and streams that run through Western View.
Data Center Reform Campaign Continues
In the pre-dawn hours in a Haymarket parking lot, a few dozen people huddled in record cold temperatures as they made their way to the warm glow of a charter bus. Their destination: Richmond. Their mission: convince legislators to enact data center reform during the 2025 General Assembly session.
PEC’s Big Year in Conservation
Last year, within The Piedmont Environmental Council’s nine-county region, landowners partnered with conservation organizations like ours to conserve 5,446 acres of lands and forever protect the many public benefits they provide the region.
Expanding a Piece of Heaven
As the warm sunlight stretches through the bare tree branches at The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Warrenton office, Hans and Anne Wachtmeister huddle in the yard for a picture. With a smiling face, Hans holds up a sign that reads, “This property is forever protected with a conservation easement.”
A Conservation Win in Loudoun County
The conservation of Beaver Dam Farm also marked an important milestone in protecting water quality, as conservation of the farm’s nearly half-mile of frontage along Beaverdam Creek provided the last link in a continuous 5-mile corridor of protected lands along the waterway. Beaverdam Creek is a major tributary of Goose Creek, a designated Virginia Scenic River and public drinking water source for Loudoun and Fairfax counties.
Conservation Funds Protect Clarke County Property
Sometimes advancing conservation in our region means supporting another partner’s vision. This was the case last year, when The Piedmont Environmental Council contributed funds from our Clark County Land Conservation Fund to the purchase of a conservation easement at the 43-acre Lilly property, facilitating a conservation win for all parties.