Fauquier’s Purchase of Development Rights program pays landowners of agricultural operations to limit the development potential of their land through a conservation easement. Unlike a donated conservation easement, the PDR program pays farmers a flat rate of $25,000 per development right they wish to extinguish.
The Piedmont View
The New Addition
We are delighted to share some wonderful news with you. In September, the PEC board passed a resolution to improve our headquarters—and now construction is under way! Work kicked off on November 10, 2014 on the expansion of our 45 Horner Street office. This addition will allow all of our Warrenton staff to be under the same roof for the first time in more than five years.
A Tale of Two Alums
Since 2009, PEC has offered the Exploring the Small Farm Dream course to aspiring farmers—helping them take a long hard look at their dreams and to answer the question, “Is starting a farm business a good fit for me?” As the title of the course suggests, every participant comes to the course with their own unique dream—an idea that they want to explore. It is these dreams that form the starting point of the course, which evaluates student’s goals, skills, interests, physical and financial resources, and the merits of their ideas in order to settle on a course of action.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded PEC a $200,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund this past October. With this grant, PEC will collaborate with Loudoun County, the Town of Lovettsville, Loudoun County Master Gardeners and Loudoun homeowners associations to implement projects that involve planting native trees and shrubs, improving stormwater facilities and reducing polluted runoff in Loudoun County communities.
PEC Awarded Madison Family Cup for Conservation Efforts
In early November, the National Society of the Madison Family Descendants honored PEC with the Madison Family Cup for its noteworthy conservation efforts at Montpelier and the surrounding Orange County environs.
Planting the Seeds of Habitat Restoration
PEC teamed up with Mill Run Elementary School to create a naturally landscaped outdoor area for educating students, parents and the community. This past November, the school’s fourth and fifth grades participated in the project by planting 75 native trees and 135 native plants!
Two Thousand Trees Planted
An interview with PEC’s Sustainable Habitat Program Assistant Celia Vuocolo: What type of restoration happened at the Overlook this past fall? We did a large forest-edge planting of about 2,000 trees and shrubs. The goal was to create a “soft edge” where the forest meets the meadow…
Down the River and Through the Woods
A partnership between PEC and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia has created new opportunities for Orange County youth to experience the natural environment and history of the surrounding region.
In Memory of Kitty P. Smith
On April 23, we lost a great member of our community—Dr. Kitty P. Smith. She passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by family and close friends. Kitty was a long-time Fauquier resident, and worked tirelessly over the past several decades to support land conservation and good land use planning in Fauquier County.
Outer Beltway Update
The Bi-County Parkway project, a key component of the Outer Beltway scheme, is on hold… for now.