Updates on the conversations taking place in Richmond and a few of the ways PEC is working to support conservation efforts statewide.
Stream Restoration / Fish Passage Projects
We are working to improve stream health and connectivity by removing or replacing culverts in the upper Rappahannock watershed with more wildlife-friendly versions. Culverts and low-water crossings on public and private road crossings act as barriers to aquatic organism passage and worsen overall stream health.
Working Together for Clean Water and the Brook Trout
PEC has been working with state agencies, partner organizations and landowners to improve fish passage across the Piedmont, one barrier at a time.
Video: Fish Surveys with Virginia DWR
PEC teamed up with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to monitor the health of aquatic communities at two of our habitat restoration sights in Rappahannock County: Bolton Branch and Piney River!
Video: Orvis Giveback Days for Bolton Branch
In May, The Piedmont Environmental Council teamed up with Orvis to raise money to restore two miles of brook trout stream habitat on Bolton Branch in Rappahannock County.
On the Ground Updates – June 2021
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Trout Stream Restoration Gifts Doubled Through May 31
Through May, we’ve teamed up with Orvis to raise money to restore two miles of brook trout stream habitat on Bolton Branch in Rappahannock County. Receive a $10 store coupon when you donate $10 or more at the register in any of the four NoVA locations: Leesburg, Arlington, Tysons and Woodbridge. Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000!
Video: Free Flow
A must-watch!! We’re so excited to bring you this video about our largest trout stream restoration project to date, on Bolton Branch in Rappahannock County on the border of Shenandoah National Park.
Return of brook trout signals promise for trout stream restoration efforts
Find out about recent fish counts.
A Fish Runs Through It
As the fog broke on a brisk November morning in Madison County, more than three dozen people arrived at the Whiteoak Canyon trailhead ready to celebrate the new, 35-foot, open-span bridge over Cedar Run. They marveled at the sounds of water bubbling over the rocky streambed from the north side of the bridge to the south. Many walked upright beneath the sturdy, brown, steel-framed structure. And all excitedly searched the deep pools for our guests of honor—the native brook trout, a species of concern on Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan.
Whiteoak Canyon Trailhead
SYRIA, VA: The new 35-foot span bridge across Cedar Run offers hikers and nature-loving community members improved access to the popular Whiteoak Canyon trailhead and opening up three miles of stream habitat to native fish for the first time in decades. The effort is a public-private partnership between Shenandoah National Park, The Piedmont Environmental Council, Trout Unlimited, and the local landowners, the Graves family.