In 2021, private landowners partnered with various land trusts and conservation agencies to permanently protect an additional 6,474 acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties.
Conserving Land
Conservation easements help ensure that the Virginia Piedmont is always characterized by its open spaces, healthy environment, and cultural resources.
A Few Highlights From 2021
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and a global economic slowdown, 2021 proved to be a year of new opportunity here at The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Webinar: Quarterly Keynote with Ebonie Alexander
On December 14, PEC hosted its final Quarterly Keynote of 2021, which featured a discussion on retaining and protecting Black-owned land.
Your Support is Doubled for Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is a global movement dedicated to giving back to organizations and causes you care about. Today on November 30, your donation will go twice as far thanks to the generosity of a longtime supporter who is offering a dollar-for-dollar match on any gifts we receive up to a total of $25,000! We hope you consider making a special one-time gift, becoming a new PEC member, or renewing your existing membership.
Rural Crescent Under Threat in Prince William County
Learn about three proposals that could change the character of Prince William County forever.
Virginia Survey Shows Support for Conservation
Over three-quarters of Virginias support investing $300 million annually to protect Virginia’s natural resources
PEC Quarterly Keynote: Conservation and Collaboration
Together with the Shenandoah National Park Trust and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Virginia Working Landscapes, the Piedmont Environmental Council presented its 2nd virtual Quarterly Keynote on Thursday, June 24 at 6:30 pm.
Webinar: Fauquier Farm and Land Conservation
PEC’s Julian Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund and the Fauquier County Agricultural Development Department hosted this webinar for Fauquier County landowners interested in learning how to protect their land with a conservation easement, and also to promote the open application period for Fauquier County’s PDR program, which is currently accepting applications through June 30, 2020.
Blue Ridge to the Bay: A Story Map
The Upper Rappahannock-Rapidan watershed is home to some of Virginia’s most productive farmland, numerous Civil War Battlefields and historic sites, intact forests, important wildlife habitat, and beautiful places to recreate.
Protecting the Cedar Run Watershed
When Mike and Margrete Stevens first came to Fauquier County eighteen years ago, as the new owners of Bonny Brook Farm, near Warrenton, they made friends with their neighbors Julian and Sue Scheer and Hilary and Rich Gerhardt (the Scheers’ daughter and son-in-law). This friendship with a family of dedicated conservationists led the Stevens to start hosting a wildflower walk on their land each April, as a sky-colored carpet of Virginia Bluebells blossoms along Cedar Run.