Learn about our efforts to expand conservation and restoration efforts, empower local communities, invest in public access, and connect consumers to local farms in 2022.
Historic & Scenic Landscapes
The Piedmont’s beautiful vistas also present some of America’s most historic terrain.
The Piedmont’s Beauty Is Not An Accident – Letter from PEC’s President
I often say that the beauty of the Virginia Piedmont is not an accident. And over the course of 2022, PEC has been contemplating and celebrating 50 years of collective effort conserving and protecting this place we love so much as we also plan for a more sustainable future.
PEC and the Aldie Assemblage – An Incredible Conservation Opportunity
For some time, The Aldie Assemblage property has been under threat of development or uses inconsistent with preserving the historic character and integrity of the surrounding village. In December 2021, recognizing the need for a conservation solution, PEC submitted an offer to Loudoun County to purchase the property.
Proposed Cell Tower at Mickie Gordon Memorial Park
A private development company has submitted plans to construct a 150’ cell tower at Mickie Gordon Memorial Park along Route 50, in between Middleburg and the historic village of Aldie, on property owned by the Loudoun County Public Schools.
Histories Along the Blue Ridge: Digitization of Shenandoah National Park condemnation records in Madison County
Three days of rain gave way to sunshine on a May Sunday afternoon, perhaps a perfect symbolism for the official unveiling of a long-awaited project nearly 90 years in the making.
Regional traffic congestion, pollution in the Occoquan?
Last November, PEC wrote about the threats posed to Prince William County’s long-standing Rural Crescent by three major land use decisions.
Prince William County Considers Land Use Changes That Encourage Sprawl
Prince William County is evaluating three different land use changes that would introduce industrial and residential sprawl into the Rural Crescent, to the detriment of water quality, wildlife habitat, agriculture, historic resources, tourism and the rural atmosphere.
Madison County plans May 15 event to announce and present newly digitized Madison County land condemnation records related to creation of Shenandoah National Park
In partnership with James Madison University, and with funding from the Madison County Historical Society, The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) has completed the digitization of thousands of legal documents related to the Commonwealth’s 1930s-era condemnation of private lands in Madison County for the creation of Shenandoah National Park (SNP).
Historic Thoroughfare At Risk
Currently facing development pressures, Thoroughfare is a historic African American community founded by formerly enslaved people that lies along Rt. 55 in western Prince William County at the edge of Haymarket.
Documenting the Freetowns of the Southwest Mountains
PEC is working with community members in Albemarle County to research and document the history and associated historic resources of African American communities in and around the Southwest Mountains.