Over 60 percent of Loudoun residents, live in a Homeowners Association-controlled community. How these communities manage their landscapes can have a profound effect on the health of our local ecosystems, wildlife, streams and drinking water sources.
Our Work
Safeguarding the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Piedmont by involving citizens in public policy and land conservation. Learn more about our work by browsing the subject areas below and find out how to get involved!
Protecting the Goose Creek Watershed
PEC was recently awarded a $15,600 grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to further our work identifying and prioritizing opportunities to implement agricultural best management practices (BMPs) and strengthen efforts on land protected by conservation easements in the Goose Creek watershed.
On the Ground — Winter 2018
Updates from the around the PEC region, organized by county. Albemarle: Strengthening growth management in Albemarle. Clarke: Promoting and celebrating Conservation. Culpeper: A Finger on the Scale for Solar. Fauquier: Updated Plans, Remington Walks and Vint Hill’s Future. Greene: Greene at a crossroads. Loudoun: Choosing our future. Madison: Trout Stream Restoration Continues. Orange: Two Farms Conserved along the Rapidan River. Rappahannock: Community-wide Conservation Success!.
Loudoun HOA communities share and discover practical steps for healthier landscaping
The second Homeowners Association (HOA) forum, “Common Space for the Greater Good,” was held on October 11, 2018 and attended by nearly 100 guests representing 33 HOA communities.
“Practical Steps for Healthier Landscapes” was the second installment of Loudoun HOA programs organized by The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and partners. This forum was co-hosted by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC), the Northern Virginia Partnership for Invasive Species Management (NoVA PRISM), and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Habitat Partners© Program (VDGIF).
Building Strong Rural and Urban Communities
Drawing over 150 attendees, PEC held their Annual Meeting on October 21 at historic Castle Hill Farm in Keswick. First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam was in attendance and spoke about the importance of conserving lands in the state. Following the First Lady’s remarks, keynote speaker Charles Marohn, President and Founder of Strong Towns, delivered the keynote address.
Keynote Speaker to Discuss Benefits of Strong Towns at PEC’s Annual Meeting
The leader of an organization that educates American communities on the benefits of smart planning believes that desirable urban communities can play a role in promoting rural land conservation.
Award-Winning Farmer Protects Farmland for Future Generations
This past summer, in an effort to preserve the prime farmland and help ensure continued operations, the Nixons chose to permanently protect 382 acres of their land through a conservation easement with the Piedmont Environmental Council, Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Groups Release Safety and Traffic Solutions for Route 15 North of Leesburg
With the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors scheduled to vote on a first phase widening of Route 15 for 3.6 miles north of Leesburg, a coalition of smart growth, conservation and preservation groups and numerous local residents are pressing the Board to instead adopt an approach that is safer, cheaper and more effective.
Fauquier County Updating the Rural Lands Plan
The Rural Lands Plan is a section of the Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan, and much as the name implies, it outlines land use policies and the desired future for the rural areas. This chapter is very important because over 90% of the County is planned to remain categorized as rural land. Although the majority of new growth is happening within the growth areas of the County (e.g. Warrenton, Bealeton, New Baltimore, etc.), about half of the nearly 70,000 residents of the county live in these rural areas. In addition, all residents of Fauquier are connected to the rural lands by locally grown goods, through tourism, and by simply driving through them.
The Larson Native Plant Garden
“We want the land to serve as a showcase for future workshops to educate the public on the use of natives to create backyard habitat,” said Larson.