Clean Water

From the headwater streams of Shenandoah to the Chesapeake Bay, water flows through all of our land. To keep it plentiful and safe for drinking and recreating, we need clean air, expansive forests, responsible farms and sensible development.

Impoving Water Quality - Through Good Land Management

Impoving Water Quality – Through Good Land Management

From rural to suburban to urban, there are best management practices (native plantings, livestock fencing) that make water cleaner.
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Restoring Connections – By Eliminating Barriers

Culverts, low-water crossings and linear infrastructure (i.e. pipelines, highways) can serve as disruptions to healthy stream flow.
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Measuring Success - Through Stream Monitoring

Measuring Success – Through Stream Monitoring

Monitoring water quality, biological populations, and physical features of stream habitat are all vital to understanding stream health.
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a man and woman stand side beside on a farm property

Planting Trees at Thunder Lane Farm for Earth Month

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PEC's Maggi Blomstrom stands with the farm owner. Credit Hugh Kenny/PEC On Thursday, April 14 and Friday, April 15, 23 volunteers joined The Piedmont Environmental Council at Thunder Lane Farm in Culpeper, VA for an Earth Month-inspired tree planting. The streams that run through the farm are tributaries to Mountain ...
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Bluebell flowers on the banks of Cedar Run

2022 Bluebell Walk

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Photo by Hugh Kenny, PEC On April 9, 2022, The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Julian W. Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund hosted its annual "Bluebell Walk on Cedar Run" at Bonny Brook Farm in Catlett, VA. An inter-generational group from age five to 95 was led by our gracious hosts on ...
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two volunteers plant a tree in a grassy field

April Tree Planting Opportunities

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Spring is tree planting season! Planting native trees and shrubs along streams, rivers, and ponds – also known as riparian buffers – is a way to help clean water and connect wildlife habitat. For the month of April, we have three new and fast-approaching volunteer opportunities for you to get ...
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a map that show the Wilderness Crossing site in red, with at least seven former mine sites denote with pick axe symbols

A Potential Superfund Site?

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Last year, we told you about a developer's proposal for a 2,602-acre development across from Lake of the Woods on Rt. 3 in Orange County and next to Wilderness National Battlefield. With the potential for more than 20,000 residential units, Wilderness Crossing would be the largest land rezoning in Orange ...
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aerial view of a meandering stream through two fields in a rural landscape during autumn

Re-aligning Land and Nature at the Holden Farm in Loudoun County

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"When you get older, you start thinking about what you’ll leave behind, or what you did to make a difference. One of the ways we feel like our lives could make a difference is by doing something like this. We really love this property and have so much history here, ...
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