To date, PEC has helped landowners permanently protect more than 430,000 acres of land in our nine-county region. Our work centers around accelerating the pace of land conservation, ensuring clean water, enhancing wildlife habitat and expanding public access. Get started on your land conservation journey with our free easement brochure.
Cost-Share Programs for Land Management
Learn about funding options for land management activities on your property …
Intro to Conservation Easements
An easement is a voluntary land preservation agreement between a landowner and a land conservation organization, designed to protect the …
Shenandoah Borderlands project protects 5,000 acres for clean water, habitat, scenic viewshed
Shenandoah National Park is one of Virginia’s most beloved and visited outdoor spaces, attracting 1.7 million visitors in 2025. It’s also a global conservation priority for biodiversity protection and climate resiliency. For these reasons, The …
Hilton Farm: A Key Piece of the Conservation Puzzle in the Rappahannock-Rapidan Watershed
You know that feeling when you’re putting together a puzzle and there’s that “Aha!” moment, when filling in one missing piece brings everything together? Hilton Farm in Orange County is an example of this phenomenon …
Meet the Team: Conservation
At the heart of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont is our dedicated conservation team. You’ve likely met some of our conservation staff somewhere …
Who’s Protecting the Piedmont? – Spring 2026
Here, we highlight three people who are protecting the Piedmont by growing local food, stewarding conservation easements and donating to make PEC’s work possible …
Photos + Event Recap: A Beautiful Day for the Bluebells
On Sunday, Margrete led participants, aged 5 to 90, on a short hike to the banks of Cedar Run to enjoy the stunning bluebells and learn about native plants, habitat restoration, and efforts that protect …
Take Action: Show Your Support for Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act
The House Finance Committee takes up the bill on Wednesday. Please take a moment to send in a letter! Dear Supporter, Last week, we reached out to you about the urgent need for data center reform …
Virginia General Assembly in Full Swing
Our advocacy team is already hard at work as the 2026 Virginia General Assembly gets underway in Richmond …
Winter Orange County Updates
The new year is off to a busy start in Orange County! Read on to learn more about zoning changes related to data centers and agriculture, an opportunity to weigh in on PFAS-contaminated biosolids, and …
Video: Restoring Kestrel Habitat in Virginia
PEC’s Lauria McShane and other members of the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative team are busy this fall and winter installing kestrel boxes across our landscape …
Wild & Connected: Shenandoah Borderlands property conserved
Nestled on the eastern slope of Saddleback Mountain, a small cottage in the woods has been a family retreat for sisters Gayle and Cathy Soloe for decades, since their father first purchased the 89-acre parcel …
