The Piedmont View

View articles published in our quarterly membership newsletter, The Piedmont View. To become a PEC member or renew your existing membership, visit our donations page today!

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George Ohrstrom II

Meet George and Jean, Our New Co-Chairs

PEC is excited to introduce the newly elected co-chairs of our Board—George Ohrstrom II of Clarke County and Jean Perin of Fauquier County! …
| | Board of Directors, The Piedmont View
Brook trout. Photo by Chris Anderson.

Teaming Up to Save the “Brookie”

Virginia’s state fish, the eastern brook trout, is in trouble. The Commonwealth’s only native trout has seen a sharp decline in population due to a detrimental combination of rising temper­atures, physical barriers to streamflow, pollution, …
Sheep grazing

Renovating Worn-Out Pastures

Like many Piedmont farms, Over Jordan Farm in Rappahannock has been a pasture-based operation for decades. After 20 years of overgrazing, however, it’s facing issues that are common in the region—poor soil health, a lack …
stream monitoring volunteers

Helping Hands for Spout Run

CLARKE– Clarke County’s Spout Run watershed has the potential to provide clean water and support a large variety of wildlife species. Yet, the stream is on the State Impaired Waters List due to nutrient and …
fracking site

‘Fracking’ on Conserved Land?

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) is an important state public agency that has taken part in conserving land in the Commonwealth since 1966. Today, VOF is the largest easement holder in Virginia, and PEC is …
Comprehensive Plan Updates

Comprehensive Plan Updates

CULPEPER, FAUQUIER, ORANGE — PEC’s staff follows Comp Plan updates and revisions in our nine-county region closely, and we’re currently keeping a sharp eye on the process in Culpeper, Fauquier and Orange Counties …
Spectra Energy Gas Pipeline Suspended

Spectra Energy Gas Pipeline Suspended

If you’re not on our email list, you may have missed that there was some welcome news on the proposed Spectra Energy gas pipeline, which affected Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock Counties …
| | Gas Pipelines, The Piedmont View
When Mickey Came to Town

When Mickey Came to Town

Virginia’s northern Piedmont is a beautiful and vibrant place—boasting of forests, rivers, mountains, farmland, thriving towns, and numerous historic and cultural resources. But all of this came under threat in November 1993, when the The …
Expanding the Warrenton Branch Greenway

Expanding the Warrenton Branch Greenway

The Warrenton Branch Greenway is a treasured community resource in Old Town Warrenton. The 1.5 mile-long trail not only provides a great outdoor recreational space, but it is also an important historic resource—as it follows …
Camera capture montage

From the Field: PEC’s Piedmont Memorial Overlook

The first two steps in land management are to assess what condition the land is in and then decide what your goals are. PEC is going through both of these steps at the Piedmont Memorial …