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!

To access PDFs of prior editions, view the Piedmont View archive.

What is a Comprehensive Plan, and Why Should We Care?

What is a Comprehensive Plan, and Why Should We Care?

Six of PEC’s nine counties are in the process of updating their Comprehensive Plans, or will be doing so soon. It can be easy to tune out these updates, but revisions to the ‘Comp Plan’ …
Summer Update on the Outer Beltway

Summer Update on the Outer Beltway

VDOT is pushing to create a new major highway in Northern Virginia referred to (among other names) as the Outer Beltway. PEC’s take? This mega-highway would cut through a National Park, open up over 100,000 …
A Conservation Ethic -- A Profile of Marie Ridder

A Conservation Ethic — A Profile of Marie Ridder

To say that Marie Ridder, 88, is an accomplished woman is an understatement—and as I drove to meet her for our interview, I was both excited and nervous. Marie has been a highly successful journalist …
The Piedmont Through the Viewfinder

The Piedmont Through the Viewfinder

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and that couldn’t be more true than when it comes to the beauty of Virginia’s Piedmont. No one knows this better than our regional photographers …
Greene County cows

On the Ground Conservation – Spring 2013

The Bowers Family made a generous donation of nearly 160 acres to PEC in 2012. This land—adjacent to the Hickory Ridge Farm subdivision near Earlysville—will be permanently conserved as a rural property by PEC. The …
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Celia Dollarhide and Middle River Farm

Remembering Celia: Honoring one of Madison County’s 2012 easement donors

Celia Porter Dollarhide (January 1940 — December 2012) and her siblings never quite had a hometown. Their father, Robert Porter, Jr., was a general in the U.S. army and the family moved often. So, when …
Radiation Keep Out sign

Uranium Mining: Going…Going…Gone?

In 2007, Virginia Uranium, Inc. (VUI) made their intentions clear: they were going to persuade lawmakers to lift the Commonwealth’s standing moratorium on uranium mining and milling. The company had their eyes set on a …
PEC's Legacy Society: Leaving Your Mark

PEC’s Legacy Society: Leaving Your Mark

PEC has worked for 40 years to promote and protect the natural resources and vibrant communities of the Piedmont. We would not be where we are today, however, without the dedication of concerned citizens who …
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Looking Back and Moving Forward: 40 Years with PEC

Looking Back and Moving Forward: 40 Years with PEC

The Piedmont Environmental Council turned 40 this year. For individuals, a 40th birthday might be a dreaded event—where friends and families don black hats and tell jokes about getting older. For a regional, non-profit organization, …
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Spout Run Watershed Gets Some T.L.C.

Spout Run Watershed Gets Some T.L.C.

Clarke County’s Spout Run watershed is comprised of 14 miles of perennial streams, many of which are spring-fed. So, Spout Run has the potential to provide clean water and support a large variety of wildlife …