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.

aerial image of forested land next to a major road

On the Ground Updates – March 2023

A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock …
A Moment of Opportunity - Letter from PEC's President

A Moment of Opportunity – Letter from PEC’s President

As the General Assembly 2023 session winds down, Virginia enters a critical period when all 100 seats in the House of Delegates and all 40 seats in the Senate will be up for election. Now, …
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Volunteer Spotlight: Felix Kontanis and Jennifer Dorrer

Volunteer Spotlight: Felix Kontanis and Jennifer Dorrer

Each spring and fall, PEC welcomes dozens of volunteers who get their hands dirty and their feet muddy helping us plant native trees and shrubs along streams on private properties. We caught up with two …
A Neighborhood Conservation Effort along South River

A Neighborhood Conservation Effort along South River

In Greene County, a community-wide effort to protect land along the South River has been underway for nearly two decades. In 2022, a critical 140-acre multi-generational cattle farm was added to the tapestry of this …
Conserving a Piece of Heaven

Conserving a Piece of Heaven

From the wrap-around porch at Hans and Anne Wachtmeister’s Fauquier County home, I feel as if I’m standing atop a mountain looking across heaven. And it’s one of seven Fauquier County properties permanently protected with …
The Sperryville Trail Network: Uniting a Community and Creating a Sense of Place

The Sperryville Trail Network: Uniting a Community and Creating a Sense of Place

You may have driven through Sperryville on your way to the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park. But this historic village is much more than just a place to pass through, and I found …
Winter 2022 Piedmont View

Winter 2022 Piedmont View

The winter 2022 edition of the Piedmont View was mailed out to PEC members in December …
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Ridgeline: A community collaborative performance event

Ridgeline: A community collaborative performance event

Early in October, as part our 50th anniversary celebration this year, ET Projects’ newest collaborative performance event, Ridgeline, brought community and creativity together through performance, experiential art, and environmental activism in two extraordinary nights at …
sign kiosk with map of metro system and grand opening announcement

The Value of Local Decisions – Letter from PEC’s President

The coming year promises a surge of emerging issues that will challenge us and require your support and participation more than ever before …
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Reflections: On Why I’ve Supported PEC for Nearly 50 Years

Reflections: On Why I’ve Supported PEC for Nearly 50 Years

PEC supporter Childs F. Burden shares the reasoning for his decades-long support PEC …
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