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.

three women look over boxes of historic records

Histories Along the Blue Ridge: Digitization of Shenandoah National Park condemnation records in Madison County

Three days of rain gave way to sunshine on a May Sunday afternoon, perhaps a perfect symbolism for the official unveiling of a long-awaited project nearly 90 years in the making …
a women speaks at a podium under a tent, to a crowd

The Land That Sustains Us: PEC Celebrates 50 Years

On Saturday, May 21, PEC staff gathered together with more than 160 friends, family, and supporters on the gentle rolling slopes of a mostly-conserved Clark Mountain to celebrate PEC’s 50th year of protecting a special …
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two historical black and white images of a couple overlayed on an aerial image of a farm property

Taking on State Law in Defense of Family Farms

It’s reasonable that Mike and Tina Roebuck want to hold on to the 112-acre Madison County farm that’s been in the Roebuck family for nearly 150 years. But a clause in a Virginia state law …
Summer 2022 Piedmont View

Summer 2022 Piedmont View

The summer 2022 edition of the Piedmont View features highlights from PEC’s 50th anniversary celebration, meet two PEC staff members, Madison County property condemnation records are digitized, climate risk assessment, upcoming events, and more …
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On the Ground Updates - March 2022

On the Ground Updates – March 2022

A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock …
map of PEC's 9-county region with conserved land in green

2021 Land Conservation Totals

In 2021, private landowners partnered with PEC and other conservation agencies to permanently protect 6,474 more acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties …
a group stands at the site of a tree planting

Spring Renewal – Letter from PEC’s President

The last few weeks of winter and the first weeks of spring are an amazing combination of both the opportunity for renewed life and the threat of damaging wind, snow and ice …
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hallie harriman headshot

Meet PEC: Spring 2022

Meet PEC’s Hallie Harriman and Laura O’Brien! …
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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?

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 continued investigation, we …
a man and women hold a green sign between them that says "This property is forever protected with a conservation easement"

Protecting a Historic Landscape in Orange County

Within the nationally recognized Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District, near Barboursville in Orange County, William K. “Wik” Dove II partnered with The Piedmont Environmental Council to permanently protect his 108 acres with a conservation easement …