Virginia Piedmont Protects 5,552 Acres in 2025
In 2025, landowners and conservation organizations in The Piedmont Environmental Council’s nine-county region conserved over 4,178 acres through conservation easements. The Conservation Fund’s purchase of Oak Hill in Loudoun County and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s …
In Major Win, Massive ‘Digital Gateway’ Data Center Project Has Been Halted
On March 31, the Virginia Court of Appeals issued a unanimous ruling that effectively halts the controversial “Digital Gateway” project proposed in Prince William County, barring an appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court …
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 …
15,000 Reasons to Celebrate: Plantings, Partnerships and Protecting Water
After compiling the data for 2025’s spring and fall plantings, I sat staring at my screen. Could that be right? Did we actually plant 15,000 trees last year? …
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 …
General Assembly Update — Spring 2026
Every day, Piedmont Environmental Council staff engage at the local, state and federal levels to shape public policy with an eye toward protecting and restoring the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont while building …
On the Ground Updates – April 2026
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock …
President’s Letter: The Crucible of Change
Dear Friends, When we look back on 2026, we will recognize that it was a crucial time in the history of Virginia. The General Assembly, faced with mounting evidence of the impacts of data centers, …
