We couldn’t have asked for a better day to hold PEC’s Annual Gathering on Saturday, May 30 to celebrate conservation and community. A beautiful property, exciting program line-up, sun and blue skies beckoned nearly 200 of you to join the festivities, which included an inspiring keynote address, a community lunch and four engaging workshops.
For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we’ve included a brief summary of takeaways below, along with links to the recording of the keynote, workshop presentation slides and photos.
Thank you to Longwood’s owners and team at Cedar Run Conservation, LLC, for hosting this year’s event and giving the community a glimpse of how much they’ve already done to conserve and restore the 774-acre property. We can’t wait to see what they do next.
Over the past 50 years, landowners, PEC and Fauquier County have worked together to permanently conserve nearly 21,000 acres of public and private land in the Cedar Run watershed, an important part of the drinking water supply for the county and the Town of Warrenton, and one of the main water sources of the Occoquan Reservoir.
From Wildcat Mountain, The Nature Conservancy’s first preserve in Virginia, to the lands of the Clifton Institute and Airlie that shelter the drinking water reservoirs for Warrenton and surrounding communities, to Auburn and the Occoquan River, families are partnering with local, state and federal conservation programs to protect open spaces and improve water quality.
Combining conservation, restoration and improved agricultural practices, Longwood Farm is a model for sustainable working lands. It was truly inspiring to see how local families and Cedar Run LLC have invested in such a hopeful future. And today, we’re excited to share the great news that, as of June 1 — just the day after the Annual Gathering — a full 760 acres of Longwood’s 774 total acres are now forever protected.
As PEC Board Chair David Aldrich stated in his welcome remarks, PEC focuses on four C’s — community, conservation, connectivity and corridors. This work supports the goal of protecting more than one million acres, or half of the Piedmont, to serve as the basis for a sustainable region. As I noted, nearly 680,000 acres have been conserved in PEC’s nine-county region through a combination of public and private lands, putting us more than halfway toward achieving that ambitious goal!
But our best efforts at protecting land and water and building sustainable communities are very much at risk from the unplanned and unmitigated development of data centers and the energy and water infrastructure they require.
Both Marion Werkheiser, our keynote speaker and Co-Founder and Chief Executive at Cultural Heritage Partners, and I highlighted the real threat to communities and conservation resources. Marion focused on the tools we have available, through the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, to enable a full assessment of impacts and develop meaningful alternatives to avoid, minimize and mitigate those impacts. Those laws, she emphasized, are the response to the obvious failures of the rapid industrialization of the United States and the need to avoid the disproportionate impact on rural and underrepresented communities. She cited examples such as the Interstate Highway System and federal urban renewal policies on Black communities across America.
PEC is inspiring people all over Virginia, the United States and the world to fight for better consideration of their needs and values and demand better policies to both avoid impacts and provide full mitigation of the effects of industrial development on communities.
- Watch my opening presentation
- Watch Marion Werkheiser’s presentation
- View photos from the day on Flickr →
Recognizing Conservation Champions
Congratulations to the recipients of our annual conservation awards! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger and more sustainable communities. For our Conservation Leadership Awards, we recognized Karen Hunsberger Adam for her 30+ years of service at PEC and her community engagement in Fauquier County; Mel and Chris Colvin for Protect Catlett’s local advocacy work; and Rick and Hilary Gerhardt and Cedar Run Conservation, LLC for their efforts to conserve Longwood Farm. We also presented Suzanne Scheer with a Lifetime Conservationist Award.
Workshop Highlights + Resources
Our four workshops provided attendees with timely insights and advice on major as well as emerging conservation and land use issues. Each workshop offered unique and valuable perspectives from PEC staff experts and guest speakers that attendees can take and apply in their efforts at home and in their communities.
WORKSHOP 1: A Walking Tour of Conservation at Longwood Farm
Takeaways: Through the management of Cedar Run Conservation, LLC, Longwood Farm has been conserved and will remain a working agricultural property. A mitigation project will also return Cedar Run to its floodplain, creating critical natural habitat and improving water quality for the greater watershed.
Resources:
– Intro to Conservation Easements
– Piedmont View Spring 2026 Conservation Issue
– Plantings for the Piedmont
WORKSHOP 2: The Energy Infrastructure Impacts of Virginia’s Data Center Boom
Takeaways: Virginia has become the world’s largest data center hub, consuming over a quarter of the state’s electricity with demand projected to double by 2045. Julie and Michael’s session detailed how this growth strains the electric grid, creates pressure for huge transmission lines and other infrastructure and impacts local communities, air quality, and climate goals. They highlighted PEC’s ongoing efforts to advance policy reform, promote holistic energy planning, and help residents protect natural resources.
Resources:
– Presentation slides
– PEC’s data center work
– The latest on the proposed 765kv transmission line
WORKSHOP 3: Legacy & Landscapes – The Power of Historic Districts
Takeaways: A historic district brings numerous benefits, for the public as well as individual property owners. The process of creating a historic district instills in a community a deeper appreciation of the area’s history and landscape, which motivates long-term protection of cultural and natural resources.
Resources:
– Presentation slides
– Creating a historic district
WORKSHOP 4: What’s Next for Your Land? Navigating Land Transfer & Succession
Takeaways: Planning for land transfer and succession can help keep working farmland intact and support the next generation of farmers. Exploring creative and successful approaches as well as the range of tools and resources available can help landowners get started with these important decisions.
Resources:
– Keeping a Fourth-Generation Family Farm in Farming Forever – Long Acre Farm, Virginia
– Generation NEXT Legacy Planning Workshop on July 24 & 25
For their ride home from the Annual Gathering, we gave attendees a special driving map that included stops at important conservation and historic landmarks, parks and trails, Buy Fresh Buy Local participants, and more. Use the map anytime to learn more about the historic significance and natural and recreational resources of this area of Fauquier County.
For a comprehensive look at PEC’s programs and initiatives, take a look at our newly-released 2025 Annual Report. And don’t miss the summer edition of our quarterly print publication, The Piedmont View, hitting mailboxes and our website soon.
Regardless of whether you were able to attend the Annual Gathering, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating all we’ve been able to achieve together in our region. Your commitment to protecting and restoring the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont while building stronger, more sustainable communities inspires us every day.
Thank you for supporting PEC and for all that you do to conserve and strengthen this place that means so much to us.
Sincerely,
Chris Miller, President
[email protected]
