This September, Orvis Giveback Days Will Raise Money for The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Tree Planting Program

Posted on by PEC
orvis and pec logo in front of river, trees, field and mountains
Photo of the Hughes River in Rappahannock/Madison County by Hugh Kenny/PEC.

When you shop at your local Orvis store in Arlington, Leesburg, Tysons Corner or Woodbridge during the month of September part of your purchase goes to support local land and water conservation efforts! For every purchase over $10, Orvis will donate $10 on your behalf to The Piedmont Environmental Council as a part of their Giveback Days campaign (purchases must be made in-store).

Raffle – Orvis customers can also enter their name for a free chance to win three different prizes.

  1. Grand prize: A day on a private trout stream hosted by Orvis and PEC.
  2. Second prize: $100 Orvis gift card.
  3. Third prize: Swag bag filled with Orvis and PEC gear.

A huge thank you to our local Northern Virginia Orvis stores for choosing PEC as their nonprofit partner!

Your purchase will help us plant thousands of trees

four people planting trees in the ground next to a river
PEC volunteers planting trees along Cedar Run at Bonny Brook Farm. Credit Pete Smith.

As a part of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Plantings for the Piedmont initiative, we’re planting thousands of native trees to keep streams cold, clean, and connected for fish and wildlife habitat, and protect the drinking water supply for Northern Virginia. 

PEC and our partners work to provide project design, trees and other planting materials, and labor for the planting of native trees and shrubs along riparian zones – streams and rivers – on properties in the headwater counties of the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers.

Orvis donations will go towards buying trees that will be planted by local volunteers throughout the spring and fall.

Learn more at pecva.org/buffers.

Come plant trees with us this fall!

We’re planning a number of volunteer opportunities to plant trees during October and November:

Why are trees along waterways important?

woman and man holding a big check outside an orvis store
In May 2022, local Orvis stores helped raise over $14,000 for PEC’s tree planting program! Photo of PEC’s Valerie Peterson receiving the big check from Art Noglak at the Orvis store in Arlington by Sophia Chapin/PEC.
  • A forested canopy created by the tops of trees provides shade and cools water temperatures, which is essential for healthy fish populations and the food sources on which they depend. 
  • Riparian forest buffers offer recreation to fishermen, birders, hikers, and paddlers. 
  • Forested riparian buffers provide food and shelter for many wildlife species and serve as corridors for the movement between habitats. This is especially important because habitat loss from landscape fragmentation has reduced many wildlife populations.
  • Buffers help restore the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the nation and a significant regional economic and recreational resource. Buffers help restore the quality of the Bay and the ecosystems we depend on for a successful fishery. 
  • Water flowing through a riparian forest is slowed and absorbed by the vegetation, leaf litter, and porous soils found there, therefore reducing soil erosion and sedimentation.

Questions? Please contact Maggi Blomstrom at mblomstrom@pecva.org.