For Immediate Release

For More Information
Robert Lazaro, Director of Communications, Piedmont Environmental Council
cell: (571) 225-0198

23,021 Acres Conserved in Piedmont Region for 2007

(Warrenton, VA - January 24, 2008) In 2007, residents of the Piedmont
permanently protected 23,021 acres of open space through the use of
conservation easements.

The movement to protect privately-held rural land from development has been
experiencing tremendous momentum in Virginia's Piedmont region, with
landowners conserving an average of 23,714 acres every year for the last
five years. The total for 2007 brings the number of acres conserved in the
nine counties served by the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) to 293,364
acres, an acreage that is larger than Shenandoah National Park.

"We're immensely pleased at what communities in the Piedmont have been able
to accomplish to provide a legacy of conserved open space for our children
and future generations," says Chris Miller, President of PEC. "When it
comes to conservation, this is one of the most successful regions in the
entire country."

The Piedmont region continues to lead the state of Virginia, which is among
the top five states in the nation for protecting land through private
conservation easements. The nine counties of Virginia's Piedmont-including
Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier, Culpeper, Rappahannock, Madison, Orange, Greene,
and Albemarle-have conserved more land than almost any state in the nation.

Bob Lee, the Executive Director of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF),
said, "Calendar year 2007 witnessed the second highest annual acreage in new
Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) easements at 60,175 acres. VOF staff
worked in collaboration with PEC staff to realize significant land
conservation in each of the nine counties in the PEC service region. This
year also represents 35 years of cooperative land conservation between VOF
and PEC."

According to a 2003 study that was done by the American Farmland Trust in
Culpeper County, farms and other open lands use only $0.32 in local services
for every dollar of taxes paid, while homes require $1.22 for every dollar
paid. Land placed under permanent easement also lowers the value used by
the state to determine local ability to pay, which results in increased
funding from the Commonwealth for schools and other county services.

Easements also support two major industries of the Piedmont: agriculture and
tourism. Like other landowners, farmers can gain needed capital by
voluntarily conserving their land and earning a substantial state tax credit
which they may either use or sell on the open market. Farmers also benefit
from reduced appraisal values on their land, which lightens their tax
burden. In Albemarle, Clarke, and Fauquier counties, working farms also
have the option of receiving money from publicly supported Purchase of
Development Rights (PDR) programs.

Protecting the integrity of the rural landscape also preserves essential
historic resources, provides vital habitat for wildlife, and safeguards the
scenic views and recreation opportunities that sustain a high quality of
life in the Piedmont. "Conservation easements help us to protect the
quality of life and strong sense of place in this region which residents
deeply care about," said Heather Richards, Director of Land Conservation for
the PEC.