In early November, the National Society of the Madison Family Descendants honored PEC with the Madison Family Cup for its noteworthy conservation efforts at Montpelier and the surrounding Orange County environs.
In 2009, PEC collaborated with the Montpelier Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to conserve more than 700 acres at Montpelier, and they raised $2 million to purchase the easement through the leadership of PEC board member Jack Snyder and former staffer John “Jeep” Moore.
In presenting the annual award, given to a family or an organization that has done something exceptional for James Madison’s Montpelier, Frederick Madison Smith remarked, “This year we honor the group that has been the most instrumental in preserving the beauty of Montpelier and the surrounding Madison-Barbour Historic District, ensuring that this unique and storied landscape will be protected, not only for today, but for all our futures.”
In accepting the Madison Cup on behalf of PEC, President Chris Miller noted, “The Montpelier easements helped spark the growth of the conservation lands in Orange County by 20 percent in the last four years from approximately 28,325 acres in 2009 to over 34,075 acres in 2013.”
The land conserved through easement at Montpelier includes the Civil War Encampments, Gilmore Farm, Chicken Mountain (which is the viewshed just beyond the Visitor Center), and East Woods (which is more than 200 acres of forestland adjacent to the James Madison Landmark Forest).
This article was featured in our Winter 2014 Member Newsletter, The Piedmont View.