Over 60 percent of Loudoun residents, live in a Homeowners Association-controlled community. How these communities manage their landscapes can have a profound effect on the health of our local ecosystems, wildlife, streams and drinking water sources.
Bri West
Bri West is the director of outreach and communications for The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Protecting the Goose Creek Watershed
PEC was recently awarded a $15,600 grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to further our work identifying and prioritizing opportunities to implement agricultural best management practices (BMPs) and strengthen efforts on land protected by conservation easements in the Goose Creek watershed.
On the Ground — Winter 2018
Updates from the around the PEC region, organized by county. Albemarle: Strengthening growth management in Albemarle. Clarke: Promoting and celebrating Conservation. Culpeper: A Finger on the Scale for Solar. Fauquier: Updated Plans, Remington Walks and Vint Hill’s Future. Greene: Greene at a crossroads. Loudoun: Choosing our future. Madison: Trout Stream Restoration Continues. Orange: Two Farms Conserved along the Rapidan River. Rappahannock: Community-wide Conservation Success!.
Verling Park Concept Design
In 2017, PEC was able to retain Land Planning & Design Associates to develop a concept design for a revamped Verling Park. The plan incorporated input from local residents in Gordonsville who want to see a more functional park that serves the whole community. We are currently working to enable the Town to bring the plan to reality.
Progress report: we were able to secure funds to help the town purchase 112 Linney Street to expand Verling Park (on Market Street, between Main and Baker) to an entire town block.
Loudoun HOA communities share and discover practical steps for healthier landscaping
The second Homeowners Association (HOA) forum, “Common Space for the Greater Good,” was held on October 11, 2018 and attended by nearly 100 guests representing 33 HOA communities.
“Practical Steps for Healthier Landscapes” was the second installment of Loudoun HOA programs organized by The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and partners. This forum was co-hosted by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC), the Northern Virginia Partnership for Invasive Species Management (NoVA PRISM), and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Habitat Partners© Program (VDGIF).
New IRS Proposal Would Hurt Land Conservation in Virginia
On August 27, 2018 the IRS proposed new regulations changing how it would characterize state income tax credits (such as the Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit “LPTC”) that are received when people make charitable gifts. If this rule passes, landowners who donate conservation easements would have to count the Virginia LPTC issued to them as a payment and their federal income tax deduction would be reduced by the value of the state tax credits received.
Petition: Don’t Remove Disclosure Requirements For Fracking Chemicals
I wanted to share a petition with you that is picking up steam across the state. It calls on the state’s Freedom of Information Advisory Council – a state agency responsible for resolving disputes related to the Freedom of Information Act – to keep disclosure requirements for fracking chemicals in place in Virginia. A subcommittee of the Advisory Council meets later this month to discuss the issue.
Learning from Loudoun’s Route 50 Traffic Calming Project, a National Model
This paper was prepared by Ian Lockwood, PE, of the Toole Design Group, for the Catoctin Coalition, Journey Through Hallowed Ground, Piedmont Environmental Council, Coalition for Smarter Growth, and Southern Environmental Law Center. In it, he advocates for traffic calming along the critical stretch of roadway on Rt. 15 north of Leesburg in order to make the road safer, reduce congestion and increase accessibility. Read the paper >>
Pollinator Garden Planted by Thornton River
PEC partnered with the Endangered Species Coalition (ESC), Cliff Miller Jr. and RappFLOW to install a pollinator garden next to a walking trail by the Thornton River in Sperryville, Va. Using native plants such as perennials, grasses and shrubs from Hill House Farm and Nursery, the garden was installed during a volunteer planting event this past fall.
Act Now: Strengthen Farms, Conserve Land & Protect Water Quality
Preserving farmland and protecting the water we drink is critical to quality of life. To that end, we want to alert you to some important budget amendments being considered right now by the Virginia General Assembly. These amendments address insufficient funding for natural resource protection.