Over the past year, I have re-learned the value of health, access to clean air, clean water, local food, and to the outdoors, but also the importance of understanding how decisions are made in our communities—decisions that affect all of these important elements of life. This, I think, is the work of conservation and the work of the PEC.
Chris Miller
Your donation goes a little further on #GivingTuesday
Starting on #GivingTuesday, your donation will go twice as far thanks to the generosity of one of our longtime supporters, Stephen Graham, who is offering $5,000 as a match to any gift we receive!
President’s Letter – Fall 2020
This past Labor Day, I brought my family, including Arlo the 5-month old puppy, up to PEC’s Piedmont Memorial Overlook for a hike and a picnic. The view was great, with a cool breeze blowing, butterflies of many types in the wildflower meadow and even a full-sized copperhead sunning itself on the trail to get our hearts racing!
President’s Letter – Summer 2020
With so much going on around us that we cannot control, doing what we can to make our part of the world better becomes all the more important.
This past spring, our staff made a quick and orderly transition to remote work, operating off a solid platform of online resources, laptops, smartphones, and most importantly, a network of partners and relationships that allow us to be effective observers and active participants in our communities. Continuing full operations, with the support of PEC members and our Board, has provided a remarkable and deeply appreciated source of stability in an otherwise crazy world.
President’s Letter – Spring 2020
Rumor has it, the idea for Earth Day was first announced at the Airlie Conference Center in Fauquier County, spurring a national and international movement to make the environment a major focus. That was 1969, and today, 50 years later, much progress has been made on those initial concerns about air and water pollution, loss of wildlife and endangered species. But, as we are reminded daily, that progress has been offset by population growth and consumption around the world. Arguably, we are overwhelming the earth’s natural systems at a global scale.
President’s Letter – Winter 2019
As anyone who knows me is aware, I have always been proud of my dad. My choice to work at PEC and on long-term solutions to sustainability is a direct response to what I learned from him.
President’s Letter – Fall 2019
At this summer’s Sunset Safari event, The Piedmont Environmental Council, the Shenandoah National Park Trust, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute recognized The Volgenau Foundation for its leadership and philanthropy in land conservation and restoration of native habitats in Virginia and beyond since 1994.
President’s Letter – Spring 2019
As I sit in my office, I can see the maple trees budding and about to burst open with the excitement that comes with every springtime in the Piedmont region. And that is how I feel about all of the upcoming activities we have planned this spring to help create better, more sustainable communities throughout our region.
President’s Letter – Winter 2018
When PEC was created in 1972, the underlying motivation for many of the founders was to help the communities where they lived and the landscape they loved respond to massive forces of change. Thank you for continuing that work; we are proud to work with you and on your behalf.
President’s Letter – Winter 2017
As we near the end of 2017 and contemplate the future, I am increasingly convinced that we, as Americans, as Virginians, and as members of our various communities, need to focus on finding common ground around critical issues of quality of life. This has been a year in which many of our core assumptions about conservation and environmental protection have been challenged and, in some cases, cast aside. Now, more than ever, we need to remember why we all have been working so hard for so long….