The native meadow at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook is in bloom and can be accessed via Sky Meadows State Park or the Appalachian Trail.
Conservation Case Studies
Category to drop feature articles about conservation success stories.
The Germanna Ford Boat Launch is Open!
A new public boat launch on the Rapidan River is now open to visitors at Historic Germanna in Orange County.
Long Acre Farm: A Creative Solution for a Farming Conundrum
In Greene County, young Dustin Watson works the 274-acre cattle farm co-owned by two elder family members.
Conservation Stories Across the Region: Beth Plentovich and Howie Kelly, Protection Through Perseverance
Beth Plentovich and Howie Kelly know the true importance of relentless incrementalism for achieving exponential results.
Conservation Stories Across the Region: Anne & Dru Crawley, Filling in the Missing Piece
Walking along the gravel driveway of Anne and Dru Crawley’s property, five miles from the village of Amissville, I recognized immediately the significance of this 63-acre stretch of land.
Eastern Copperheads
Eastern Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix), which are a common snake across most of Virginia are venomous, which means that they kill prey by biting and injecting venom.
Growing healthy food and engaging volunteers at Roundabout Meadows
During the past nine years, PEC has been managing our lands at Roundabout Meadows near Gilberts Corner to restore its soils and streams, connect residents to agriculture and promote the Piedmont’s rural economy. Our efforts continued to blossom in 2022 at the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows.
Video: Gilberts Corner Regional Park: A Conservation Success Story
Over 300 acres of land is conserved around Gilberts Corner, where Rt. 15 and Rt. 50 meet. The Piedmont Environmental Council has been working with NOVA Parks for over a decade to permanently protect the land there through conservation easements, while also opening significant parts of it up for the public to use. The results of this work are evident to anyone driving by and will be for generations to come.
A Neighborhood Conservation Effort along South River
In Greene County, a community-wide effort to protect land along the South River has been underway for nearly two decades. In 2022, a critical 140-acre multi-generational cattle farm was added to the tapestry of this corridor with a conservation easement generously donated to PEC by Mr. Laymon Breeden, who wanted to protect the farm in part to honor his father.
Conserving a Piece of Heaven
From the wrap-around porch at Hans and Anne Wachtmeister’s Fauquier County home, I feel as if I’m standing atop a mountain looking across heaven. And it’s one of seven Fauquier County properties permanently protected with a conservation easement last year.