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.
Conservation Case Studies
Category to drop feature articles about conservation success stories.
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.
Getting ready for the 2023 season at the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows
Preparations for the 2023 season are well underway at the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows! We can’t wait to have volunteers back out in the wake of Spring and to start planting.
PEC and the Aldie Assemblage – An Incredible Conservation Opportunity
For some time, The Aldie Assemblage property has been under threat of development or uses inconsistent with preserving the historic character and integrity of the surrounding village. In December 2021, recognizing the need for a conservation solution, PEC submitted an offer to Loudoun County to purchase the property.
Old Carolina Road Trail
The Old Carolina Road Trail at Roundabout Meadows is a half-mile long public trail in Aldie, Loudoun County, VA. In 2021, PEC opened the trail in partnership with NOVA Parks, Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club and the Mount Zion Cemetery of Aldie.
Protecting a Historic Landscape in Orange County
Within the nationally recognized Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District, near Barboursville in Orange County, William K. “Wik” Dove II partnered with The Piedmont Environmental Council to permanently protect his 108 acres with a conservation easement.
Re-aligning Land and Nature at the Holden Farm in Loudoun County
In 2021, the Holdens partnered with The Piedmont Environmental Council to permanently conserve their rolling 35-acre farm just south of the historic Quaker village of Lincoln.
Video: Prescribed Burn at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook
As part of our habitat management efforts at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook near Sky Meadows State Park, the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) conducted a prescribed burn on four acres of our native warm-season grass meadow.
2021 at the Community Farm
2021 was our best year yet at the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows! Thanks to the help of more than 750 volunteers over the course of the year, we were able to donate approximately 35,000 pounds of fresh produce to our friends at Loudoun Hunger Relief!
Community-based Partnerships Take Root & Grow in Loudoun County
The Piedmont Environmental Council is proudly working with multiple community partners to support local farms and farmers, create more public access to outdoor spaces, and support the county’s food insecure population. Some of these initiatives were inspired or amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic, while others continue to advance PEC’s core mission of protecting and promoting the Piedmont’s natural resources, rural economy, history and beauty.