Did you know that beavers only eat the bark off branches? Well, sometimes they eat the buds and roots of their favorite trees, like willow, maple, poplar, beech, birch, alder and aspen trees.
Land Conservation
PEC has helped landowners permanently protect over 430,000 acres of rural or natural land. Conservation Easements help ensure that the Virginia Piedmont is always characterized by its open spaces, healthy environment, and cultural resources.
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.
2021 Land Conservation Update
This annual publication of The Piedmont Environmental Council highlights land conservation opportunities available to landowners in the region. This edition includes a feature on a recent Purchase of Development Rights easement in Fauquier County, 2020 Piedmont land conservation totals and general information for those who may be interested in putting their land in easement.
Video: Meadows Farm Tree Planting
WATCH: PEC staff and volunteers planted 300 trees at Meadows Farm in Fauquier County on Earth Day!
Brook Trout: Gems of the Piedmont Webinar + Resources
On April 29, 2021, the National Sporting Library & Museum held a public webinar with staff from PEC about the the work being done to restore habitat for the brook trout. Check out the recording below, as well as a list of helpful resources. Check out more of NSLM’s events on their website at nationalsporting.org.
Video: Free Flow
A must-watch!! We’re so excited to bring you this video about our largest trout stream restoration project to date, on Bolton Branch in Rappahannock County on the border of Shenandoah National Park.
Appalachian Conservation Corps blaze new trail at Rappahannock County Park
Rappahannock County Park has been visited recently by the Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC), an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The Piedmont Environmental Council, PEC’s Krebser Fund for Rappahannock County and Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) have partnered with the ACC to bring a crew of 6 young adults to the Piedmont region for tree plantings and trail maintenance projects.
Conservation Community Celebrates Passage of Bipartisan Easement Legislation
Governor Northam has signed into law important legislation preserving the integrity of conservation easements throughout Virginia.
A Community Forest Grows (and Expands) on the Edge of Charlottesville
Since the advent of Covid-19, Charlottesville area greenways and open spaces have seen unprecedented visitorship as people have gravitated to the outdoors in search of the physical and emotional benefits of nature and fresh air. That’s why the creation of the new Heyward Community Forest is so timely.
Spring Update from the Community Farm
Our third season is underway with more than 12,000 seedlings in the greenhouse.