Updates from the around the PEC region, organized by county. Albemarle: Biscuit Run and courthouse relocation updates. Clarke: County updates and ordinances. Culpeper: Waterloo Bridge update. Fauquier: Data centers, development proposals & stormwater pollution solutions. Greene: White Run Reservoir. Loudoun: True North data center & Leesburg transportation. Madison: Septic system program. Orange: Subdivision ordinance. Rappahannock: Putting farms first.
Madison County
PEC’s Madison County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Madison’s rural character, environment and historic resources.
Free Flow
PEC has taken on the work of restoring local rivers by removing culverts and low-water crossings that can be roadblocks to stream health. By replacing these barriers on roads and driveways with fish- friendly designs, we are improving habitat and water quality.
Many aquatic species, including Virginia’s state fish, the Eastern brook trout, benefit from these restoration projects. Ideally, we hope these projects will influence government agencies to incorporate fish-friendly designs as they update roads and stream crossings.
Preserving History at Jack’s Shop and James City
PEC received a grant of $35,300 from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program to research the history of two previously undocumented Civil War battles that occurred at Jack’s Shop and James City in Madison County, Va.
Madison’s Mountain Heritage: An Open House at Graves Chapel
On April 16, 2016, Piedmont Environmental Council hosted our fifth annual mountain heritage celebration at Graves Chapel in Graves Mill, Virginia. Nearly 300 attended over the course of the day – visitors learned about the rich culture and traditions of the families that once called these mountains home. Many even walked the trails through Shenandoah National Park to see some of these former home sites in person. It was a wonderful day, filled with music, memories, and a renewed appreciation for the Blue Ridge Mountain heritage. Thank you to all who took part!
Graves Mill historic sites map >>
Please consider becoming a PEC member or renewing your membership to help make events like this one possible!
Good News for the Brook Trout
We’re continuing our efforts to increase the habitat available to the eastern brook trout and other fish species with two pilot culvert removal projects…
Madison Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
In partnership with local landowners and Trout Unlimited, PEC recently completed a survey of 124 road crossings along several high quality trout streams that flow out of Shenandoah National Park into the Piedmont region. Madison County waterways surveyed in the study were funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and include the Conway River, Rose River, Strothers Run, Garth Run, Kinsey Run, Robinson River and the Hughes River.
Battle Maps
Full resolution maps of days one and two of the battle can be found by clicking on the maps embedded on this page.
Remembering Celia: Honoring one of Madison County’s 2012 easement donors
Celia Porter Dollarhide (January 1940 — December 2012) and her siblings never quite had a hometown. Their father, Robert Porter, Jr., was a general in the U.S. army and the family moved often. So, when General Porter retired in the ‘60s and settled at Middle River Farm in Madison County — the 140 acre tree farm became the family’s home base.
Wolftown Farm with Historic Round Barn Protected
Joyce Gentry lives on the land where she lived as a child-a farm in Wolftown in Madison County, toward the foothills of the mountains, that has been in her family for generations. Mrs. Gentry, a retired math teacher, says, “I’ve lived on farms my whole life.” Her son and daughter-in-law Brad and Amy Gentry now raise beef cattle on the family farm-a 145 acre spread with a horizon full of mountain views.
Mrs. Gentry’s strong ties to the land motivated her to protect it with a conservation easement last year. “I’m trying to keep the countryside like it is,” she says.