Orange County

PEC’s Orange County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Orange’s rural character, environment and historic resources. 

2022 Highlights

2022 Highlights

Learn about our efforts to expand conservation and restoration efforts, empower local communities, invest in public access, and connect consumers to local farms in 2022.

Virginia’s Former Gold Mines with Priority Level for Reclamation – PEC Web Map

Virginia’s Former Gold Mines with Priority Level for Reclamation – PEC Web Map

In 2022, The Piedmont Environmental Council was proud to partner with volunteers from UVA’s Clark Scholars program on a project to analyze the reclamation status of former gold mine sites throughout the Commonwealth. Using data pulled from the Virginia Department of Energy’s Mineral Mining online mapping interface, the student’s research enabled PEC to create a new WebMap that visually displays former mine sites “OLAC ranking,” a measure of prioritization for reclamation based on potential or assessed contamination.

Return of the Grassland Birds

Return of the Grassland Birds

The new Virginia (formerly Piedmont) Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) is showing promising signs of returning those birds to the Virginia landscape. With grant funding, the program pays farmers to adopt bird-friendly best management practices.

On the Ground Updates – September 2022

A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.