I’m writing to you today to tell you about a critical opportunity to weigh in on fair energy prices and a sustainable future for Virginia.
Our Work
Safeguarding the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Piedmont by involving citizens in public policy and land conservation. Learn more about our work by browsing the subject areas below and find out how to get involved!
Free Native Tree Giveaways This Spring!
This spring, PEC is partnering with Friends of the Rappahannock to give away over 600 native trees in Leesburg and Aldie!
These two tree giveaways are part of our Plantings for the Piedmont Program, which is an effort to provide free technical assistance, project design, materials, and labor for the planting of native trees and shrubs in riparian and upland zones on qualifying properties within the headwater counties of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and York River watersheds.
Saturday, April 5 at Orvis Leesburg
Friday, April. 5 @ 1 – 5 p.m.
Orvis Store
1614 Village Market Blvd SE #110
Leesburg, Virginia 20175
Saturday, May 3 at the Gilberts Corner Farmers Market
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (while supplies last)
Corner of Rt. 15/50
39950 Little River Turnpike
Aldie, Virginia 20105
Questions? Contact Linnea Sherman at lsherman@pecva.org.
Native Tree and Shrub Species Information
- White Oak, Virginia Tech Dendrology
- Flowering Dogwood, Virginia Tech Dendrology
- Servieberry, Virginia Tech Dendrology
- Witch Hazel, Virginia Tech Dendrology
Tree Planting Resources:
Conserving a Crown Jewel in Culpeper County
Western View Plantation in Culpeper County gets its name from the panoramic vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park seen from its pastures and fields. This 700-acre working farm exemplifies the kind of agricultural operation that sustains a thriving rural economy.
Thanks to the efforts of many — including a farming family dedicated to conserving farmland for the continuation of our local food systems — PEC used $1.6 million of state and federal funding to purchase an Agricultural Land Easement that now permanently protects the excellent soils and streams that run through Western View.
Data Center Reform Campaign Continues
In the pre-dawn hours in a Haymarket parking lot, a few dozen people huddled in record cold temperatures as they made their way to the warm glow of a charter bus. Their destination: Richmond. Their mission: convince legislators to enact data center reform during the 2025 General Assembly session.
PEC’s Big Year in Conservation
Last year, within The Piedmont Environmental Council’s nine-county region, landowners partnered with conservation organizations like ours to conserve 5,446 acres of lands and forever protect the many public benefits they provide the region.
Conservation Funds Protect Clarke County Property
Sometimes advancing conservation in our region means supporting another partner’s vision. This was the case last year, when The Piedmont Environmental Council contributed funds from our Clark County Land Conservation Fund to the purchase of a conservation easement at the 43-acre Lilly property, facilitating a conservation win for all parties.
The Little Forest That Could
Deep within the center of a former 1,200-acre monoculture pine plantation-turned-utility-scale solar project lies a donut hole of amazing, permanently protected natural hardwood forest. It exists because Christine and Bob Putnam took yet another of their many steps of fierce commitment to the environment and to Albemarle County by placing their 70 acres of forestland into a conservation easement with the Albemarle County Easement Authority last year.
The Next Generation
For over 100 years, three generations of Goodalls have owned and worked to improve their land in Madison County, which now stands at 596 acres after enlarging the farm several times. Now, brothers Joe and Paul have fulfilled their parents’ final wishes to keep the land as a farm. In April, PEC used grants from the USDA’s Agricultural Land Easement program, the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, and the Volgenau Foundation to purchase a conservation easement for $1.3 million, permanently protecting the farm for the next generation.
Exploring New Public Parks in the Piedmont
Conserved public spaces have measurable impacts on our lives: research shows that spending time outdoors improves both physical and mental health, and can even improve students’ grades, lower blood pressure and drive economic growth. If you enjoy outdoor adventures like I do, lace up your boots and come with me as we explore a couple of these new parks that opened in 2024, as well as one potential future park.
More Than Vegetables at the Community Farm
When a PEC staff member recently posed the question “what does the farm mean to people beyond just donating to food pantries?” I remembered my first farming experience, when I discovered that farms are so much more than the food they grow.