The Headwater Stream Initiative is a joint project of The Piedmont Environmental Council and Friends of the Rappahannock.
Clean Water
Water flows through all of our land. To keep it plentiful and safe for drinking, swimming and fishing, we need clean air, expansive forests, responsible farms, wooded stream banks, and communities and individuals who make choices to avoid pollution.
![James River Buffer Program](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/HSI_tree_planting_Sky_Meadows_credit_Sophia_Chapin-1-edited-1024x576.jpg)
James River Buffer Program
Our partners at the James River Association, Virginia Department of Forestry, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation are working with landowners across the middle and upper James watershed to restore or create forest buffers that improve the quality of local waterways.
![Wilderness Crossing developer proposes reckless path forward](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/wilderness_crossing_aerial_photo_62_labeled_1200x-1024x683.jpg)
Wilderness Crossing developer proposes reckless path forward
In January, the developer behind Wilderness Crossing submitted a letter to the county regarding unreclaimed mine sites on the 2,602-acre property.
![Potomac Planting Program](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/Sky_Meadows_HSI_tree_planting_October_2021_credit_sophia_chapin-23-1024x683.jpg)
Potomac Planting Program
The Potomac Planting Program includes properties in the Potomac River watershed of Clarke, Loudoun and Fauquier counties.
![Conservation Easement Stories: Dr. Sam Ahdoot](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/Sam-Ahdoot-1x1-small-Portrait.jpg)
Conservation Easement Stories: Dr. Sam Ahdoot
Dr. Sam Ahdoot placed her land in Rappahannock County under a conservation easement with The Piedmont Environmental Council in 2019. The easement was designed to have many public benefits, including the protection of clean water, restoration of native plant and wildlife habitat, and the scenic views from Shenandoah National Park and F.T. Valley Road.
![Shocking news about historic gold mining contamination](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/WildernessCrossing_2021_600px.jpg)
Shocking news about historic gold mining contamination
Last fall, PEC learned some important new information related to the gold mining legacy at the proposed site of the Wilderness Crossing residential development: of the five formally-named gold mines located on the property, none have been closed and cleaned up – a process called “reclamation.”
![Wilderness Crossing: New Residential Development or Potential Superfund Site?](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/wilderness_crosssing_orange_county_credit_hugh_Kenny-3-of-15-1024x487.jpg)
Wilderness Crossing: New Residential Development or Potential Superfund Site?
In November 2021, PEC learned that of the five formally-named gold mine sites located on the proposed Wilderness Crossing residential development, none of them have been closed and cleaned up – a process called “reclamation.”
![Working Together for Clean Water and the Brook Trout](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/bolton_branch_vdot_crossing_post_construction_high_water_flow_09_2021_credit_celia_vuocolo-1024x768.jpg)
Working Together for Clean Water and the Brook Trout
PEC has been working with state agencies, partner organizations and landowners to improve fish passage across the Piedmont, one barrier at a time.
![The Land Along Life-Giving Water](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/goose_creek_leesburg_patomac_credit_hugh_kenny-6-of-9-1024x486.jpg)
The Land Along Life-Giving Water
This fall, we received two important grants to support and expand our work protecting rivers and streams.
![A Few Highlights From 2021](https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/rappahannock_drone_snow_winter_credit_hugh_kenny-7-of-8-1024x512.jpg)
A Few Highlights From 2021
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and a global economic slowdown, 2021 proved to be a year of new opportunity here at The Piedmont Environmental Council.