We hope you enjoyed learning about the collaborative work that is happening between our three organizations and how we are touching on a broad range of issues in the Virginia Piedmont, from the way we enjoy the outdoors to preserving our natural resources. Faced with growing concerns about the need for accessible open space, the decline in wildlife populations, and the need to conserve and restore native habitat, our collective efforts are proactive and optimistic. 

If you didn’t catch the live event, please take some time to view the recording. You are welcome to share this link with anyone who might be interested in learning more about the conservation work that is happening in our region. Here are some quick highlights of what was discussed at the event:

• Shenandoah National Park Trust announced the purchase of 1,000 acres in Page County that will be permanently protected and added to the Shenandoah National Park in areas across the South Fork to the Massanutten Range. Learn more about this acquisition here.
  
• Dr. Amy Johnson of VWL shared a new partnership PEC, American Farmland Trust, and Quail Forever called the Piedmont Grassland Bird Initiative. Together, these organizations will work closely with VWL to stem the tide of grassland bird decline, improve the resiliency of working landscapes, and positively impact the livelihoods that depend upon those lands.
  
• PEC President Chris Miller emphasized the incredible progress towards the organization’s vision for 1 million acres of the Piedmont conserved, consistent with the broader efforts at the national, regional and state level to conserve 30% for nature by 2030. He illustrated how private land conservation is helping to connect wildlife corridors to the SNP and highlighted a partnership to eliminate aquatic habitat barriers for species such as the native brook trout. Learn more about the results from PEC’s recent fish passage projects by watching these short videos about Whiteoak Canyon and Bolton Branch.

It is thanks to the work of PEC, SNPT and VWL that families and individuals have the ability to enjoy open spaces and the numerous values they offer. Conserved lands and the species they host make a measurable impact in our daily lives, which is why it is so important to preserve and protect special places of the Piedmont for this generation and generations to come. 

Would you join us in continuing this collaboration by making a gift today? All funds raised will be split equally between The Piedmont Environmental Council, the Shenandoah National Park Trust and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Virginia’s Working Landscapes.