Dear Friends,

At our annual Farm-to-Table Dinner and Gala on September 21, we honor the lifetime of conservation leadership by two amazing women, Hope Porter and Marie Ridder, who will both turn 100 in the coming months. Hope and Marie were part of the origins of the Piedmont Environmental Council, and they are legends in our office.

Hope, for the many, many nights she spent working to complete the next issue of the Fauquier Bugle and long days in front of Safeway passing out information and getting petitions signed. From the storied North Wales development proposal to Disney’s America and countless other battlegrounds before, between, and since, Hope continues to follow all of the activities of Fauquier County government, attends public meetings and stays in regular communication with members of the Board of Supervisors.

Marie has made a tremendous impact on national and statewide environmental stages as vice chair of the Landmarks Commission for the United States Department of the Interior and chair of the Virginia State Parks Commission and Virginia Council on the Environment. She made the environment a priority in her roles on the advisory boards to the National Park Service and American Farmland Trust, as a trustee of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and as an executive committee member of the National Parks Conservation Association.

Here at home, these two powerhouses have also conserved their own properties and risked resources to protect others. They helped organize and still sustain local organizations like Citizens For Fauquier County and PEC. And both are still active in current debates about data centers and energy infrastructure, better planning for water supply, and ongoing efforts to accelerate land conservation.

Last month, I had the opportunity to enjoy a midsummer morning at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook with Hope and Marie discussing their 70-plus years of friendship. They have had a lot of fun along the way, and each takes time to enjoy the simplest and best things in life — riding the hills of the Virginia Piedmont, warm sunshine during a walk in the garden, daily conversation with close friends, the excitement of visiting new places and the comfort of returning home to familiar fields and forests. But neither has ever wavered in her determination and commitment to stay engaged with the issues of conservation and land use planning and policy and the politics of the day.

I’m particularly struck by how both Hope and Marie have engaged so many others in our work, passing along their passion for conservation and the future of the Virginia Piedmont communities to their families, neighbors, friends and professional and political colleagues across the full range of their lives. Many of us are here because we were invited, befriended, educated, mentored and supported by Hope and Marie.

What we have all accomplished together isn’t just for our own benefit or that of our immediate neighbors. We’re also protecting some of the most fertile lands in the nation for growing food, protecting clean water supplies and wildlife habitat, providing and sharing places for hiking, biking, horse riding and other outdoor recreational activities for residents and visitors alike.

But what we face in this moment of time, and likely the foreseeable future, is a thousand times bigger than anything we’ve faced before. Land use decisions being made today by companies, utilities, and local and state governments have immense impacts on people and communities far removed from where those decisions are made. Not only do we need to continue our work improving local decisions, but now more than ever, we also must influence state and national plans, priorities, permits and policies. PEC absolutely cannot do it alone. And I find hope in the fact that Marie and Hope have already shown us the way.

We need each of you to follow their example and take every opportunity to share the incredible story of conservation in the Piedmont within your circle of friends and family and well beyond. Invite them to join the fight to protect the enormous investment we have collectively made in this incredible region. As the world’s data center industry bears down on Virginia, we will need help from all corners.

Sincerely,

Chris Miller, President

This article appeared in the 2024 fall edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.