The Piedmont Environmental Council produces a number of publications, including our quarterly membership newsletter, The Piedmont View, annual reports, Buy Fresh Buy Local guides for the Northern Piedmont, Charlottesville Area, and Loudoun County, and more.
2023-2028 Strategic Plan
The Piedmont Environmental Council’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan sets a direction for the years ahead …
Annual Reports
PEC is a locally-based, donor-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an accredited land trust. Read through recent annual reports for an in-depth look at program activities and outcomes! …
Buy Fresh Buy Local Guides
The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Buy Fresh Buy Local program helps consumers find local products while building relationships between growers, food artisans, farmers’ markets retailers, restaurants, …
Loudoun Outdoors Guide
With over 10,000 acres of parks, public lands, and other natural areas, opportunities abound in Loudoun County for the outdoor enthusiast. Our print guide highlights …
The Piedmont News
The Piedmont News is a weekly email digest of top news stories about conservation, land use, energy, and environmental matters of interest to the region …
The Piedmont View
View articles published in our quarterly membership newsletter, The Piedmont View. To become a PEC member or renew your existing membership, visit our donations page …
Conservation and Restoration Publications
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 …
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 …
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 …
A Conservation Win in Loudoun County
The conservation of Beaver Dam Farm also marked an important milestone in protecting water quality, as conservation of the farm’s nearly half-mile of frontage along Beaverdam Creek provided the last link in a continuous 5-mile …
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 …
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 …
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 …
General Assembly Update – Spring 2025
Every day, Piedmont Environmental Council staff engage at the local, state and federal level to shape public policy with an eye toward protecting natural resources and advancing sustainability. These efforts include the annual Virginia General …
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 …
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 …
