Video: Virginia’s Parks and Battlefields are at Risk

Posted on by Hugh Kenny

Virginia’s state and national parks, battlefields, and other historic and recreational sites are under threat from uncontrolled data center development. One notable example is Wilderness Battlefield, in Orange County, which was named one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2024 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

The primary threat to the battlefield is a planned megadevelopment called Wilderness Crossing. Totaling approximately 2,600 acres, the site is slated for a mix of residential, commercial and data center space. 

Virginians are lucky to have incredible access to important historic sites, many of which also provide excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation. This is thanks to decades of work by local citizens, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies working together to protect and open up these important sites to the public.

These special places, supported by tremendous public investment, are now at risk. The noise, visual impacts, and water usage of data center campuses, as well as the enormous amount of energy infrastructure needed to power them fundamentally threaten the experience of the millions of people who visit these sites each year. 

We need your help to protect Wilderness Battlefield and to reform data center development here in Virginia. Here are a few things you can do today to protect our public resources:

  • Donate to the American Battlefield Trust, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, and Friends of Wilderness Battlefield. They are seeking financial support for their lawsuit seeking to prevent the Wilderness Crossing development from moving forward.
  • Reach out to your elected officials. Email, call, or write a letter to your local and state representatives to let them know that you support increased regulation on the data center industry and protections for our public spaces.
  • Attend public meetings. If there are any data center projects being proposed in your town or county, attend a public hearing about them. Decisions about projects like these are made without much public attention. Show up and let your local government know where you stand.  
  • Support the Piedmont Environmental Council and other Wilderness Battlefield Coalition members. We need your support to continue this work. 

Wilderness Battlefield Coalition members: