The Piedmont Environmental Council 2016 Annual Report
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ENGAGE • EDUCATE • EMPOWER ANNUAL REPORT · 2016 Dear Friends, t the core of The Piedmont Environmental ` fought to protect important community resources from Council’s work, we strive to engage, educate and the impacts of new electric transmission lines and natural A empower people to protect and improve the places gas pipelines; we all love and call home. Ultimately, we provide ways for ` banded together to erect memorials to displaced people to act directly, to do it themselves. Our work on Blue Ridge families; and Federal, state, and local policy is especially designed to ` acted in countless other ways to preserve what they value encourage and enable direct action. about this place. We’re continually energized by the countless ways that At a time of uncertainty, Virginia’s northern Piedmont Piedmont residents act on their love of this place. stands as an example of how civic engagement works. People participate in the decisions that shape their com- Over the years, Piedmont residents have: munities’ futures. Local governments have acted vigorously VOLUNTEERS PLANTING TREES ALONG A STREAM AT to shape growth in ways that preserve our natural MARRIOTT RANCH DURING OUR ANNUAL FROM THE RAPPAHANNOCK FOR THE RAPPAHANNOCK EVENT. ` made phone calls, written letters and spoken at public resources and rural heritage. Photo by Paula Combs hearings in support of conservation and smart land use decisions; In the past year, more than 60 new families have joined ` purchased more food from local growers and farmers, the hundreds of Piedmont landowners who have chosen ”The Piedmont even growing more themselves; to place their lands under conservation easement. These individual decisions have created a culture of conservation. stands as an ` planted rain gardens and native habitat meadows at their Land conservation in the Piedmont has gone viral. Today homes, neighborhood community centers and children’s example of how the 9-county region PEC serves has more than 394,000 schools; civic engagement acres of private lands permanently protected by conser- works.” ` installed solar panels at their homes and businesses; vation easements—an area twice the size of Shenandoah COVER: SHENANDOAH MOUNTAIN PATH, WHICH WAS THE WINNER OF THE YOUTH CATEGORY IN OUR 2016 PHOTO CONTEST. Photo by Jack Hardie ii contents National Park. At PEC, we work hard to support the MAP OF THE PIEDMONT 2 right of landowners to make that decision. land conservation 4 More and more, we at PEC are looking for ways to tap clean water 6 the energy and creativity that comes from our love of this place. We are developing living laboratories for connecting people and nature 8 native habitat restoration and working farmland at our lands at Roundabout Meadows and the Piedmont energy solutions 10 Memorial Overlook, as well as our ofce in downtown CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF Warrenton. We are working with Piedmont communi- Buy Fresh Buy Local ties to build new trail and river connections that enable in Virginia 12 more people to get outside and directly appreciate what The PEC Fellowship 13 makes this region special. history and beauty 14 Love of place is a powerful renewable resource, a gift better communities 16 that keeps on giving for the protection and improvement strong rural economies 18 of the Piedmont. Thank you for your support and for being part of this movement! THE PIEDMONT FOUNDATION 20 Sincerely, INDIGO BUNTING IN RAPPAHANNOCK. CONTRIBUTIONS 21 Photo by Denise Machado THE BILL BACKER 29 LEGACY SOCIETY Chris Miller Jean Perin George L. Ohrstrom II REMEMBERING TWO President Co-Chair, Board of Directors Co-Chair, Board of Directors LEADERS OF THE PIEDMONT 30 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF 31 STATEMENTS OF 32 FINANCIAL CONDITION Piedmont Environmental Council · Annual Report · 2016 1 W V M I R E G S A I T Lovettsville N R The Piedmont I A I Y I N A L G Berryville L R Winchester Purcellville ¤£15 I O Region A V E K U ¤£340 N R Leesburg T A D D S L C O Easements Recorded in 2016 E A I W £50 U N ¤ Middleburg I Wash-Dulles Conservation Easements ¤£17 N G Front Intl Airport R Royal ¤£50 I ¨¦§66 Publicly Owned Lands V The Plains Marshall Fairfax Civil War Battlefields £522 F ¤ ¤£17 A Historic Districts q ¤£29 k Washington U Manassas r Warrenton Areas Designated for Development a K Q C 211 P O ¤£ ¤£211 N N U 0 10 20 Luray H A P PA I RA E Miles l Quantico a R n C U o L Remington i ¤£522 P t Virginia's northern Piedmont remains an M E Harrisonburg a Culpeper P ¤£17 N exceptional place, despite development A E £29 D ¤ R pressures. Residents have been strongly h I supportive of protecting its scenic beauty, a S Madison o G R O agricultural economy, thriving communities, d n E N ¤£15 Fredericksburg a E E and unparalleled significance to America's n e Stanardsville N G history. h E Orange S N A ¤£33 R O ¤£522 ¤£29 Physiographic Regions oF Virginia Waynesboro PA Charlottesville Gordonsville Crozet E MD ¤£250 OH L PEC ¨¦§64 R Service Area A M WV y ¤£29 e C E l l a o B a KY V n t L d s A n e o t a a an e d g m l chi g i d ala u d R P p ea i l Scottsville Ap at e i e Pl R u a l P i B n Data source: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Historic Resources, County Governments, American Battlefield Protection Program, TN NC Land Use Policy as WEST Seen fromVIRGINIA Space Clarke MARYLAND Loudoun Areas Designated for Development PEC PEC Counties DC IA Service 0 10 20 Area Fauquier VIRGINIA Miles q Night images show Virginia's northern Rappahannock 0 10 20 Piedmont remains predominantly rural. Miles Contrasting with the sprawling development of counties to the east, in the Piedmont, Culpeper development is largely contained within theareas designated byeach locality. Madison Greene Orange Albemarle Data Source: NASA 2016 Earth at Night Map, County Governments land conservation VOLUNTARY ACTION • OUTSTANDING SUCCESS • SAVING PLACES PEOPLE LOVE HISTORIC SLAVE QUARTERS AT BEN VENUE FARM. Photo by Joyce Harman 4 land conservation Restoring and protecting the forest ne of the lands newly con- and loblolly pines on land that had rotational grazing practices completely served in 2016 belongs to previously been heavily grazed, and harmonize with the Williams’ steward- OTom and Sandra Williams, whose streams were highly eroded. ship ethic. “We could not have asked for whose property in the Blue Ridge Meanwhile, native tulip poplars a better partner,” says Sandra. foothills of Madison County has been regrew naturally, and quickly. in Tom’s family for more than 50 years. In recent years, Tom and Sandra saw Tom’s father, Ellis, was determined to The property’s pasture lands have also the pace of growth pick up in Madison. reforest much of the land. rebounded dramatically, thanks to Tom Nearby working farms were subdi- SANDRA AND TOM WILLIAMS, EASEMENT DONORS IN MADISON COUNTY. Photo by Douglas Stewart and Sandra’s partnership with livestock vided. In 2016, Tom met Peter Hujik, “My father had an abiding interest farmers Jimmy and Robin Rider. in forest stewardship, and originally PEC’s Conservation Representative The Williams’ property now has more acquired the property to be a tree Jimmy and Robin, the owners of Rider’s for Madison, and began pursuing than three-quarters of its land in farm,” says Tom. In the 1960s, with Backfield Beef, have been leasing conservation options in earnest. Tom forest. The easement ensures that the support from the Department of the Williams’ land for their grassfed worked closely with the Department of property’s legacy of forest stewardship Forestry, Ellis Williams planted white beef operation since 2009, and their Forestry, which holds the easement. will abide forever. 2016 Highlights ` After an advocacy campaign co-led by ` PEC identified a 2.5-acre property next PEC, the state of Virginia substantially to Biscuit Run State Park for both its 7,595 Acres increased funding for conservation conservation value and its potential as part of Protected in 2016 in 2016. The budget included $10 a trail corridor connecting the state park to Acres protected Total Acres in 2016 protected by million for three land conservation nearby Albemarle County neighborhoods. by Conservation Conservation County Easements Easements grant programs—the highest level ever We then worked with conservation buyers for these programs—and $61.7 million John and Dudley Macfarlane, who purchased Albemarle 1,736 98,799 in FY2017 for conservation-minded the property and donated it to PEC. PEC and agriculture practices that will improve the Virginia Department of Conservation and Clarke 1,210 24,939 water quality. Meanwhile, full funding Recreation anticipate that the property will Culpeper 523 18,600 of $75 million annually for the Land ultimately be incorporated into the state park. Fauquier 1,262 102,332 Preservation Tax Credit was preserved. ` PEC worked with Dave Matthews and Coran Greene 0 10,448 ` PEC donated a 17-acre property to Capshaw to facilitate the acquisition and Loudoun 1,536 56,375 the National Park Service for inclusion transfer of a 27-acre property along Moores in Shenandoah National Park. The Creek to the City of Charlottesville. The Madison 844 15,761 addition of the Rappahannock County property is an important link along the property, which is surrounded by the Rivanna Trail, opening a section of the trail Orange 412 35,292 park on three of its four sides, expands CAROLYN SEDGWICK, PEC’S RAPPAHANNOCK FIELD that was previously routed along city streets.