The Piedmont View

A MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER OF THE PIEDMONT ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL SPRING 2021

CONSERVATION EDITION General Assembly Update Special, Regular, Special...what’s next? Conservation

PAGE 2 Totals for 2020 By Dan Holmes, Director of State Policy

he last six months has been a whirl- every year. While not fully funded, wind of legislative action. The 2020 her dedication paid off this session. special session extended into mid- The final budget included an addi- October, creating a mad scramble at tional $750,000, bringing the fund itsT conclusion to prepare for the 2021 regular total to $1 million supporting local session. PEC was busy drafting bills and budget Purchase of Development Rights amendments, finding sponsors and having the programs. conversations necessary to set up our initia- While still short of what's The recent session of the Virginia General Assembly tives for success before the new session began needed, additional funding was concluded on March 1. Photo by Marco Sánchez on January 13. The 2021 regular session was allocated to the Agricultural BMP eventually extended into a special session that Cost-Share Program (Ag BMPs), bringing its signed into law. This legislation preserves the concluded on March 1. Throughout, there were total to $65 million. This funding is critical for integrity of existing easements by ensuring countless virtual meetings with partners and meeting our pollution reduction goals for the that disputes over terms are decided in favor of History at the legislators and virtual testimony to relevant Chesapeake Bay, supporting such measures the conservation purpose of the easement. Top of Bull Run house and senate committees. After all was said as livestock exclusion fencing and streamside On energy, we continued to press for and done, I am pleased to report on a largely plantings. The legislature also allocated $10 utility reform along with partners, support- PAGE Mountain 3 successful session. million for trails; accompanying language set- ing several pieces of legislation related to ting up project ranking criteria gives us hope ratepayers and utility oversight by the State The Budget this is not just a one-off funding measure. Corporation Commission. This suite of bills, The introduced budget for FY2022 pro- But not all the news was good. We were including HB1914 (Helmer), HB2200 (Jones/ vided a strong foundation, including money for disappointed with the General Assembly’s new Ware), and HB1984 (Hudson), made it across trails, food programs, water quality and more. “earmark” approach to the Virginia Land Con- to the Senate Commerce and Labor Com- Building from that foundation, we focused on servation Foundation (VLCF), Virginia’s primary mittee, where they suffered the usual fate of two items. conservation grant vehicle. By directing VLCF good legislation before that body—they were The first was an amendment we worked funding toward specific projects, legislators summarily killed. PEC's Board chair summed it on with Senator McClellan’s office to fund damage the program‘s integrity and insert up best in a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch letter, when he said, “Blanket support of important surveys of underrepresented historic politics into conservation funding decisions. Dominion cannot, according to any view of resources throughout the state, ensuring that public benefit, possibly be considered respon- untold histories of African American and indig- The Legislation sible, sensible lawmaking.” On a brighter note, enous people are identified and documented Legislative outcomes are also largely posi- HB1925 (Kilgore) passed, providing incentives in the state database. This effort was ultimately tive, with many of our initiatives sitting on the for conversion of brownfields and reclaimed successful. The second item was an amend- governor’s desk, awaiting signature. minelands to solar. ment offered by Delegate Gooditis to provide We are very pleased that our priority land The Long Road to Along with increased funding for Ag BMPs, an additional $2 million for the Farmland conservation legislation, HB1760 (Webert/

PAGE Waterloo Bridge 5 Preservation Fund, a measure she champions Gooditis) and SB1199 (Petersen), will soon be Continued on page 5 Honoring the Sacrifices Made for a Park We Love By Kristie Kendall, Historic Preservation Coordinator

ne unseasonably warm, early spring served the population, and general stores and morning, I walked down Hungry post offices brought services directly into the OHorse Lane in Rappahannock County mountains. The advent of the automobile and with Earl “Kit” Hawkins and his wife, daughter creation of Skyline Drive marked the arrival and son-in-law. Eastern bluebirds, a staple of gas stations at the top of the mountain, in these Appalachian mountains, sang their and a few homes even had a telephone and Support PEC lovely songs while the Hazel River flowed electricity. Make a donation strong from recent rains. In less than a quar- Mortimer Hawkins and his wife, Stella B. or get in touch with PEC at: ter mile, we turned to follow an old, steep Nicholson, were among those families who Post Office Box 460 mountain road called Sam’s Ridge Trail. With a made the mountains home. In fact, both their Warrenton, VA 20188 quick elevation gain of more than 1,000 feet, families lived in the Blue Ridge going back at 540.347.2334 this trail in Shenandoah National Park is not least to the 1870s. Mortimer’s father pur- [email protected] for the faint of heart! But we were pushed by chased the Hazel Mountain land we hoped Or visit: a desire to visit what was once the home- to find from Calhoun Weakley in 1898, shortly www.pecva.org stead of Kit’s grandfather, Milton “Mortimer” before his own death the same year. Mortimer Hawkins, and the place where Kit’s father, Earl and Stella married in 1904, moved into the Thank you for helping Sr., was born and raised. Hawkins house with Mortimer’s mother, Mary, to protect the Piedmont! Long before Shenandoah National Park and raised their own family there. Earl “Kit” Hawkins (right) and family stand was established in 1935, generations of peo- Life on the mountain was not to last, in front of what remains of the Hawkins’ ple pushed up into the Blue Ridge Mountains however. By the mid-1920s, the Blue Ridge Hazel Mountain home in spring 2019. and called them home. Houses dotted the Mountains were selected as the location for Photo by Kristie Kendall hillsides and hollows, churches and schools Continued on page 7

www.pecva.org The Piedmont View

2020 Land Conservation Totals

n 2020, private landowners worked together with land trusts and public agencies to protect 5,287 acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties. Forty-seven total conservation easements in 2020 bring the total protected land in The IPiedmont Environmental Council’s (PEC) nine-county region to 426,657 acres, more than twice the size of Shenandoah National Park and accounting for nearly 20 percent of the region’s entire land area. “Despite the challenges of a pandemic year, conservation in 2020 demonstrated the commitment of local landowners to preserve the integrity of the landscape as a whole and to protect water resources and scenic character. Every acre of protected land is land that helps prevent water pollution, preserve natural flood controls, promote groundwater recharge, and support local agriculture and carbon sequestration,” said PEC President Chris Miller. In Loudoun County, one of the nation’s fast-growing counties, 21 landowners donated easements to protect 2,159 acres. We hope Loudoun’s pursuit of programs to encourage conservation, including its easement assistance program and a purchase of development rights program, will spur additional land protections there. The largest conservation easement was on 1,150 acres in Albemarle County’s Southern Rural Historic District, adjacent to the previously conserved Morven Farm. This property, along with 194 acres at Mountain Grove that protects an outstanding example of a Federal-style Palladian dwelling dating to 1804, were among the 12 easements conserving 2,028 acres in Albemarle in 2020. In our region and throughout the commonwealth, we are fortunate to have a history of state and local leaders who understand the critical value of open space and have implemented incentives and programs that assist landowners with the cost of donating conservation easements.

Approximate county-by-county conservation totals in the Piedmont region:

Acres protected in 2020 Total Acres by Conservation protected by County Easements* Conservation Easements*

Albemarle 2,028 108,869 Clarke 23 26,481 Culpeper 0 20,406 Fauquier 800 109,487 Greene 75 10,648 Loudoun 2,159 62,684 Madison 140 16,115 Orange 0 38,554

Map by Watsun Randolph Rappahannock 62 33,413

Map created by PEC for presentation purposes only. Data source: American Battlefield Protection Program, County Governments, USGS, VA Department of Historic Resources, VA Department of Conservation and Recreation. Although efforts have been made to verify data, accuracy is not guaranteed. PEC Region 5,287 426,657 For more information, please visit: pecva.org. Warrenton | JWR * Totals do not sum due to rounding 2 www.pecva.org Spring 2021

PEC Conservation Funds

History at the Top of Catoctin Creek Clarke Fund LOUDOUN County CLARKE Fund James Bull Run Mountain M. Rowley By Cindy Sabato, Communications Adviser Goose Creek Fund Bull Run Mountains tretching 15 miles from the village of Aldie in “If you go back to the 1800s and early 1900s, this RAPPAHANNOCK Fund Loudoun County south to New Baltimore in area was not so wild, but was actually very peopled. Krebser Julian Fund for Scheer FAUQUIER Fauquier County, the Bull Run Mountains have There is a fascinating emerging history of free Black, Rappahannock Fauquier stories to tell. post-Civil War Black, and poor White families eking a County Fund S MADISON The mountain range is home to 10 unique plant, living out of the rocks and thin soils. It was a tough life Culpeper forest and woodland ecosystems supporting uncom- of hand-sawn lumber, hand-quarried rock, no electric- County Madison mon and threatened plant and animal species. Its hills ity, carrying water, hard work and hard living. Through Fund GREENE County CULPEPER were the scene of the Battle at Thoroughfare Gap during VOF’s long-term cultural history project begun in Fund Greene the Civil War. The rocky ridges and quartzite cliffs on earnest in 2019, we are trying to understand the stories County Orange its western side, along with the shadow of its east- of footprints and physical remnants of the people who Fund County ern toe and its hollows, are said to have once guided lived here,” Grayson said. Fund ORANGE slaves fleeing bondage via the Underground Railroad. “PEC’s Bull Run Mountain Conservation Fund is a Albemarle Its mountainside is dotted with many historic ruins— donor-designated fund created in 1999 specifically to V County ALBEMARLE I cemeteries, house foundations, fence lines, and the help conserve and protect Bull Run Mountain proper- Fund R Chapman-Beverly Mill built in 1742 among them—that ties at risk for development. The fund kicked off a long G I N dole out clues about the families and communities that partnership between PEC and VOF and has allowed us I A once called these mountains home. together to conserve 875 acres of land to help round

Now, PEC’s Bull Run Mountains Land Conservation out the natural preserve area,” said PEC Conservation 0 10 20 Fund is helping the Virginia Outdoors Foundation con- Director Mike Kane. “We have always hoped this prop- Miles This map shows donor-designated funds created serve an historic property that’s an important part of the erty would one day become part of the preserve.” for on-the-ground conservation and restoration mountain’s story and the mountain itself. The 10-acre The property is heirs’ land—meaning it was projects in specific geographic areas with The parcel in the Catlett’s Branch stream corridor is associ- passed down through generations without a will— Piedmont Environmental Council service territory. ated with the Robinson and Corum families, intertwined, and was nearly lost recently when a contract buyer The majority of the funds are held by the Piedmont prominent Bull Run Mountain families dating back at approached one of its 19 co-owners about forcing a Foundation, a separate 509(a)(3) charitable orga- least 120 years, with branches of both enslaved and free. “partition sale” of the land. Heirs’ properties are partic- nization, established to hold and manage special The property adjoins land that is already protected ularly vulnerable to partition sales, because with many funds in support of PEC’s mission. Learn more at as part of the Bull Run Mountains Natural Preserve “co-owners” and no clear title, they offer none of the piedmontfoundation.org Area—a designation bestowed upon 2,500 acres of asset benefits but all of the financial liabilities typically this mountain range by the Commonwealth for its associated with land ownership. As more heirs are born into the Bull Run Mountain Natural Preserve Area. PEC’s natural and historic resources. It still holds remnants and others pass away, ownership becomes increasingly Bull Run Mountain Land Conservation Fund is provid- of the original family homestead; stone walls, formerly murky and far-removed, while escalating legal and finan- ing $25,000 of the $130,000 purchase price, which will cultivated fields, and a stone quarry are still perceptible. cial burdens associated with it become unmanageable. relieve the heirs of outstanding tax liabilities, compen- This property is special in and of itself, said VOF Deputy In 2020, VOF learned of the impending sale of this sate the family and buyer for appraisal, survey work and Director Leslie Grayson, but especially as a piece of a property and worked quickly to negotiate with the heirs other costs already incurred, and pay outstanding legal much bigger matrix of life in the mountains. and the buyer to acquire the property for incorporation fees associated with the partition suit. “At the end of the day, the hope of Virginia’s recently passed heirs’ property legislation is that the land stays in family hands, and that isn’t what happened here. But this acquisition is important because this prop- erty was being sold out of the family and would have eventually become yet another residential parcel. Now, it will be possible to preserve the family history along with the land itself,” Grayson said. “VOF is working hard to piece together the story of the communities that historically called the preserve home. This property will be a critical addition to the preserve, not only protecting many wonderful natural resources, but also protecting an integral part of the mountain’s African American history,” she said.

Bull Run Mountains Photo by Hugh Kenny

Volunteers Spring Up AT THE COMMUNITY FARM

pring planting season is upon us at the Com- need volunteers now through November! We’ve already munity Farm at Roundabout Meadows. Last begun planting seedlings in the Phyllis Mills Wyeth year, in response to the pandemic, what was Greenhouse; outdoor plantings begin this month and Ssupposed to be a slow and steady increase in continue through summer. First harvests of the year are production in the farm’s second season turned into so expected in early April through November. much more. Dedicated staff and 468 committed volun- We will follow all social distancing recommenda- teers donated 1,100 hours of socially distanced service tions, and provided state mandates allow, we can planting, harvesting, sorting and more. Together, we accommodate up to 25 volunteers at a time. Volunteers donated 25,000 pounds of fresh produce to Loudoun can be families and individuals, school groups, scouts Hunger Relief. and clubs, businesses, churches, and more. Volunteers With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, food under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. pantries saw need triple almost overnight and that need To learn more about volunteering and sign-up, visit continues as the effects of the pandemic linger. We have pecva.org/farmvolunteer. Padma Kolla and her son Anchit wash and package broccoli at the Community Farm this past autumn. set our 2021 produce goal at 35,000 pounds, and we Photo by Hugh Kenny

3 The Piedmont View

A Final Wish Granted

By Cindy Sabato, Communications Adviser

arl and Elise Siebentritt’s 29-acre “mountain and swam. Before Elise became ill, the oasis,” two miles west of Lucketts along two walked the trails daily; later, they the Catoctin ridge and 3.5 miles northeast loved sitting on the deck watching the of Waterford in Loudoun County, was the birds. “It was the wildlife, the streams, Chub and the heart of their large family for more than the pond, and the trees Carl wanted to 30 years. Daughter Heidi and her husband held their protect more than anything,” said Lind, wedding party there. Eldest son Carl III was married “and his stories really provided guidance there and made it “home base” between overseas on what direction the easement should assignments with the State Department. Two other go.” siblings, in Maryland and Georgia, moved their fami- As Heidi and Lind worked through lies in for a few years to help care for Elise and Carl the process of putting a conservation Carl Siebentritt loved to sit on the dock of the pond watching the fish and in the years before each passed away. All 13 grand- easement on the property, Carl passed birds. Courtesy of the Siebentritt family children and one great grandchild knew the woods away at the age of 96. But completing like the backs of their hands from years of hiking, the easement was a unanimous deci- foraging, and camping. sion for the family. “We all knew this was what Dad “There’s a tree in front of the house that my wanted. It was closure for us in a lot of ways; it would youngest daughter would always climb,” Heidi said. have felt like we were letting him down if we hadn’t “Everybody had their favorite spot; mine was the followed through,” Heidi said. woods. On holidays when we would all gather as a Completed in 2020 with the help of a grant from family, we would walk through the woods no matter PEC’s Catoctin Creek Fund, the easement now per- how cold it was. Like the ancient custom of walking manently protects the forest, streams and integrity the geographic boundaries of a village, it was sort of of the property’s 29 acres. True to Carl’s wishes, no our way of claiming that place as our own.” structures may be built within the forested area, and Carl, who ran the nuclear physics lab at Mount the forest must remain intact unless tree removal is Weather, and Elise, a pastoral counselor and fam- needed to improve wildlife habitat or remove dis- ily therapist, moved to western Loudoun in 1988 to eased or invasive plants. A 100-foot forested buffer escape the rampant development happening around must remain along the banks of the two intermittent them in McLean. Conserving the property always streams that run down the mountainside and most loomed large in their minds. About four years before of the pond. They left about 2.5 acres outside the for- Carl passed away, the family all came together to talk est protection area to accommodate a future owner’s about what he’d like to see happen to the property. need for a home and small accessory structures and so that new owners could use the pond for recre- He didn’t want to leave until they “carried him Granddaughter Ella sitting in her favorite tree in the ation just as they did. out feet first.” He wanted to keep the land intact. And front yard. Courtesy of the Siebentritt family he wanted the property to stay in the family. Five of The family’s decision to conserve this land is his six children had established lives elsewhere, and a great example of the outsized public benefits of the house was larger than Heidi and her family were conservation, Kane said. “Protection of the streams comfortable with, so they briefly considered a tiny where they begin is particularly important here, Pop Quiz subdivision of the property for a little family cottage. because as they flow downstream to the Potomac “But as we worked through where it could be sited River, they cross dozens of properties in areas with and how it could be accessed, we realized we’d be sensitive limestone geology, where pollution can QUESTION destroying what we loved most about the property. jeopardize the safety and availability of water for Which of these native tribes are historically associated We all came to the conclusion that while we might people and livestock,” he said. not be able to keep it in the family, we could at least Carl and Elise’s mountain oasis is now being with the Upper Rappahannock River watershed? keep it together with a conservation easement.” enjoyed by a new owner who was in no way deterred Heidi immediately thought of The Piedmont by the conservation easement. Some people worry Environmental Council, having worked with PEC’s that a conservation easement will make land harder conservation director, Mike Kane, at Loudoun County to sell, but there are many people whose plans for a years before. Kane and PEC Field Representative property align perfectly with protections on the land. Tracy Lind visited the property to meet Carl. He told Currently, theirs is the only protected property them of foraging on the mountainside, which was in an area with fairly generous development rights, full of morels and chanterelles, paw paws and berries. but Heidi said she hopes it’s only the first. “I know Every night after work, he’d walk the woods with Dad talked with neighbors over the course of his his dogs. There were always turtles and fish in the ownership about not developing that area and about pond, where the family often fished and kayaked saving the woods in perpetuity somehow. So hope- fully, our conservation will inspire others,” she said. Kane said that Loudoun County’s recent pursuit of programs to encourage conservation easements Historical marker near the site of the Monacan village of could spur additional land protections there. In Monasukapanough, erected in northern Albemarle County. some cases, the county’s Conservation Easement Photo by Deeahbz Assistance Program, implemented in 2019, provides ANSWER grant funding to help cover some associated costs, such as appraisals, real estate attorney fees and title Monocan searches. The county is also studying a Purchase of Development Rights program, whereby the county The first colonists to arrive at Jamestown in 1607 buys development rights from a land owner and immediately met with Indian people from a vast retires them. Powhatan autocracy. However, Siouan Indians of “I know my dad is tickled pink right now,” Heidi the Monacan and Mannahoac tribes lived in the said. “Some of the last conversations I had with him Piedmont and Mountain regions. The Monacans were about where we were with the easement. were an agricultural people who traded with There’s an American Chestnut tree there in the the Powhatans to the east and the Iroquis to woods that was of special importance to him. To the north. Their tradition of burying their dead know that it will be there for the rest of its natural in mounds differentiates the Monacans from life, along with the pawpaws, the pond with its fish, neighboring Indian nations. Thirteen mounds have mom’s meditation garden above the pond, that been identified throughout the region, yielding Carl and Elise Siebentritt at their Stumptown somebody will always be picking pears and figs—I interesting information about the lives of these First know he would be thrilled.” property. Courtesy of the Siebentritt family Americans.

4 www.pecva.org Spring 2021

The Long Road to Waterloo Bridge By Julie Bolthouse, Land Use Field Representative

hen I saw “replacement” of the circa 1878 community-wide passion to save Waterloo Bridge—the oldest metal truss this bridge. PEC continued to bridge still in service in Virginia at the push, attending meeting after Wtime—on the Fauquier County Transpor- meeting with VDOT and county tation Committee agenda back in October 2013, I knew officials. There were community exactly who to turn to. meetings, a petition, yard signs, Mary Root, chair of the Fauquier County Archi- stickers, and Waterloo Bridge tectural Review Board, had been leading the fight to postcards mailed to elected rehabilitate the also-historic Remington Bridge since officials. We even sent a recording 2011. Like most pony truss bridges in Virginia, the of the rumbling sound of driving Remington Bridge was denied state status as a historic over the bridge to Virginia Water resource, making the case for rehabilitation particularly Radio for its "water sound" of the challenging, but Mary researched, raised funds and week and successfully nominated awareness, and persisted until the VDOT’s plans for the Waterloo Bridge for Pres- the Remington Bridge changed from “replacement” to ervation Virginia's “2014 Most “rehabilitation.” I hoped for at least the same outcome Endangered Historical Sites.” for Waterloo. Our task was monumental, Waterloo Bridge spans the Rappahannock River, given VDOT’s pattern of delaying historically a major route for moving agricultural goods repairs to the point of deteriora- Contractors fly the restored metal truss Waterloo Bridge back onto its stone from the Shenandoah Valley to the Port of Freder- tion, followed by closure and abutments. Photo by Hugh Kenny icksburg. Known for its distinctive iron and steel Pratt replacement or demolition of through-truss, the bridge was built at a river crossing similar historic bridges. PEC raised money from Fau- hearing the tires rumble on the boards. It was kinda that first served as a link to a bustling canal town and quier and Culpeper counties and private donors for a nice. Don’t have many of those today,” Mr. Hitt testi- later became pivotal during the Civil War. Today, it links feasibility study that not only found Waterloo Bridge fied before the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors Waterloo and Old Bridge roads in Culpeper County to be a great candidate for rehabilitation, but also in 2016. to Jeffersonton Road in Fauquier County. Fortunately, estimated the cost of rehabilitation well below replace- That crucial connection to his family’s homeplace unlike Remington Bridge prior to Mary’s efforts, Water- ment cost. This pushed VDOT to do its own study and led the Hitts to offer an incredibly generous private loo Bridge was already designated “significant as finally admit that rehabilitation could be done for contribution of $1 million—roughly one-fourth the total Virginia’s oldest surviving in-service metal truss bridge” around $4 million—nearly $2 million less than the cost cost. With that pledge, the rehabilitation of Waterloo by the Virginia Transportation Research Council. I just of replacement. Bridge was to become a reality at last. had to spread the word and make a case for “rehabilita- When Waterloo Bridge joined Remington Bridge In April 2020, Waterloo Bridge’s 100-foot-long iron tion” rather than “replacement.” Mary got me started. on the VDOT SYIP as a “scheduled rehabilitation” rather truss was hoisted off its old stone abutments for restora- Eight months pregnant with my first child, I was than “replacement,” we celebrated, but reservedly so. tion. Seven months later, the rehabilitated truss was very busy that December. I gathered background Remington Bridge had been sitting on this same list for dropped back into place and crews worked to prepare information, wrote letters and sent emails, made calls, years due to lack of funding, so this was only a small win. the bridge for reopening. On Feb. 23, 2021, years of hard and of course, did a little nesting to prepare for my son’s Indeed, Waterloo Bridge sat on the “scheduled work, persistence, impassioned community involvement arrival. On Jan. 15, 2014, VDOT officially closed Waterloo rehabilitation” list until 2018. That’s when Russell and and the generous contribution of two private citizens Bridge and formally scheduled it for “replacement with Joan Hitt, longtime Rappahannock County landowners paid off when the Waterloo Bridge reopened to traffic a modern bridge” on the VDOT Six Year Improvement with a deep family connection to the bridge, heard the for the first time in seven years. Plan (SYIP). The next day, my oldest son was born and I story from PEC and offered the one thing holding up the PEC was relentless in our efforts because the situ- spent my maternity leave waiting and watching to see project: funding. ation demanded it and area residents never gave up. if any of the seeds Mary and I had planted in December Mr. Hitt’s father grew up along the Rappahannock Today, Waterloo Bridge remains the oldest operating took hold. River near the village of Waterloo, on land that’s been in metal truss bridge in Virginia. Russell Hitt passed away By May of that year, the “Save the Waterloo Bridge” his family since 1802. His great-great grandfather Albert in September 2020, and was sadly never able to see Facebook page created by students at Kettle Run High Hilleary Hitt “had to go down this road, the Waterloo the fruit of his contribution. But I am thrilled that his School had more than 2,500 “Likes,” and I was fielding Bridge, to take their grain and so forth to be ground children and grandchildren, area residents, visitors, and several calls a week with questions, suggestions and at the mill there. It’s a long family tradition… I miss my now-seven-year-old son, can again enjoy the historic stories about the bridge. The air was filled with a deep going up and down the road and across the bridge and bridge that Mr. Hitt loved so much for years to come.

General Assembly Update Continued from cover we were pleased to see the passage of the habitat front, HJ527 (Bulova) passed, also passed. By requiring HB1763 (Wilt) and SB1162 (Hanger). Some creating a stakeholder study to develop safe passing distances for farmers are not able to avail themselves recommendations for reducing the sale and motorized vehicles around of the cost-share program for religious use of invasive plant species in the com- bicycles and allowing for reasons. This bill allows the use of state tax monwealth. two riders abreast, this credits for the same purpose, which should On the land use front, HB2213 (Guz- legislation will greatly aid increase participation in the effort to restore man), which authorizes a study of Virginia’s in reducing bike-vehicle water quality. gold mining regulations to ensure they incidents. Lastly, and based There was also some good news on are protective of the public health and on discussions during the local food and sustainable habitat. With the the environment, passed, albeit without session, we are hopeful a passage of SB1188 (Hashmi), the Virginia a temporary moratorium. While the focus stakeholder review of the PEC’s Dan Holmes testifies virtually from his kitchen before the Senate’s Agriculture, Conservation and state's permitting pro- Agriculture Food Assistance Program and is on a potential mine in Buckingham, the Natural Resources Committee. Fund is on its way to being created. This same gold-pyrite belt runs through a large cess for utility-scale solar legislation encourages Virginia farmers and swath of the Piedmont, including Orange, projects will take place. That review would [email protected] if you have any ques- food producers to donate, sell, or otherwise Culpeper and Fauquier counties. look for ways to reduce, and avoid where tions on legislative or budget measures that provide agriculture products to charitable Electric vehicles dominated transpor- possible, impacts on agricultural, forestal were not included here or seek additional food assistance organizations. It also creates tation discussions, with four bills passing. and natural resources. clarity on any of the items in this article. We a fund that provides money to food assis- Included in this package was clean car encourage you to thank those legislators tance charities to reimburse farmers or food standards, a rebate program, increased Conclusion who championed and voted for these and producers for costs associated with harvest- charging infrastructure and grants to con- As you may have guessed, this short other conservations initiatives. ing, processing, packaging, or transporting vert school buses to electric. The Virginia overview only scratches the surface of all Please visit pecva.org/richmond for agricultural products that are donated. On Bicycle Safety Act from Delegate Hurst that occurred. Please reach out to me at more information.

5 The Piedmont View

On the Ground

recommendation of denial by the Planning Commis- elsewhere in Greene County. Albemarle sion. The revised proposal remains at odds with the county’s solar policy, impacting forests, agricultural & Charlottesville soils and historic resources and exceeding the recom- Loudoun Comprehensive Plan and mended acreage limits. The Planning Commission considered the revised application at its March 10 Countywide Trail Network Affordable Housing Schedules meeting and is again recommending denial. The county’s Linear Parks and Trails plan and Master At its Feb 3 meeting, the Albemarle Board of Concurrently, the Board of Supervisors continues Plan are both underway. Over 60 volunteers helped Supervisors (BOS) was updated on the proposed discussions about creating an Energy Generation map existing public trails. Residents and visitors three-year schedule for the Comprehensive Plan (EG) District that would permit utility-scale solar via took a survey about their park and trail desires. The update. County staff recommended a full overhaul, CUP, limiting applications to 300 acres. PEC supports county will use these and other data to understand as the current document has undergone multiple the codification of the county’s solar policy into a opportunities and challenges for creating the revisions over the years. formal ordinance, but we are concerned that this connected trail network. An ecological planner is Charlottesville endorsed its Affordable Housing Plan, proposed EG District could result in the rezoning of helping with wildlife corridors adjacent to the trail a first step in updating the city’s comprehensive plan agricultural land. system. and zoning code rewrite.

Growth Area Developments Fauquier Madison By a 3-3 vote, the BOS denied the Breezy Hill rezoning request for 130 units on 80 acres in the New Canoe Launch on the Ordinance Discussions Village of Rivanna. PEC urged denial, highlighting Rappahannock River The Planning Commission is considering creating an non-conformance with the density outlined in The Town of Remington may have a canoe/kayak accessory dwelling unit ordinance for the Agricultural the Comprehensive Plan and Village of Rivanna launch into the Rappahannock River by early sum- and Conservation zoning districts, as well as revisions Master Plan. mer! Lee District Supervisor Chris Butler has long to streamline the wireless communication facility On Feb 17, the BOS unanimously approved the championed this public access project with PEC and ordinance. PEC is monitoring both issues and will Premier Circle rezoning, paving the way for 140 other conservation partners. PEC received a $20,000 oppose any effort that would weaken the county’s affordable housing units and a commercial build- grant from Virginia Environmental Endowment existing review process for new cell towers and their ing on 3.75-acres at the Red Carpet Inn in Places 29 to help Fauquier County Parks & Recreation buy impact on cultural, natural and historical viewshed. South. PEC’s public comments, expressing concerns building materials for the boat launch. To contribute Farmland Protection about pedestrian safety, public transportation, and toward this project, contact Maggi Blomstrom at private road standards, were addressed by the appli- [email protected] or (540) 347-2334 x7067. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation cant during the public hearing. awarded PEC state funding to conserve two family Thoroughfare Gap Tower farms totaling over 1,000 acres in Madison and At the Mar 2 Planning Commission public hearing, Rangel Communications is proposing a 199-foot tall Orange counties. When complete, the two conser- RST Residences—a 370-unit residential development vation easements will protect two miles of frontage in Places 29 North—amended its rezoning proposal monopole tower off of Rt. 55 where three historic dis- tricts converge, just south of the Bull Run Mountains along the Robinson River and almost one mile of to include 75% affordable housing for 30-years frontage along the Rapidan River, over 500 acres of targeting 30-80% area median income. While PEC and Chapman Mill. While PEC supports increased cell service in this region, it is hard to imagine a worse prime and statewide significant soils, and over 250 was supportive of this change, we asked that the acres of forest. county and applicant work together to address our location than the site selected by the applicant. additional concerns about comprehensive planning, Warrenton Comp Plan special exceptions, connectivity, private roads, public schools, and tree canopy. The Town will take public comments on the draft Orange Warrenton 2040 Plan through noon on April 13; a final public hearing is scheduled for April 13. Our Redfish Solar concerns about the plan include over-emphasis on Redfish Solar Partners submitted a special use permit Clarke residential housing, conversion of nearly all indus- application for a 6.472-megwatt solar facility on up to Short-Term Residential Zoning trial- and commercial-zoned land to mixed-use with 45 acres in Locust Grove near the Spotsylvania border. residential, a new western bypass at Timberfence and The Planning Commission on Mar 4 continued the To address various short-term residential rental con- Southern Parkways, inadequate water and wastewa- public hearing on this item until March 23 and pushed cerns, the Planning Commission has been discussing ter capacity, and a move away from rezonings and the item to its Apr 1 meeting. PEC supports small-scale amendments to zoning ordinance text. The proposed collecting proffers for capital improvements. We’re solar, but urges avoidance of important resources and amendment is now being tabled until the county urging the Council to redraft the plan to address stresses the importance of battery storage. completes its subdivision ordinance update project. these concerns. Interim District 3 Supervisor Easements Webinar The BOS chose Keith Marshall to fill the District 3 BOS In December 2020, Clarke County Conservation Ease- Greene seat left vacant after the passing of Teel Goodwin in ment Authority and Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance December 2020. A special election will be held dur- partners hosted a webinar (“Conservation Easements Comprehensive Plan Review ing the November 2 general election to permanently in the Blue Ridge”) introducing four topics about the On Feb 17, the county kicked off the public participa- fill this seat. region—natural and recreational aspects, threats tion component of its comprehensive plan review, and challenges, conservation easements, and local required every five years. The county expects to land protection programs—with insight from three review existing chapters, as well as add new chapters conservation easement landowners. Rappahannock related to housing and broadband. PEC will closely monitor this process and provide feedback where Historic Bridges appropriate, particularly on issues related to land use PEC recently learned that VDOT’s scheduled replace- Culpeper and preservation of open space. We encourage all ment of Jordan River Bridge has been put on hold Maroon Solar Return, Utility- Greene County residents to do the same. and will likely not be scheduled for 2021. This is in Scale Solar large part to the great efforts of the North Poes Gun Range Proposal Road/Flint Hill neighbors, who passionately voiced In late-January, Strata Solar submitted a new condi- A gun range proposed for 16 acres off of Middle their concern about the replacement project for this tional use permit (CUP) application for its proposed Mountain Road in Dyke will not be moving forward community treasure. At the very least, VDOT and Maroon Solar project. Strata Solar had withdrawn its after the project applicant terminated his purchase local elected officials should explore and determine initial CUP application in November 2020, following contract for the property in late January. The appli- exactly what it would take to save the bridge and concerted community opposition and a unanimous cant remains interested in pursuing this proposal make it safe again.

6 www.pecva.org Spring 2021

In Memory This winter, we were sad to learn of the passing of three former PEC board members. All three were passionate advocates for the natural resources, rural economy, history and beauty of this region, and all three will be sorely missed.

Phil Irwin Lynn Coleman Jean Brown PEC BOARD TERM: 1972 - 1987 PEC BOARD TERM: 2004 - 2014 PEC BOARD TERM: 1995 - 2000 At recent PEC events, Phil Irwin would always take a Born and raised in west Texas, Lynn Coleman loved Jean Brown was a passionate advocate for rural Lou- moment to share how proud he was to be the last the farms and forests of Fauquier and Rappahannock. doun County and force of nature in support of public founding member of The Piedmont Environmen- At PEC, he was best known for his leadership role participation, serving on numerous advisory groups tal Council, having served on our original Board of fighting Dominion’s TrAIL transmission line project, and boards in addition to PEC. Other organizations Directors. Phil was a fierce advocate for conservation, as well as our successful campaign to overturn the that benefited from Jean’s leadership included Scenic a proponent of thoughtful land use planning and a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor des- Virginia, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, dear friend of many. His dedication to the Piedmont ignation covering much of the east coast. A former and the Loudoun County Preservation and Conserva- was well known in his adopted home of Rappahan- General Counsel to the Department of Energy and a tion Coalition. Also an advocate for small business, nock, where he occupied a reserved seat at Planning renowned energy lawyer in Texas, Washington, and Jean helped launch the Loudoun County B&B Guild, Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings for internationally, Lynn had a deep interest in the envi- and served on the County Historic District Review decades. ronment, historic preservation and practical solutions Committee and the Rural Economic Development to combat climate change. Committee.

As we stepped off Sam’s Ridge Trail seem like home.” Honoring the Sacrifices Made into the woods that spring morning, Shenandoah National Park is an we didn’t spot it at first—the Hawkins incredible natural and cultural area for a Park We Love home. The brush and briars were tangled enjoyed by millions, but it came at a together in a huge, dense mess just below great cost that is not well known to many Continued from cover the trail where the house would have who visit the park today. Understanding stood. Then suddenly, a ray of sunshine the story of the mountain settlements, the country’s next national park. Perhaps documents related to condemnation of stole through the trees and illuminated Appalachian culture, and its legacy is a seeing the sad fate of their mountain private lands in Rappahannock County an open area that looked rather like an crucial part of our national history. Com- community on the horizon, Mortimer for the park. old field. We made a beeline to that spot, pleting the digitization of condemnation and Stella, their children, and Mary, all We saw a unique role for PEC, as part and there stood the old stone chimney, records in all eight counties will give a moved out of the mountain to the Little of our ongoing mountain heritage work, just where it had for more than a century, greater voice to this story and a means to Washington area, leaving their family to continue the effort in other coun- a testament to the skill of the mountain access it. home behind. And in the 1930s, the state ties. With the support of Rappahannock people who built it by hand. used eminent domain condemnation to County Clerk’s Office, we raised money The condemnation records, which take nearly 200,000 acres of privately- to buy equipment and hire a contractor, include tract assessments, detailed infor- owned land in eight counties for the Debbie Keyser, to digitize the condemna- mation about improvements, natural To access the now-fully-digitized creation of Shenandoah National Park. tion records in Rappahannock County. resources, title information, and other Rappahannock and Rockingham Thousands of people lost their land, Debbie, a former Rappahannock important details, provide incredible homes, and for many, the only way of life county administrator and a descendant of insight into the experience of families County condemnation records: they had ever known. two displaced families, said, “it has been that lived in the Blue Ridge. By digitizing, • Go to James Madison University’s “Landowners with clear title were a privilege to be part of this project. The we are not only enabling descendants webpage, Exploring Rockingham’s Past compensated, but some families did not documents preserved and made avail- and historians to access them, we also at omeka.lib.jmu.edu/erp possess a title to the land on which they able to the Shenandoah National Park are permanently memorializing the lived. Many were tenants or caretakers descendants allows us to take a step back tremendous sacrifice they made for a • Click on “Browse Digital Collections.” for absentee owners, and a few resided in time and learn details of our ancestors’ park that today provides such incred- on land that had supported their families lives. It is a treasure of historical family ible access to nature and recreation. The Records are organized into three cat- for generations, but was actually owned documentation.” records for Mortimer Hawkins’ property egories: Court Proceedings, Muniments by others. Compensation varied from Missy Sutton, whose ancestors once included a survey showing the location of Title, and Miscellaneous Documents, property to property. Some received what lived in the Sperryville area of the park, of the house near a stream, allowing me and can be searched by surname in all they considered fair value for their loss, agreed. "As a descendant of William to obtain a GPS point with which I was categories. while many did not,” according to the Jackson Rutherford, who was forced to able to navigate through the backcoun- Blue Ridge Heritage Project website. leave his home when his 300 acres were try and locate the remains of the house Until recently, descendants of these condemned, I find comfort knowing the to show Kit and his family. PEC is raising funds to hire another families have been unable to learn much story of what happened is being shared “What an incredible opportunity to someone like Debbie Keyser—with a about their families’ experiences in the far and wide via this digital collection. connect with the past,” Kit said, reflect- personal passion for this project and Blue Ridge. Little public information was Today, Shenandoah National Park is a tre- ing on our visit to his family’s homeplace. its history—to digitize condemnation available, and boxes of uncategorized mendous resource and one I enjoy—yet “Seeing the chestnut logs that framed records in Madison County. To sup- records were housed in various locations. it's important to remember the sacrifices the foundation, the stone chimney that port this effort in any way, contact But in 2017, James Madison University that had to be made for us to have this was still standing, and the daffodils, black Kristie Kendall at [email protected] or began digitizing thousands of legal resource," she said. raspberries and the old spring made it 540-347-2334 ext. 7061.

7 www.pecva.org 7 Dear Friends,

he arrival of Spring 2021 Gilberts Corner Market. We remain brings with it a special sense hopeful that we will join together of rebirth and reopening to celebrate in person this fall at the as we emerge from the PEC Gala at St. Brides Farm. And, the incredibleT challenges we faced new Biden administration’s ambitious together in 2020. As the weather goal of protecting 30 percent of land warms, the spring ephemerals in America by 2030 opens up new emerge, the amphibians meet in cool possibilities and funding for our large pools, and bird migrations begin, landscape conservation work. we are also hopeful for the return to At the same time, the Piedmont the places, people and events that shows signs of real damage and confirm our sense of community and threats from a combination of the shared mission. pandemic, climate patterns and a We are proud that PEC’s surge in development pressures. Larson Native Plant Garden will be We need to redouble our efforts part of Historic Garden Week in to address the need to reinvest Virginia on Earth Day, April 22. We in our communities, our land and look forward to sharing new and water, and our shared effort to Bee at PEC’s Larson Native Plant Garden in Warrenton. Photo by Hugh Kenny improved public access spots along build a more sustainable and more the Rappahannock River. We are equitable future. food systems play in addressing food facing all of our counties. And as we excited to report on the reopening Food security remains an issue insecurity and how we can continue return to shared spaces, more and of a rehabilitated Waterloo Bridge, for too many in our land of prosperity to improve in the Piedmont region. more people are seeking a part of and the progress of our efforts to and plenty. In a region that produces Throughout 2021, we will draw the Piedmont, whether to visit or to restore cold water streams and food for export to the nation and attention to other critical issues stay more permanently, creating a improve native brook trout habitat. the world, as many as 25% of families facing us, from the need to expand demand for housing, for access and We will enjoy sharing the improved are not getting enough to eat. We public access to open space to for entertainment. accessibility of the Old Carolina Road hope you’ll join us via Zoom on the continuing need to restore Let’s embrace the challenges and and trails at Roundabout Meadows March 30, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m., for the native habitats and provide wildlife opportunities a new season and a and the continued progress of Verling first installation of our new quarterly corridors. Some of you have received new year brings! Park and our Town to Trail work in keynote speaker series. Mike Curtin, offers to lease your land out for Gordonsville and Orange. We are executive director at the D.C. Central large-scale solar installations, and it Sincerely, energized by the incredible response Kitchen, an internationally recognized seems every day there is a new data from new and returning volunteers example of systemic change in food center being proposed somewhere to the Community Farm and the systems, will lead us in a discussion in the Piedmont. Finding the right steady increase in local producers at about the important role that local locations for these features is an issue Chris Miller, President

Pop Quiz

QUESTION Which of these native tribes are historically associated with the Upper The Piedmont View Rappahannock River watershed? a. Chickahominy c. Monocan A MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER OF THE PIEDMONT ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL SPRING 2021 b. Mattaponi d. Pamunkey

ANSWER ON PAGE 4 Virginia State Parks

Post Office Box 460 Warrenton, VA 20188 www.pecva.org

INSIDE 2020 Land Conservation Totals, Preserving History in the Bull Run Mountains, the Rehabilitation of Waterloo Bridge, General Assembly Outcomes, Call for Farm Volunteers, and more!

Springtime lamb at Bean Hollow Grassfed in Rappahannock County. Photo by Marco Sánchez