On September 11, Piedmont Environmental Council President, Chris Miller, and field staff held an online conversation about the current challenges and opportunities facing communities in Clarke County, VA.

1. PEC Member Update: Clarke County

2. ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦
Chris Miller
Piedmont Environmental Council
President

3. ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦
Gem Bingol
Clarke and Loudoun Counties
Land Use Representative
Today’s Presenters
Matt Coyle
Outreach & Communications
Local Food Systems Coord.
Tracy Lind
Clarke, Loudoun, N. Fauquier
Counties
Conservation Representative

4. ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦
Today’s Webinar
Welcome + Introduction
1. Local Land Use
2. Land and Water Conservation News
3. Local Farms + Food
Open Conversation

5. ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦
PEC COVID-19 Response
● Offices remain closed except essential functions
● All staff working remotely
● In person events postponed or cancelled
● PEC’s Community Farm operating, now with volunteers
expanding production 3X’s plus
● PEC staff expanding online offerings
● Staff remain full time but program expenses and contracts
are being cut
● Continuous review of programs and fiscal conditions

6. — Bidding Open: September 18 - 26 —
www.pecva.org/virtualauction

7. Big Picture: Preparing for Change
● COVID-19 has changed our
workplaces, the economy and
assumptions about
community design
● Renewed debate about
housing patterns,
transportation, renewable
energy
● Conservation in the Future
● Federal elections 2020/State
Elections 2021

8. General Assembly - Special Session August 18
● Focus on budget
● Concerns about cuts to
conservation programs:
○ Land Preservation
Tax Credit
○ VA Land
Conservation
Foundation
○ Agricultural Best
Management
Practices
● Growing scrutiny of
equity & environmental
justice

9. Areas of Focus
● Food systems, food security
● Local planning and investment in open space, trails, parks,
greenways and blueways
● Local and state decision making and citizen participation,
preparing for the Special Session August 18-?
● Supporting priority of investment in conservation and
restoration as a priority response
● Demonstrate PEC’s connection and interest in
communities and individuals, including creating action
steps around diversity, equity, inclusion, justice (DEIJ)
♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦

12. ● Oak Hill (1,200+ acres)
● Fleetwood (2,500+ acres)
● Herren Farm (1,175 acres)
● Madden Farm (348 acres)
● Auburn (422 acres)
● Goodall Farm (592 acres)
● M&W Farms (453 acres)
High Impact
Conservation Initiatives

13. ● Makielski (5 acres) -- Albemarle
● Market Street (.85 acres) --
Gordonsville
● Haney (114 acres) -- Orange
● Walker (50 acres) -- Culpeper
● Madden (348 acres) -- Culpeper
● Duncan (122 acres) -- Culpeper
● Siebentritt (29 acres) -- Loudoun
● Simpson (255 acres) -- Loudoun
● Ewell (58 acres) -- Fauquier
● Gray (107 acres) -- Fauquier
Ongoing Projects

14. PEC Properties Providing Needed Public Access:
Piedmont Memorial Overlook

15. Fleetwood Farm
● 2,622 acres in N. Fauquier, near Paris, VA
● Crooked Run Rural Historic District
● Extensive frontage on two Virginia Scenic
Byways (Route 17 & Leeds Manor)
● Adjacent to two Virginia public lands (Sky
Meadows State Park, Thompson WMA)
● Viewshed of PEC’s Piedmont Memorial
Overlook
● Battle of Upperville Study Area
● Conserve Virginia priority (historic district,
scenic byway)
● Asking price = $23M or $8,770 per acre
Photo by Hugh Kenny

16. 40th Anniversary
Clarke Sliding Scale Zoning

17. Gem Bingol
gbingol@pecva.org
Land Use Updates

18. Gem Bingol ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ gbingol@pecva.org
County and Town Offices Open for Business

19. Clarke’s Successful Land Use Model

20. Zoning Ordinance Update in Process
AOC
FO
C
AOC
FOC

21. Regular Comprehensive Plan Review Up Next

22. A Time for Transition

23. Evan McCarthy
emccarthy@pecva.org
Clarke County Land Use Representative

24. Land and Water Conservation Update
Tracy Lind
Conservation Representative
tlind@pecva.org

25. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Land Conservation
A Model for the Commonwealth
Clarke serves as a model for
conservation
● 26,504 acres protected by
conservation easement
● Over 23% of the Clarke’s
land area (113,920 acres)
•

26. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Land Conservation
Clarke Conservation Easement Authority

27. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Land Conservation
Community and Landowner Support
“(Bill) Staples has been a farmer
his entire life. Dunbeath Farm,
south of Berryville, has been his
family’s farm for more than 100
years.”

28. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
- Helps protect properties in
Clarke County through covering
costs of conservation
easements or land acquisition.
- Advised by a committee of
Clarke residents.
Land Conservation
Clarke County Conservation Fund

29. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Land Conservation
Incentives for Land Conservation
StateandLocalPDRPrograms
VALandPreservationTaxCredit
FederalTaxIncentives
FederalandStateGrants
Four Legs of Conservation Funding

30. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
● Outreach - Land Conservation
Update sent to 5,500
landowners
● Partnering - Clarke County
Conservation Easement
Authority
● Funding - Clarke County
Conservation Fund helping
with cost of conservation
easements
Land Conservation
Keeping the Momentum in COVID-19 Era

31. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Open Space + Public Places
along the Blue Ridge
Photo by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program

32. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Photo by Marco Sanchez
Open Spaces + Public Places
PEC’s Piedmont Memorial Overlook

33. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Fleetwood Farm
Photo by Hugh Kenny
Open Spaces + Public Places
Fleetwood Farm

34. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Open Spaces + Public Places
Photo by Tracy Lind
Appalachian Trail

35. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Open Spaces + Public Places
Appalachian Trail Viewshed
Raven
Rocks

36. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Open Spaces + Public Places
Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance

37. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Virginia: Scenic River Program
Shenandoah River

38. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
In Summary…
Sustaining Momentum for Land Conservation
● Private landowners providing
public benefits
● Ensuring robust incentives for
conservation
● Helping cover costs of protecting
land
● Power of partnerships
● Taking a holistic approach

39. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Virtual Tour of Clarke County
www.pecva.org/clarketour

40. Tracy Lind ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ tlind@pecva.org
Virtual Tour of Clarke County
www.pecva.org/clarketour

41. Matt Coyle
Local Food Systems Coordinator
mcoyle@pecva.org
Local Food Updates

42. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org

43. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
Buy Fresh Buy Local Website Re-Launch
● text

44. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
Buy Fresh Buy Local Website Re-Launch
● text
https://buyfreshbuylocal.org/shenvalley/

45. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
Buy Fresh Buy Local Website Re-Launch
● text

46. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
https://buyfreshbuylocal.org/shenvalley/
Buy Fresh Buy Local Website Re-Launch

47. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
French Price
Value Chain Coordinator
Virginia Cooperative Extension/
Shenandoah Valley BFBL
frenchprice@vt.edu

48. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
PEC’s Milk Initiative

49. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
Christ Church Cares Food Pantry

50. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
PEC’s Milk Initiative

51. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
PEC’s Milk Initiative

52. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
Local Food: Processing

53. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
Local Food: Processing

54. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
PEC’s Community Farm

55. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
PEC’s Community Farm

56. Matt Coyle ♦ The Piedmont Environmental Council ♦ mcoyle@pecva.org
PEC’s Community Farm

57. Questions?