January 22 — Community Meeting on Data Centers and Energy Infrastructure

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is sponsoring a community meeting on data centers and the energy infrastructure on Monday Jan. 22 – 6:00 pm to 8:30pm.

The meeting will be held Woodgrove High School — 36811 Allder School Rd Purcellville, VA 20132.

Over the last few years in the Virginia Piedmont, there has been a proliferation of data centers — the physical structures that store the digital world — and the energy infrastructure they will require. The explosive growth of the data center industry represents a major challenge to achieving a clean energy future in Virginia and has resulted in thousands of acres of rural land lost with the brush of a pen stroke, along with adverse impacts to land and water and energy-intensive structures, at the expense of Virginia ratepayers.

Learn more at pecva.org/datacenters.

Join PEC to learn about the route of the potential for new transmission line projects proposed in Loudoun County and surrounding areas. Staff from The Piedmont Environmental Council will give a presentation and have plenty of time for Q&A.

Space is limited. The event is free but please register to guarantee your spot. LPM

For information contact Gem Bingol,
Senior Land Use Field Representative-Loudoun
The Piedmont Environmental Council
gbingol@pecva.org
540-347-2334 ext. 7041
703-431-6941 (cell)

Loudoun Initiating a Tree Canopy Study

In 2024, the Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services will initiate a county-wide tree canopy study. This will be the first such study in Loudoun.

The tree canopy is a vital asset that provides a multitude of benefits: stormwater runoff reduction, improved air quality, decreased carbon footprint, enhanced quality of life, savings on energy bills, and habitat for wildlife. All of this is particularly important as climate change becomes more intense.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, a mature tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. In addition, a tree will produce approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year.  One acre of forest, depending upon the age and types of trees, can absorb 4.5 to 40.7 tons of carbon dioxide and produce four tons of oxygen. The capture is enough to offset the annual carbon emissions produced by driving your car 26,000 miles.

In addition, research shows that these green assets improve social cohesion, reduce crime, and raise property values. A robust tree cover is crucial to building a livable and prosperous Loudoun County and contributing to the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Department will be soliciting proposals from consultants in the next several months with the objective of completing the study by July 1, 2024. Tree canopy studies are typically performed using satellite imagery, either collected specifically for an area, or extracted from existing data sets.

The study will provide the foundation for understanding the quantity, distribution, and configuration of tree canopy within Loudoun County.

Future tree canopy assessments should be planned to assess changes to the tree canopy. Such assessments can provide crucial information on how effective tree planting and preservation efforts are, in addition to understanding how factors such as development and climate change are impacting the tree canopy. Many jurisdictions conduct such studies every 5 years.

The true value of Loudoun’s 2024 study will be realized when the data can used be to drive and specify goals to conserve existing tree canopy in addition to establishing new tree canopy.

Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains will keep our readers informed about the planning process, and how you can be involved. LPM 

Plans for Sweet Run State Park 

Virginia’s newest state park – Sweet Run – is beginning an 18-to-24-month planning process to determine its future development. The park is in Loudoun County about four miles south of Harpers Ferry on Harpers Ferry Road (route 671).

The 884-acre park features expansive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sweet Run and Piney Run streams bisect the property. The property includes eleven miles of hiking and nine miles of equestrian trails along streams, through mature forest, meadows, and mountain-side terrain, and has a picnic pavilion and nature play area for children. The property is steeped in history, featuring the ruins of a 19th century farming community. It also has a restored farmhouse built in the 1840s.

The park offers hike-in fishing at Gordon Pond. Fishing requires an approximate 1-mile hike from the nearest parking area at the end of Arnold Lane. Fish species in the pond include sunfish, largemouth bass, and crappie.

The property was donated to Virginia State Parks over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. In 1999, the Robert and Dee Leggett Foundation purchased the land. A non-profit organization – The Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship — was formed to manage the property. The objectives were to conserve and manage the property’s natural and cultural resources, encourage public access and recreation, provide environmental education opportunities, and support organic-like agriculture. With the transfer of the property to the State, the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship was revised and renamed to the Between the Hills Conservancy. 

The Virginia Department of Conservation is now beginning the planning process for the park. An advisory committee has been formed and is managed by the Between the Hills Conservancy.

A consultant will be selected, and public forums will be scheduled.

Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains will keep our readers informed about the planning process, the schedule of public forums, and how you can be involved. LPM