Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains participates in the
Give Choose Campaign 

Give Choose is a 24-hour day of giving organized by the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties to benefit local nonprofit organizations including Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

The Foundation’s goal in sponsoring a single 24-hour donation period is to inspire the community to come together to give generously to nonprofits that make this the best place to grow up and grow old.

During Give Choose, the average gift is $250. But, with as little as $10, you will help Friends preserve, protect, and celebrate our beautiful and unique Blue Ridge Mountains.

Donate here

This year Give Choose begins at midnight March 19^th and ends at 11:59 p.m.

During a two-week Early Giving period beginning on March 5, donors may also make their donations in advance of the big day on March 19.

Since 2014, Give Choose has raised more than $4.2 million for local nonprofits in Loudoun and Northern Fauquier.

This year your generous support will help Friends be your voice in selecting the route of the proposed 500 kV transmission line across Western Loudoun; implementing the newly enacted Loudoun County zoning ordinance; celebrating the Appalachian Trail at the June trail festival in Hillsboro; and protecting our irreplaceable Blue Ridge Mountains from constant development pressures.

Plan for Western Loudoun Zoning Amendment Presented to the BOS

At the March 5^th Business Meeting, the Loudoun County planning staff will seek approval from the Board of Supervisors (BOS) for A Western Loudoun Zoning Amendment. The project plan envisions both a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM)- 2024-0002 and a Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOAM)-2024-0002.

The staff proposes to process the CPAM and ZOAM concurrently to make it easier for amendments that regulate uses within the Rural Policy Area (RPA) that were not fully addressed during the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) project.

In a memorandum to the BOS, the staff asserts that to amend the new zoning ordinance it is necessary to revise policy guidance in the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (2019 GP) regarding certain rural uses. Staff will propose specific zoning standards based on plan policy to address land use, compatibility, lighting, noise, aesthetics, infrastructure, and natural/environmental resources. The project will also include a thorough review of the Rural Policy Area (RPA) and act as the five-year review for this portion of the 2019 GP.

The Planning Commission recommended a ZOAM to address certain rural policy issues to include but not limited to:

• Wineries/Limited Distilleries and Breweries: Operational standards, including value added/ancillary uses such as restaurants and weddings, outdoor lighting and music hours of operation;
• Definitions: Including “Farm” and Other Agricultural Related Uses such as Wineries, Limited Breweries and Distilleries;
• Rural Signage: Number and size;
• Liveries, Stables and Outdoor Recreation: Operational standards; and
• Mountainside Overlay District (MOD): Use restrictions.

In preparing the ZOAM, the staff will work with the Western Loudoun Rural Uses Committee created by the BOS specifically for the project. The committee will be a cross section of stakeholders, including representatives from the Planning Commission, the BOS, residents, and representatives from various business interest groups. The staff anticipates that the committee will hold a minimum of six public/stakeholders meetings designed to gather feedback from residents and business owners.

The staff proposes that the Western Loudoun Rural Uses Committee, consisting of approximately 11 people, will be formed during March/April 2024 and the kickoff meeting will be in April 2024. The committee meetings will take place May through October 2024. The Zoning Ordinance Committee (ZOC) will review draft language for the ZOAM August 2024 through January 2025 with final BOS approval of the ZOAM in September 2025. LPM

BOS Postpones Prime Soils Discussion

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (BOS) has postponed the discussion of the Prime Soils Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOAM) from the March 13^th Public Hearing to the April 10^th Public Hearing.

State May Restrict Local Control of Solar Farms 

As reported in the February 7 edition of Happenings Around the Blue Ridge the Clarke County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to amend the zoning ordinance to effectively prohibit future solar farms for fear that they take away land needed for agricultural farms.

The Virginia legislature is now considering a law that would prohibit such county action.

A bill introduced by Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, (D-Richmond) would prevent localities from passing ordinances that ban development of solar projects within their boundaries.

Many environmental groups and energy companies argue that Virginia must speed up its adoption of solar energy and other renewables to meet the mandates of the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires that Dominion Energy submit proposals to regulators for 3,000 megawatts of solar in Virginia by the end of 2024. County laws, policies, and programs prohibiting solar farms significantly slow the adoption of solar energy.

However, local governments argue that the VanValkenburg legislation usurps their authority to make land use decisions having immediate local impacts, such as the loss of agricultural and forested land.

A February 12^th article in the Virginia Mercury by Charlie Paullin quotes Joe Lerch, policy director for the Virginia Association of Counties, “counties should have the authority to decide with input of their landowners and their citizens and balancing those property rights of everybody.”

The VanValkenburg bill seeks to prevent localities from adopting outright bans on solar projects by declaring they must be permitted as a special use with the caveat that bans would be allowed if a solar facility takes up more than 4% of the county’s land. The bill also noted local governments would not be required to approve an application or be prevented from requiring a developer to provide tree cover and stormwater management plans.

Currently, Lunenburg and Clarke County have outright solar bans, while the counties of Henry, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania, Isle of Wight, and Nottoway impose various limits on the amount of land that can be used for solar.

The bill cleared the Democratic-controlled Senate Local Government Committee on a 9-6 vote, “crossed Over” and is under consideration in the House of Delegates.

Update – Virginia Legislation
Protecting Trees 

It appears that the 2024 Virginia Legislature is going to enact and send to the Governor at least three bills designed to help protect the Commonwealth’s threatened tree canopy. Two encourage and empower local governments to protect trees during development and one requires the Virginia Department of Forestry to develop and maintain a tree canopy conservation plan.

• Legislation introduced by Delegate Patrick A. Hope (D. Arlington – 1^st District) has passed both the House and the Senate. The objective of the legislation is to encourage and assist local governments conserve and replace trees during development. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per acre. The bill also strengthens the current process for granting exceptions to a local ordinance. Currently an exception is granted when strict application of the ordinance would result in “unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer”. The new provision now requires that the locality concur with such determination. The bill permits localities to monitor and assess the condition and coverage of tree canopies at development sites during a period up to 20 years maturity of the planted trees. The bill makes numerous technical amendments to support and clarify the authority of local governments protect trees during development.

• Delegate Hope also introduced The Forestland and Urban Tree Canopy Conservation Plan. The bill requires the Department of Forestry, in coordination with a technical advisory committee composed of stakeholders, to develop a Forestland and Urban Tree Canopy Conservation Plan no later than November 1, 2026, and update such plan every five years thereafter. The bill requires the Department to post and maintain on its website the most recent version of the Plan and submit the Plan to the Governor and Chairmen of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than November 30, 2026, and November 30 every five years thereafter. The bill includes $630,000 in year #1 and $530,000 in year #2. The bill was reported out of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee 14 to 0.

• Legislation introduced by Senator Suhas Subramanyam (D. Ashburn – District 32) and Delegate Richard C. Sullivan (D. McLean – 6^th District) has passed both the House and the Senate and been signed by the Speaker and the President. The bill Increases the canopy credits a developer receives if they preserve high-value mature trees or stands of trees. Developers who provide a stand assessment prior to submitting a site plan and who take the necessary precautions to protect those trees during construction would receive additional canopy credit.

In addition, the bill expands how the tree canopy fund can be used. Currently the fund is limited to non-profits for planting on municipal property. Changes to the conservation language would allow a locality to plant on both public and private property as well as use the funds to help maintain newly planted trees.

Further the bill removes a provision that requires that funds collected for the purposes of the tree canopy fund be returned to the original contributor if not spent within five years, however the bill maintains the requirement that such funds be spent within five years.

Friends will continue to monitor the progress of the bills and report on the Governor’s actions. LPM

March 10 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm — Build Like a Beaver

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Loudoun County Public Library are co-sponsoring a family friendly opportunity to learn about beavers.

The program will start with learning the basics of beaver behavior through interactive story and song. It will explore the difference between a dam and a lodge, learning about the impressive structures these ecosystem engineers create.
Children will use natural materials to work in groups and build like a beaver.

Educational materials on coexisting with beavers (and addressing the problems they can cause) will be available for adults as well. 

No registration needed. 
Sunday March 10
Rust Library
380 Old Waterford Rd NW
Leesburg, VA

Questions: Contact info@loudounwildlife.org.

 March 21 @ 7:00 pm Native Plants: Medicinal and Food Applications (Virtual)

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is hosting a virtual presentation by Jerry Underhill, a practicing member of the American Herbalist Guild.

Native plants provide valuable shelter and food for much of our local wildlife. These plants also have exciting applications in the treatment of many physical and mental ailments. Jerry will examine the historical and traditional applications of plant-based medicines and the chemical compounds that support those uses. This program will stretch your horizons to learn more about and increase our appreciation for our native plants.

There is no charge for this program, but registration is required.Contact info@loudounwildlife.org.

Connection information for this virtual presentation will be included in your confirmation email when you register.