A sudden, unexpected announcement in December that a new, high voltage transmission line was about to be strung across Western Loudoun County sent residents of the region spinning. If approved by the state, the lines would end forever protected rural areas of the county, damage heritage sites and parks, destroy tourism, and run out of town commercial farms, wineries and breweries. Opposition forces immediately formed, and forces normally at odds began joined together to fight the battle for Western Loudoun. Meanwhile, the story drew in intensity as layers of government jumped into the approval process, leaving residents, community leaders, and business owners baffled as to “who is in charge.”

In a podcast by the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association, this confusing, complex and ever-changing story of how the nation’s mammoth need for electricity moved to darken one of the last, great historic green areas of the Eastern U.S. Listen on your favorite podcast app to hear how this existential war is being waged and why you should care.

The importance of conservation easements to the preservation of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area cannot be overstated. Without them, our green space, historic sites, and unrivaled vistas would be overrun and boxed in by suburban development. The fifth episode of Piedmont Crossroads – The Path to Preservation tells us why the area is worth saving, the significance of the easement solution, and how to go about getting one. It also shows the benefit to the easement holder. This episode of Piedmont Crossroads is somewhat different from other podcasts in in our series because it was primarily recorded at a live event in March 2023. The intimacy of the live event is enhanced by a recorded Q and A with Ashton Cole, Executive Director of the Land Trust of Virginia. So, if you are interested in learning all about easements – what they are, how the work and what good they do – sit back and listen to Episode 5.