PEC’s Krebser Funds pour into Rappahannock
Land conservation, stewardship, outreach projects enhance rural and scenic value of county
Special to the Rappahannock News The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), with support from PEC’s Krebser Fund advisory committee, recently hosted over 50 landowners at the Rappahannock Farm & Land Conservation Workshop.
Presentations about conservation programs were offered by Culpeper Soil and Water District, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Virginia Department of Forestry, American Farmland Trust, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Virginia Working Landscapes, and PEC.
Technical experts also had a chance to network with local landowners over a barbeque dinner provided by the Griffin Tavern.
PEC’s Krebser Fund for Rappahannock County Conservation was established in 2003 to support conservation easements, environmental stewardship, and educational activities in Rappahannock County. In 2014, the Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance merged with the Krebser Fund to pursue projects with their shared mission.
To date, PEC has invested approximately $300,000 through the Krebser Fund in various land conservation, land stewardship, and public outreach projects that serve to enhance the rural and scenic value of Rappahannock County, as well as to protect and restore its land and water resources.
This month, PEC plans to award a total of $40,000 in Krebser Fund grants to RappFLOW for the Rappahannock Elementary School Courtyard Project, to build an outdoor S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) classroom, and to Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority for conservation landscaping at the Rappahannock County Park in Washington.
For the last two years, the Krebser Fund has also contributed to Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection’s Dark Skies Initiative with a total of $20,000 in matching contributions through 2021. As a part of this initiative, county residents are encouraged to voluntarily reduce their use of artificial light and conserve energy in order to keep the scenic viewshed natural.
Culpeper Soil and Water District (CSWCD) is also being supported with a $50,000 Krebser Fund match that will help landowners in Rappahannock implement Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices for farm management. Funding will reduce the cost to landowners of installing fencing to protect riparian areas or improving rotational grazing systems. This costsharing program is ongoing through 2020, and interested participants should contact CSWCD for more information.
Additionally, PEC staff and the Krebser Fund advisory committee have spearheaded efforts to restore habitat and water quality of native brook trout streams in Rappahannock. Much of the trout stream habitat has become impaired as a result of driveway and road culverts that act as barriers to fish passage. The Krebser Fund has contributed $70,000 to support Rappahannock pilot projects to remove these barriers and replace private driveways with “fish-friendly” open-span bridges at Bolton Branch and Sprucepine Branch. The initial funding for these pilot projects has been leveraged with regional partners, including: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Chesapeake Bay Program, VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Trout Unlimited, Nimick Forbesway Foundation, the Ohrstrom Family Foundation, and Ethel Cox Marden Charitable Foundation.
For more information about PEC’s Krebser Fund, its advisory board, current programs, grant history, and opportunities for funding in Rappahannock County, please contact Claire Catlett, PEC’s Rappahannock Field Representative at ccatlett@ pecva.org or phone 540-347-2334 x7060.
— The writer is PEC’s Rappahannock Field Representative