At nearly 1,000 square miles, Augusta County is a large county with a great diversity of people, land, and natural resources. Within its borders are prosperous farms and rapid urbanization. We share a rich history stretching back more than 10,000 years to the Native American culture and moving forward to the present. We have drop-dead beauty here in the county that marks the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley and the northern beginning of the James River Valley. There are two mountain ranges—the Blue Ridge and the Allegheny—with a wide rolling limestone valley in between. And we have water, boy do we have water! No water flows into Augusta, it all flows out, most to the Shenandoah and some to the James.
With such a large and diverse county, it is hard to get everyone on one page, but we did that, for the most part, in our successful fight against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). That high pressure natural gas pipeline would have cut a 57-mile swath through the farms, subdivisions, waterways, archaeological resources, and mountains of Augusta, causing irreversible harm.
The thing that pulled together the Augusta folks was a sense of place. Regardless of other divisions, we were united against a collective threat. Because of that struggle, we now understand better who we are, what we have, and what we could lose.
The ACP is, thankfully, in the rearview mirror, but threats to and possibilities for Augusta County continue and always will. How do we successfully integrate the competing forces of solar, farming, development, and transportation for instance? How do we protect and enhance our water and our natural resources? How do we work with communities to help them understand their sense of place in order to preserve it?
As the Alliance’s Augusta County Coordinator, I have been shouldering that very task for 10 years now, first with a sole focus on the ACP and now with a more comprehensive look at the needs of the county. However, as I move toward retirement and a more community volunteer role, the Alliance is considering the future of the Augusta County Coordinator position. Bringing a new person on board soon will allow time for me to work together with them to ensure that the legacy of protecting Augusta County’s sense of place continues long into the future.
If you have thoughts on the Alliance’s work in Augusta County going forward, please reach out!
Top photo by Alliance Community Engagement Manager Maya Alexander (pictured left, photo by Nancy Sorrells) on a visit to Mount Joy Pond Natural Area Preserve.