VPHA recognizes McDaniel and Ohrstrom as their 2021 Heritage Heroes

The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association recognized two recipients of their 2021 Heritage Hero Award in December—Mary Leigh McDaniel and George L. Ohrstrom II.

The Heritage Hero Award is given to individuals or groups who have demonstrated years of preservation leadership and responsible stewardship in the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area. Their preservation efforts have made a profound impact on protecting our historic landscape for future generations. 

The 2021 Heritage Hero Awards were presented on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, at Buchanan Hall in Upperville, with McDaniel attending in person and Ohrstrom participating over Zoom.

The Recipients of the 2021 Heritage Hero Award:

Mary Leigh McDaniel: Supervisor McDaniel, of Fauquier County, has worked tirelessly during her tenure as an elected official to preserve the integrity of our beautiful countryside.

Over the last six years she has been a stalwart pillar of opposition against inappropriate commercial enterprises in areas zoned rural agricultural and played a major role in defeating the expansion of the Blackthorn Inn and Barrel Oak Winery.

In addition to her consistent principled leadership as a supervisor, she was an important contributor on the Rt. 50 Calming Task Force and has served on the Board of the Land Trust of Virginia where she worked to protect rural properties with conservation easements.

She currently serves as co-chair of the Warrenton Garden Club Conservation Committee and is working with elected officials and the Virginia Department of Transportation to make Fauquier County more pollinator friendly. Ms. McDaniel’s leadership and willingness to advocate for our cherished landscape at every level has been critical to the preservation of the rural, agricultural, and authentic character of Fauquier County that attracts residents and visitors alike. 

George L. Ohrstrom II: Ohrstrom has made environmental conservation in Clarke Country his top priority for over 40 years, and he is the third generation of the Ohrstrom family to carry the preservation legacy forward. 

His family helped found the Piedmont Environmental Council in 1972, and he has served as a PEC director since 2000 and co-chair since 2013. 

He has focused on farmland protection, the restoration of streams, and the cultivation of natural wildlife habitat.  In addition to protecting several of his own properties with conservation easements, he has served as chair, vice chair, and treasurer of the Clarke County Easement Authority, which now holds over 8,000 acres of conservation easements acres of conservation easements.

Ohrstrom is also a major supporter of the Friends of the Shenandoah, which conducts monitoring and water quality sample analysis in support of efforts in the Shenandoah River and Goose Creek. He is a member of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, which advocates for important conservation policies in Virginia. His commitment to conservation and preservation for almost half-a-century has been instrumental in the preservation of Clarke County and the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area.  

Previous recipients of the Heritage Hero Award include Sen. John Warner, Karen Hughes White, Janet Whitehouse, Hope Porter, Linda Newton, Robert H. Smith, Su Webb, Lori Kimball, Bob Sinclair, Robert Lee, Walter Nicklin, John and Mary Fishback, Mitch Diamond, David Blake, Scott Kasprowicz, Gayle and Tom DeLashmutt, Paul Ziluca, Mary Thomason-Morris, Al Van Huyck, Fauquier-Loudoun Garden Club, Charles “Chuck” Kuhn, Bradley J. Bondi, Friends of Balls Bluff, and Jean Perin.

Ohrstrom is also a major supporter of the Friends of the Shenandoah, which conducts monitoring and water quality sample analysis in support of efforts in the Shenandoah River and Goose Creek. He is a member of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, which advocates for important conservation policies in Virginia. His commitment to conservation and preservation for almost half a century has been instrumental in the preservation of Clarke County and the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area.