About HRD

2 March 2006

Mission Statement

The purposes of the corporation are exclusively educational in nature within the meaning of Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code of l954, as amended, (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law). More specifically, the purpose of the corporation is to promote on a non-profit basis the preservation of natural resources and cultural heritage through educational and scientific means. The organization will accomplish this mission by:

  • supporting our agnculture, timber, natural resource, and tourism industry,
  • promoting wise land use planning and maintaining our quality of life through adherence to the county’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances,
  • promoting improvement and the long-term stability of Highland County’s economic and fiscal condition through recognition and careful development of our unique values and resources.

The organization believes that change, while inevitable, can take place in a way consistent with the intrinsic value of the county’s rural character.


Highlanders for Responsible Development (HRD) is nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the preservation and responsible use of the natural environment of Highland County, Virginia. With the smallest population as well as the highest average elevation in Virginia, Highland County is a unique rural community with pristine ridgelines and open, rolling valleys. It holds the source for both the James and Potomac Rivers and is home to bald and golden eagles, native brook trout, many rare species of birds, and high elevation flora and fauna.

View northeast from Red Oak Knob – Lantz Mountain, Snowy Mountain at far left and Panther Knob to its right. A sharp eye may spot the Devil's backbone further right just above the crest of Lantz.

HRD was formed in the winter of 2005 by a group of concerned citizens who wished to formalize their opposition to Highland New Wind Development’s (HNWD) application for a conditional use permit to construct at least 18 wind turbines on Allegheny Mountain, the county’s highest ridgeline. HRD believes, along with a majority of the county’s citizens, that wind energy development is not appropriate for Highland because of its negative impacts on one the East’s last unspoiled Appalachian landscapes, endangered species, bats and migrating birds, property values, tourism, and protected watersheds.

While HRD’s main concern has been the unfettered development of wind power in Highland County, the group also supports responsible land planning, economic development that supports responsible use of natural resources, and low impact tourism that takes advantages of the county’s natural attributes. HRD’s mission is to work in the community as a volunteer force to help provide information to community leaders in the advancement of these objectives.

HRD is currently operated by a 10-member, volunteer board of directors. Not a membership organization, HRD is open to anyone with an interest in Highland County and the surrounding region. If you would like to be added to our list of interested persons, please send us your contact information. Let us know your concerns and ideas for Highland County which would help in our mission.

H R D welcomes your input and your support.
P O Box 685, Monterey, VA 24465
For more information contact the President of HRD by e-mail.


Highland County ridges from Red Oak Knob – Lantz Mountain, Monterey Mountain, Jack Mountain, and Shenandoah Mountain in the far distance.



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