‘Piedmont People’

PIEDMONT PEOPLE
Bert & Eleanor Harris
By Pete Smith

This essay (Word document above) was published by my older brother Pete Smith in the August 2026 issue of Warrenton Lifestyle, a magazine published in Warrenton, Fauquier County, VA.

It is notable that my brother — who majored in English — and I had the same outstanding English teacher in high school, Robert W. Tighe.

Mr. Tighe’s influence shows.

I have highlighted in boldface some key passages in the essay.

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Just north of Warrenton, on 900 rolling acres under permanent conservation easement, two scientists have spent the better part of a decade quietly doing something remarkable — turning a small, scrappy nonprofit into one of the region’s most vital centers for ecological research, environmental education, and land stewardship. Bert and Eleanor Harris, Co-Directors of The Clifton Institute, deserve far more recognition than they typically seek.

Their credentials alone are impressive. After earning his B.S. in Ecology and Biodiversity at Sewanee: The University of the South, Bert completed a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Adelaide, Australia, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University. Eleanor’s path was equally distinguished but charmingly indirect: she earned her B.A. in Mathematics at the University of Chicago, then — rediscovering a childhood love of animals — completed a Ph.D. in Quantitative and Computational Biology at Princeton, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland.

What they’ve built together at Clifton is a place that operates at the intersection of science, education, and conservation in ways that are rare for an organization of its size. Bert directs a program of ecological research aimed at providing actionable recommendations to landowners, working with his team to restore native plant and animal communities on the Institute’s 900-acre property — translating findings from peer-reviewed science into practical guidance for farmers and landowners in the Piedmont community. Eleanor oversees all of the organization’s activities as Co-Director, with a particular focus on education and development.

The numbers tell part of the Institute’s story. Staff have documented 2,600 different species on the property, and the Institute holds the largest dataset in the world on kestrel movements — a distinction remarkable for an organization rooted in Northern Virginia. Last year, more than 3,000 students came through Clifton’s education programs, experiencing firsthand what it means to walk through native meadows, observe raptors in flight, or press a wildflower seed into restored soil.

But perhaps what distinguishes Bert and Eleanor most is their philosophy. Before coming to Clifton, Bert observed that too much conservation biology is published in papers that nobody reads — and they’ve spent their tenure here correcting that. Programs range from field trips and summer camps to natural history lectures, nature journaling workshops, and an annual Native Plant Sale. The research they commission is carefully chosen: targeted projects that benefit how landowners can manage their land, not abstractions for distant audiences.

Fauquier County and the broader Northern Virginia Piedmont are richer — ecologically and communally — for the work Bert and Eleanor – and now their daughter Thea – have poured into this place. In a region under relentless development pressure, they tend to 900 acres of living, breathing evidence that conservation and community can grow together.

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In my post

Learning How to Write

Learning How to Write

I wrote:

Mr. Tighe said that there were three elements to good writing: unity, coherence, and emphasis.

The second element, coherence, Mr. Tighe explained that this was sort of like glue.

You had to tie all your paragraphs and sentences together by using transitional words that guide the reader: on the other hand, in contrast, furthermore, however, and so on. I got the idea quickly and was soon larding my essays with such words. It became a little heavy handed.

When I became a more experienced writer, I learned that you can achieve this in more subtle ways.

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My brother Pete obviously learned this.

Subject to strict word limits (space limitation), he has written an interesting essay that flows naturally.

With smooth, effective transitions.

That is not a boilerplate summary or report.

The article holds the reader’s interest — because the author, Smith, makes it a point to tell us why he is mentioning this or that.

You would be surprised how many writers never do this.

It is done in the transitions.

For example:

The numbers tell part of the Institute’s story.

But perhaps what distinguishes Bert and Eleanor most …

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I am attaching here an article I wrote for New York Newsday, in which. I achieved the same things as my brother did. I made it interesting by showing readers why the doctor and his career were of particular interest.

‘Borough Park Physician Retires After 60 Years’

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   August 2026