by Gabe Silver, JRA Education & Outreach Manager
Rivers often form borders between social and political
entities, places in-between that have been bickered over, neglected, abused,
and sometimes forgotten. But today,
people are turning to rivers as places that connect us to our natural and
cultural heritage, as places to play, as places that demand cooperation and
collaboration if we are to benefit from them today and in the future.
Last year, the James River Association teamed up with the
Chesapeake Conservancy and National Geographic to launch the “Envision the
James,” a project to define a positive vision for the future of America’s Founding River. Together,
we’ve been seeking opinions from all quarters by asking questions about topics
such as habitat restoration, land conservation, river access, water quality,
recreational trails and tourism. Hundreds of interested citizens, businesses,
organizations, and localities have given us their opinions and from this the
values and concerns that people have with regards to the James have begun to
take shape.
Today, we are asking you, the informed and intelligent
reader of this blog, to add your two cents to the mix.
We’ve researched some of the most interesting and effective
river-corridor initiatives in four theme areas; Heritage and Geotourism,
Recreation and River Access, Wildlife Habitat, and Conservation and
Restoration. You can take a look at
these examples, and the concepts they illustrate, in this online document.
After getting a feel for these different concepts, please go
to the online
survey page and take the Envision the
James Concept Survey. Make sure to
click on the Join the Community tab
so we can stay in touch as this project moves from imagination to
implementation.
Thank you for helping to define this vision for the future
of our river. Working together toward common goals, we will find ways to enjoy
and protect the James for our benefit today and make it a healthier James for
the generations to come.
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