Join us at the James RiverFest

JRA is looking forward to an exciting weekend! This Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. is the third annual James RiverFest at Eco Discovery Park. The festival will include water activities, a cleanup, fun and educational activities for children, food, live music, and a wide variety of  vendors and environmental booths. 

What’s going on during the event:

• We will be holding a trash cleanup from 9- 11 a.m. The cleanup will take place on Longhill road in between Lafayette High School and Warhill Indoor Sports Complex. For more information, and to register yourself or group contact Christiana Tambone at (757) 707-7580 or ctambone@jrava.org.

• Chesapeake Experience – will provide free opportunities for paddling on the water. They will be holding two paddling sessions, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. You must register at their booth during the event to participate.

• Jamestown Discovery Boat Tours - Jamestown Discovery Boat Tours will be offering free boat tours leaving the dock every hour starting at 10:30 a.m.

• Live Music - Layman Terms, The UnXpected, and FRIENDS will perform from noon to 3:00.

• Eco Discovery Park – Eco Discovery Park will have the Demonstration Garden and Bird Food Depot exhibits open for touring. The marina store will be open with bike and kayak rentals available. Do you geocache? Find our three geocache to earn the EDP path tag.

• JRA Kid’s Tent - JRA will have a tent to highlight our important work to protect the James River. Stop by our tent for fun and educational children’s activities. 

Representatives from these other local groups will be at the James RiverFest:

• Friends of Powhatan Creek Watershed

• Historic Rivers Chapter, VA Master Naturalists

• James City County Parks and Rec

• Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

• James City County Stormwater Division

• National Science Teachers Association, College of William and Mary Student Chapter

• Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association

• US Coast Guard Flotilla 67

• Virginia Capital Trail Foundation 

• Williamsburg Bicyclists Area

• Williamsburg Land Conservancy

Stop by these booths to get handmade or environmentally friendly products:

• Day Three Bath & Body

• Dementi Books & Photography

• G.A.B.B.

• Glamorous Jewels, Designs by Emma

• Jan's Hands

• Julia's Crafts

• Mr. Rogers Windows

• N 2 Wood

• Native Creations

• Pine Wind Music

• Psychic Studio

• R3CYCL3D ART

• Richard Derrow

• Solartyme/Eshield of VA

• Wear Waliga

Admission to the festival is free. The purpose of the event is to showcase the James River for the community, build awareness and support for JRA and increase environmental stewardship in the Williamsburg community. For more information and directions visit www.jamesriverfest.org.

The results are in - JRA Poster Contest

The James River Association invited middle school students in the City of Richmond, City of Lynchburg, City of James City County, Henrico County and Chesterfield County that are situated within five miles of the James River to illustrate “What a Healthy River Means to Me”.  This year we had over 200 entries that depicted abundant wildlife, fish and river fun!

First Place:

 Michael Herman 
Teacher: Deborah Bodsford
 Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield County

Second Place:

Savanna Woods 
Teacher: Deborah Bodsford
Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield County

Third Place:

Grace Randall
Teacher: Donald Mugford
Tomahawk Creek Middle School, Chesterfield County

Fourth Place:

Grace Chun
Teacher: Michael Webb
Sandusky Middle School, City of Lynchburg

 Honorable Mentions: 

Muryum Yazdanpanah
Teacher: Deborah Bodsford
 Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield County

Grace Larmee 
Teacher: Stephanie Perry
Albert Hill Middle School, City of Richmond

Aaron Vincent
 Teacher: Deborah Bodsford
Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield County

Domonique Gordon 
Teacher: Leah Purvis
 Sandusky Middle School, City of Lynchburg

 Paige Grunden
Teacher: Deborah Bodsford
 Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield County

  

Megan Acheampong 
Teacher: Leah Purvis
Sandusky Middle School,  City of Lynchburg

JRA would like to congratulate the winners and thank all the students and teachers who showed us "What a Healthy River Means to Me"!

The poster contest was made possible through a generous donation by a long-time JRA member and James River Advocate.  Thank you so much for your continued support!

RiverRat Highlight – Anne Norwood

Anne Norwood is one of JRA’s RiverRats. While her day job involves working as a pediatric nurse practitioner, her unpaid job is working in her garden at her home in Lovingston, Virginia.

Her connection with the James is through the Rockfish River where her family bought a farm 20 years ago. It is situated just a mile from the Rockfish River, so her boys grew up floating and fishing the (mighty!) Rockfish and the James. No family or friend’s visit to their farm in summer is complete without a river trip. She said she decided to become a RiverRat because it was “a way to give back for all the pleasure that the rivers have given us, and you get this great hat!”

Anne patrols the Rockfish in Nelson County from US 29 to Schuyler along the Rockfish River Road. “ It’s a gorgeous winding stretch that bends away from the road for miles, has overhanging trees, flowers blooming on the banks, lots of wildlife, and enough drop to be fun,” is how she describes it. She patrols in her canoe that she claims is familiar with every rock.

“There are lots of people who cherish the rivers, understand the importance of the James, both locally and as part of the greater Chesapeake Bay, and are concerned about the health of the waterways.  Being a River Rat is one small thing we can do to raise awareness, clean up our little corner of the playpen, and hopefully improve the legacy of the river.”

If you want to become a RiverRat, join us for one of our upcoming trainings:

                                                       

Saturday, April 26, 9am-2pm at Boxerwood Gardens and Education Center, Lexington, VA

Saturday, May 3, 9am-2pm at Smithfield Innovation Center, Smithfield, VA

For more information, visit our website (LINK TO RIVERRATS) or contact Amber Ellis, Volunteer Coordinator at aelli@jrava.org

April is for River Lovers!

JRA has designated April as River Hero Home month! 

All month long we will be offering  tips and ways you can make your home more river-friendly.

What exactly is River Hero Homes?

Every time it rains, fertilizers and herbicides, bacteria from pet waste, chemicals and sediment flows from your property into local waterways. River Hero Homes is JRA’s way of recognizing households that take the extra steps to improve water quality by reducing the amount of stormwater (and pollution) leaving their property. 

JRA currently has 187 households who have included river-friendly practices and everyday actions to their lifestyles, which have significant impacts on water quality.

If you are interested in becoming a River Hero Home, fill out the on-line application and send us a picture of your river-friendly practice.  Once we approve your application, we will contact you and send your certification materials.

In the meantime, ‘like’ us on Facebook and ‘follow’ us on Twitter to receive tips, tricks and info on how you can make a difference!