Vote Now for the Regional River Feature Contest!

Grapevine Bridge Access Site is a Finalist for Better Housing Coalition Golden Hammer Award

The Grapevine Bridge river access site is a finalist for a Better Housing Coalition Golden Hammer Award! 

The Golden Hammer Awards celebrate thoughtful revitalization of Greater Richmond’s neighborhoods and recognizes the best residential, adaptive reuse, new construction, and community placemaking projects in Greater Richmond. The Grapevine Bridge river access site is a finalist in the "Placemaking" project category. Awards will be presented May 21st, 2015 during TransformRVA at the Omni Hotel. 

Vote for your favorite projects here!

The Grapevine Bridge river access site opened to the public in November 2014 and provides low-impact fishing, canoe, and kayak access on the Chickahominy River in eastern Henrico County. 

 The effort to enhance the site began in early 2014 when a concept plan for the site was developed by James River Association staff and numerous volunteer events were held to beautify and improve the site for public enjoyment. Improvements include a trail and boardwalk, canoe launch, benches, and interpretive signage for the Chickahominy Water Trail, a segment of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. 

The project is a collaboration between the James River Association, Virginia Department of Transportation, Henrico County, and National Park Service. In addition to being the guardian of the James River, the James River Association works to connect communities to the James River and its tributaries for quality of life and economic benefits. To learn more about the James River Association's public access work visit www.jrava.org.

Restoring Habitat on Chapel Island

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 volunteers braved the rain to help JRA remove invasive species and replant the understory on Chapel Island at Great Shiplock Park in Richmond. 

Thanks to the 22 volunteers that came out that day, piles of invasive plant species including Privet and Japanese Honeysuckle were removed from the island. This made room to plant nearly 300 native shrubs, grasses and perennial plants that provide habitat for wildlife and reduce stormwater runoff.

Some of the plants used in this project include Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnate), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). To find out more about native plants, visit www.jamesriverhero.org.

This project was inspired by the Envision the James' James River Wildlife and Landscape Conservation Initiative in partnership with the James River Park System, Chesapeake Conservancy, Capital Trees, Groundwork RVA and HandsOn Greater Richmond. It also compliments recent efforts to enhance Great Shiplock Park and Chapel Island. 

Thank you to the DuPont Clear into the Future grant for making this possible.

Another volunteer day is planned for Thursday, November 20, 2014. Join us on Chapel Island to help remove more invasive species and replant the understory with beautiful native plants. Register for the volunteer day here.

New Beer Garden at James River Brewing Highlights Scottsville’s Mink Creek

by Amber Ellis, JRA's Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

 View of Mink Creek in Winter 2012

Last fall, Chris Kyle with James River Brewing in Scottsville, spoke to Pat Calvert, JRA’s Upper James Riverkeeper, about the brewery’s plan to expand their tasting room outside and wanted JRA’s opinion on how to do it the right way. Mink Creek, a tributary of the James River, flows right behind their building and at the time there was no buffer along their side of the creek. But that was about to change!

  

JRA’s Landscape Architect, Amber Ellis, designed a riparian buffer that incorporated plants that are native to Albemarle County. Not only are they native, but a few of them are even edible! The brewery staff has already made delicious cobbler out of the fruit from the Juneberry (Amelanchier lamarckii) and Mountain mint (Pycanthemum muticum) is great used as a tea. While natïve Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) is not edible, the fruit resembles the fruit of the hops plant that is used to make beer.

   

  The Hophornnbeam tree in its new home with a hedge of Winterberry along the creek and Juneberry in the background. Taken on May 9, 2013 during the installation.

On May 9, 2013, JRA led a group of volunteers, including four of JRA’s RiverRats, brewery staff, and several folks from the community to install the plants. The James was at flood level that day, but Mink Creek was fine.

 Volunteers after a hard day’s work.

This wet and mild summer has been the perfect environment for the plants to get settled in and they are all doing great! JRA developed three educational signs that were installed this summer that teach visitors about native plants, the history of the building, and about the Mink Creek watershed. The beer garden has become a gathering place for the community and brought attention to this wonderful little creek that is tucked behind the buildings in town. There are plans to run a trail along Mink Creek in the future with a small bridge at the beer garden for folks to hop off and take a beer break. People can be found drinking coffee there in the morning and in the evening enjoying a beer with the sounds of live music.

   

Joe-Pye Weed, Black-Eyed Susan, and Mountain mint in full bloom in August 2013.

  

 If you are ever in Scottsville, stop by the James River Brewing Company to enjoy a beer in a beautiful garden along Mink Creek.

Visit the James River Brewing Facebook page for upcoming events and for more photos of the Beer Garden.  

Envision The James

by Justin Doyle, JRA's Outreach Manager

In partnership with Chesapeake Conservancy and  National Geographic Maps, the James River Association is currently promoting Envision The James (ETJ), an initiative that seeks to protect and enhance the numerous natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the James River Watershed. The ETJ Team began reaching out to individuals and organizations in the watershed in 2012 and recently established a collaborative vision for the James River based on the feedback it received. The Vision: Clean and accessible waterways, restored streamside vegetation and wildlife habitat, local economies benefitting from tourism and recreation, the celebration of culture and heritage, as well as protected landscapes.

To realize the Vision, the ETJ Team is promoting two core initiatives which will bring renewed focus and support to long-standing efforts along the river corridor and throughout the watershed. The two core initiatives are:

• James River Heritage and Recreation Corridor Initiative

• James River Wildlife Habitat and Landscape Conservation Initiative

In order to achieve the goal of each initiative, Envision The James will provide communities and partners with a mechanism for garnering leadership and coordinating assistance to plan and implement regional and river-wide activities. Envision The James will support new and ongoing projects by providing the necessary resources to complete them.

The Envision The James Team is hosting two events in July to promote the initiative. The public is strongly encouraged to attend the events and learn more about Envision The James. Both events will feature an interactive forum in which students on the James River Expedition will share their experiences on the river.

July 17, 2013 – 5:00 pm

Horseshoe Flats Campground

125 Snowden Road

Scottsville, Virginia 24590

July 31, 2013 – 5:00 pm

Chickahominy Riverfront Park

1350 John Tyler Highway

Williamsburg, VA 23185

For more information about Envision The James and the public events, please contact the James River Association’s Outreach Manager, Justin Doyle, at (804) 572-4667.

Envisioning the James…Your Opinion Is Requested

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.

Top 10 reasons I’ll miss working for JRA

The name:  Anna Salzberg

The job:  Intern coordinating with JRA and NPS on implementing the CAJO trail

What the heck is CAJO:  Captain John Smith National Historic Water Trail

Other duties:  Managing social media outputs such as JRA’s Blog, Facebook, and Twitter portals; supporting the Envision the James project by going on tour for community meetings up and down the watershed and providing written content for the website; assisting with environmental education programs for school groups along the James; working at Presquile in support of the new Ecology School; watershed supply research in the James River watershed; representing JRA at events by speaking to people about JRA and all that we do as the guardian organization of the river

It has been my pleasure and privilege to work for almost a year at JRA.  I have worked in the environmental field for many years, at a nonprofit and state protection agency in Georgia, and a private consulting firm in Asheville, North Carolina.  I have a B.S. Environmental Studies degree from UVM in Vermont and a MPA from Georgia State University in Atlanta.  I, therefore, feel experienced enough to say that JRA has it together. 

This nonprofit organization not only raises enough money to feed everyone’s mouth and stay afloat, but also manages to constantly expand the reach and capabilities as an organization by enlisting and training people in remote places to monitor the watershed in its entirety.  I haven’t seen any waste of resources; only efficient methods of walking the talk ― from conducting stream cleanups to attending meetings at the Virginia General Assembly, this organization gets it done and gets it done right.  It is amazing to me that there are only 15 people on staff, yet JRA manages to say ‘yes’ when our presence is requested at schools, conferences, meetings, stream clean-ups, interviews, etc.  This is a YES organization. 

JRA feels it can and does make a difference.  This is a DO organization.  JRA does improve the water quality of the James; it does sit down and speaks to people about waterfront priorities and it does include these priorities in project implementation.  I have never seen a staff so educated, motivated, and organized.  I attribute much of this to the Executive Director, Bill Street, yet the entire staff moves as one organization.  There are no attitudes, no selfishness, and no egos.  All projects and programs are supported by the entire staff with positive attitudes. 

I have had the privilege to work closely with the environmental education staff and I can truly say they are going to have a profound positive effect on the next generation and the ways in which our children view the world.  Working with children is not an easy job, but the environmental education staff energetically takes it head on with a smile and some shine.  I have seen how other agencies, organizations and private companies look a little happier, feel a little bit better, and are motivated a little bit more when JRA is in the house.  I feel this is because this is an organization that truly believes in its mission and inspires everyone around them.  Yes, the future is bright for JRA and I am thankful to have been a part of it as a staff member for the past year.  I certainly plan to stay involved with the organization and lend a hand whenever I can.  I am certain the relationships I made and the skills I acquired will prove invaluable as I move on to the PhD Public Policy and Administrative program at VCU.  I will truly miss JRA and the staff and appreciate all time and patience awarded me during the past year.

In closing I leave you with the top 10 reasons I will miss JRA:

1. The candy dish on the office front desk, 
2. Wearing nice jeans to work and it being considered business casual, 
3. Seeing how much children still, after all this time and technology, are exhilarated by bubbles and fish painting, 
4. Seeing the beauty of the James―from the upper small rocky reaches to the wide tidal reaches as part of my work and research, 
5. Meeting with those from other agencies, such as the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that have dedicated their lives to the health and protection of the river and wildlife, 
6. Keeping up with all the latest environmental news to share with our watershed residents through social media, 
7. Seeing the excitement on our Events Assistant Coordinator’s face when she has figured out the latest website code, 
8. Hearing my coworker sneeze 30 times a day since she moved to Richmond from Nevada and has had allergies for over a year, 
9. Witnessing public speaking at its finest by the Executive Director and program managers, which only comes after years of talking to people and raising awareness at any possible moment, 
10. The magical coffee that I still believe is truly responsible for all of JRA’s amazing accomplishments.

Sincerely,

Anna Salzberg

Envision the James

The community meetings tour ends but the process is only beginning!

 

Envision the James is a multi-year, collaborative project that invites communities and individuals to get involved in creating a common vision for the river to benefit present and future generations.  From March 28 though April 26, 2012, The James River Association (JRA) held meetings up and down the James River watershed hoping people from their area would take ownership of their communities and contribute a local vision to the riverfront planning.  JRA joined forces with the National Geographic Society and the Chesapeake Conservancy for this unique visioning process.  Overall, the community meetings were invaluable in the data we were able to collect using interactive survey tools.  The data collected included local opinions regarding the use of the riverfront and the agencies that should oversee these uses.  This data will be included in the Envision the James website that is currently being developed by National Geographic.

Each meeting began with an introduction to the Envision the James project and the Expedition program that Gabe Silver, Education Coordinator for JRA, began in summer 2011.  Following the anonymous survey, an open forum was held for community discussion among the attendees regarding specific issues or concerns.  During the open forums, it was interesting to hear about the different types of concerns in the different regions of the watershed.  The Envision the James watershed tour began with two meetings in the Lower James, held in Hampton at Fort Monroe and in Williamsburg at the Kingsmill Resort Center.  The issues discussed at these open forums included concerns about gaining additional public access to the James River.  The National Park Service attended both of these meetings and openly discussed the challenges involved, but also the process for gaining more public access.

Community meeting in Hampton

Community meetings in Williamsburg

On April 4^th the Envision the James community meeting was held in Richmond at the Maymont Carriage House.  The guest speaker at this meeting was Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau, who spoke of the importance of community planning to protect local resources. This meeting boasted the largest attendance throughout the Envision the James tour and we were able to collect quality data from a diverse audience, including those with a vested interest in the James River for tourism and business reasons and those that were interested in local conservation and planning. Visit Blue Legacy's Blog for another look at Richmond's Envision the James meeting.

Alexandra Cousteau and Bill Street, Director of JRA

The last three meetings of the watershed tour were located in the Upper James region in Scottsville, Lynchburg, and the Town of Buchanan.  The meetings were all well attended with audiences from diverse sectors of society.  As we reached areas closer to the headwaters of the James, it seemed more focus and discussion was on river outfitter concerns and always public access.  Throughout the whole tour, water quality and pollution concerns remained top priorities for those living within the watershed. 

Lynchburg Community Meeting             

Town of Buchanan Community Meeting

If you were not able to attend a meeting, please visit www.EnvisionTheJames.org and sign up to get updates on the project and learn about National Geographic Maps tools as they are launched.

Envision the James-Get ready!

Envision the James is a multi-year, collaborative project that invites communities and individuals to get involved in creating a common vision for the river to benefit present and future generations. The visioning process will work with the local communities to enhance local heritage and river-based tourism, recreational trails and river access, conservation efforts and restoration efforts, and wildlife habitat throughout the James River watershed.

The James River Association (JRA) is holding meetings up and down the James River watershed hoping people from their area will take ownership of their communities and contribute a local vision to the riverfront planning. JRA has joined forces with the National Geographic Society and the Chesapeake Conservancy to come to your community and find out what ideas you and your local leaders have in mind along the riverfront.

Please get involved with Envision the James by attending an upcoming community meeting and experience new interactive mapping and multimedia tools developed by National Geographic that allow you to understand the river in a new way, sharing your discoveries and opinions along the way!

Envision the James meetings will be fun, informal, and interactive. We are looking forward to introducing the project and getting to know everyone who loves the James and is invested in its future. Whether or not you can make it to the meetings, visit http://www.envisionthejames.org/ and sign up to get updates on the project and learn about National Geographic Maps tools as they are launched. Check out the calendar for a meeting that works for you, and we’ll be seeing you soon!