Pocahontas State Park:
Our friends at the trail building/ mountain bike advocacy group RVA MORE are getting the new year started right. Come out and help them put down some new trail at Pocahontas State Park. “The Chute” as they’re calling it, is a new alternate line on Zero Trail, and it’s going to be a good one. They can use all the help they can get to bring it home. Meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Courthouse Road parking lot (7298 Courthouse Road, Chesterfield, VA).

Belle Isle Skills Park:
The Belle Isle Skills Park is fun for all ages, but it needs some TLC! Come out and join the RVA MORE trail crew Saturday at 9 a.m. to help get some work done. Parking is available in the Belle Isle lot, and it’s a short walk over to the island from there.

As of today, RichmondOutside.com, RVA’s only outdoor recreation news source, will paddle its content down the James to RiversideOutfitters.com. This change has been in the works for months now as fellow RichmondOutside founder, Ryan Abrahamsen, and myself moved into an ownership role at Riverside Outfitters.

All that changes today is where you find us online. Richmond Outside will still be out there searching for great outdoor rec stories and reporting the news of the outdoor world in Central Va. Now you’ll just go to RiversideOutfitters.com to find us — and our related projects, like the View from Treehouse Podcast and the RVA Osprey Cam. Our social media — Facebook and Instagram — will remain under the Richmond Outside name.

As usual, we’d love to hear from you, Richmond lovers of the outdoors. What should we be reporting and shining a light on? We think RVA has an incredible outdoor scene, and we want to cover every angle of it. So, shoot me an email at andy@richmondoutside.com and let me know what you think.

Here’s to new homes and new beginnings!

Are you a James River Park user? Mountain biker? Dog walker? Birdwatcher? Trail runner? Next week you’ll have a chance to help shape the future of the park. From the Friends of the James River Park:

When we began planning for the next decade of the James River Park System, we partnered with the City of Richmond to develop a Master Plan. Our Draft Master Plan is the result of a thorough public comment period with guidance pulled directly from over 2,000 surveys and 10 public meetings held at every voting district in the City of Richmond which began in January. Your input helped to create the Draft of our Ten-Year Master Plan.

On the evening of Wednesday, July 17^th, city residents and all in the region who love the James River Park system are invited to attend a meeting to review the Master Plan Draft and provide feedback. Staff from Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities, members of the James River Park System Steering and Technical Committees, and VHB Engineering and Hargreaves will provide an overview of the proposed Master Plan. 

And we once again need your input.

Among the plans discussed for our 600-acre Park are improvements to existing infrastructure like headquarters and the Pony Pasture Bathhouse, preserving wild and green spaces, increasing multi-modal transportation to and from the park to improve access, and beginning to connect other green spaces throughout the Richmond region to the James River Park.

The development of a Master Plan for the James River Park System is an initiative of the Friends of the James River Park in partnership with the City of Richmond. The plan will incorporate aspects of existing plans and build on what has been done before. The project was funded by Friends of the James River Park, the Beirne Carter Foundation, Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, CoStar, NewMarket Foundation, Venture Richmond, The Community Foundation, the Virginia Health Foundation, and others who love the Park.

More information about the master plan process, can be found here and at jamesriverpark.org/masterplan. Comments and questions about this master plan can be submitted to Nathan.Burrell@richmondgov.com.

The latest Chesapeake Bay Report Card was released yesterday, showing that scores for the James River shifted from a B- (63%) in 2017 to a C (48%) in 2018. Scores across the Bay declined last year but maintained an overall C. The annual report card is produced by the University of Maryland’s Integration and Application Network and provides a comprehensive analysis of Chesapeake Bay health by scoring indicators such as dissolved oxygen, underwater grasses and water clarity. 

“In 2018 communities across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed experienced record precipitation and increased runoff pollution, but we’re also seeing signs that the river is resilient and improving over the long term,” said Jamie Brunkow, James Riverkeeper and Senior Advocacy Manager at the James River Association. 

Water clarity scores across the Chesapeake Bay suffered due to heavy precipitation and polluted runoff, and this was the only indicator given an F (3%) for the James River. Despite a drop in nearly all of the Report Card’s Bay health indicators, the report highlights an improving long term trend for the Bay and for the James River. 

Brunkow added, “Water clarity is essential for a healthy James River that supports underwater grass beds and fisheries. Virginia is making progress towards restoring the health of the James River, but the results of the Report Card show that we need to do more to tackle polluted runoff. That means strengthening our programs that help farmers and local governments prevent erosion and build more resilient cities.”

Recently, Virginia released its draft plan for meeting Chesapeake Bay Cleanup goals by 2025.  This plan, the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan, will outline the federal, state, and local actions needed between now and 2025 to ensure that all necessary practices are in place to achieve Virginia’s pollution reduction targets and restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

“The Watershed Implementation Plan provides a road map for getting the James River to a grade of A. It’s critical that we have a strong plan which is funded and implemented by 2025, but we need communities to stand up and support more investment and action for the river,” said Brunkow.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comments on the draft Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan through June 7th. 

Do you plan to hop in a boat or take a jump in the James this summer? Then you need to know about James River Watch.

JRW is designed to inform river users about recreation conditions in a timely fashion and to provide the public with an additional tool to get outside and enjoy our waterways safely. While the James River’s health continues to improve, it’s important to remember that rivers are dynamic, changing systems, and it pays to know before you go.

Our work received more attention than usual last year – due to a combination of record rainfall and the tremendous work of our volunteers.
Some of you may have noticed the James River Watch data viewer gathering dust over the last few months, but don’t worry! Over the winter, we’ve been investing some serious time and effort into creating a sleek new product that’s easy-on-the-eyes and easier for volunteers. Stay tuned for the rollout of this new website (and other significant effor) in April.

Speaking of our busy spring, it’s that time of year again – time to sign up for your annual James River Watch water quality training. These lively events teach you everything you need to know to be a citizen scientist, helping us measure and improve the health of the James. April is chock-full of training
opportunities, and there’s sure to be one in your neck of the woods. If you’re interested in joining one of our teams of volunteers, be sure to sign up.

Returning volunteers need only watch a webinar – which we’ll post to our Water Quality Monitoring page later in the spring – but we ask first-timers to attend one of our in-person trainings. Times, dates, and locations are listed below. Take a look, and sign up here while there’s still space!

4/9/19 – Hopewell 6-8p | Appomattox Regional Library
4/16/19 – Lynchburg 6-8p | James River Adventures
4/17/19 – Williamsburg 6-8p | JRA Williamsburg Office
4/18/19 – Farmville 6-8p | Appomattox River Company
4/23/19 – Goochland 6-8p | Goochland County Admin Bldg.
4/23/19 – Buchanan 6-8p | Twin River Outfitters
4/24/19 – Richmond 6-8p | Triple Crossing Brewery (Fulton)
4/25/19 – Scottsville 6-8p | JRA Scottsville Office
4/25/19 – Lexington 6-8p | Boxerwood Nature Center
4/29/19 – Farmville 6-8p | Appomattox River Company

To our volunteers – we really couldn’t do it without you. Volunteers play a huge role in helping JRA achieve our mission, and each year James River Watch relies on the help of roughly 75 volunteers spread across the watershed. Last year you all managed to collect 375 bacteria samples – data that have since been viewed by DEQ, VDH, local governments, and you. So thank you for your hard work, let’s build off last year’s efforts, and together we can make sure that 2019 is just as successful!

In Virginia, outdoor recreation is a billion dollar business — $21.9 billion to be more precise. That’s how much Virginia’s outdoor industry generates in consumer spending each year, supporting 197,000 direct jobs and $1.7 billion in state and local tax revenue. Not only are healthy rivers essential to this industry — Virginians rely on them for clean drinking water. But last month, the Environmental Protection Agency announced troubling changes to the Clean Water Act, a bedrock environmental law that has protected the health of Americans and our water since 1972.

This about-face from EPA’s previous policy places roughly 65% of the James River’s stream miles at risk. Three out of every four Virginians rely on healthy headwaters for clean drinking water, including 2.7 million in the James watershed. Land disturbance, construction or discharge of wastewater are a few examples of activities that would normally be regulated and require careful planning and permitting to minimize impacts to water quality. If these vulnerable streams lose federal protections, it hurts our ability to prevent bad actors upstream from polluting drinking water downstream.

Join us at Triple Crossing – Fulton
April 2nd from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. to learn more about what the EPA’s Dirty Water Rule means for the James River and clean water.

Clean water is good for business and good for Virginia. But the EPA is going in the wrong direction — to a time when unchecked pollution kept our rivers off limits. Next week, we’re raising our voices, and our glasses, for clean water, and calling on the EPA to reject the Dirty Water Rule. First 30 people in the door get a beer on us. See you there!

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney presented his proposed budget to City Council this past Wednesday afternoon, and there is a lot to like for river lovers. Mayor Stoney’s budget funds projects that will make the James River and public spaces on its banks more inclusive and accessible to everybody. Many of the projects the James River Association and other organizations are supporting are fully funded in FY 2020.

Projects funded in FY 2020 in Mayor Stoney’s proposed FY 2020 – 2024 Capital Improvement Plan are listed below:

• $330,000 for universal access at Huguenot Flatwater
• $400,000 for Tredegar/Brown’s Island accessible walk improvements
• $205,400 for Canal Walk connector to Brown’s Island
• $210,000 for Gillies Creek Greenway

Additionally, $927,354 is proposed for the James River Park System. This important funding supports the operations and maintenance of Richmond’s beloved 600-acre James River Park System, which was visited nearly two million times last year.

Unfortunately, no new funding for the “Missing Link” trail or Lehigh is proposed in FY 2020. Implementing both of these Richmond Riverfront Plan projects has been a priority of the James River Association in recent years. While the lack of new funding for these riverfront projects is disappointing and could delay implementation of the Riverfront Plan, the James River Association commends Mayor Stoney for funding important projects in the James River Park System and on the riverfront.

City Council has an opportunity to amend the Mayor’s budget before approving it this spring. Budget work sessions are scheduled to begin on Monday, March 11, and the James River Association will be working to secure funding for projects that will contribute to a more inclusive and accessible James River. If you would like to help us secure funding for these projects, please join our Action Network.

Here’s a breakdown of the recently-finished General Assembly session from our friends at the James River Association:

On Sunday, while Hollywood was abuzz with red carpet arrivals, lawmakers in Richmond were wrapping up and heading home. Awards season and the 2019 General Assembly may be over, but the James River won’t be going home empty handed. We’ve had some major wins for clean water this year! And we couldn’t have done it alone.

So the award for Best Supporting Cast goes to…you! Our Action Network sent over 3,500 emails to elected officials calling on Virginia’s leaders to make clean water a priority. Your support makes our work possible. 

Now, let’s look back at our goals for the 2019 session and see how we performed.

Coal Ash

In a landmark achievement for the future of the James River, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring clean closure of all four coal ash sites within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Under this bipartisan agreement, more than 28 million tons of coal ash will be removed from unlined pits and either recycled or excavated and moved to a permitted landfill.

This clean closure agreement puts public health first and ensures that we will leave the James River cleaner for the next generation to enjoy. We are incredibly grateful to our legislative champions – Senators Scott Surovell and Amanda Chase and Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy – who remained steadfast in protecting their constituents and our waterways from the threat of coal ash. We also thank Governor Northam for his commitment to securing clean closure.

Clean Water and Conservation Funding

Budget negotiators in the House and Senate have proposed a compromise that is now under consideration by the Governor. The proposal includes:

• Almost $90 million for Agricultural Best Management Practices to help farmers install conservation practices that prevent polluted runoff. Last year, the budget included $22.5 million.
• $10 million available for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund to assist urban and suburban communities installing projects to treat stormwater runoff. SLAF received $20 million in FY 2019.
• $4.5 million for the Virginia Land Conservation Fund to support green, open spaces that help filter water. VLCF received no funding last year.

The General Assembly’s proposal doesn’t quite meet the high demand for these successful programs. But it does show that our leaders see the value in these efforts and remain committed to investing in clean water and a fully restored James River. We continue to urge the Governor and the General Assembly to support these programs in the final budget deal.

Great cities around the world have great public spaces. The city of Richmond has wonderful parks and public spaces but none rival the 600-acre James River Park System — truly the crown jewel of the Richmond region.

The JRPS is the most-visited attraction in the region, and the creation of new public spaces along the James River, as recommended by the Richmond Riverfront Plan, will take some pressure off of the park system.

The Richmond Riverfront Plan was adopted by City Council in November 2012 as Richmond’s roadmap to transform both banks of the James River, from Belle Isle downriver to Ancarrow’s Landing, into a cohesive system of public spaces. Following its adoption, the Plan moved into implementation with the construction of the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge – the pedestrian bridge that spans the James River connecting Manchester to downtown. The T-Pot, as it’s affectionately known, immediately became one of the most popular public places on the riverfront, and Richmond has continued to see an increase in visitors along the riverfront as a whole.

Since being elected, Mayor Stoney has supported the Riverfront Plan. However, progress towards the implementation of the Plan depends on continued leadership from Mayor Stoney and his administration, as well as support via City’s Capital Improvement Plan. This year, a coalition of local organizations is working together to ensure riverfront projects receive the funding necessary to become public amenities. The James River Association, Sports Backers, Venture Richmond, Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, Friends of the James River Park, James River Outdoor Coalition, and Historic Falls of the James Scenic River Advisory Committee are encouraging Mayor Stoney and his administration to support projects in the FY 2020 – 2024 Capital Improvement Plan. The coalition is advocating for the following appropriations in the FY 2020 – 2024 Capital Improvement Plan.

• $900,000 for design development and construction documents for East Riverfront, the area of riverfront that includes Lehigh, Intermediate Terminal Dock, and Gillies Creek Greenway, and “Missing Link” and $5,000,000 for construction in the FY 2021 – 2025 Capital Improvement Plan
• $400,000 for pedestrian improvements along Tredegar Street near Brown’s Island
• $350,000 for construction of a universally accessible ramp at Huguenot Flatwater to make enjoying the James River easier for people of all abilities
• $206,000 for construction of the “Canal Walk Connector,” an extension of the Virginia Capital Trail on the Canal Walk to the Potterfield Memorial Bridge
• The coalition is also encouraging the City to fully fund maintenance of our beloved James River Park System in the FY 2020 – 2021 operating budget of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities

The successful implementation of the Riverfront Plan and associated projects is vital to Richmond’s future and will increase opportunities for all Richmonders to enjoy the scenic James River. Please join the James River Association’s Action Networkto stay up to date on Riverfront Plan progress and to advocate for a healthy and accessible James River.

In Sunday’s email blast, Richmond Magazine editors reprinted a story by Harry Kollatz Jr. from 2003 about a Richmonder as little known today as his impact on the city was great. It was offered as a prelude to tonight’s “Controversy/History” forum at The Valentine called “James River: Commerce or Recreation?” Click here for more on that.

But if you’re unfamiliar with Newton Ancarrow, Kollatz’s piece offers a wonderful primer on the man and his impact on Richmond and the James River:

Newton Ancarrow looks at film from his movie The Raging James. Credit: Times-Dispatch

One Against the Current

By Harry Kollatz Jr.

He died in 1991 thinking himself a failure. Pioneer James River conservationist Newton Ancarrow didn’t realize the extent of his success.

“He thought he’d lost,” says his son, Hopper Ancarrow.

Newton Ancarrow, who started out as a chemical scientist, later switched careers and became a master boat builder, starting his own company, Ancarrow Marine, which sold high-speed runabouts for more than $29,000 apiece to rich jet-setters such as shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and the Sheik of Qatar. 

Click here to read the rest at Richmond Magazine.