A hiker fords a stream in Richmond’s Larus Park. Credit: Leonard Adkins

When I first started as the Times-Dispatch outdoors columnist in the fall of 2007 one of my first pieces was about Richmond’s Lewis G. Larus Park? Never heard of Larus? You’ve got company. I featured it at the time because I felt it was an under-the-radar star in Richmond’s park scene. About 100 acres and bounded on every side by development and busy roads (Huguenot and Chippenham, for instance), most people drove past it without realizing there was a park there at all.

That was in 2007, and it’s still the case today. If you ever want to spend some time alone in the woods, make the drive to Larus.

So, today’s front page news in the Times-Dispatch caught my eye. T-D reporter Vanessa Remmers writes that Chesterfield County has proposed to lease part of Larus — about an acre — from the city so the county can increase it’s water supply.

“Under the arrangement, Chesterfield would spend an estimated $7.5 million to build and operate a water-pumping station and ground storage tank” in the park. The city would lease the county the land for $1 a year, and, by 2020, when the facility is operational, Richmond would collect about $1.3 million per year from the county.

There are neighbors opposed, critics have raised legal questions about the proposed deal, and Richmond City Councilwoman Kristen Larson “said she was concerned that many residents, including herself, were unaware of the years-long project until recently.”

This is all too fresh for me to render an opinion yet, but check out the article and see what you think. There’s a lot to unpack. And when you get the chance, go visit Larus Park — Richmond’s diamond in the rough.

Things are happening at Vasen Brewing in Scott’s Addition.

There’s no beer percolating at Vasen Brewing yet, but a dominant motif is coming into focus at Scott’s Addition’s soon-to-be newest brewery.

On a visit last week, artist Emily Herr‘s half-finished caribou head adorned one wall of the tasting room. And in the middle, a boulder-like structure surrounded the base of a steel beam. The beam itself was wrapped to make it look like a tree. There are places to sit on the faux boulder, rest a beer, maybe even climb it (though maybe not after a high-ABV beer).

“We’re not sure how people are going to interact with that,” said Nathan Winters, Vasen’s marketing and environmental director. “We’re going to have chalk bags and pitons hanging off of it.”

Winters, a Chattanooga native, came from outdoor retailer Patagonia, and he and brewery founders Tony Giordano and Joey Darragh, have been working on making Vasen a reality for over two years. The place is big — it takes up over 17,000 square feet of space in the Hand Craft Building — and there’s still much construction work to be done, but the team hopes to be serving beers to the public by late July.

Mmmm, beer…

In the meantime, the team is trying to build a brand around a love for, and Richmond’s love of, the outdoors. Darragh is a climber; Giordano a trail runner; and Winters enjoys hiking and mountain biking, but none is native to Richmond, and Winters said they quickly found out what a great place RVA is for nature-based pursuits when they moved here over two years ago.

“The more people we ran into, the more we realized this was a huge part of the identity (here),” Winters said. “I was surprised other breweries hadn’t tapped into that culture.”

To that end, Vasen is engaging prominent local outdoors types as brand ambassadors. It also hopes to start an outdoors-focused podcast, though planning is in the early stages. Different animals will be featured prominently on all its beer can art, and it’s partnering with 1% for the Planet to give back to a Richmond-based nature-focused charity.

“The outdoors has always provided us with better versions of ourselves,” Winters added.

Some would argue beer does the same. Vasen is betting it makes sense to join the two.

On Saturday, April 29^th the Friends of the Lower Appomattox River will stage the 3^rd annual Appomattox RiverFest (with co-sponsor Fort Lee). This day long family event is great for nature lovers, birders, history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts and anyone who wants to spend a beautiful day outdoors enjoying the scenic and historic treasures of the Appomattox River.

Fishing lessons are among the many offerings at FOLAR’s Appomattox Riverfest on April 29th.

From 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Appomattox Riverside Park – at the rocky rapids where Dinwiddie, Petersburg and Chesterfield meet – RiverFest will offer these activities and more:

o  Obstacle course and climbing wall with Fort Lee

o  Youth Fishing workshops, provided by Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries

o  Kayaking workshops with certified instructors

o  Archaeological activities and demonstrations with Fort Lee archaeologists

o  For nature lovers – view rare fauna along the trails with a Master Naturalist

o  See and learn about the fish, reptiles, amphibians, bugs and birds that help keep the river healthy with Environment Education Specialists and Thunder Eagle Wildlife Rescue

o  Stroll or ride a tram along the River Walk Trail that provides great views of the river

o  Learn the history of the river and batteau with the Virginia Canals and Navigation Society

o  Food Trucks and Live Music by the Fort Lee Band and Mike Packer & Johnny Holt!

There will be plenty of parking with shuttle buses running throughout the day at four locations:

o   Bank of McKenney, (6300 River Rd., Petersburg VA 23803)

o   Matoaca Baptist Church (6409 River Rd., Petersburg VA 23803);

o   Matoaca Elementary School (6627 River Rd, Petersburg, VA 23803); and

o   Matoaca United Methodist Church (6301 River Rd., South Chesterfield VA 23803)

The event is free and open to the public. Additional information can be found at www.folar-va.org or Facebook, or email,GetInvolved@folar-va.org or by calling (804) 543-0325.

A study conducted by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and released by Friends of the James River Park finds the James River Park System has a large positive economic impact on the City of Richmond. The study is the first of its kind to measure the economic impact of the park system, the most-visited attraction in the Richmond region.

The James River Park, like the Manchester Wall shown here, is a huge economic driver for the city of Richmond. Credit: Phil Riggan

“The findings of the economic impact study emphasize the importance of maintaining the James River Park System at a high level,” said Nancy Fowler, President of Friends of the James River Park. “We strongly encourage members of City Council to appropriate additional funds to properly staff, operate, and maintain the park system in the FY18 budget.”

The study is a first step in assessing the full economic impact of the James River Park System on the City of Richmond. Using available data, Virginia Commonwealth University researchers investigated the park system’s impact on residential property values, visitor spending potential, business revenue, and employee wages. Researchers used citizen scientists to survey targeted businesses to explore what the loss of the park system would mean to business revenue.

Based on validated visitation counts and accepted Virginia-based visitor spending quotients, the James River Park System has potential to generate $33,582,801 per year in tourism. The park system has a positive impact on residential property values. In particular, single-family properties in the City of Richmond see a $6.79 increase in total assessed property value for every foot they are closer to the park. And given the James River Park System’s FY17 budget of $557,337, every budget dollar is associated with $60.26 in visitor spending.

Richmond’s 550-acre James River Park System extends from Huguenot Flatwater to Ancarrow’s Landing and is composed of fourteen distinct areas. It encompasses the Falls of the James and features rocks, rapids, meadows, and forests. Electronic counters measured 1,404,903 visits to the James River Park System in 2016.

Visit the Friends of the James Park website at www.JamesRiverPark.org to access the full report.

Check it out, Richmond: A baby is on the way! The female osprey we’ve been following at RVAOspreyCam.com has been sitting on the nest in a very particular way since yesterday afternoon. This morning, when she got up to stretch, we found out why. We have an egg!

According to the Center for Conservation Biology’s Osprey Watch program, as nest building nears its conclusion, courtship and mating intensify resulting in the laying of 2-4 eggs.  Eggs vary considerably in coloration but typically have a cream-colored base with blotches of some secondary color.  Both adults alternate incubating eggs for approximately 35 days before hatching.

So, A) that may actually be the male you see helping to incubate the egg and B) by Saturday we may have another egg, as ospreys lay eggs “asynchronously,” i.e. one at a time with a delay in between.

The James River’s version of must-see TV is here, folks!

After an intensive 12-month process that began with a $100,000 grant from The Cameron Foundation last spring, Friends of the Lower Appomattox River has released its Appomattox River Trail Master Plan. The document represents the combined efforts of FOLAR and two consulting design companies – Land Planning and Design Associates as well as AB Design – along with significant input from regional stakeholders and the public.

Entering the boardwalk at Appomattox Regional Riverfront Park. Credit: Leonard Adkins

The ART Master Plan is a guide to locating and prioritizing shared-use trails with a coordinated signage system through the six municipalities that border the lower Appomattox River. The area encompasses the counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George, and the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg. The planned trail and signage offer walkers and cyclists safe, enjoyable connections to recreational opportunities, greenspace and nature, as well as connections to historic sites and structures, businesses, jobs, schools and transit.

“Our region is fortunate to have a designated state Scenic River with stunning natural beauty and incredible historic sites and structures as well as potential for premier recreational opportunities. The Appomattox River Trail will connect them and make them available for everyone,” said FOLAR Chair Ken Newman.

Since FOLAR was founded in 2001 with the support of the Crater Planning District Commission, a central part of the organization’s community-driven vision has been to create a trail connecting the six river municipalities. The ART master plan project builds on years of developing partnerships and community outreach by FOLAR to engage businesses, industry, government and thousands of volunteers, so far producing 10+ miles of trail and $3.5 million of investment in the region. Through these partnerships, and with significant capacity-building support from The Cameron Foundation to strengthen FOLAR’s operations, FOLAR has successfully led the completion of the ART Master Plan and moved the vision one step closer to reality.

The ART Master Plan comprises several components. It provides an inventory of existing trails and identifies the preferred routes. It presents information on trail types as well as corresponding wayfinding signage. It offers guidance to assist with plan implementation, including prioritization of more than 60 proposed trail segments and a summary of potential funding sources. The plan also includes an assessment report on the environmental impact of the proposed trail routes.

Through an additional grant from the Crater Health District under the Virginia Department of Health, the ART Master Plan incorporates recommendations for pedestrian amenities, walkable trail connections, and corresponding signage and mapping in both Hopewell and Petersburg to provide residents more opportunities to add exercise into their daily routines.

“This has been a huge effort on the part of the consultants and FOLAR, and it encompassed the entire community,” said Wendy Austin, executive director of FOLAR. “We feel that we now have a comprehensive and useful tool for communicating the vision of building the trail. Successful implementation will take time, cooperation, diligence, and of course, funding. Developing a unified body of support for the plan will be critical to acquiring funding for implementation.”

The implementation of the ART Master Plan will be an ongoing, coordinated effort involving each of the six municipalities, FOLAR, the Crater Planning District Commission, and key community stakeholders like The Cameron Foundation and the John Randolph Foundation, both of which recently awarded grants to FOLAR for operational support.

Links to the full plan can be found here:

http://folar-va.org/projects/appomattox-river-trail-and-signage-master-plan/

One of my favorite harbingers of spring is listening for the chorus from a frog known as the spring peeper. Peepers inhabit forested wetlands where their tadpoles can thrive. One such place in the James River Park System lies between the Buttermilk Trail and the Norfolk Southern train tracks just east of Reedy Creek. There’s an ephemeral wetland there, and pretty soon –like within the month — you’ll hear the incredibly loud chorus, especially at dusk and dawn. But don’t get too close! The moment the frogs sense an approaching predator, they clam up entirely.

Which brings me to today’s announcement: Maymont is looking for citizen scientists to help them count their frogs. FrogWatch USA is a long-term frog and toad monitoring program that collects data on local species, helping scientists in their battle to stop amphibian decline. If this sounds appealing, you can join the local chapter at Maymont to help with the effort.

Sign up for one of their free training sessions, which will include background on FrogWatch, an introduction to the site, and information on how to monitor and identify the calls of local frogs.

FrogWatch Training Dates at Maymont:

Tuesdays, February 21 & 28, 6-8pm (must attend both sessions)
Saturday, February 25, 10am-2:30pm

While FrogWatch is a great after-dark family activity for all ages, training sessions are designed for interested high schoolers and adults. Registration is required.

For more information, email their Environmental Educators or call 804-358-7168.

First Day Hike at Pocahontas State Park, Jan. 1, 2017.

A record number of visitors at Virginia State Parks in 2016 means that we’ve got a good thing going in the Commonwealth. Higher visitation translates to higher revenues and more respect for tourism in Virginia.

Locally, Pocahontas State Park saw an overall increase of 306,354 visitors, from 1,142,601 visitors in 2015 to 1,448,955 in 2016, according to a release. Powhatan State Park improved 10,887 visitors, from 61,996 in 2015 to 72,883 in 2016.

Read more in the official press release from the Governor’s office:

Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Virginia State Parks attendance in 2016 hit a record-high 10,022,698 visitors, which was a 12 percent increase over 2015. Virginia State Parks, managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), hosted more than 1 million overnight visitors in cabins and campgrounds in 2016, an increase of nearly 3 percent over 2015.

“Virginia’s state park system is the best in the country, and more Virginians and visitors are taking advantage than ever before,” said Governor McAuliffe. “State Parks are a vital part of communities large and small, attracting visitors to the region and generating substantial tourism revenue that directly benefits our local economies. From opening Natural Bridge State Park to making historic investments in the Virginia Treasures Program, this administration has worked hard to protect and expand opportunities to interact with the countless natural and historic attractions our Commonwealth has to offer. I want to thank the staff at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for their hard work making our state park system a world-class asset for the people of Virginia.”

“When attendance increases, so does the economic impact of the state park system,” said Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Director Clyde Cristman. “Visitors spend money in the parks, in local communities and traveling to and from parks. Our 37 state parks have an impact of more than $222 million on Virginia’s economy.”

“Multiple factors contributed to our new attendance record, overall good weather, lower gas prices and the year-long celebration of our 80th anniversary,” said Virginia State Parks Director Craig Seaver. “Last year, a record-high 548,398 people attended our ranger-led environmental and historic programs, an increase of 23 percent over 2015. So there’s no single cause we can point to as a reason for the increases. It’s obvious that more people find value spending time in a Virginia State Park.”

The addition of Natural Bridge State Park, which is in Rockbridge County, accounted for 45,869 visitors since DCR assumed management on September 24, 2016. The increases also came despite the fact that several parks in the Tidewater and Northern Neck regions were closed for weeks because of hurricanes. The storms negatively affected their visitation, overnight attendance and revenue.

The Virginia State Capitol building. Credit: Ron Cogswell

The 2017 General Assembly Session kicked off last week, and our friends at the James River Association are hard at work speaking up for the James River and its watershed. I thought it was worth sharing their priorities for the session. If theirs match up with your priorities for the James, consider contacting your representative and making your voice heard. Or, better yet, if you’re inspired to come to the halls of the General Assembly yourself, you can join the JRA and other groups for Water Lobby Day, scheduled for February 9th. Click here to find out more and register.

Key Priorities

In order to reach the James River Association’s goals for a fully healthy James River and fulfill Virginia’s constitutional commitment to protect our waters, we urge your support of the following critical actions:

Support Water Quality and Land Conservation Funding

Virginia has made significant investments in water quality and land conservation over the last two decades resulting in major pollution reductions and improvements to local water quality. In order to keep Virginia on track with meeting our restoration goals, continued investment is necessary.

Support Proper Coal Ash Management

The James River watershed is home to coal ash ponds capable of holding five billion gallons of coal ash. Each pond in the watershed is adjacent to the river or one of its tributaries. Coal ash, which is a waste product of the electricity generation process, contains arsenic, lead and mercury among other toxics. Virginia’s code does not require utilities to demonstrate that their coal ash ponds are not contaminating surface and groundwater prior to the issuance of a solid waste permit for their closure. We must ensure that these ponds are properly evaluated and are not closed in the midst of ongoing contamination.

Protecting Our Valuable Oyster Reefs

Did you know that oysters have been around for 15 million years? Oysters in the James River are rebounding due to restoration efforts and harvest restrictions to ensure the protection of vital stock. In order to stay on this path, it is important to maintain current protections and ensure no backsliding occurs.