Yesterday around 10 a.m. local photographer Chris Johnson, whose work we’ve featured here often, headed out to Pony Pasture in search of wildlife. He was in luck.

About 40 yards upstream from the small, auxiliary parking lot west of the main lot, he found two bald eagles on a rock in the middle of the James chowing down. Johnson couldn’t tell at first what the eagles were eating, but it was too big for them to fly away with (as they would normally do) so the pictures he was able to capture were much closer than usual. Here are four of them. What do you think they’re eating? Canada goose, maybe? Beaver? Otter?

After I posted yesterday about the conservation easement two Richmond landowners placed on their properties to protect their riverside land from development in perpetuity, I received an email from Greg Velzy. The local paddling legend wanted to remind me that the stretch of the James through Richmond is a “State SCENIC RIVER (that too few people actually know exists). Here is a brief summary of what folks have been involved with since the late 60’s. The Scenic River Advisory Committee actually meets on a monthly basis, and has been doing so for over 40 years! ….Working to preserve the scenic and recreational values of our hometown gem.”

The James River Outdoor Coalition has a fuller accounting on their website, but here’s a bit of the little-known backstory that launched this group in Richmond. It’s amazing to think that instead of Huguenot Flatwater, Pony Pasture and Williams Island, we almost had a highway.

This seems like a better use for the James than as highway decoration. Credit: Mike Ostrander

On Monday, October 24, 1966, the headline in The Richmond News Leader read “Expressway Opens Recreation Vista.” The portion of the plan that inspired the “Recreation Vista” headline, “Riverside Parkway,” turned out to be a road never built. It aroused significant opposition and launched an organized environmental awareness that led to the designation of the Falls of the James as a State Scenic River and shaped a significant portion of the river dialogue in the years to follow.

As part of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority’s plan for an expressway system, the Riverside Parkway would have created a four-lane, limited access highway along the south bank of the James River. The parkway would have extended into the river for a considerable distance, requiring the removal of part of Williams Island to replace the channel filled by the parkway. It would have had an elevation of up to 11 feet above the current riverbank.

Very little opposition to the Riverside Parkway was expressed during the period immediately following the unveiling of the expressway plans. An early foreshadowing of events to come, however, was a Girl Scout hike in 1967 along a portion of the proposed route of the Riverside Parkway. The organizer, Louise Burke, invited a reporter to join the “farewell to the river hike” and the event and the concern it symbolized were reported in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A second note of concern came in the form of a newspaper article in the summer of 1970 by Ken Ringle, an Associated Press reporter assigned to Richmond. It read, in part:

The city of Richmond, in one of those moves that bring environmentalists close to tears, is spending money simultaneously to both celebrate and molest the city’s longtime ecological poor relation, the James River.

At one end of Richmond preparations are under way for the opening next month of the $720,000 first phase of the $6 million James River Park, an ambitious and incredibly beautiful design threading 2,000 acres of tree-arched, wildflowered riverbank with trails and rustic bridges and giving the Richmond public its first legal access to the James within memory.

At the other end of the city, in the newly annexed portion to the west, the city-backed Richmond Metropolitan Authority is preparing to run a four-lane expressway for 2 ½ miles down the south bank, ripping up trees, paving over riverbank and shadowing the boulder-stream rapids with nylon-stilted forays in the riverbed itself.

. . . . the James has been largely ignored for most of this century by Richmond, and only recently in a quest of a civic identity beyond its Confederate monuments, has the city focused attention on the natural asset which was there all along (The Free-Lance Star, Fredericksburg, June 23, 1970 ).

I thought it was worth highlighting this incredible short video from local filmmaker Melissa Lesh about the James River Park. As Lesh writes in notes accompanying the video, “The James River Park is the beating heart of Richmond, Virginia — the James River, it’s liquid lifeline.”

If you love the outdoors — heck, even if you don’t (or don’t yet realize you do) — this video will give you a fresh appreciation for the James River, the James River Park and what they mean to Richmond’s identity.

(The film was made possible by Ralph White, Anne Wright and Jon Baliles.)

The Times-Dispatch’s Graham Moomaw reported late last night that Richmond’s City Council voted down a controversial stream restoration project in South Richmond, a project that many neighbors were vehemently against because it would mean the removal of hundreds of trees.

Writes Moomaw: The council voted 8-1 to refuse $635,000 in state grant funding, effectively halting the $1.2 million project for the foreseeable future. The council also voiced its desire for a fuller planning process and more governmental collaboration with interested groups. Fourth District Councilwoman Kathy C. Graziano was the only member to vote in favor of accepting the money.

I live near the section of Reedy Creek in question (near Forest Hill Park). I’ve hiked it with my dogs and seen what the project would have done to the area, at least in the short term, in exchange for supposed long term gains in erosion and flood control that seem dubious. I was heartened to hear Third District Councilman Chris Hilbert say this:“Government is something in which you participate. It’s not something that should be done to you. I think in this case, we need to be inclusive of citizens’ opinions and get that buy-in.”

From the T-D: The city billed the 3,000-foot project as a cost-effective way to reduce pollutants flowing into the Chesapeake Bay and move the city toward compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. Opponents, spearheaded by the volunteer Reedy Creek Coalition, said the project would destroy a “neighborhood treasure” and pushed to preserve the wooded area behind George Wythe High School and between Westover Hills Boulevard and Roanoke Street.

Belmead Plantation

The newly formed nonprofit Belmead on the James, Inc. today launched a major campaign to raise $400,000 towards the purchase of the Belmead property in Powhatan, Virginia from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (SBS). The 2,265-acre property is the site where St. Emma Military Academy and St. Francis de Sales High School, established by Louise Drexel Morrell and Saint Katharine Drexel respectively, operated from 1895 to 1972 and educated over 15,000 African American youth. On May 3, 2016, the SBS announced their intention to sell Belmead, and on October 26, 2016 the property was officially placed on the market.

The Board of Directors of Belmead on the James, Inc. (BOJI), countless volunteers, Alumni, and other supporters are working tirelessly to save the cultural, historical, spiritual, ecological, and educational legacy of Saint Katharine Drexel, so that present and future generations of Virginians and Americans can benefit from these treasures. In a time when our Nation and the world have been rocked by vitriol and violence amongst people of different races, creeds and socioeconomic backgrounds, we need a place that speaks to our human potential for justice and healing . . . for ourselves and for our environment. St. Katharine created such a place over 120 years ago in the heart of Virginia, at Belmead.  BOJI is committed to maintaining the pristine natural beauty of this sacred space as a warm and welcoming place for all God’s children.   BOJI is dedicated to providing excellent stewardship of the natural resources and of St. Katharine Drexel’s cultural, historical, spiritual, ecological, and educational legacy at Belmead.

To accomplish this BOjI needs immediate help from the public. As a first step BOJI must raise $400,000 dollars by December 1, 2016, to assist in securing financing to purchase the property. To that end, BOJI is asking 4000 donors to give $100 dollars as soon as possible, but by December 1, 2016 at the latest. While this a tall order, based on the outpouring of concern expressed during the past six months that this National treasure might be lost to commercial interests, BOJI believes that donors will step forward to save this amazing place – Belmead on the James.

For more information about Belmead on the James, Inc. and the campaign to save Saint Katharine Drexel’s Legacy, please email belmeadonthejames@gmail.com or visit the website www.belmeadonthejames.com .

You can support our cause by visiting our donation page at http://www.belmeadonthejames.com/donate or mailing a check to Belmead on the James, Inc. 4599 Cosby Road, Powhatan, VA 23139.

A boardwalk in Henrico’s Cheswick Park.

In the Op/Ed section of Tuesday’s Times-Dispatch, Sports Backers Executive Director Jon Lugbill clues us in to something all Henrico voters should keep an eye out for in the ballot box next Tuesday.

“A bond referendum package for parks projects would include an 87.1 million investment over six years, without an increase in the tax rate,” Lugbill writes.

Among the natural areas in the county that would see improvements: Greenwood Park, Tuckahoe Park, Taylor Park, Cheswick Park, Tuckahoe Creek Park, Dorey Park, Deep Run Park, and Three Lakes Nature Center.

I’ve hiked at Cheswick and Deep Run parks, fished at Three Lakes, mountain biked at Dorey and bird watched at Tuckahoe Creek. The idea of those green spaces getting even more TLC is an exciting one.

“Henrico’s bond referendum elevates its support of active-living infrastructure for its residents and maximizes the benefits of sports tourism,” Lugbill adds.

Give Lugbill’s column a read, Henrico voters, then do yourself a favor and vote for increased resources for Henrico’s nature parks.

If you do anything in your day that includes water, you should appreciate how important it is for it to be clean and free of pollution.

“A fully healthy James River will help our community thrive,” said Bill Street, the CEO of the James River Association. “It can be our greatest asset or our greatest liability.”

James River Association 40th Anniversary Celebration at The Boathouse, Oct. 27, 2016

Street was speaking in Richmond Thursday evening during the celebration of the James River Association’s 40th Anniversary, which included an oyster roast, great food and cocktails at The Boathouse restaurant at Rocketts Landing. The meeting was the final of three annual meetings held throughout the watershed. The first two were held in Williamsburg and Lynchburg and included updates on the nonprofit’s progress as well as a look to the future.

He and other speakers on the evening spoke about nature deficit disorder and our need as a society to spend more time connecting with Mother Nature. “Studies have shown us that if people have a personal experience outdoors, they are twice as likely to care and say that they are willing to do their share and invest in protecting the environment,” he said.

What better way than a visit to your favorite sport on the river?

According to the 2015 State of the James River Report, the overall health of the river was graded as a B-minus. Street said that 40 years ago when the James River Association was formed, the river was graded as a D-minus.

“Now it is one of the most improved rivers in the country” and one of the healthiest tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, he said. “Where the Boathouse is [now] was once one of the most polluted in the country.”

Street told a few touching stories about how nasty the river had become. Hard to believe we would tolerate that kind of abuse, especially since it is the primary source of drinking water for the Richmond region.

“We had really just reached the low point,” he said. The river had been shut down to fishing. Pollution made the river unsafe for recreational use. “The James was looked at as dispose all, a dumping ground…raw sewage was released into the river,” he said. “Truly we had reached the depths.”

If you’ve never read about Newton Ancarrow, you may not know about how unhealthy and polluted the James River was in by the 1970s. It is safe to say that people like Ancarrow were the inspiration for people like Ralph White (retired James River Park manager) that made Richmond take notice of this beautiful asset – which is now a watery playground for so many after decades of neglect.

Now we have the highest concentration of bald eagles on the East Coast and one of the most robust populations of Atlantic Sturgeon as well.

Street said that the JRA was challenged to look ahead to 10 years from now and how they should celebrate at their 50th anniversary. He mentioned several developments and initiatives that will help in the next decade:

• This past year, the Virginia General Assembly dedicated $140 million to clean water, including a record investment of $60 million to help farmers with runoff and point source pollution
• More protections against coal ash pollution
• More work with cities like Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond and Petersburg to limit stormwater runoff
• Continued improvements in volunteer water monitoring

Street said the James River Association helped open 20 new access points along the James River in the past year. Also, they have continued to push for improvements to the Richmond Riverfront and have continued to help plan for more recreational options on rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay by participating in the Regional Rivers Plan.

At the event, the JRA recognized this year’s River Hero Award winners: Alyson Sappington from the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District and Julie Coleman, an educator who is currently at Monacan High School in Chesterfield County.

High levels of arsenic, lead and other toxins associated with coal ash have been found in water and sediment samples from a popular recreation area surrounding the Chesterfield Power Station. The results came from recent testing by the James River Association and the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The Chesterfield coal ash ponds, ringed with walking trails, are in the middle of areas used for hiking, bicycling, boating and fishing. Thousands of visitors a year explore the Dutch Gap Conservation Area and Henricus Historical Park. Both facilities border the coal ash pits.

Results from recent water testing around Dominion Power’s Chesterfield plant show elevated levels of coal ash pollutants. Credit: Mike Mather/SELC

In an email sent earlier this month to state officials, SELC and the James River Association wrote, “The results reveal significant pollution in the surface waters surrounding the plant – waters which are heavily used for recreation.”

The email went to Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Director David Paylor and Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward. The latest test results from water next to the coal ash pits showed high concentrations of zinc, nickel, copper and lead which is evidence that coal ash toxins are leaking into the water. A sediment sample taken from a cove located between the two Chesterfield ash ponds showed “highly elevated arsenic.”

The test results come as the State Water Control Board will be asked on Sept. 22 to approve a water discharge permit that would authorize Dominion to drain water from some of Chesterfield’s coal ash ponds. That’s in preparation for Dominion Virginia Power’s eventual plan to bury the ash on the banks of the James River.

“The recent test results also confirm the Chesterfield coal ash pits and ponds are leaking toxins, but what is most troubling is that the pollution is seeping into water that draws fishermen and families,” said Brad McLane, an SELC attorney. “And under Dominion’s plan to bury this coal ash right where it sits, on the banks of the James River, this pollution could continue forever.”

The area is believed to contain at least 20 million tons of toxic coal ash, but actual volume of ash is not known.

“These test results are clearly a concern to us, but should also be worrisome to everyone who hikes the trails, canoes in the lake, or fishes from the bank,” said Jamie Brunkow, Lower James Riverkeeper for the James River Association. “Toxins are literally leaking out of the ash ponds and into areas that the county considers a top recreational draw.”

SELC and JRA are urging the water-control board to require the DEQ to revise the water pollution permit to impose stronger protections of the James River before DEQ issues the permit to Dominion. SELC and JRA are also opposing Dominion’s plans to bury the coal ash at the site, and instead are advocating for a better solution that will stop the leaching of pollution into the James River.

This past Saturday a 16-man team from the Misdemeanor Community Service Program participated in the cleanup of Ancarrow’s Landing. The efforts included landscaping and trash collection at the popular fishing spot located just south of Shockoe Bottom along the James River.

“The Misdemeanor Community Service Program is a wonderful way for non-violent offenders to serve out their sentence by doing good works for the communities in which they live,” said Sheriff C.T. Woody. “They become stakeholders in their environment. They can readily see the results of their work, and being that Ancarrow’s Landing is such an important historical landmark, they can take immediate pride in their labor.”

Ancarrow’s Landing is an important historical landmark in Richmond. It was one of the busiest  ports in the South and was an arrival point for African slaves as well as British goods. It was also the site of the Confederate Naval Yard, and construction of the Confederate Ironclads, which protected the City of Richmond from naval invasion, began here. Today, the small park located near Rockett’s Landing marks the beginning of the Richmond Slave Trail and has access to the Manchester Docks. It is also a favorite of local fishermen and those enjoying the scenic waters of the James River via boat. Ancarrow’s Landing was named for Newton Ancarrow, a 20th Century scientist turned master boat builder, who was a pioneer for the conservation of the James River.