I recent trip down the Facebook rabbit hole led me to an online contest that I thought I’d share. If you haven’t heard of Richmond Unite, the organization gives money away to local charities that focus on area youth in different ways. As the website says, “We are here to raise money for YOUR organization! We support charities that have programs for the youth of RVA because we know that if you improve the life of one child, you improve the future of many people. Last year voting resulted in 29 local charities receiving funds from our project. In total, $107,000 was given to RVA area programs that support youth.”

Scrolling through the list of eligible charities this year, I saw two that I can personally speak highly of, both of which (go figure!) have an outdoors bent. All the charities seem worthy, but make sure you you give Richmond Cycle Corps and Blue Sky Fund a hard look. You can vote every day through September 15th.

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Ed Clark, president of the Wildlife Center of Va., prepares to release a bald eagle.

On Sunday, I wote in the T-D about a co-operative arrangement between the Wildlife Center of Virginia and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to help care for orphaned black bear cubs. The goal is to allow cubs orphaned in the spring to live with a surrogate mother (and possibly her other cubs) until the cubs are old enough to fend for themselves. The arrangement calls for a wooded facility of concentric enclosures to be built adjacent to the Wildlife Center’s property near Waynesboro. If funding can be found, DGIF and WCV officials told me, the hope is to have the facility up and running by this coming spring.

But writing the column also reminded me what a cool place the Wildlife Center is, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the George Washington National Forest. The WCV is not open to the public every day, but it does offer pre-arranged group tours (including school groups) for a small fee ($4-6, depending on which tour you choose.) The WCV also offers free open houses in the fall and the spring. The open houses are so popular that the fall dates are already sold out, but if you bookmark their website or sign up you’ll know when they announce the spring dates. Trust me when I tell you, a trip to the WCV to watch some of the best wildlife rehabilitators in America work their magic is not to be missed.

Alex, a screech owl, was treated by the WCV in 2007.

If you know where to look and what to look for, signs of fall are starting to creep into Central Virginia. In my column in today’s Times-Dispatch, I write about two of those signs: paw paws and cardinal flowers. I blogged about paw paws a couple of days ago, and since then I’ve had a number of people ask me where to go look for them. Unlike in recent years, this year seems to be a banner one for paw paws. So, once you can identify a paw paw tree, you’re sure to find their edible fruit. In the past week, I’ve seen fruit-bearing trees on both the north and south banks of the James River as well as in Forest Hill Park.

Paw paws taste like a banana/mango hybrid

The fruit ripen on the vine (so to speak) and they ripen quickly. If you see a group that’s not yet ripe, make a mental note to come back later. Don’t wait more than a day, though, because squirrels or raccoons are sure to harvest them quickly if you don’t.

If you want to find cardinal flowers, a fun way to do it is by canoe/kayak. One option: Put in at Pony Pasture and paddle down to Nickel Bridge. There, hug the south bank where the James creates a number of channels and islands. You’ll find the beautiful red flowers on many of the banks.

Cardinal flower in bloom

Chinkapin oak acorns

Virginians can help preserve native tree species by collecting acorns and seeds from 11 species and delivering them to the nearest office of the Virginia Department of Forestry.

“Generally, the best time to collect acorns is the last week in September through the first week of October,” said Josh McLaughlin, nursery forester. “Every bag of acorns and seed collected by citizens will help us keep Virginia beautiful.”

The species most needed are: Alleghany Chinkapin; Chinese Chestnut; Hazelnut; Black Oak; Chestnut Oak; Northern Red Oak; Pin Oak; Sawtooth Oak; White Oak; Willow Oak, and Black Walnut.

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The James River Association is dedicated to helping clean and protect America’s Founding River, see these opportunities for you to help:Read More

Some creative minds at local companies bioRide, Urban Grid and Ellwood Thompson’s have a vision, as their new website says, “that through combined efforts, teamwork, and a little sweat, could change Richmond for the better.” Becky Lakin of ET’s, Samantha Heyl, of Urban Grid, and Jeff and Joey Anderson, of bioRide, are the creative minds, and to further their vision they created an organization: SustainRVA.

“We Richmonders love our city. We love the James River, Downtown, the Fan, the art, the events, the low cost of living relative to all of the super cool things we have access to,” they write. “We love it all. But sometimes, we forget to slow down and take some time to give that love back to the city that gives so much to us. On the foundation of the belief that we can pull resources together and create a movement, we established sustainRVA and created the organizations first ever event – RENEW RICHMOND. Welcome to that event and thank you for joining us.”

RichmondOutside.com recognizes that without clean waters, woods, and communities, the River City wouldn’t be nearly the outdoors destination it currently is and is in the process of becoming. Who wants to paddle past trash on the James or ride past it in Pocahontas State Park? For that reason (and because we’re pretty excited about the trash-art contest), we’re proud to partner with sustainRVA in promoting Renew Richmond.

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Paw paws getting ready to ripen on the south bank of the James River.

The paw paws are in, and, based on what I’ve seen in walks along the James over the past few days, it looks like it’s going to be a good year. Two years ago, I wrote a column in the T-D about a search for paw paws, that mango-banana-like fruit that sprouts from the tree of the same name. That year, however, I found precious few fruit-bearing paw paw trees. It was a very a dry summer, and the paw paw trees apparently decided it was in their best interest to husband their resources for growing as opposed to reproducing. Well, at least where I was walking on the James’ south bank near Reedy Creek last week, reproduction is in full swing this year.

But here’s the thing about paw paws (the largest edible fruit native to the United States): if you blink, you’ll miss them. They ripen so quickly that you really need to check back daily to make sure you don’t miss them at their height. And there are plenty of critters out there who won’t miss the opportunity to pounce on a ripe paw paw.

If you aren’t familiar with the paw paw, either the tree or the fruit, your education should start with a guy named Neal Peterson. The facts page on his website is particularly edifying.

Want to take off in search of paw paws (a great activity for parents and kids, BTW)? The forest canopy along the banks of the James is loaded with them. Once you know what a paw paw tree looks like, you’ll see them everywhere. Pick any trail near the water, and start walking. But remember, if you see a group of paw paws that isn’t ripe yet, make a mental note to come back often. The day you don’t could be the day they ripen and the day a squirrel gets drunk on paw paw juice.

The leaves of the paw paw tree are distinctive.

I wanted to bring some attention to an opportunity to see a facet of Richmond’s history as few have. Friends Mike Ostrander and Scott Williams have a few spots left on this Saturday’s Civil War Tour of the tidal James River. Scott is the Chairman of the Military History Committee for the Chesterfield Historical Society. He was the mapmaker and a contributing author for the recently published Bermuda Hundred Campaign Tour Guide. Scott is also an active Civil War re-enactor for numerous events staged throughout the Commonwealth annually. Capt. Mike is recognized as one of the leading river guides on the James and has been offering a variety of fishing, historical and wildlife tours for over ten years.

U.S.S. Casco, a light-draft monitor, on the James River.

The Civil War on the James Tour offers the natural beauty of the James River as you trace the Naval actions that took place in the area of Dutch Gap and Jones Neck from 1862-1865. Listen to stories about Confederate torpedoes, the Dutch Gap Canal, The Bermuda Hundred Campaign, and the James River Squadron’s desperate attempt to break out at Trent’s Reach. The stretch of river featured during the tour offers a unique opportunity to visualize these and other historic events in a landscape that has changed little since the time they took place almost one hundred and fifty years ago. The Civil War Tour also offers great opportunities to view wildlife on the river and in the Dutch Gap Conservation Area. Listen to storyteller Scott Williams, our leading Civil War interpreter, while Capt. Mike Ostrander guides the Discovery Barge II, a 24-foot covered pontoon boat, along the historic James River.

 There are two tours Aug. 19, one from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. and another from 10:30 to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $50 per person.

The James River Association has a cool new tool on their website that river lovers will find useful. It’s called James River Watch, and it allows users to check on a number of water quality indicators from home via an interactive map.

To avoid this beast on the lower James, check out James River Watch before you swim.

From a press release: “James River Watch features an easy-to-understand, interactive map that gives up-to-the-hour information such as river height and water temperature. Color-coded dots at public boat landings provide local condition information. In the Upper and Middle James, information is provided by U.S. Geological Survey river gauge stations. In the Lower James, information including wave height, is provided by National Oceanic Atmospheric Association river buoys.”

Let’s say you plan on going swimming in the James down by Williamsburg. If you go to the site first, you can find out if stinging nettles, harmful algae and bacteria have shown up in that area and at what levels. Farther upstream you can check conditions like water temperature at a number of different James River tributaries. It’s a great resource, and the JRA hopes to include additional features, like fishing conditions and pollution alerts, in the future.

Are you tired of seeing trash in our rivers, streams, streets, and parks? See this release from the James River Association and let them help you plan a trash cleanup. Read More