On a recent mountain bike ride, James River Park Superintendent Nathan Burrell told me about some audio tours recently developed featuring of different places in the JRPS. They’re narrated by Ralph White, he said. History, ecology and geology discussed as well as other noteworthy aspects of places like Pony Pasture, Belle Isle and the Floodwall (and more). I had intended to write a piece about the tours then, but it totally slipped my mind until today when the Friends of the James River Park mentioned them in their monthly newsletter.

There are layers of history on Belle Isle that the walking tour will help you discover. Credit: Ed Holden

Here are the details from their post: For your free walking-tour pleasure, you need only a mobile device and an internet connection. You’ll hear about what you are seeing, how it got there, and some of the reasons why the JRPS is special and worth preserving! Listen to any of the tours listed below at www.righthereonce.org:

• The Ecology of the River and Shoreline: A Sound History for the Trails of The Pony Pasture
• Indians To Industry: A Sound History For Belle Isle
• A Sound History For The Manchester Flood Wall
• Geology of the Fall Zone: North Geo Tour
• Geology of the Fall Zone: South Geo Tour

The first three tours were written and narrated by Ralph White and produced and developed by Vaughn Whitney Garland with financial support from The Friends of the James River Park. The two geology tours were produced by Anne Wright for the Science In The Park website, developed by Vaughn Whitney Garland, and narrated by Ralph White.