Jocelyn Rowe and Charles Henshaw view the surroundings from a boardwalk at Dutch Gap Conservation Area last week.
A fairly new boardwalk at Dutch Gap Conservation Area recently won an award.
A boardwalk located at the last parking area before Henricus Historical Park was recently selected for the 2019 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award. The boardwalk was a gold medal winner in the competition. The award was announced at the annual Environmental Virginia Symposium in Lexington in late March.
The Dutch Gap Relic River Boardwalk includes 148 feet of elevated boardwalk and 400 feet of floating boardwalk with a canoe/kayak launch, which are fully handicapped accessible for wildlife observation and boating. Interpretive signage links cultural and natural history and enhances the wetland experience for park visitors.
The boardwalk opened in February 2018, and the canoe/kayak launch was opened in June 2018.
The $425,000 project was made possible by a $125,000 National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Gateways grant and $62,500 from the Henricus Foundation, along with county funding and 3,309 hours contributed by county Parks and Recreation staff and the sheriff’s inmate work crew.
The parking area by the boardwalk has spaces for eight vehicles, including two handicapped areas.
The awards — sponsored by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation — recognize innovative projects with significant environmental contributions in four categories. Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation’s project won in the Implementation of the Virginia Outdoors Plan category.
