Pocahontas State Park volunteers received a big lift from outdoor retailer REI, this time in the form of a large trailer intended to support those building and maintaining trails at the park. The trailer was purchased with a $4,000 donation made by REI Richmond last year and recently filled with hand tools from an additional contribution of $2,500. These donations come on the heels of the $20,000 REI Richmond provided to Friends of Pocahontas State Park in 2018. Those funds were used to help establish the Co-Op Trail, which opened in 2019 and is now the most popular hiking trail…
Browsing: Outdoors
JAMES RIVER ASSOCIATION
The James River Association (JRA) has officially opened registration for its 2020 season of “Connect with the James” programs. Open to the public, they provide a one-of-kind experience in getting on the water while learning about the history and natural resources of the James River and its tributaries. Opportunities include canoeing, kayaking, and informative outings on the JRA’s education vessel, Spirit of the James. “Helping people develop an appreciation for the James River, its natural resources, and [as] cultural resources is what the James River Association does best,” said Justin Doyle, JRA’s Community Conservation Manager. “Our Connect with the James programs…
Virginia State Parks are working toward a goal to reopen campgrounds for Memorial Day weekend. The announcement to allow for the opening of campgrounds came Friday during Gov. Northam’s press conference as part of the state’s Phase One reopening strategy. Gov. Northam announced that while state parks continue to be open for day use, overnight facilities will open following a phased approach beginning with park campgrounds. Guests should check the individual park’s Web site before their visit for the latest updates. Guests who had a camping reservation canceled with a check-in before May 21 and with a check-out after May…
Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Virginia to receive three Battelle Critical Care Decontamination Systems (CCDS) that can collectively sterilize up to 240,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) per day for reuse. The three systems will be operational in the Town of Blacksburg, the City of Newport News, and Chesterfield County within the middle of May. The Battelle CCDS uses a concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor to decontaminate N95 masks, which can sustain up to 20 decontamination cycles without degrading filtration performance. This technology will help address the national shortage of critical PPE…
Brown gets a playful rub from Sara Babb. (Dianne Merryman) When Chesterfield resident Sara Babb discovered she could intertwine her career in social work and counseling with her love of horses, she jumped at the chance to combine both of her passions. So she started a nonprofit: emPOWER Equine Assisted Services. The program uses horses as part of a team to help people find understanding, solutions and empowerment in their daily lives. Each session tells a story about how the client is feeling and what is influencing his or her behavior. Influences may be recent or an expression of a…
The popular ChesterFest event is back Saturday, Sept. 28. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Chester Village Green and surrounding streets. “This year’s music will be done different from years past,” organizer Elliott Fausz said. “We won’t have any large acts on the main stage. Instead, we will have several small/solo acts scattered around the festival. Think street performers on the corner playing the sax or bagpipes or one-man show.” The dog show will start on the green’s main stage at 10 a.m. Categories include: best in show, best large, best small, best…
All levels of paddlers welcome to preserve the Appomattox River during the 12th annual “Paddle or Battle” on Saturday, Sept. 28. Paddle or Battle is an opportunity for a recreational paddle or a competitive race in a canoe, kayak, or SUP board on the scenic Appomattox River. The 10-mile route begins at the Hopewell City Marina near the convergence with the James River and ends at Petersburg Pocahontas Island Park. New this year, Hopewell Recreation and Parks is offering a guided paddle that includes all equipment and a dedicated morning shuttle. A shorter, 2-mile-out-and-back route is available. The entire 10-mile…
Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation will open a new nature-themed playground at R. Garland Dodd Park at Point of Rocks, 201 Enon Church Road, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2. Funding came from Niagara Cares, the philanthropic arm of Niagara Bottling, and the project was completed in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. The first of its kind in Chesterfield, the nature playground features elements that reflect flora and fauna from the natural environment, such as ants, butterflies, frogs, mushrooms and turtles, as well as educational signage.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is seeking public input on the preferred multi-use trail corridor identified during the Ashland to Petersburg Trail Study. Through a virtual presentation and two public information meetings, VDOT will provide an overview of the trail study process to date, present the findings from the development and evaluation of multi-use trail corridor options, present the preferred multi-use trail corridor for the development of future active transportation projects, and solicit feedback on the study findings and recommendations. The meetings will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond South/Southpark, 800…
A memorandum of understanding between Chesterfield County and Dominion Energy calls for decommissioning of a boat ramp at Dutch Gap Conservation Area in order to allow the utility to remove coal ash from two coal ash “ponds” along Coxendale Road near Henricus Historical Park. The proposal calls for two new boat ramps at the 108-acre James River Conservation Area, located east of Falling Creek Ironworks Park and Interstate 95, including 7,000 feet of new roadway at the above site. That portion of the project would cost an estimated $5 million, take two years to engineer and two years to build.…