The Rivanna River is often referred to as "Mr. Jefferson's River" because Thomas Jefferson grew up on the shores of the Rivanna and later built his Monticello home along its banks. Sharing Mr. Jefferson's appreciation for this historic river, a group of Fluvanna County residents established The Rivanna Conservation Society (RCS) in 1990.
Education and Outreach Committee
The Education and Outreach Committee encourages and facilitates public involvement and youth education throughout the watershed. The committee designs public events, display booths, kiosks, educational materials and the RCS Website. RCS conducts programs in area schools, gives presentations to community groups, hosts the Teacher and Youth Watershed Summits and facilitates World Water Monitoring Day.
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Clean Ups
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Canoe and kayak trips
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Hikes through riparian forests
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Paddles and Sojourns
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Public outreach through newsletters, blogs and the website
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Riparian buffer construction and maintenance
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Stormwater Codes and Ordinance Review Project
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Student and teacher education programs
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Teacher Watershed Summit
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Trail and boat launch maintenance
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Water quality monitoring programs and events
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Watershed restoration projects
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World Water Monitoring Day
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Youth Watershed Summit
RCS actively pursues community networking. For example, RCS is a member of
1) Rivanna River Basin Commission,
2) StreamWatch Steering Committee,
3) Rivanna River Coordinating Group, RCS serves as Chair
4) Virginia Citizens for Water Quality.