After three years and countless volunteer hours, The Scheier Natural Area was officially opened on Tuesday, September 19th, 2000. Howard Scheier dreamed of a public natural area on his land. The Rivanna Conservation Society has turned that dream into a reality. To mark the occasion, RCS President Andy Wilson thanked Senator Edd Houck who was instrumental in obtaining a grant to complete the master plan and fund needed improvements to the property. Senator Houck said a few words about the dedication of RCS and the dream behind this natural area in Fluvanna County. RCS Board Member Roger Black then spoke about Howard Scheier and his life. A ribbon cutting took place to officially open the area and to call attention to the information kiosk. Participants were then offered the opportunity to hike and enjoy a picnic dinner. Turnout was fantastic with approximately 65 adults and 20 children enjoying the food, history and beauty of The Scheier Natural Area.
A very special thanks goes out to the following businesses that helped turn our dream into a reality: Slate Designs, Carolina Builders and Connell Construction. Camp Friendship and Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation also helped us ensure a smooth grand opening celebration. Finally, the elected officials and employees of Fluvanna County should be acknowledged for the support that they have offered during this three-year project.
-Jackie Brown
The Rivanna River scored an excellent at our fall water quality testing! We follow the monitoring protocol of the Izaak Walton League Save Our Streams program and in our fall sample we found a healthy number of pollution sensitive organisms...enough to give the Rivanna River a water quality rating of excellent!
Mr. Scheier was an avid hunter and in many ways he lived off the land during his lifetime. In keeping with his beliefs he willed certain individuals the right to hunt at Scheier. During the November board meeting the directors voted to honor this tradition by closing the Natural Area to hikers on specified days. The Scheier Committee supported this decision and continues to believe Scheier can be a "multi-use" facility.
To ensure safety please adhere to the following:
* The Scheier Natural Area is closed to hikers on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and January 1-6, 2001.
* Use common sense when hiking in the woods during hunting season. Bright colored clothing and blaze orange are encouraged.
* The Natural Area has been posted "No Hunting" for the general public and hunters not named in Howard's will who may stray onto the property.
We'll be offering a free paddling clinic next spring! Stay tuned for more details!
| Andy Wilson
President Jackie Brown Vice President Steve Pence Immediate Past President Tanya Denckla Treasurer Directors: Roger Black Pat Calvert David Carter Wanda Himes Kris Parker Angus Murdoch Glenn Metzler Tim SanJule Administrator/ Newsletter Editor |
MISSION: The Rivanna Conservation Society is dedicated to safeguarding the ecological, scenic, recreational and historic resources of the Rivanna River and its watershed.
The RCS mission statement mandates our safeguarding the ecological, scenic, recreational and historic resources of the Rivanna River. One important aspect in achieving this goal is the coordination of our efforts with other watershed organizations.
This past year your RCS board members have worked with a number of such groups. Our successful efforts to obtain grant funding for Scheier Natural Area and the Water Trails Map have been coordinated with Fluvanna County Historical Society and Heritage Trails Foundation. Efforts to improve canoe access to the Rivanna River south of Palmyra have been coordinated with Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation Department and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Steve Pence and Tim SanJule attend the monthly meetings of the Rivanna Round Table in Charlottesville. Pat Calvert and myself have been appointed to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District's newly formed Water Resources Advisory Council.
This year RCS jointly sponsored several successful events with other organizations, including the spring lecture series of four programs at Ivy Creek Natural Area and, in May, the Rivanna River Festival with the Rivanna Watershed Center. In October we joined with the Virginia Canals and Navigation Society for a workday at Bernardsburg lock near Lake Monticello. Our highly successful November river float was co-sponsored with the Virginia Museum of Natural History and the Environmental Education Center. Working with these and other organizations is both rewarding and time consuming, but has long-run implications for our success.
As the human population in the Rivanna watershed continues to grow, demands for river resources are also increasing. To resist further water withdrawals from the Rivanna River, RCS must be prepared to work effectively with a spectrum of organizations. The 1999 drought demonstrated that present withdrawals from the river leave instream flows dangerously low. Limiting withdrawals will require continued representation before public and private decision makers. To fulfill the RCS mission requires close coordination with other watershed organizations.
There is added strength in numbers.
-Andy Wilson
Well we did it again! On October 23rd, a thirty-mile stretch of the Rivanna River was given a much needed cleanup courtesy of RCS members and friends.
As our lucky streak continued, we were graced with a beautiful day to pile objects strange and numerous into canoes on five separate sections of the river between Charlottesville and Palmyra. This year, with the help of the Rivanna Rowing Club, the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir was included. At least 80 tires, a satellite dish, a "Port-a-John", a golf bag and a bicycle were among the finds. Bait containers, cans, bottles and plastic shopping bags to numerous to count rounded out the collection. Over 40 boats were on the water and not one went unfilled!
The 108 volunteers who spent a good chunk of the day out on the Rivanna and on her banks got more than just their hands dirty as they pulled at least nine pick-up truckloads of trash out of the river. They deserve buckets of appreciation for getting the "sanitation engineering" done with such great patience, spirit and humor. Due to space constraints we can not list everyone who helped. It was a great day.
We do need to mention some folks on the sideline who also helped to make the clean up possible. Becky Calvert organized a great party for all of us at the end of the day. V.F.W. Post 1827 donated the use of their building for the party. James River Reeling and Rafting donated the use of a bus, two trailers and 20 canoes. Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation donated the use of their van and canoe trailer complete with 8 canoes. Ron Martin Appliance donated funds to help cover food and the cost of the band for the clean up party. ALLTEL Communication donated the use of cell phones. Whole Foods, Integral Yoga, Papa John's Pizza and Domino's Pizza all donated food. The Virginia Department of Transportation provided trash pickup after the event. Please patronize and thank these folks when you can.
Great food and a slice of history marked the Rivanna Conservation Society's Annual Meeting this past November. The meeting was held at the Scheier Natural Area, located on SR 639. This year's theme was a celebration of our 10-year anniversary! We went back in time to a good "old-fashioned" potluck and heard stories from founding members Steve Pence and Chet Maxey. After dessert many folks enjoyed a guided hike on the trail system of the recently opened Scheier Natural Area. It was a fine way to spend an afternoon...we look forward to seeing you there next year!
Mike Quist of Schuyler was the lucky winner of the Third Annual Rivanna Conservation Society Canoe Raffle. Mike said that he bought a raffle ticket at the spur of the moment to help RCS in their mission to safeguard the Rivanna. Winning the canoe was the farthest thing from his mind! Well, Mike did help us and on September 1st he also helped himself to a new Blue Hole Canoe! He now joins the ranks of local canoe owners that are lucky enough to live near the first designated "Scenic River" in our state, the Rivanna River.
We want to thank everyone who purchased a raffle ticket from us this past summer. We sold nearly 1000 tickets and raised over $4,000 for our organization. This support makes it possible for RCS to organize clean ups, coordinate stream bank restorations, produce educational newsletters and advocate for the river in local politics. In short, support like this helps us do our job. We plan to raffle off another canoe next year ? maybe you'll be the winner!
We could not have had this fundraiser without the support of The Blue Hole Canoe Company in Gordonsville. Their continued willingness to sell a canoe to RCS at cost every year is a fine example of how local businesses make a difference in their communities.
In vote of 3-2 the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors approved the Tenaska Corporation's proposal to construct a 900-megawatt natural gas-powered electrical generation plant on 550 acres near Antioch in the watershed of Cunningham Creek. In a related move the Supervisors approved an amendment to Fluvanna's agricultural zoning that would allow power plants to locate at power line ? gas line intersections subject to county approval of a special use permit.
The RCS Board voted unanimously to oppose the Tenaska proposal based upon the generation plants excessive water use and expected environmental degradation from impervious surface runoff, noise and lighting.
The overwhelming majority of RCS members that we have heard from on this issue have expressed strong opposition to new power plants in Fluvanna County. Nevertheless, the RCS Board did not reach its position quickly or easily; rather we believe that we made an honest effort to analyze the relative impacts of the realistic range of ecologically unpleasant land use options for northwestern Fluvanna County. We are painfully aware that the water quality devils we know (non-point source impacts from residential and commercial sprawl) can and very likely will harm us as much or more than the industrial water quality devils that are now making appearances in our lovely County. Be that as it may, we believe that the impact of the Tenaska plant will be more severe than the residential build out possible on that same land under Fluvanna's agricultural zoning guidelines.
Discouraging and divisive as recent developments may have been, we can still take heart in the observation that the 100-year trend in the Rivanna River Basin has been one of environmental healing and renewal. We are doing what we are able to encourage the continuation of this trend and to publicize the river's need for breathing space and consideration. We hope that the present uproar will at least inspire greater citizen interest in land use issues and give even more people who live in the Rivanna Watershed the opportunity to become actively involved in creating the type of environmental awareness needed to truly safeguard the treasures that we have. Opportunities for involvement are never really very far away.
-Angus Murdoch
My name is Rick Barnett. I grew up along side a creek in North Carolina during the 50's and 60's. It was my special place to explore and escape. The creek was heavily impacted by the installation of a sewage system, which, from my perspective at the time, nearly destroyed the waterway. I've been deeply interested in both water and water protection ever since.
I have lived in Charlottesville since 1991. My trade is cabinetmaking and my passion is kayaking ? both flat water and white water. Nearly anything related to nature and flowing water will catch my interest. I've been a RCS member for three years. The fact that it is a local group working for our local river is what initially interested me in RCS and it still does. Lately, in addition to paddle trips, I've been participating in the macroinvertebrate stream samples. It is only recently that I have learned of the importance and relative ease of these water quality tests and of using these animals as biological indicators.
Two experiences on the Rivanna that hold special meaning for me are the two times I've paddled from Charlottesville to Columbia where the Rivanna and the James River meet. One trip was in the spring and part of a longer trip that eventually took me all the way down the James. The other just about a month ago when RCS members Donna Shaunesey and Tim SanJule accompanied me on a weekend journey down the river. We were blessed with good looks at both the Bald Eagles that frequent the river and a mink making its morning rounds. It is difficult to decide upon any one or two Rivanna experiences as highlights because to me anytime on the river is time well spent.
I also find the history of the Rivanna River to be fascinating. The remains of the dams, locks and canals are evidence of how busy and altered the river valley used to be. We are fortunate that people turned away from the rivers and let them begin to return to their natural state. Since they act as boundaries and barriers to land travel they have ended up off the beaten path and as mostly uninterrupted corridors for wildlife and an escape from civilization for humans.
As you might expect I am concerned about sprawl and unmanaged growth leading to degradation of water tables and river quality through increased imperviousness. As more concrete and asphalt come into the watershed, runoff from rain is increasingly concentrated into creeks and rivers instead of slowly soaking into the ground. I'd like to see everyone get a better handle on how to reduce these impacts and to live with more of a watershed ethic. Things like forested river buffers, water retention facilities near buildings, reduced reliance on the personal automobile and non-toxic detergents and cleaners are a good start.
I appreciate all the work that RCS members do.
CREP - A plan to save topsoil!
A new program, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) allows farmers to enroll in a riparian buffer program and receive payments for management of land along streams and wetlands ? reducing erosion, establishing wildlife habitats and improving water quality. The program will also pay to fence off streams and wetlands from livestock and provide alternate watering facilities. Farmers are eligible for annual "rental" payments of up to $100 per acre for 10-15 years to establish buffers on their land. Farmers who place their buffers under a permanent conservation easement are eligible to receive an additional $500 per acre. For more information contact the Thomas Jefferson Soil " Water Conservation District. (804) 975-0224
Rivanna to be included in Save America's Treasures!
The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has received notice that their application to have the Rivanna River Corridor designated an Official Project of Save America's Treasures was approved. Save America's Treasures is a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the White House Millennium Council. The TJPDC is planning to use this designation to promote the Rivanna River Corridor concept throughout the Rivanna River Watershed. This official recognition further underscores just how unique the Rivanna River is and reminds us all just how important it is to protect it. For more information call TJPDC at (804) 979-7310