Planning Environmentally Low-Impact Access on Riparian Lands

 

The Rappahannock River flows swiftly down from its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains, winds through the rural Virginia Piedmont, and gently through our tidewater landscapes to the Chesapeake Bay.  The river freely provides ecological, scenic, historical and socio-economic services, greatly benefiting Virginia’s citizens currently and throughout historical times.  To continue providing these services, mankind must serve as good stewards of the lands and waters within the Rappahannock River watershed.  But what does it mean to be a good steward?  In the context of conserving our natural resources, being a good steward means to live lightly on the land and to restore impaired natural resources.  Friends of the Rappahannock has created a river access planning guide to help citizens plan for future river recreational access that “floats lightly on the water”.  Desired recreational uses include, but are not limited to, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, fishing, and hunting. 

 

The Rappahannock River Recreational Access Guide:  Planning Environmentally Low-Impact Access on Riparian Lands (download document below) provides assistance on balancing two common, yet often conflicting natural resource management objectives:  providing public recreational access and protecting the ecological, scenic, and historic values of this significant regional resource.  Our philosophy regarding public recreational use of the Rappahannock River is Management through Infrastructure – public recreational use can be proactively managed to protect this natural resource by appropriately planning, designing and managing river access points. 

 

In The Rappahannock River Recreational Access Guide, we provide guidance in the form of a list of Guiding Principles on planning and constructing low-impact, environmentally-sensitive infrastructure common to river recreational access points, such as river trails, boat landings, and primitive campsites.  The Guiding Principles are:

 

Smart Access Planning – River access points are planned from a regional, green-infrastructure perspective to conserve natural and historic resources.

 

Corridors for Wildlife – Riparian forested corridors are protected to provide habitat connectivity for wildlife.

 

Preserve our Natural Heritage – The conservation areas of rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals is actively avoided to preserve these species and their habitats for generations to come.  

 

Healthy Waters – Water quality is protected for recreational uses, aquatic life, wildlife, the production of edible and marketable fish and shellfish, and the drinking water supply.

 

Go Native – Non-native, invasive plants and animals are not intentionally introduced to new sites, and unintentional introductions are quickly controlled.

 

Scenic Integrity – The natural visual quality and the sense of place is preserved.

 

Respect History – Historic features are respected as part of the landscape and are not disturbed.

 

Each Guiding Principle is accompanied by a series of Best Practices, or recommendations, on how to implement these Guiding Principles.  To view these Best Practices in detail, download the document below to open The Rappahannock River Recreational Access Guide.