Plastic Bag Tax – A Year Later

Plastic Bag Tax – A Year Later

On January 1st, 2022, the City of Fredericksburg rang in the New Year by being one of the first municipalities in Virginia to impose a 5-cent tax on disposable plastic bags distributed at all grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores in the City.  Friends of...
How to Help Wetlands Help YOU!

How to Help Wetlands Help YOU!

Why wetlands are important, the history of their degradation and how we are working to restore them in the Rappahannock River watershed and beyond.  Historical unrecognition of the many cultural, economic and personal benefits of wetlands to humans has led to...
General Assembly 2023

General Assembly 2023

Join us as a strong voice for the Rappahannock River at the state level. The 2023 General Assembly session starts January 11th. We are prioritizing these issues and will regularly update this page. We will include info on bill progress and how you can make a...
Accessing a Whole New World: the Upper Rappahannock Water Trail

Accessing a Whole New World: the Upper Rappahannock Water Trail

It was a great year to be outside thanks to new public access resources on the Rappahannock River Water Trail! Over the past five years, Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) has been working alongside a group of partners to create new public river access sites along the...
Investing in Education Across the Watershed

Investing in Education Across the Watershed

Do you remember your “Ah ha!” moment? That moment when you understood your connection to the natural world? That moment when you knew you were going to start the lifelong journey of making sound decisions for the benefit of the environment? That is the goal of our...
Urban Heat Island Effect – What is that?

Urban Heat Island Effect – What is that?

Why urban heat island effect is a problem in Fredericksburg and Planning District 16, what our study found, and how we can address it. Have you ever considered why the temperature is cooler and more consistent in the shade of trees than beside buildings and highways?...
Riparian Buffers – What’s the Point?

Riparian Buffers – What’s the Point?

In reading or hearing about the Rappahannock River, you may have encountered the term “riparian.” Riparian is an adjective used for the area along a river or stream’s edge and is used with several different words. A riparian zone or area is the complete...
Diadromous Fish: What is that?

Diadromous Fish: What is that?

The Rappahannock River is one of nine major river systems in Virginia and most importantly the one that we live in. It contains many types of fish that people enjoy everyday in the forms of recreational fishing and consumption, or just to look at. There is a group of...
Starting Environmental Education Early: It’s Toddler Time!

Starting Environmental Education Early: It’s Toddler Time!

Please keep off the dunes. To me these signs are synonymous with going to the beach. They’re posted every so often in the sandy hills near the shore to remind people to use designated walkways. As a child my parents explained these signs to me, and I learned why I...

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