The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, has a rich history filled with natural beauty and conflict. One such conflict was the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars, a destructive struggle for control over the region’s oyster beds that took place in the late...
Wetlands are areas of land flooded by water at some point during the year, either permanently or seasonally. These ecosystems offer many benefits including pollution filtration, flood reduction and wildlife habitat creation. Create your own wetland in a bottle and...
“FOR said they were planting trees… but all I see is a field of green tubes!” We get this a lot. “Where are the trees?” As a part of our Rappahannock Coastal Forest Program, Friends of the Rappahannock works with our conservation partners to plant thousands of native...
This year has brought significant growth in staff and project capacity for the tidal office based in Tappahannock. For years the office was staffed by a Lower River Steward and periodically by an educator from the education staff. With minimal support, our staff did...
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...
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...
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...
Maintaining a colony of flying, stinging insects may not seem an enjoyable pastime, but it is one that I have chosen to pursue. After being exposed to beekeeping online, I learned of the threats to pollinators, worldwide, and the fulfillment of the beekeeping...
FOR and our partners of the Rappahannock River Roundtable work together to provide technical assistance and cost-share programs that leverage state, federal, and private grant funding to help install a variety conservation projects to help clean water. These projects...
Mountain Run is a stream that flows through downtown Culpeper. It begins in agricultural fields before it feeds two drinking water reservoirs, flows through several popular park spaces, under bridges and highways, through backyards, and into the Rappahannock River. In...
