Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) and the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) are pleased to announce a new Headwater Stream Initiative designed to provide FREE technical assistance, project design, materials, and labor for the planting of native trees and shrubs...
Students from the Chesapeake Bay Governors School (CBGS) Warsaw campus partnered in early May with Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) staff, and interns from the University of Mary Washington, to build a living shoreline in Richmond County. Over two rainy mornings,...
This How-to Guide provides educators with step-by-step instructions for organizing cleanups. Cleanups are very eye opening and helpful for the environment. Trash can be found anywhere throughout the community. Take some time, get some friends together and do a great...
1402908_10100585329471851_5114109683486845630_o.jpgAs readers of “River Views” are most likely aware, the Chesapeake Bay has been put on a diet. Specifically, the “pollution diet” aims to restore water quality by limiting the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and...
Kayakers, canoers, tubers, fishermen, and other river rats, this April through June be on the lookout for soundings from the Atlantic and Short nose sturgeon during your adventures along the Rappahannock River. A sounding is when a sturgeon jumps out of the...
By Amanda Patterson, FOR Volunteer Fredericksburg’s 13th annual Earth Day celebration will be taking place on Saturday, April 23rd from 11am to 4pm (rain date: April 30th) and you don’t want to miss it! Thanks to Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation and many other...
Sturgeon2.pngReport soundings and help scientists track the Rappahannock’s link to the Age of Dinosaurs By Taylor McConnell, Biology Intern Kayakers, canoers, tubers, fishermen, and other riverrats, this April through June be on the lookout for soundings from...
Kilmarnock Virginia 2.jpgToday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Denying the challenge by the American Farm Bureau Federation and its allies, the decision supports a...
State_Capitol_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Virginia_7358972234.jpgThe 2016 General Assembly session has officially begun and all of your legislators are getting busy in Richmond. Friends of the Rappahannock is working hard to ensure the protection of our River...
2014_Summer_Joel.jpgOne of the most important bald eagle habitats on the East Coast is in danger of being turned into a luxury residential community and resort, complete with golf course, lodge, and spa. Fones Cliffs is an idyllic and dramatic spot in Richmond...
Ben Raterman photo credit.jpgBY CATHY DYSON/THE FREE LANCE-STAR Only people interested in fly fishing would encourage others to tie one on at 9 in the morning. There wasn’t any alcohol involved, just golden hooks decorated with various colors of threads and...
Written by: Chloe Sikora FOR Intern and Student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Seven volunteers huddled underneath a tarp shielding them from pouring rain. Without complaint, they picked up their shovels and finished digging the last three...
beforeAfter.jpgDominion is planning to rebuild and expand approximately two miles of transmission line across the Rappahannock River in Lancaster and Middlesex Counties at the Norris Bridge. According to representatives from Dominion, the proposed upgraded...
photo 4.JPGRAINSCAPES PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT: Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) has developed the Rainscape Retrofits program to reduce the amount of unwanted contaminants (mostly nutrients and sediments) and excessive quantities of stormwater reaching the...
IMG_0888.JPGFriends of the Rappahannock’s Student Stream Team program began in 2007 with a partnership between Stafford County Learn and Serve programs and our education department. FOR has a long history of implementing successful education programs as...
Welcome to the confluence, where the Rapidan and the Rappahannock rivers meet. Due to ongoing private property concerns, the access to the City of Fredericksburg’s watershed property at the Confluence of the Rappahannock and Rapidan River’s is closed and...
What is Save the Crabs, Then Eat ‘Em? Why on earth are we talking about saving the crabs just to eat them? Well, take a moment, shut your eyes and think about your favorite memories with blue crabs… For us at Friends of the Rappahannock, we immediately...
Geico Action Shot.JPGJoin Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) for a River Cleanup this Spring! Litter comes in all shapes and sizes from mico-plastics we cannot see up to abandoned cars and port-a-johns! We find tires, shopping carts, bicycles, grills, lawn...
Volunteers are the bedrock of FOR. They are the foundation we rest upon. From Riverfest to planting trees and litter cleanups, from guiding paddle trips down the river to stuffing envelopes in the office, we count on volunteers to help us get the job done. Who...
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...
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...
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...
Motherhood. There is no other endeavor that can bring so much joy, frustration, pride, worry, excitement, exhaustion, and love to your life all at the same time. Day to day I don’t always notice the ways that my kids have integrated the values they have learned...
It’s that time of year when the weather and water starts getting warmer and everyone is itching to get outside! Many of you will even spend times along the Rappahannock or on the Rappahannock in the coming months, so it’s important to remember a few key river...
Earth Day. The welcome peak of the spring season. The dogwoods are blooming everywhere I look. Trees’ immature leaves and buds are gaining that shade of green that is only rivalled by the daffodils and tulips that line every street. Ducklings and goslings peck...
In the Olympics, the athletes from around the globe compete at the highest level to represent their countries in the hopes of brining home a gold medal. This is among the greatest achievements possible in athletic competition. In the Virginia world of conservation, we...
As spring comes to the Rappahannock river community, you’re probably hearing a lot about a fish called the shad. You may also be wondering, what is a shad? How do you catch one? Can I eat it? Here are a few facts about the shad you may not have known. ...
As I write this at the end of February we are being teased by the occasional warm day, giving us a sense that Spring is just around the corner. Our riparian forest is still bare and the Winter sunlight reaches down to a carpet of Fall leaves. Just under that...
Are you daydreaming about warmer weather? The deep green of the trees along the river? Maybe the way the Rappahannock River feels on your toes as you dangle them over the edge of a boat or tube? Us too! We know many people love to paddle, SUP, tube, wade, rock hop,...
