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...
photo 1.JPGThanks to funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and a partnership with the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, Friends of the Rappahannock was able to install another Rainscape Retrofit in Locust Grove, Virginia....
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...
If you’ve ever walked along the Rappahannock River or taken a boat ride down to the Chesapeake Bay, it’s likely you’ve recognized some familiar species along the Rappahannock River watershed. Although these outdoor experiences can be a healthy and meaningful way to...
“I fell in love with the [Chesapeake] Bay – its ecosystem intricacies, the species that inhabit it, and the projects being done to save it, they fascinate me,” Ecologist Will Smiley explained. For years, FOR has played matchmaker – connecting partners with...
Thinking back on this year brings to mind all of the buzzwords you would expect – resiliency, creativity, perseverance, flexibility, etc. Of course, these are things that are necessary to survive during a crisis. However, I think what makes these words different...
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...
Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) educators are excited to continue our nature-based science discovery program with local Head Start and Virginia Preschool Initiative classes this year. This program serves students in the City of Fredericksburg Fredericksburg, King...
Wow! Friends of the Rappahannock have accomplished so much at our Headwaters office this past year! In 2021, the office gained an Education Manager and a Restoration Technician. If you know anything about FOR you know that we have been active in advocacy and...
In the last few years coastal flood resilience and climate change adaptation has become an advocacy priority of Friends of the Rappahannock. In Virginia flooding resilience has become a topic of great debate and modest positive action. Coastal areas, both urban and...
This year has been a whirlwind! As schools and teachers were figuring out a new way of life, the education team at FOR has been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to get back to the students! Robin Didlake, a 9th grade environmental science teacher at Caroline High...
One hundred and eighty-six miles, that’s how far the Rappahannock flows across Virginia, emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. Running through eighteen counties and municipalities, the Rappahannock River boasts healthy habitats, scenic views, recreation opportunities,...
