The last year has been an eventful time for the Rockfish Valley Foundation. I thought what I would do is prepare a summary and send it out before the board meeting. It’s organized with some of the highlights of the past 12 months, a calendar of sorts followed by future plans:
NEWS RELEASE VirginiaDOT.org
CONTACT: Paula K. Jones (434) 856-8176 Sept. 6, 2005paula.jones@VDOT.Virginia.gov
ROCKFISH RIVER RESTORATION MOVING FORWARD
LYNCHBURG – Along two miles of the South Fork of the Rockfish River in Nelson County, the land appears scarred and barren but things are, as we know., not always as they seem. The dump trucks, backhoes and bulldozers that have rumbled through this mostly peaceful area since early June are, in reality, there to make things better.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has been helping this stretch of the South Fork of the Rockfish River to return to a more natural state. In addition, the work has been done to offset damage done to several streams in Amherst County during the construction of the U. S. 29 Bypass of Madison Heights, as is permissible by regulation. Continue reading VDOT Press Release September 13, 2005
SOUTH FORK ROCKFISH RIVER
STREAM RESTORATION PROJECT FACT SHEET
Continue reading South Fork Rockfish River Stream Restoration Project Fact Sheet
The <a href=”http://www.virginiadot.org”>Virginia Department of Transportation.</a> has recently completed the major work of restoring 2 miles of the Rockfish River to control water flow and recreate natural riverine features. This work is mediation for the impact on streams of construction of the Amherst bypass. The project aims to return this section of river, altered by the Corps of Engineers after Hurricane Camille in 1969, to a more natural state. The river now flows slower, with well-designed falls and self-scouring swimming holes. The river also has more stable banks and a floodplain designed to properly handle large flows.
The area around the river has been seeded with riparian plants. Soon 10,000 native trees and shrubs will be planted along the banks. VDOT is required to maintain and monitor the section for 7 years to ensure it naturalizes correctly.
The river restoration project has recieved a 2005 <a href=”http://www.scenicva.org”>Scenic Virginia</a> award for Most Creative Scenic Improvement.
We have begun to write down our journey and share with the public the development of our foundation. There are a number of exciting opportunities happening. From a new Virginia Master Naturalist Chapter to new Bluebird houses we are engaging our local ecology and participating in its biodiversity and health. We have just completed a river restoration project to help restore the natural flow of the south-fork of the Rockfish river. While it may seem unnatural to re-channel and engage the flow of a river, our research studies have shown that river flow is something we all affect regardless of if we have contact with the actual river. Here is a picture of some of the river restoration work that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has accomplished. We have hundreds of photographs that we plan to publish over the next few weeks and months.
THE ROCKFISH VALLEY FOUNDATION
Minutes of Annual Board Meeting - February 10, 2007
Download the 2007 Chariman’s Report
The meeting of The Rockfish Valley Foundation (RVF) Board of Trustees was called to order by the chairman Peter Agelasto at 2:30 p.m, February 10, 2007. Members present were Peter Agelasto, Parker Agelasto, Joe Prueher, Waite Rawls, Michael LeChance, and Chris Gensic. Absent was Peter Agelasto IV.
Mr. Agelasto began the meeting with a discussion of the RVF mission statement. It was decided that the current mission statement was too lengthy and too specific. The mission statement should be divided into “what is the mission?” and then list the goals as bullet points. The new mission statement was approved and a copy filed with these minutes as attachment 1. Continue reading RFV: Chairman’s Report February 2007
The star attraction
LILLY was born May 11, 2005. She arrived at the Rockfish Vally in June 2005. She is the mascott of the Rockfish Valley Foundation. She has spend the winter at her barn on the East side of the highway at Rockfish Valley Farm with her Friends Bambi and Buddy. She will move to her summer home on the West side of Rt 151 as soon as her sheep arrive.
The Chairman noted that over the course of the last year, with Chris Gensic as a consultant, the Foundation has refined its mission statement, created a website: rockfishvalley.org, opened the trail system and undertaken much work to improve the experience of the visitor. As he finished his year, we have identified two University of Virginia faculty members who have agreed to undertake student projects for our geology trail and our bog enhancement. We have begun the feasibility study of the Master Naturalist Program and are prepared to file for a grant request with DCR as soon as it is advertised. We will miss him as a consultant but welcome him as a member of the Board of Trustees and wish him well in his career with the City of Charlottesville.
The Chairman reported that the Rockfish Valley Loop Trail system has been mowed. The Camille Memorial Trail Head parking has stabilized. It seems as many as 100 are using that section of the trail each week.
We have come a long way with maps and signage and the website. More and better signage and trail directions are a priority but until fencing is installed , issues will remain. Laminated maps have been added and trail maps printed. The Kiosk at Spruce Creek Park was updated with a large aerial map and other information. A permanent map along with many other enhancements awaits grant funding.
Our Virginia Blue Bird Trail is being monitored weekly by volunteers under the direction of Millie Colella. More than 50 bluebirds have fledged. Bird houses will be increased from 21 currently as soon as the fencing project is completed. Two bat boxes were received from Chris. The Volunteer system is working well. A special note of thanks to Pete Gatje for his outstanding leadership. John Hauser from Rockbridge plans to start fencing in July. This major project supported in part by funds from VDOT, CREP and Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District and will define the trail and create pastures for livestock. David Magann is waiting to put in his well and extend our alternative water source to pastures.
The loop trails run along the Rockfish River and Reid’s Creek as well as Glenthorne Loop and the Rockfish Valley Highway. All Contiguous waterways and roads have been adopted through various State Agency programs and volunteers have done several clean ups. Our volunteer system is growing. VDOT is nearing completion of its repair to the river project and will watch the structures for years to come. There was considerable damage from a storm event last November. The stream should be even more stable and attractive as the result of this second effort.
Signage is important and tells a story of what is what. The VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has recognized our birding trail and signage is being installed on Rt 151. We have signs recognizing the Conservation Easement granted to Virginia Outdoor Foundation and the Virginia Blue Bird Trail signs have been received. Signs for recognition of the Virginia Adopt a Stream program for the South Fork of the Rockfish River and Reid’s Creek are expected in weeks from the Commonwealth of VA Dept of Conservation and Recreation. VDOT Adopt a Highway signs are in place. The advertising of the trails improvement grant from VA Dept of Conservation and Recreation has been delayed until around July 1 but since there is no word from the Internal Revenue Service as to issuance of the 501c3 status, the delay is not too bad. The number of applications is large as a result Katrina. In the interim, Virginia Organizing Project, with offices in Chalottesville, Virginia has agreed to serve as a conduit for funds received from successful grant applications in the meantime.
We are excited about the potential of The Master Naturalist Program here and a feasibility study is progressing. Check out virginiamasternaturalist.org. A decision should be clear before the end of July. Local partnerships and a new hire by Nelson 4-H will make a difference. We are getting great support from Michelle Prysby out of the Charlottesville headquarters of MN and our board member, Michael Lachance is working closely with us on the feasibility study. Most likely there will be a public forum once a decision is made and the Coordinating Committee formed. The mission of MN fits well with our mission and we have seen much community interest for the program already. Our site seems perfect for the program and we are seeking additional partners.
A warm season grasses project with Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage is planned for the spring. Switch grass as well as blended warm season grasses will allow for habitat studies and serve as a border for the trails along Reid’s Creek and the Rockfish River. Resources and plans for egg laying chickens and beef cattle for the model farm are also coming into focus. We will pursue a 4-H project for the chickens.
On a personal note, it is very gratifying to see the number of person on the trails. After the fencing is complete it will be appropriate to publish limitations and trail etiquette rules. We received our first cash gift January 29,2006 from the Blue Ridge Sierra Club and recently were offered 3 picnic tables for the trail heads by an individual who had walked the trail. He has expressed interest to become more involved later this year and we look forward to that. There have been a great number of positive comments and it is obvious that the loop trail system is serving a need that had gone unsupported in Nelson County and the Rockfish Valley in particular. More volunteers and support are welcome.
Respectfully,
Peter A. Agelasto III
June 2006
This report is my second and is in lieu of our September meeting. It is time we consider an annual meeting. More about that later. I am pleased to report that a number of our initiatives are moving right along.
The VDOT work along the Rockfish is winding down. Their project cost is close to $2,000,000. The field work for the “as built” survey along the two miles of reconstructed Rockfish River was completed this week and there are about 250 marked stakes along the river trail. By the end of the year this survey will have been put on paper and we will have a copy. It will include cross sections, elevations and location of conservation easement boundaries.
The FENCE project is 95% complete and is over 1.5 miles of board and woven wire fencing. The trail is now more easily identified as being between the fences and the waterways. We are in bad need of signage however. We do have signs to post: Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Birding Trail, VA. Blue Bird Society Trail, Virginia Outdoor Foundation Conservation easement, Adopt A Stream for both Rockfish and Reid’s Creek, and after December 6, 2006 brass plaques that acknowledge the registration of the farm and buildings with VA Department of Historic Resources and U.S. Department of Interior. ELK HILL will join the Old Wintergreen Country Store at Spruce Creek Park trail head as an historic property registered in the Rockfish Valley. It joins River Bluff (circa 1795) which received this designation over a decade ago.
Visitation is beyond expectation even with the lack of signage. I estimate 100 persons a week and maybe 20 dogs. Problems are minimal. Knock on wood. We have our public foundation letter from the IRS and are a 501c3 eligible for tax deductible gifts. Our volunteer system is started but needs energy. We fledged 57 bluebirds and countless other birds from our trail boxes. Plans are underway for planting of riparian buffer areas with 300 trees in February and I will report more on that.
Plans for the Virginia Master Naturalist Chapter have reached the point that the Rockfish Valley Foundation as the initiating partner has coordinated and will attend the meeting to propose The Central Blue Ridge Chapter on October 18th, confirm a name for the proposed chapter, form the local coordinating committee, and petition the State Steering committee for approval. First training course could be Fall 2007. If you have not done so please learn more about VMN program at virginiamasternaturalist.org. This is a great concept, successful in a dozen other states and a perfect fit for our mission.
A Board of Trustees annual meeting needs to be held. An added impetus is our successful bid at a silent auction for The Wintergreen Nature Foundation of a dinner for 14 prepared by Chef Ellen English. It will be a treat to have her at Elk Hill. A meeting in November or early December would be great but I suspect it will be near impossible to get a date available to all. Let’s shoot for January when the air will be nippy … a work agenda could include burning several debris piles and bundling up for trail tours.
The VA Department of Conservation and Recreation Grant timing is back on track. I am advised it might be posted for January applications. We will seek $60,000 and it is very competitive. If we are awarded funds we could acquire ECO toilets at two trail heads ($15000 each), kiosks, maps, signage, trail maps, bridge improvements and last but not least a multi step exercise system at Spruce Creek Park. The grant requires a partial match. We already have an offer of picnic tables and a cash gift which will help there.
Our initiatives at the University of Virginia are moving slowly in the Department of Environmental Science. We have the Eco Club undertaking a small project this term and promises for two faculty members with larger projects next term. Top on our list is a Geology Trail and interpretative kiosk and markers for the geology of the valley, the water courses and Hurricane Camille.
There are a number of policy issues and plans to be discussed and determined at the annual meeting:
1. Friend raising for volunteers and fund raising with an annual fund
event
2. Areas for dogs on leash
3. Hours of access
4. Rules, picnic tables; special events such as a kite flying event, night sky star gazing, and a 5K run.
5. Plan to enlarge the trail system as conceived.
6. T-Shirt design and review of website. Son Peter and his staff are working to update the web site now.
7. Intern for 2007. Our internships for the last two years were a big help.
8. Birding Trail improvements
The idea for the annual meeting is for the eight Trustees to meet each other, enjoy a celebration dinner, visit the project and take trail tours as well as undertake some business. We will send out some dates in the near future. If anyone already has void weekends in January please let me know.
Respectfully Submitted,
Peter A. Agelasto III
Chairman
Rockfish Valley Foundation
Well there is plenty of good news and our mission could be greatly advanced in the new year. As you know, we exist to advance environmental values and enhance the rural life in Nelson. The Rockfish Valley Loop Trail system has prospered in the year it has been open; all that is left for the VDOT river restoration project is planting of trees and shrubs along the waterway. Even though fences now give the trail a boundary and basic improvements to three trail heads help, we are in bad need of kiosks, maps and signage. Usage continues to increase with perhaps 100 or more cars per week. Our vision will be closer to reality if we can make major improvements in 2207 with grant funds.
The future of the trail system and utilization of the Rockfish Valley as a laboratory and educational venue depends on the success of 4 grants that are being sought. Each grant will add a critical block to the wall of success and although independent, each builds on the other. It is appropriate that the first grant application goes to the Community Foundation of the Blue Ridge which raises funds here in Nelson and funds worthwhile projects in Nelson County as well as Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro. A grant of $4000 is being sought for a kiosk, trail map at the Camille Trail Head and signage to mark the trails along the Rockfish The lack thereof is the major deficiency of the trail system.
The second application will be to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation for $4000 and BamaWorks for $3000. The former grant would allow us to tell the story of Hurricane Camille which devastated this area and took the lives of two people at the Trail Head. The project would include a Department of Historic Resources Highway Marker and geologic interpretive materials along the trail and at the kiosk relating to Camille. The geology trail would be funded by the BAMA Works grant and would feature a rock collection of indigenous rocks and interpretative signage along the trail which would present the geologic history and formation of the Rockfish Valley, the Rockfish Fault and plate tectonics. The research and design is being done by two students of the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Virginia for class credit. Members of the Environmental Club at UVA are undertaking a year of monitoring 11 miles of the Rockfish River, which has been listed as an impaired stream in Virginia. This is being done in coordination with the VA Department of Environmental Quality and the Nelson County Service Authority which operates the Wintergreen Treatment Plant. The goal of this project is to identify hot spots along the Rockfish and to be chosen for a DEQ monitoring program for 2008. Grants will be sought in future years to clean up waste water problems in Nellysford and Beech Grove. The loop trail system will bring awareness to the situation and build support for the solutions.
In February 2007 a fourth grant will be applied for through the VA Department of Conservation and Recreation in the amount of $60,000. 00. This large and important grant would be used for environmental toilets at the Camille Trail Head and the Spruce Creek park Trail Head, an exercise station trail, and improvements to parking areas, additional signage and further development of the trail system.
The lack of access for the public to enjoy the beauty and environment of the county has been a big problem. Hopefully our projects will encourage others to provide access to waterways, trails and picnic spots.
The second item to report on is proposals for interesting events in 2007. Your chairman and Michael Lachance, a Trustee of the Foundation and chapter advisor to the proposed Central Blue Ridge Chapter of the new VA Master Naturalist Program, will attend a two day conference in January with representatives of other founding chapters. Our initiative to create the Central Blue Ridge Chapter lead to a partnership between the Rockfish Valley Foundation, The Wintergreen Nature Foundation, Nature Camp, Wildlife Center of Virginia and the U S Forest Service/ Blue Ridge Parkway and Sherando Lake and others to form the chapter. The first class with its 40 hour natural science curriculum would occur in the fall of 2007. Land adjoining the loop trails is available as class room, laboratory and environmental site and a place where graduates of the program could give their future volunteer time. Other events to be discussed at the upcoming annual meeting of the Trustees include a Paint Out in partnership with Spruce Creek Gallery, a Walk A Thon extending upstream and around the valley as a special fundraising event, a kite flying family day and an evening of starry nights and camp fire songs. 2007 promises to be a watershed (pun intended) year for the Rockfish Valley Foundation. I must add that all hinges on the success of the grant process which is not guaranteed to say the least. All the grants are very competitive but we feel we have a very compelling story. Funding would have a major impact on rural tourism and community building in one of the most special parts of the state of Virginia.
The last thing I should mention is the expansion of the VA Blue Bird Society Trails. Added bird houses and volunteers are identified. Almost 3 dozen houses will be monitored in 2007. This VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recognized trail has come a long way since its dedication by Connie Brennan and David Whitehurst of DGIF in September 2005. A bird sanctuary may be proposed for the S. Rockfish Valley as well and already the annual County butterfly count takes place along part of the trail. Other initiatives and programs are under way or being considered and all of this will be possible if the grant applications are successful. We have our fingers crossed.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter A. Agelasto III
PS. Just yesterday we decided to create a special section of the website for posting historic photos of the South Rockfish Valley. We are looking for photos. With the registration of ELK HILL and the old Wintergreen Country Store as historic landmarks, there is more awareness of the great agricultural past of the South Rockfish Valley. It is hoped that local residents will provide photos and enjoy seeing those posted by others. I have been told the area would qualify as an historic district and it appears that more than a dozen other dwellings and farms are eligible for recognition. Stay tuned.