This weekend my wife and I took our kids out to Larus Park for a hike. Off Chippenham Parkway and Huguenot Road, Larus is an underused gem in Richmond’s park system. We hiked in from the Beechmont Road entrance and soon found RPS trails manager Mike Burton and a team of volunteers working on a new bridge over a creek in the park. Another set of volunteers was hauling rock to armor a creek crossing that had eroded badly.

It reminded me how much work it takes to build and maintain the outdoor resources we love here in Richmond. Trails aren’t static things. They’re dynamic, constantly changing based on use and weather. They require constant maintenance and, even when you can rely heavily on volunteers, maintenance costs money. Burton said, for instance, that the money that paid for the bridge materials came from a fundraiser at Outpost — the bike shop/grocery store on Forest Hill Avenue.

This is a roundabout way of saying “thank you.” If you purchased one of our vintage-style James River-focused art products last year — a poster or pint glass, maybe — a portion of the proceeds went toward projects like the one we happened upon last weekend.

Because of your love of Richmond’s natural areas, RVA MORE, James River Outdoor Coalition, the Blue Sky Fund and the Maymont Foundation all received funds that will help them sustain their missions –building trails, improving river access, getting inner city kids outdoors and more.

So, thanks, Richmond, for helping us celebrate our incredible natural areas and give back to groups that keep them incredible.