Fishing from the dock at last year’s Great Outdoors Party. Credit: Blue Sky Fund

The Blue Sky Fund is one of my favorite non-profits in Central Virginia. I’ve featured their work here before as well as in columns in the Times-Dispatch. If you’re unfamiliar with the group, Blue Sky Fund exists to “to get inner-city kids out into the great outdoors for various types of experiential education,” says their website. “We educate and mentor at-risk youth through two primary methods of programming: outdoor adventure and experiential science education.

Pretty cool, right? And pretty darn important, too. Well, on April 12th from 2-6 p.m. Blue Sky Fund is throwing a party/fundraiser — the Great Outdoors Party — and everyone is invited.

Blue Sky Fund business manager Amanda Payne told me that last year the Great Outdoors Party drew about 250 adults and 200 kids to a riverfront property near the Huguenot Bridge in Richmond’s West End. There they found outdoor fun including live music, cornhole, a fire pit, fishing from a dock, food, drinks, gourmet s’mores, bounce houses, ladder golf, and more. This year it’ll be more of the same, only at a riverfront property called Rock Bottom one door down from last year’s.

Payne said the event grew out of a big campout the group used to hold on a different property farther up the James River. By eliminating the camping aspect, they hoped to grow the event, which last year raised about $12,000 for the group. The goal is top 500 guests at this year’s party.

“So far registration has been a little slow, but people tend to procrastinate buying tickets to things,” Payne said. “I think the weather has been a big factor, too.”

The cost is $50 a ticket for adults (16 and up) and $10 for children (ages 4-15 years old). Tots three and under are free.
Tickets include food and drink. And, of course, all the proceeds go to this great cause. Sponsorship opportunities are available, as well. Click here to find out more and to buy tickets.

Attention all amateur nature photographers, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation just launched their 11th annual watershed photo contest. If you’ve got a shot you took in the past year and you shot it in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, you have until April 11th to send it in and possibly receive a cash prize.

The Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay. Credit: Wikipedia

Photographers of all skill levels, ages 13 and up, are encouraged to participate to win cash prizes of from $100 to $500, and to have their photos featured in a number of CBF’s publications.

The contest is intended to promote awareness of conservation issues related to the Chesapeake Bay and local rivers and streams. CBF is seeking images from around the watershed that illustrate the beauty, benefits, and bounty of the Bay and its rivers and streams. This year, concepts and topics for photographers to consider include beauty, recreation, history and legacy, and agriculture. Photos can illustrate a wide variety of topics but must include water in the photo.

“We constantly are impressed with the quality of the photos submitted,” said Jennifer Wallace, CBF managing editor and contest organizer. “It’s wonderful to see how connected and aware people are of our great rivers, streams, and the Bay.” 

Winners will receive a cash award ranging from the top prize of $500 to $100. The first-prize winner also receives a premium spot in the CBF 2015 calendar. All winners will receive a one-year membership to CBF and will have their photos displayed on CBF’s website, in a CBF e-newsletter, in CBF’s 2015 calendar, and in CBF’s award-winning magazine, Save the Bay.

Judging will be conducted by a panel of CBF employees on the basis of subject matter, composition, focus, lighting, uniqueness, and impact. The public will also be able to vote online for their favorite photo in the Viewers’ Choice Gallery.

Last year the judges considered more than 600 entries. Participation in the Viewers’ Choice Award was outstanding, too, with more than 1,500 votes cast.

UPDATE 

It broke first on social media (of course), then Julian Walker with the Virginian Pilot was the first I saw from Virginia’s mainstream media to have it: Gov. Terry McAulife signed one of two bills allowing Sunday hunting on private property.

The Democrat approved a bill from Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, allowing sportsmen to hunt game, such as deer, bears and wild birds, on that day if on private property with permission.

As of Wednesday, he hadn’t signed similar legislation from Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Russel County, but an administration official said he will do so soon.

McAuliffe also plans to ceremonially sign both bills at a later date.

ORIGINAL POST 

The fate of Virginia’s last Blue Law is in the hands of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and if he follows through on promises, Virginia hunters stand to benefit.

House Bill 1237, patroned by Del. Todd Gilbert (R-15th District) passed the General Assembly last month. A similar bill, Senate Bill 154, passed the General Assembly on Friday. The bills are identical and give hunters the right to hunt whitetail deer on Sundays on private property throughout the state. Hunting would be prohibited, however, within 200 yards of a house of worship.

“Virginia has such a strong hunting heritage that we thought this would be a great opportunity to attempt to reverse the trend (of dwindling hunter numbers),”  Gilbert told the Capital News Service. “The high-powered rifle season for deer is only two weeks long. So if you’re a hardworking person, you really only have two Saturday’s in which to engage in that activity all year. This would simply give you a couple extra days to enjoy a sport you love and be able to put food on the table.”

“Pretty sure there will be no debate or amendment attempt, the puppy’s tail is tucked,” said Sunday hunting proponent Matt O’Brien on the “Legalize Virginia Sunday Hunting For All” Facebook page before the Senate bill hit the House floor on Friday.

McAuliffe has previously indicated that he would sign either of the bills if they came before him.

The Times-Dispatch had a couple of interesting parks-related pieces over the weekend that I thought were worth passing along. In the Saturday Metro section Ted Strong had a story on the opening and expansion of two parks in western Henrico Co.

Officials hope to have the new Twin Hickory Park near Deep Run High School open by the end of May, wrote Strong. Short Pump Park, located just south of Short Pump Elementary School, will be enlarged by about 35 acres. County plans had called for the expansion to include a number of athletics fields, but after looking at the site’s wetlands and grades, and after meeting with community members, planners are pursuing a much less intense plan of development. Planners hope to have the expansion complete by early summer of next year.

Maymont’s Japanese Garden and Koi Pond.

We’re all for ball fields and the like, but we at RichnmondOutside.com like trails even more. So it was heartening to see this from Neil Luther, director of the county’s division of recreation and parks: “The balance of the additional acreage will stay wooded, and the only disturbance we’ll make in those areas will be basically trails and some picnicking areas.”

Wildlife biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have compiled preliminary figures for deer, bear, and turkey harvests for the 2013-14 fall/winter hunting seasons. The deer, bear, and turkey harvests all reflected an increase from last year. A poor acorn crop across the state coupled with management actions to meet population objectives all factored into fluctuations in populations and harvest trends. The harvest figures continue to indicate that good hunting is available across the Commonwealth for these popular game species. Data presented in these summaries are preliminary.

White-tailed Deer

During the past deer season 242,734 deer were reported killed by deer hunters in Virginia. This total included 106,230 antlered bucks, 20,082 button bucks, 116,304 does (48%), and 118 “unknown” deer. The fall 2013 deer kill total was up 13% from the 215,241 deer reported killed last fall. It is also slightly above the last ten-year average of 232,600 (up 4%).

The Department’s primary deer management effort over the past five to 10 years has been to increase the female deer kill over much of the state, especially on private lands. Female deer kill numbers have been at record levels for the past eight consecutive deer seasons. These high and sustained female deer kill levels are intended to eventually lead to a decrease in the statewide deer herd and a decline in total deer kill numbers.

Black Bear

A total of 2,312 bears were harvested in Virginia during the 2013-14 bear hunting seasons. Representing the combined kill from youth/apprentice, archery, muzzleloader, and firearms hunters, the 2013-14 harvest was an 8% increase over last year’s initial reported kill of 2,144 bears and approached the highest recorded bear harvest of 2,325 bears during the 2009-10 seasons. Although bears were harvested in 75 counties/cities throughout the Commonwealth, most of the harvest occurred west of the Blue Ridge (73%).

Fall Wild Turkey

During the 2013-14 fall turkey season, 5,351 turkeys were harvested. The 2013-14 season total was the highest fall harvest reported over the past 9 years. This harvest was 21% above last year’s reported kill (4,432). The harvest increased 8% in counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains (WBR) (1,734 vs 1,869). Counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains (EBR) increased 29% percent (2,698 vs. 3,482).

Mast crops (primarily acorns) were sparse during the fall season. Birds tend to travel farther with poor mast crops in search of food which oftentimes takes them near or in openings or fields. As a result, their home ranges increase; therefore, birds become more visible and easier to locate. Under these circumstances, hunting harvest rates increase. Taken together, record- level populations and below-average mast crops contributed to the harvest increase.

Credit: Wikipedia

This isn’t technically Central Virginia related, but it’s big news that I think many in our area will be interested in. The Roanoke Times reported late yesterday that Virginia’s famed Natural Bridge, once owned by Thomas Jefferson, will soon become a state park. By 2015, the 215-foot limestone arch and the surrounding 1,500 acres will be transferred to a newly-formed conservancy to eventually become Virginia’s 37th state park.

Wrote Luanne Rife of the Roanoke Times: The complicated real estate transaction, recorded Thursday in Rockbridge County, fulfills its longtime owner’s desire to preserve the national treasure once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Angelo Puglisi donated the 215-foot limestone arch, valued at $21 million, to the newly formed Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund and received conservation tax credits estimated to be worth about $7 million along with $8.6 million in cash for the balance of his Natural Bridge holdings that encompass more than 1,500 mostly forested acres.

The sale ends 240 years of private ownership of the property, going all the way back to Jefferson, who purchased it from King George III. The rock formation south of Lexington draws 200,000 visitors a year. Puglisi has owned the Natural Bridge, an nearby hotel and accompanying attractions since 1988.

The RO shop in Stratford Hills.

Our good friends at Riverside Outfitters and Whitworth Cycles will be holding a used gear sale on Saturday, Feb. 22nd from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Matt Perry, of RO, told me they’re trying to get rid of all their old boats and gear before the rafting season begins. Then, starting in the fall, they’ll host an annual gear sale featuring items that are either one or two years old. The idea is to sell the stuff that’s only gotten one season of use so they can keep buying new stuff. Sounds like a win/win for gear buyers and future RO customers to me.

Here’s what you can expect to see at the Feb. 22 gear-be-gone extravagaza:

3 canoes; 3-4 sit-on-top kayaks; 3-4 standup paddleboards; PFDs, paddles and helmets; a to-be-determined number of bikes and well as bike parts from Whit Brooks at Whitworth Cycles.

“It’s all gonna be sold as is,” Perry said, of his gear. “It’s all been used as recently as last season. You can expect some external body issues, dents and whatever on the canoes, some hairline cracks on the kayaks.”

He said prices will range from $100-200 for the kayaks to maybe $200-300 for the canoes and SUPs. Should be some sweet deals. Check them out on Feb. 22nd.

For the past several months, VCU’s Rice Center, the state, area restaurants, and citizen groups have been collecting oyster shells and storing them in a big dumpster in Richmond. More than 150 bushels of shells (approximately 12,000 pounds) have been collected and will be donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for oyster restoration projects — building oyster reefs, living shorelines, etc. Volunteers shoveled the oyster shells from the dumpster into bushel baskets for transport to CBF’s Oyster Restoration Center at Gloucester Point.

Credit: Chuck Epes/CBF

“This quantity of shell is very significant to us,” stated Jackie Shannon, Virginia CBF Oyster Restoration Specialist, “The amount of shell generated in Richmond in four months is equal to the total annual donations from all of our Virginia partners combined.”

The wild Eastern Oyster, also referred to as the Virginia Oyster, in the Chesapeake Bay is at critical population levels due to increased water pollution, loss of habitat, over-harvesting, and diseases that affect oysters. Historically, the Eastern Oyster was a significant part of the Chesapeake Bay economy and by the late 19^th century the harvest was approximately 17 million bushels of oysters per year. Today, the population is estimated to be at only one to two percent of the peak number. The most recent harvest numbers of oysters was in excess of 400,000 bushels, which is a significant increase from the 2001 harvest of 23,000 bushels; however, this is still far from the historic sustainable population.

Ecologically, natural oyster shell is the preferred substrate for growing new oysters but due to a decline in available shell from a reduced harvest, many restoration projects are relying on reclaimed clam shell, crushed concrete or reef balls as a surrogate for oyster shell for wild oysters to attach. The State of Virginia recently directed $2 million to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to harvest one million bushels of fossilized oyster shell from the James River to support the replenishment of wild oyster reefs for private and commercial harvesting. While alternative materials for reef construction are a feasible option, the natural substrate is preferred strongly.

Credit: Chuck Epes/CBF

Beginning in May, 2013, VCU partnered with the Virginia Green Travel Program, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, City of Richmond, Tidewater Fiber Corporation, Virginia Master Naturalist Program, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Rappahannock River Oyster Company and four Richmond-based restaurants (Rappahannock Restaurant, Lemaire at the Jefferson Hotel, Acacia Mid-Town, and Pearl Raw Bar) to collect used oyster shell that was being directed to the landfill. The pilot project was essentially a zero-budget approach to coordinate partners around the single vision, to collect and return used oyster shell to the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay for the purpose of wild oyster restoration.

The pilot began the collection of shell in mid-August, 2013 using volunteer labor from the Virginia Master Naturalists and Chesapeake Bay Program Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards (VoiCes). In four months, nearly 12,000 lbs. of oyster shell were collected from the participating restaurants, the 17^th St Farmers Market Shockoe on the Half-shell Oysterfest, St. Thomas Episcopal Oystoberfest, and the Richmond Folk Festival.

For the first time in years, proponents of lifting Virginia’s ban on Sunday hunting have real reason to be optimistic. On Wednesday the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee voted 12 to 10 to approve HB 1237 and sent it to the full house for consideration.

“This is our best shot in years of making real progress,” Matt O’Brien, founder of the online group Legalize Virginia Sunday Hunting for All, told Outdoor Hub.

The bill, HB 1237, would not completely do away with the Sunday hunting ban, but it would certainly be a step in that direction. If passed into law, it would allow Virginians to hunt on private land on Sundays with the written permission of landowners. Two amendments were added to the bill in committee: Hunting is banned within within 200 yards of a house of worship and deer hunters are prohibited from using hounds. It is identical to SB 154, and both bills are similar to a Senate proposal that had widespread bipartisan support in 2012.

Despite the limitations in the bill, O’Brien claims it is a big win.

“This is historical for Virginia and for private property rights in the state,” he told The Virginian-Pilot. “Opening Sundays to hunting has overwhelming support across Virginia and the House of Delegates recognized that.”

As Outdoor Hub reported: Also supporting the bill is the Sunday Hunting Coalition, a collection of sportsmen’s associations such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and National Shooting Sports Foundation. Others, like Safari Club International, have considered filing a lawsuit against the ban on the grounds of its constitutionality.

Opponents of the ban say it is one of the many remainders of the religious “blue laws” from the 1800s, and serves no place in a modern society. Hunters who can only hunt during the weekend due to work say the ban can be frustrating, as it essentially eliminates half of their hunting time.

The house bill passes out of committee. Credit: @VASundayHunting via Twitter

The ban is not without supporters, however, especially from landowners and farmers who fear the bill would lead to trespassing. Hikers also say that the presence of hunters make them feel uneasy. Hunters counter these arguments by saying that Sunday hunting is allowed in many states with little to effect.

Indeed, other states are also keeping an eye on Virginia’s Sunday hunting bill. The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action branch hailed the bill as a “big win” when it passed committee on Wednesday, encouraging members in the state to write to delegates. Notable hunter and musician Ted Nugent also chimed in on the issue, saying that it was “insane” that such laws still exist.

“I urge in the strongest of terms that these states eliminate these bizarre Sunday hunting bans immediately,” Nugent wrote on his Facebook page, adding that the laws were “downright un-American.”

Two years ago the board of the DGIF gave the repeal movement momentum by coming out in support for the first time in its history. Efforts in nearby states such as Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Massachusetts and others also seek to overturn their own Sunday hunting bans. In total, 11 states still maintain some prohibition on Sunday hunting.

Big news for Richmond and off-road triathletes nationwide came out of U.S.A. Triathlon today. The sport’s governing body in America announced that the Richmond XTERRA East Championships off-road triathlon will double as the USAT’s Off-Road Nationals as well.

Conrad Stoltz runs the “dry way” during XTERRA Richmond. Credit: Conrad Stoltz

“That means racers who win their division (in Richmond) will be named USAT Off-Road National Champ, XTERRA East Champ, and earn qualifying spots to both the 2014 XTERRA World Championship AND the 2015 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship,” said Trey Garman, XTERRA’s vice president for marketing and media relations. “Big Haul! Expect a strong field in Richmond this year!”

According to the press release from the USAT: Off-Road Nationals will be held at XTERRA Richmond on June 15. The course has been part of the XTERRA circuit since 1998, and the River City is a premier destination for off-road racing adventures. Beginning at James River, the 1000-meter swim, 32-kilometer mountain bike, 10-kilometer trail run event also serves as the XTERRA East Championship.

In addition to chasing national titles in Richmond, athletes also will be competing for prized spots on Team USA for the 2015 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Cross Triathlon World Championships, the date and location of which will be announced later this year by ITU. The top 18 finishers (rolling down to 25th place) in each age group will qualify for a Team USA slot. Team USA is composed of amateur athletes who represent the U.S. at each ITU World Championship event.

Registration for 2014 USA Triathlon Off-Road Nationals is currently open, and an early-bird rate of $75 is available until Feb. 15. Click here to register for this event, and visit usatriathlon.org/offroadnationals for more information.