A few weeks back I wrote a post about the James River Association‘s new ecology school on Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, an island 20 miles south of Richmond in the tidal James. I didn’t get a chance in that post or in the Times-Dispatch column I wrote about it to mention one of the school’s coolest features. And since the grand opening of the entire complex is tomorrow, I thought I’d mention it now.
Credit: JRA
A local non-profit named Energy Cycle has built and installed a pedal-powered energy producing system that will run the water pump for the James River Association ecology school bunk. Simply put, there are two bikes beneath the bunkhouse, where school groups can stay overnight. Students will pedal on one of two bicycles and the energy produced will be harnessed to provide power for the water pump that provides water to all the sinks and showers in the bunk house. So, students won’t be able to shower without a friend down below them pedaling a bike. The idea is to show kids that power doesn’t just magically appear when you flip the light switch on. It takes real effort to produce electricity.
If you’re looking for something to do with the kids tomorrow, go check out Energy Cycle’s pedal-powered pumping system and the rest of the ecology school complex. The grand opening is free and open to the public. Click here for all the info.
home page
The Monument Avenue 10K is this Saturday
Last Friday in the Times-Dispatch I ran down a list of upcoming area events to get you outdoors over the next couple of months. You’ve already missed No. 1) Go to the tree climbing championship in Byrd Park. But the good times are just getting rolling. This Saturday, of course, is the Monument Ave 10K. Run that in the morning, with 40,000 of your closest friends, then head down to the Jordan Point Marina in Hopewell where the James River Association will be ferrying visitors up the James to their brand new ecology school on Presquile. Sen. Tim Kaine will be on hand touring the facilities, and there will be all sorts of eco-related activities for kids and adults. And that’s just this weekend. Click here for all the other good stuff coming up.
home page
On April 24th at 7 p.m. a highly-regarded cycling film, Reveal the Path, is coming to the Byrd Theater. According to the website, “Reveal the Path is a genre-defying adventure film that contemplates what it means to live an inspired life using the bicycle as a mechanism to explore, dream and discover.
Regions explored include Scotland’s lush valleys, Europe’s snow capped mountains, Morocco’s high desert landscapes, Nepal’s rural countryside and Alaska’s rugged coastal beaches.
“Ride along and get lost in the wonders of the world… Meet the locals living modest yet seemingly fulfilling lives, leading us to question what it means to live an inspired life – however humble or extravagant. Filmed across four continents and featuring Tour Divide race legends, Matthew Lee & Kurt Refsnider, this immersive film is sure to ignite the dream in you.
“Join in as the creators of Ride the Divide take you on an adventure that will leave you with an eager desire to chart your own course to far away lands or simply to discover with eyes wide open what’s right around the bend.”
home page
This seems like a fun way to spend a couple of hours on Saturday. You’re outside; it’s somewhat strenuous, and you can probably learn a little history. 
home page
Our good friends at Terrain360.com have done it again. They’ve entirely revamped their site, which I featured last year in a Times-Dispatch column. The functionality is significantly upgraded on the new site, and, most importantly, they continue to add new trails, boat put-ins (like Ancarrow’s Landing to the right) and water ways to the list. How ambitious are the guys from Terrain360.com? They’ve got a hiker on the Appalachian Trail right now with a system of backpack-mounted GoPro cameras. The goal is to photograph and have a trail tour available for the entire path in a few months. Needless to say, this has never been done. Terrain360 developer Ryan Abrahamsen told me he expects the first 100 miles of the AT to be up soon. Google may have Trekker, but nobody’s doing what these local guys are attempting. Check it out.
home page
In response to popular demand, Go Ape at Freedom Park in Williamsburg announced this week the grand opening of its Go Ape Treetop Junior, the company’s first adventure course in the U.S. designed specifically for children. Featuring two ziplines, and obstacles, including a log balance, magic carpet, stepping stones, and Tibetan bridge, Treetop Junior offers participants an hour long experience 20 feet up in the trees.
The course employs a continuous belay safety system, where participants are attached throughout their entire adventure, until they return from the trees to the ground. Go Ape Treetop Junior is open to all ages, though the course does require that all participants are at least 3’3” tall and no more than 285 lbs. Adult supervision is also required:
· Children age 6 and older may participate unaccompanied on the course, but one adult per every six children age 6+ is required to supervise either from the course (participating) or from the ground (no charge).
· Children under the age of 6 must have one participating adult per every two children, and we strongly recommend a one to one ratio on the child’s first visit to Go Ape Treetop Junior.
To learn more, visit www.goape.com or call 1-800-971-8271. Tickets are $25 per participant.
home page
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is seeking volunteers to help remove trash and debris from Gillies Creek in Richmond. Cleanup dates are Sunday, March 24, and Saturday, April 6, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Litter and debris that wash into streams and the James River not only are eyesores but can block flows and cause water quality problems for fish, birds, and other wildlife.
Volunteers should meet at the old Fulton Street Bridge off of Stony Run Road between Government and Williamsburg roads and follow the signs to the horseshoe pits. Volunteers should wear clothes they don’t mind getting wet or muddy and dress in layers. CBF will provide tools, snacks, and water.
This is a family-friendly event; children are welcome if supervised by their responsible adult. For more information and to RSVP, contact Aimee Bushman at 804/780-1392 or abushman@cbf.org
home page
New for 2013, Virginia State Parks is introducing the statewide geocaching program, “
Tree-mendous Adventure,” with a focus on identifying Virginia trees.
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game where a GPS unit is used to find hidden containers (geocaches) in various locations. RichmondOutside.com contributor Emily Ward wrote
a great piece on geocaching last month.
Geocaching combines technology with good old-fashioned outdoor fun. The basics are simple: a modern GPS receiver is used to locate a hidden cache in the woods, usually a small container with a log book and a memento of some kind. Geocaching is growing in popularity around the world, and it’s something you can do near home, or in any Virginia State Park.
Virginia State Parks launched the new geocaching program March 1. It continues through Dec. 15, 2013. Every Virginia State Park has a cache specific to the series that includes information about activities around the park and a collector’s card with information about a native tree species. Visitors can collect the cards to receive prizes. Each state park has GPS units available for rent, for $6 per unit for a half-day and $10 for the full day.
home page
Rex Springston had a nice piece in yesterday’s Times-Dispatch about ospreys on the James River and a new program from the Center for Conservation Biology called Osprey Watch that seeks to get citizens involved in identifying and monitoring osprey behavior.
As Springston writes, ospreys are important indicators of water quality and ecological health because they live on every continent but Antarctica and they eat almost nothing but live fish.
How cool is this osprey pic by the T-D’s P. Kevin Morley?
From the T-D: The center last year quietly launched OspreyWatch, in which volunteers sign up online to monitor nests of their choosing. The project has more than 900 observers checking about 3,500 nests in five countries. (Bird expert Bryan) Watts wants to expand the network for this spring’s breeding season.
The observers record such details as when the birds lay their eggs, the number of chicks that hatch and how many survive to take wing. Watts hopes the project in a few years will provide useful leads about environmental problems.
On a bike ride on Brown’s Island this past weekend, I saw an osprey on a nest on top of an old railroad bridge piling in the James. A bald eagle sat on the next piling over. How many cities have a show like that going on downtown?
home page
Credit: JRA
In Sunday’s Times-Dispatch column, I wrote about the James River Association’s now-complete ecology school on Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, an island 20 miles south of Richmond in the tidal James River. I traveled out there for a press junket this past Thursday, and I plan on going back on April 13th when the JRA holds its grand opening celebration, which is open to the public.
According to the JRA, the day-long event will include:
- An opportunity to explore Presquile and the new Ecology School facilities
- Guided tours of the green infrastructure by Patrick Farley, Architect
- Guided nature hikes and birding tours of Presquile
- Guided canoe trips on Presquile’s tidal creeks
- A BBQ lunch reception with remarks by notable speakers
- An introduction to Ecology School educational programming available to school and youth groups in the watershed
- Information for educators about education programs offered at the Ecology School
- Live animals showcased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
There will be boat shuttles to and from the island between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you’ve never been to Presquile (or never even heard of it), this is a great opportunity to see an overlooked gem of a natural area that isn’t generally open to the public. It will also be a great way to get the kids out exploring nature. Programs tailored specifically to youth will be available.
home page
