Rappahannock Adventures

09/06/2024

Well-written article about Hickory shad numbers dropping in the Rappahannock. I've certainly caught less in recent years, but don't go that often anymore. I've asked some of the biologists involved for more details. Hickories are ecologically & historically important. They fight hard & are so acrobatic they are called the "poor man's tarpon."

One day back in April, Dave Antos couldn’t focus on work. His friends were blowing up his phone with pictures of their catches on the Occoquan River in Virginia. Within

08/31/2024

Fantastic article about rattlesnakes not being as aggressive as we think. Years ago, I saw a documentary about a similar study demonstrating copperheads are much more likely to strike than cottonmouth water moccasins. The researchers used prosthetics, much like in this case. Of course, the evidence about copperheads was contrary to what I was told as a kid, growing up in Tidewater around both species. AND about 20 years ago, I found a Dead On the Road (DOR) canebrake rattlesnake in the middle of Main Street, Smithfield, Va., about 25 miles from their Dismal Swamp habitat. Biologists at Old Dominion thought someone moved it there as a joke.

It's rattlesnake season in Arizona, where the number of bites has surged. And it turns out most of what you thought you knew about the reptiles isn't true.

08/29/2024

I have graduated, again! 😂 Shoutout to the team at Burnham Guides for leading this very informative training. Registration info in comments.

08/27/2024

Tappahannock has so much to offer for outdoor adventure. Bird nerds, see comments. 😎

Summer is not over yet! There's still time to hit the river for some fantastic fishing this month. 🐟 The Rappahannock’s lively waters are perfect for both seasoned anglers and beginners alike. Reel in Striper, Catfish and even some saltier species like Croaker.

Grab your gear and cast your line for an unforgettable fishing adventure right here in Tappahannock! 🎣 Discover us: visittappahannock.com

08/26/2024

I'm leading the 2-mile guided paddle from 11 until noonish, starting at the Hopewell City Marina. There are only about a dozen seats for the 2-mile event, so register early to get your spot. And please share this event with friends. FOLAR - Friends of the Lower Appomattox River has been doing this race for 16 years!

08/25/2024

Comprehensive water sampling during the past three days do not indicate a public health risk

08/25/2024

The fruit on mine are almost ripe!

Native to the Chesapeake, the passionflower is a cousin of the tropical passionfruit.

08/23/2024

This is the stretch from Germanna Ford to Ely's Ford. "The Rappahannock Rapidan Health District is advising the public to avoid activities in the advisory area that will result in prolonged contact such as swimming or stand-up paddle boarding (SUPing) and prevent pets from swimming. Activities that result in limited contact such wading in the water to launch a boat, kayaking, canoeing, may continue with proper caution."

***Rappahannock Rapidan Health District Issues Swimming Advisory for the Rapidan River***

Effective immediately, the Rappahannock Rapidan Health District is issuing a swimming advisory for the Rapidan River from the boat launch at Route 3 to the boat launch at Route 610 until further notice.

See full press release here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/2024-regional-news-releases/rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-issues-swimming-advisory-for-the-rapidan-river/

08/22/2024

Press Release - August 22, 2024
Rapidan Service Authority Wilderness Water Update
ORANGE COUNTY, Va. – The "Do Not Use" order for all customers of Rapidan Service Authority’s (RSA) Wilderness water system issued on August 21, 2024, remains in effect due to unknown contamination. Testing conducted on the evening of August 21, 2024, confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons from an unknown source in RSA's water system and from source water in the Rapidan River.
Despite the presence of contamination found in the river on August 21, 2024, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Orange County Fire and EMS, and Fredericksburg Watershed Police have not discovered anything out of the ordinary. The investigation is ongoing. Rumors of a motor vehicle crash, a pipeline break, and a dead body are baseless.
RSA continues to work with the Virginia Department of Health to ascertain when the treatment plant will be able to resume safe operations. Testing continues to be conducted to ensure no unsafe levels of contamination are present. Once testing confirms no unsafe levels of contamination, the system will be flushed.
RSA customers will be informed when the Virginia Department of Health has deemed the system safe to resume water use for drinking, cooking and bathing.
Bottled water distribution is available at Locust Grove Middle School at the bus lot entrance. A limited supply is available as of 2:00pm, August 22, 2024, with more truckloads in route. Additional points of distribution are being considered for bulk distribution of water for persons with their own containers.
Additional information will be published when available.

The Rapidan Service Authority has announced water supplied by the Wilderness WTP Water System has potentially been contaminated by an unknown substance. The area served by this plant includes Lake of the Woods, Wilderness Shores, Somerset, Edgewood, Germanna Heights, Twin Lakes, Rt. 3, etc.

Out of an abundance of caution, Rapidan Service Authority (RSA), in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Health, is advising residents NOT TO USE TAP WATER until further notice. RSA will be conducting testing to ensure that concentrations of any contaminants are at safe levels before lifting the “Do Not Use” order. Please **DO NOT** use tap water until further notice due to potential contamination.

Friends of the Rappahannock is aware of the situation and monitoring closely.

Stay safe, and we’ll keep you updated with more information as it becomes available.

08/22/2024

Menokin Bay at Cat Point Creek is beautiful.

There is still time to register for this Saturday's early morning guided paddle. Register today and enjoy Cat Point Creek at the break of dawn!
Register Here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/2fbb110a/?appointmentTypeIds[]=67020397

Kayak Info Here: https://www.menokin.org/kayak -up-today

08/19/2024

I understand the general direction here, and applaud creative solutions, but are we no longer taking serious the Virginia Department of Health fish consumption advisories for Blue Catfish? Virginia Seafood has a similar campaign, but again, I've seen no mention of the advisories. So what's the bottom line? Are the advisories no longer relevant?

08/17/2024

08/14/2024

Our 2024 summer camp season with Virginia Outside is coming to a close and this final week is shaping up to be a memorable one. Great times with great young people.

08/13/2024

This is a fantastic setting for discussions about the local ecology and cultural history of this region. Menokin's interpreters are great at sharing stories that intrigue and inspire.

Rent a kayak and explore Cat Point Creek during your visit to Menokin.

Our first 100 kayakers to sign up will receive a $10 voucher to select Warsaw eateries!

We have 2 guided paddles scheduled for August:
Monday, August 19 - Full Moon Paddle (6:30 - 8:30PM)
Saturday, August 24 - Greet the Day Early Morning Paddle (7 - 9AM)

Check online to see our rates & register here: https://www.menokin.org/kayak

08/12/2024

This will be a very cool adventure!

We’re excited to announce the 16th annual ! 🛶

Join us on Saturday, September 21 for this fun paddle downstream from Petersburg to Hopewell on the scenic Appomattox River. This annual event brings folks together from all across the region as we celebrate the river and all it has to offer by winding through beautiful marshy areas filled with wildlife. We welcome paddlers of ALL LEVELS, and you have a choice of a 10-mile Race, a 10-mile Leisure Paddle, or a 2-mile Guided Paddle.

REGISTRATION INCLUDES (*depending on your selection):

🚌 A shuttle ride to and from parking areas*
🍪 Morning snacks*
🍽 Lunch
👕 Paddle Battle t-shirt
⌚ Time wristband
🏆 And handcrafted awards (for our race winners)*

We offer discounted registration for folks 17 years old and younger, military members & first responders, and educators. Finish line activities include lunch with a scenic view at the Hopewell City Marina where we’ll sell refreshments (like beer from Trapezium Brewing Co.) and new, fun merchandise!

We hope you’ll join us for this year’s - our biggest river event of the year!

🔗 LEARN MORE and REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/paddlebattle

FOLAR would like to thank our sponsors for helping gather the community along the River: Dominion Energy, John Randolph Foundation, Virginia American Water, CSX, Bank of Southside Virginia, Coca-Cola Consolidated, and the Appomattox River Soil & Water Conservation District. 🫂

08/07/2024

Cool fossils from our area!

It is a very lucky find. The fact that the giant boring machine at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project uncovered some mastodon bones

08/02/2024

Virginia: eat these fish, but don't eat these fish. Whaaaaaaat?
Virginia Seafood is a program under the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). It encourages folks to eat Blue Catfish when they are listed all over the Virginia Department of Health Fish Consumption Advisory for harmful levels of mercury and PCBs. "Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children are advised not to eat any fish contaminated either with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or mercury from the respective advisory areas."

08/02/2024

Friends in Fredericksburg have to shut down a huge part of their business, because there is so little water in the middle Rappahannock River. Meanwhile, Caroline County, located just downstream from Fredericksburg, is moving full speed ahead with plans to suck 14 million gallons of water each day from the river. Caroline wants the water for economic development projects.
But there is less water in the river each year, for three years in a row.

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?VA

Friends we are sorry to announce there will be no more tubing for the rest of this season.

08/01/2024

"The numerous projects across all four states — such as salt marsh and peatland restoration, planting trees in cities, conserving farmland, preserving land for outdoor recreation, and forest restoration — are expected to have expansive and long-lasting benefits to our climate, local economies and communities."

TNC Chapters in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia to Scale Up Forest, Peatland and Wetland Restoration Work Toward Carbon Reduction Efforts

08/01/2024

Watching the paddlers has been my favorite part of the Olympics. My friend Kelsey from ACA Paddlesports has worked with Evy, which makes this even more fun!

Started from the bottom of the start list and now we are here!!! YES EVY! So much well deserved stoke for you 🫡

Congratulations to the two women who joined Evy on the podium
🥇Jessica Fox
🥈Elena Lilik

07/31/2024

Cool video on falcon banding in Virginia. I love visiting with our Tappahannock falcons.

Join the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources as we band and collect data on our 2024 peregrine falcon chicks. Learn more about why banding is important...

07/30/2024

Go Evy!

Evy Leibfarth advances to the Women’s Canoe Single Semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics!

Watch her race in the Women’s C1 Semifinal tomorrow, July 31 at 9:30am ET! The Women’s C1 Final will take place later that day at 11:25 ET.

Go Evy! Go Team USA!

📸: Francois Nel/Getty Images

07/28/2024

Nevin Harrison is an American sprint canoeist from Seattle. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, winning the gold medal in the women's C-1 200 meters. Can't wait to see what she does in Paris! USA team roster in comments.

07/27/2024

Evy Leibfarth is a Team USA star from North Carolina. She qualified for semifinals today in Women’s K1 (slalom) and had a fantastic second run that bumped her up to 4th place.

HUGE day for Evy Leibfarth at the Paris 2024 Olympics! Today, Evy qualified for semifinals today in Women’s K1 and had a fantastic second run that bumped her up to a 4th place.

This was her first time competing in front of such a big crowd and she channeled the energy into an incredible performance.

Be sure to cheer Evy on as she races in the semifinals tomorrow!

Go Evy! Go Team USA! 🇺🇸🦅

Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images

07/27/2024

Dunnsville farmer in the spotlight!

The economics of farming are always tenuous and subject to many market and climatic forces. Robert "Bob" Waring of Brandon Farms of Dunnsville, Virginia describ

07/24/2024

Proud to be part of this program.

07/20/2024

Please be careful helping these guys across the road. They need us. We need you.

From the last day in May, 21 Master Naturalists have scanned roadsides, scoured gardens and hiked through woods to identify box turtles, arguably the most encountered reptile in the Northern Neck…

Read the rest of the story at: https://rrecord.com/box-turtle-survey-underway-in-the-northern-neck.

07/19/2024

Lately, I've been watching a pair of these birds a lot. Hope they make it.

By Bryan Watts 7/18/23 Between 2023 and 2024, Virginia peregrine falcons experienced a spike in adult turnover.  The mean replacement rate (percentage of identified individuals lost) […]

07/19/2024

Artemis II!
"The SLS rocket’s core stage is the largest NASA has ever produced. At 212 feet tall, it consists of five major elements, including two huge propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant to feed four RS-25 engines."

07/15/2024

Day 1, Week 3 of St. Margaret's School summer camp is under way. Science, art, history, and river adventure!