Friends Of the Rockfish Watershed

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** FORWatershed Captures Scenic Virginia Award ** - see press release!
Friends of the Rockfish Watershed and the Lynchburg VDOT District
capture Scenic Virginia's Most Creative Scenic Improvement Award

Rockfish Valley Watershed Improvement Plan
NEW** - Tye River Water Quality Improvement Plan

Learn more about FORWatershed

What is a Watershed?

Membership Letter and Application

Rockfish River Watershed Community Forum
  • Overview
  • Information and Registration
  • Suggested Comprehensive Plan Language
    • Other Local Websites
  • Nelson County's Community Website
  • Visit Rural Nelson - preserving and enhancing the rural quality of life in Nelson County
  • The County of Nelson's official governmental website
  • The Nelson Downriver Canoe and Kayak Race - promoting conservation and outdoor recreation.
    • U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources of Virginia
    Test Well Depths from USGS
    FORW's Woods Mill Informational Kiosk (click on image for close-ups)


    Past Special Events
    ** FORWatershed Annual Meeting and Picnic - June 5, 2005**
    New World Soapstone Quarry Tour and Special Meeting
    Sunday, June 6, 2004, Schuyler, Va.
    Tour and Open House for the Rockfish Remediation Project

    Check out FORW's Spruce Creek Kiosk and see how it was built

    Thomas Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District

    If you have not already filled out FORW's Well Survey Form please do so and mail the completed form to
    FORWatershed
    P.O. Box 115
    Lovingston, VA 22949

    FORWatershed Activities
    • Monitor Streams
    • Prepare Educational Materials for the Public
    • Work with Schools on Watershed Projects
    • Build and Maintain Kiosks
    • River Cleanups
    • Help Design and Conduct a Water Quality Survey
    • Investigate Dam Relicensing and Possible Removal
    • Design and Create Newsletters and Brochures
    • Write Grants
    • Plant Trees
    • Attend Conferences on Watershed Issues
    • Identify Threats to the Watershed
    • Gather Information on and Promote Land Management Tools
    • Consult with County Officials on Watershed Issues
    • Provide Information For and Help Design Website
    • Design and Implement Fundraising Activities
    • Photography

    Peter Agelasto, Jay Gilliam, Diane Easley, Wendy Collins and Sarah Collins count macroinvertebrates (stream critters).
    See more exciting stream monitoring photos.

    A Water Quality Study on the North Fork, South Fork, Rockfish River and Taylor Creek in Nelson County, VA

    North Fork of the Rockfish River Study, July 29, 2010.

    Comment on DCR's proposed Nutrient Reduction Strategies
    Gaining Ground: Successful no-till farming


    More FORWatershed Projects
    FORW's Tye River Study - Summer/Fall 2009.
    FORW's STEP (Service Training for Environmental Progress) Project for Summer 2004.
    (Rockfish River Study)
  • STEP Report (2.84 Mb)
  • Stream Assessment Forms (2.85 Mb)
    • See the Rockfish Remediation Project description - Read about the Tour and Open House and Remarks at the Ribbon Cutting.
    Rockfish Valley Foundation Trail, Map, Model Farm and more. See future park Photos!
    Build and Maintain Watershed Awareness Kiosks
    Stream Monitoring.
    CHESAPEAKE BAY RESTORATION FUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Project Application Form.

    Stream Monitoring
  • Nomination of Surface Waters for Va. DEQ Monitoring
  • The Izaak Walton League of America's Save Our Streams Program is, perhaps, the definitive guide on macroinvertebrate stream monitoring.
  • The Virginia Department of Forestry Offers Useful Information on Stream Monitoring
  • The Virginia Water Monitoring Council
    • Water Resource Information
  • Rockfish River TMDL Bacteria Update, June 22, 2011
  • Taylor Creek Sediment Stressor, June 22, 2011
  • Regional Water Study Public Meeting, September 10, 2008
  • Watersheds & Water Quality By Peter Warren; distributed by Virginia Cooperative Extension
  • U.S. Geological Survey - Water Resources of Virginia
  • Test Well Depths from USGS
  • The Influence of Land Use on Stream Condition by Tess Wynn (720 kb)
  • Sprawl, Impervious Surfaces and their contribution to Drought
  • Residential Rainwater Harvesting Systems and Other New Initiatives of the TJSWCD by Alyson Sappington, District Manager, Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Build your own Rainbarrel - step by step with photos from Clean Virginia Waterways
  • The Role of Sediment Transport in Stream Condition (2.38 Mb)
    • Watershed Grants
  • Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program
  • Canaan Valley Institute
  • American Rivers' grants for floodplains, trails, greenways, dam removals and fish passages
  • Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Soil and Water Conservation Grant Opportunities
    		• Simple, yet effective, rainwater catchment system

    Click image for slide show.
    Friends
  • Friends of the Rapphannock
  • Friends of the Shenandoah
  • Friends of the Potomac
  • Friends of the Appomattox
  • Friends of the Rivers of Virginia
  • Float Fishermen of Virginia
  • The Rockfish Valley Foundation
    • Soil Survey of Nelson County, Virginia (2.7 Mb)

    Trees
  • Identify over 80 Common Trees of Virginia
  • How Trees Impact Water Quality
  • Believe it or not - Tree planting is considered so important that the Virginia Department of Forestry sells trees for as little as 5 cents per tree from its Tree Seedling Store depending on the quantity and species and offers up to 100% in cost-sharing in ecologically sensitive areas.
    • Nelson County Greenways Proposal
    Greenways Description.
    Greenway Corridors Map.
    Landowner liability for the use of private property by the public - from the Code of Virginia.

    Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Impaired Waters for 2002

    FishAmerica Foundation Supports Restoration Projects
    FishAmerica supports projects to restore coasts, wetlands, and other fisheries habitat; improve fish migration routes; and build reefs and other structure in marine areas. They support projects that involve citizen conservationists, ranging from Boy Scouts to sportsmen's clubs to local conservation group chapters, helping communities revive degraded habitats and bring fisheries back to healthy waters. The FishAmerica Foundation is the conservation and research arm of the American Sportfishing Association. Competitive grants range from $5,000 to $30,000. The announcement and full grant package are available on www.fishamerica.org.

    Conservation
    Conservation and Riparian Easements
    Is proposed bill, SB 678, a threat to conservation easements?
    Learn about groundwater, the life blood of our ecosystem from the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
    See illustrations from the Pennsylvania Water Resources Education Network.
    The Virginia Conservation Network, protecting the Commonwealth's air, lands and water.
    The Central Virginia Land Conservancy promotes the stewardship and conservation of central Virginia's forests, farmlands, and other natural and historic resources.
    The Virginia Outdoors Foundation seeks to preserve the natural, scenic, historic, open-space and recreational areas of the Commonwealth.

    Protecting Our Environment
  • The Secretary of Natural Resources is charged with overseeing the Commonwealth's natural and historic resources.
  • The Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service (VAFWIS) contains information on over 3,200 of Virginia's wildlife species.
  • Chesapeake Bay Program- Learn about the Bay, it's water quality, pollutants, restoration efforts, how to get involved, and more.
  • Southern Environmental Law Center - dedicated solely to protecting the natural resources of the South.
  • Scenic Virginia - Preserve, Protect and Enhance the Scenic Beauty of Virginia.
  • Your Backyard and the Environment
  • Tips on Keeping Your Lawn Green.
  • Stream Ecology from Save Our Streams and the EPA
  • The State of the Nation's Ecosystems by The Heinz Center.
  • Septic Tank Pump-Out Guide
    • Enforcing our Environmental Laws
    Click the image to see the entire brochure.
    Environmental Defense
  • Home page - finding effective solutions to the most urgent environmental problems
  • Nelson's Environmental Scorecard
    • Master Documents
  • Master Draft Plan for the Rockfish Watershed.
  • By-Laws
  • Articles of Incorporation
    • More FORWatershed Documents
  • Read FORW's newsletter from December, 2005
  • Minutes from Board Meeting of March 28, 2007
    • Nelson County Geographic Data Maps

    Route 29 Corridor Study Documents

    FORWatershed Bumper Stickers



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