Author: Rambler

The autumn sunlight warms the group gathered around the table. The air is collegial and cooperative: the Virginia Department of Environmental QualityGuv,!v,,us TMDL Coordinator has come with three consultants from the Lois Berger Group, specialists in the process. TheyGuv,!v,,uve set up a poster presentation on an easel to one side that summarizes the Rivanna TMDL meeting in March with colorful charts and lists.

[To read the rest, visit the Rivanna Rambler’s blog]

On October 10, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will consider amendments to zoning, subdivision, and water protection ordinances — all designed to enhance protection of water resources, all of which to some degree restrict property owners’ ability to develop or alter their land. This week’s Rambler reflects on the balance between individual rights and collective good.

Read the narrative on the Rivanna Rambler blog.

Photo by: Hank Helman 11/2/2005 SFRR: dam

September 27, 2007 — The dedication of the Summer Kitchen on September 29 and Old Farm Day on Oct 6 are ways to see what’s both old and new at Pleasant Grove. Be sure to visit the new Route 15 bridge over the Rivanna in Palmyra to see the dramatic changes there.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55 am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton. This episode (#60) originally aired on September 27, 2007. Read the story on the Rivanna RamblerGuv,!v,,us blog.

Ballinger Creek in Fluvanna is just downstream of Zion Crossroads — and though the Creek is likely to see impacts from upstream development, several species of chub are making their homes of stones in the river bottom of the creek.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55 am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton. This episode (#59) originally aired on September 20, 2007. Read the story on the Rivanna RamblerGuv,!v,,us blog.

The Nature Conservancy’s work to restore the Rivanna watershed includes rebuilding a small stretch where the North and South Forks of the Rivanna meet. Carolyn Browder, restoration specialist for TNC, provides a tour of the restoration after a season of growth. This show originally aired on WTJU on April 19, 2007.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton. This episode (#55) originally aired on August 23, 2007.

StreamWatch’s study of the geomorphology of Rivanna’s tributaries will yield a better understanding of the life history of the watershed. Read the narrative here.

Paddling the Rivanna River from Darden Towe Park through the remains of the Woolen Mills dam three days after the breach provides a new look at this urban waterway: blue-winged teal, river otter, and the sound of flowing water make for a memorable Saturday morning paddle.

Photo caption: A view of Brown’s Mountain looking down the Rivanna towards the bend where the Woolen Mills Dam once was.

“The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55 am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton. This episode (#56) originally aired on August 30, 2007. Read the story on the Rivanna Rambler’s blog.G,V

The 2007 Rivanna River Clean-up starts at 10 a.m on Saturday, August 25. The rain date will be on Sunday, August 26. Contact Garnett Mellen at 975-0224 or garnett.mellen@vaswcd.org for volunteer on the ground. Contact Phyllis White at 984-5678 or 242-5893 or phyllisdj@hotmail.com to volunteer by boat. The event is hosted by the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District and the Rivanna Conservation Society.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton. This episode (#55) originally aired on August 23, 2007.

Photo by Bill Emory, visit the Historic Woolen Mills blog for more informatio

Woolen Mills Dam Breach: Reflection on the deconstruction of the Woolen Mills Dam in Charlottesville on August 15, 2007 which has resulted in a free-flowing Rivanna River through Charlottesville for the first time in over 175 years. This episode aired on August 16, 2007.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton.

For Show: #53 August 9, 2007 Roadside Travelers: Roadsides make good pathways for non-native vegetation to spread, including the spotted knapweed, spotted on a recent trip to Orkney Springs.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton.

Leslie Middleton and Rose Brown, StreamWatch Volunteer Coordinator, count macroinvertebrates and a love of these tiny aquatic insects at a recent stream sampling session in Fluvanna County.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!VkjG,V airs weekly from 11:55am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recordedG,V by Leslie Middleton.

For Show #50 July 19, 2007 Allegheny Highlands: Traveling to the Calfpasture, Cowpasture, and Bullpasture Rivers to escape the summer heat in Charlottesville.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton.