A few weekends ago, a group of us met up with Ralph White at Mayo Island to do some beautifying. In the parking lot, he greeted us warmly and introduced us to a pair of boaters. Their gratitude for volunteer efforts like ours was apparent, and the river passion they shared with Ralph made for a rousing introduction to the day. Then we all walked to the railroad tracks, which Ralph warned us was technically trespassing. “Don’t come with me,” he said, grinning, “unless you’re prepared to get arrested today.” But we followed him, carrying painting and trash collection supplies, over a narrow railway bridge and down onto the island.
Some of our group stayed at the bridge to paint over some of the more obscene graffiti visible to passing boaters on the James. There was a section of graffiti near the water, though, that no one dares to touch. Ralph mentioned it during our class field trip with him, and I was struck by the respect he holds for true street artists despite the negative connotation the medium carries, especially for public officials. A few kayakers passed by occasionally, and they all called out to make sure we weren’t painting over the good stuff. I’m realizing again and again that the river community here is both beautifully tight-knit and consistently welcoming.
The other half of our group cleaned up some trash in an area of the island that serves as a homeless encampment. There was a huge tarp and a few tents, some furniture, a fire pit, and a gigantic pile of trash. Ralph explained to us that the people who’ve lived here have done a better job every year of keeping the area clean and collecting their trash for volunteers to haul away. When someone new moves in, he said, he approaches them and explains how the volunteer cleanups work and asks them to do their part–inevitably, this gesture of respect forges a friendly relationship between the homeless community and the park system. “It’s been ages since these guys were throwing trash in the river,” Ralph said. It’s a testament to his deep-rooted faith in humanity’s desire for a healthy habitat, and to his incredible embodiment of the communication, knowledge, and energy that define an effective environmental leader.