The Tireless James paddle left me with a completely new perspective on the James River. The James in Scottsville gave off a different vibe than the James in Richmond. It seemed wider, calmer, and less polluted. Apart from the tens of tires we dug up, Sanitra and I only found 3 pieces of trash.
Previously unbeknownst to me, throwing tires in the river is a common practice in rural areas. Although strange, this habit exemplifies the concept we recently discussed in my Geographic Dimensions of Human Development class of private versus public space. The freedom people feel to use the James as their dumping ground is indicative of their perception of the river as a public space. They throw their tires into the river without consequence, because no one is looking after the James as their own private property. Although we may have felt morally superior, those of us cleaning up the James have no more claim to it than do those who polluted it.
However, the James wasn’t always public land, as we learned in In River Time and from Parr’s informative and entertaining Swedish Fish activity. Before intervention by Louise Burke, the river was controlled by whoever’s property bordered any given segment of it. It wasn’t until Ms. Burke and others organized the Richmond Scenic James Council in 1970. that a citizen group successfully lobbied for increased public access to the river. Eventually, they got the state to protect enough of the James to form what we now know has the James River Park system. Implied in Burke’s motive and the support of those behind her is that the public deserves access to the river; it should be a public space.
However, with the privilege of nearly unlimited access to the river comes responsibility. By throwing tires into the river, people are not living up to that responsibility and are abusing the river’s status as a public space. I’m glad to say that this is not true of all of us in Geo James. Hopefully we continue our commitment to protecting the river and can share our love of the James with all of our peers.