Geography of the James (Earth Lodge)

I chose the most beautiful day to sit by the lake and observe my surroundings. A light breeze skated over the lake water, slightly disturbing tree branches and surface water. A few trees had changed color and the forest was made up of a mix of red, yellow and green. Red and brown leaves covered the forest floor. People actively wandered around the lake, walking dogs, fishing and playing with their children.

As I slowly approached my reflection spot, my gaze quickly scanned the area. I had chosen my spot by the lake in order to pay closer attention to the evolution of the Westhampton Lake. At my first glance, the lake had no major visual changes. Most trees were still green and the conservation buffer was still nonexistent between myself and the lake. The red and yellow leaves made the scenery more exciting than my last visit. My quick scan of the lake held nothing unexpected considering North America is transitioning into Fall.

After closer observation, I noticed there were less ducks than my last visit and no geese. Most of the remaining ducks congregated on exposed lake bed. The Westhampton Lake had receded far enough for ducks to take temporary residence on the exposed areas. The lake bed lacked vegetation, only covered by sticks and leaves. I assumed the lake would be at a higher level considering the frequent rain. There must be less water in the watershed than normal and the rain has not added enough water to maintain the Lake’s normal water level. The environment surrounding the lake appears largely unaffected by the receding lake.

I would have never given a second though to the exposed lake bed of I had not taken the time to sit and observe. I would have been distracted by the colorful trees as I mosey by the lake. I have learned the value of taking the time to observe and contemplate small changes in the environment.

As I began walking to my reflection spot, I could not help but notice how much the change of the season had altered the atmosphere on Belle Isle.  The last time I was here, it was sunny and warm.  Sunbathers lay on the flat rock while dogs, children, and daring young adults splashed around in the calmer waters.  On my stroll to my reflection spot this time, I passed only a few people.  They were walking their dogs, going for their daily jogs along the trails, and biking on a cool November afternoon.  They smiled and bid me hello as I passed, and I could not help but to feel more relaxed and at peace than I did on my last visit when the island was overflowing with noise and life.  The leaves are just beginning to really change color, and a dusting of brown leaves, still damp from the rain we recently experienced, were plastered to the floor of the trail.  A slight breeze blew and rustled the leaves in the trees as I hurried on to my reflection spot to see just how the change in the weather and season had left it.

My view of the trail on my walk back to the entrance of Belle Isle.

I reached my reflection spot and was not at all surprised to find the area completely vacant.  An area that teeming with sunbathers on my last visit was now empty with the exception of a flock of geese still wading and floating in the water.  The most bizarre thing about it was the contrast in between the atmosphere of vivacious life present on my last visit and the deserted feel of the place this time around.   The fact that there was no one else at my reflection spot was no surprise to me because I know that Belle Isle tends to be a spot popular only in the warm months of the spring and summer, like the South Jersey beaches I am accustomed to at home, but it was still a bit unsettling.  The island seemed almost lacking because of the lack of life and color on the gray afternoon of my visit, and yet the river rushed on over the rocks and around the islands contours.  The beauty and power of the river captivated me on this visit more so than on my last visit, perhaps because of the lack of people and distractions.  Without the people splashing around in the water and creating a ruckus all around me, I was truly able to focus on the river.

The view as I looked out onto the river from my reflection spot.

We have discussed a lot in class the power of the river and the peoples’ fascination with taming it over time, but as I stared at it from my reflection spot, I could not understand why.  Why would anyone want to alter something so beautiful and free flowing?  I understand the economic pull of such endeavors, but I just cannot imagine wanting to disturb something that has the ability to create such a peaceful feeling within me as the river did on my second visit to my reflection spot.  Maybe I am just not the conquering type, but I cannot imagine wanting to tame the James River through manipulation.  In my opinion, something that is so naturally unstoppable deserves to remain as it is.

Choosing Pony Pasture as my reflection spot has special meaning because the significance of the location has greatly changed over time for me. When I first encountered the location, it was simply as a place to take recruits for the swim team. I never really got a chance to sit down and look at anything. Of course I knew that we were at the river, and that the river was pretty and the trees were big, but I never really saw it. I just knew in the back of my mind that it was there. I was completely engrossed in another activity and Pony Pasture simply served as a backdrop, but nothing more. My view of the river was like this for my entire freshman year. Even when we did not take recruits there, I went with my teammates and we would often sit on the rocks and talk about practice or school, but not once did we sit there in silence and take in our surroundings.

Now that I have been a part of Earth Lodge for a couple of months, I am beginning to see Pony Pasture in a new light. First of all, I never really realized how connected the University was to the river. Obviously I knew we had a lake, but I always felt for some reason that it was pretty contained to the limits of campus. I had learned about run off and pollution in middle school and in high school and I knew that all the water in the area was connected but I guess I had never really thought about it until this class. I had never payed attention to the little creek and I never payed attention to the trees along the banks of the lake. Again, they were things I just knew were there. But as I started to learn more, I began to see (arguably for the first time) what was going on on campus so that when I went back to Pony Pasture, I really saw that what we did at school impacted the river. Being part of the class has really opened my eyes because a lot of the information regarding pollution or the water cycle was information I had already learned about or had been at least minimally exposed to. But now I am more able to apply it and see it in action, making it more real for me, but also making me feel like I can make a difference too.

Full of hidden treasures: a phrase I would use to describe both the Potomac and James Rivers. Beautiful, a teacher, and full of opportunities are also words to describe these two important rivers.

During Fall Break this past weekend, Earth Lodge members went on a boat ride on the Potomac River around Washington, D.C. to learn about the history, health, and uses of the Potomac River watershed. Though it has its own unique characteristics, the Potomac is quite similar to the James River watershed which we have been studying for many weeks up to this point.

Some obvious similarities are the rivers’ importance during the colonization of America and during the Civil War. The national capital was built on the Potomac because of the resources the waterway could provide. The James River was colonized for similar reasons and Richmond serves as the capital city of the commonwealth of Virginia. Both rivers were exploited for their resources and were neglected in the way of protecting the rivers’ health. It was not until much damage was done to each river that citizens began to realize the consequences of the urbanization. Now, both rivers face their own set of serious issues and there are many efforts and organizations that are trying to repair the rivers back to good health.

“We’re going to break into groups and test some different abiotic factors of the water,” explained one of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation leaders to us when we stopped near the Washington, D.C. wastewater treatment plant. Memories of doing this in high school immediate flooded my mind, but I had to take a moment to think what we could possibly expect to see as the health of this river. Dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrates, temperature, and salinity were among some of the abiotic factors we tested and compared to another spot near the deeper section of the upper Potomac. Some aspects were better than expected, like dissolved oxygen and pH, while others were worrisome, like phosphates, nitrates, and turbidity. We have not specifically tested the water of the James for these factors, but one can hypothesize that the health is at a similarly low level due to a serious problem with nitrate, phosphate, and sediment input into the James River.

Setting up a water catchment device with an environmental advocate from Texas aboard the CBF boat

Another factor of river health, biodiversity, was tested when we set out a trawl net to catch fishes and marine animals along the bottom of the river. Eric, one of the CBF leaders made a remark that it was the worst day of fishing he had seen all year. To that end, we discussed why this could be: a large rainstorm, the first in a month and a half, had just impacted the river days before and could have sent the river and its inhabitants into a bit of chaos. Like the James River though, large rainstorms heavily impact the Potomac due to a startling lack of riparian buffer, a result of the building of a city along its banks. The water of both the James and Potomac become very murky as the sediment is churned and polluted water rushes into the river.

Who couldn’t appreciate this gem within the boundaries of our own national capital?

We spent a good amount of time in various parts of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in the last 2 months and one conclusion I can say with certainty is that the bay and its watershed are beautiful treasures that must be protected. The James and Potomac River are both important spots for recreation and serve as a classroom to teach biology and the need for environmental conservation to anyone who will listen. Though you can’t see nitrates and other pollutants at the surface of a river, you also can’t see the wonderful treasures like oysters, game fish, and Diamondback Terrapins that lie within those polluted waters. It is only by hearing about what the rivers used to be and seeing what they are like now that we can start to understand the magnitude of impact humans have made. And then we can begin to work towards more sustainable and healthy habits of interacting with these, and all other, rivers.

Fantastic is a word that isn’t grand enough to describe the experience of this Fall Break Trip. From a rainy day’s exploration of Harper’s Ferry to a warm day’s adventures at sea, I feel as if I’ve learned and grown beyond what I expected out of this trip.

When I first decided to join Earth Lodge it was because I wanted to experience what such a diverse group of people could come up with around such a like minded idea. For the first few weeks (while they were very informative and allowed us to grow to know each other) I felt as if we were just going though the motions of another class, barely bothering to get to know one another. This trip changed that. From the first drive (3 hours in a van with 6 other people) we began to talk and hold deeper conversations about topics which could insight anger or dissent (politics, anyone?) but we also grew to find out a bit more about each other. From that point forward I made it my personal goal to be open and honest with everyone the whole trip as well as try and bond with everyone and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I feel as if we are a closer family of lodgers (And yes, I do include the 3 who, unfortunately, couldn’t make the trip as part of our family!).

But the more important, or should I say significant, bit of our adventures on the Potomac was the knowledge gained by first hand experience. While I found myself in many a moment where I was muttering answers under my breath or I felt as if we were getting the same information for a second (or third) time, there are still some moments which stick out to me in particular. For one, seeing the chemical values first hand after extracting them from the very water we were sailing above was a shocking and effective way to put everything in perspective. Being able to draw parallels with the James was also extremely helpful as I could see how much more mature the research and projects were on the Potomac whereas, in many cases, the James is just starting to get the attention it deserves.

All in all, I think the trip was a brilliant success and has allowed for a gateway into deeper and more meaningful conversation where we (the lodgers) don’t have to feel as if we are contributing as much to a class discussion as a discussion with some of our closest friends. It is those very discussion that could bring about revelations in thought and practice that we have the amazing opportunity to initiate here on the James in hopes of making the RVA city, a better place for all who visit.,

The Earth Lodge weekend trip began at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. Since I had rain boots on, my first inclination was to run straight into the water and put my feet in both at the same time. In a way, all of us continued on this vein the rest of the weekend. Anytime we were out on a boat or skipjack or at Sandy Point State Park, we couldn’t help ourselves from getting hands-on.

Part of gaining a deeper understanding of watersheds is comparative hands-on research. We got the opportunity to do this through abiotic and biotic surveys in the Potomac at two different points and in the Chesapeake Bay. I was personally surprised that water near D.C. had better nitrate readings than in the Chespeake Bay (1.7 PPM vs. 35+PPM). Yet, the successful wastewater treatment in D.C. most likely gets rid of these excess nutrients. This got me thinking back to Richmond and the James. How effective is our wastewater management. What are the exact water quality readings that characterize the water near us at the University of Richmond? This also got me thinking back to my summer internship where I did water quality surveys all around Baltimore County, whose subwatersheds also end up in the Chesapeake. I never remember any nitrate values getting that high, but I’m tempted to check with my supervisor. How do we let things get this way?

Agriculture is a huge culprit. It is a top contributor to the nitrate levels we observed in the Chesapeake. In the James, I assume agriculture would also raise levels. Even on the Richmond campus, higher nutrient loads are observed downstream of the golf course that heavily overfertilizes. This basically mirrors what happens downstream of farms that use fertilizers on their crops.

In terms of observations from biotic surveying, the Potomac catch only supplied us with 2 or 3 different species of fish. The Chesapeake Bay proved more biodiverse with a total of 6 very different species – macroinvertebrates such as worms and barnacles, multiple fish species, 1 live oyster (out of 30 maybe) , and blue crabs. There were bald eagles spotted in the skies near both sites, which indicates that they are sustained by feeding on the life in the water. It strikes me as strange that there was more biodiversity in an area with a higher nutrient load. Perhaps the algal blooms that result from high nitrate levels have not begun yet.

In the end, we may not have literally dived into the Potomac or the Chesapeake Bay, but we did make many key observations necessary to compare it to our watershed in Richmond and in my case, my hometown watershed. My memorable quote from the Earth Lodge trip sums up our semester – we have been in different watersheds and now these watersheds are a part of us.

Raising awareness and creating place identity are two things that can lead to conservation and sustainable management practices. To be able to create place identity, you must have some sort of connection with the land, such as walking on the soil or boating through the river rapids. These connections allow you to be more a part of the place, and less of just another human visitor. These connections were made in all of my fellow Earth Lodgers.

Unfortunately, I did not get to interact personally with the land this weekend because I was unable to attend the trip due to sport conflicts. Fortunately, I was able to learn what seeing the river might not have been able to tell me. I had the opportunity to discover how the river became what it is today, through reading a book called The Potomac by Frederick Gutheim. While this book did not fill my seat in the van or my bed in the cabin, it did allow me to understand more of the history behind the Potomac River watershed. With this deeper knowledge, I was able to then compare current statistics about the James River watershed and the Potomac River watershed as well as compare their pasts.

In River Time has informed us all of the ups and downs throughout the James River history and our field trips and readings have filled in the rest of our current knowledge of the James. The explorers of the past seem strikingly similar. Their attitudes were simple. They wanted to succeed. The early comers of both watersheds settled close to the river enabling them to harness the power of the water. In both situations the river was used as a highway. It allowed for exploration and for trade. Interestingly enough both sets of new comers experienced an urge to cross the river and explore the other bank. Both rivers acted as “floating worlds”, but also as barriers. The list of similarities throughout history goes on and on, but I will not bore you with that.

Having spent my weekend reading a book all about the Potomac River, I could not help myself from creating a connection with the river. I hope to explore the watershed further and I hope to learn more about the river from my classmates. I unfortunately will never be able to make up not being on the trip with my fellow Earth Lodgers, but I will make an honest effort to venture up to the Potomac at the end of Thanksgiving Break.