Geography of the James (Earth Lodge)

One of my first experiences as a student at the University of Richmond was my Roadmap trip to Belle Isle. The bus pulled up to the American Civil War Center at Tredegar where iron products used to be made, and I saw the James River out of my bus window. Even minute details, such as how Dr. Lookingbill, our current Earth Lodge class instructor, talked about how European people settled on this land because it is as far up the river as you can travel from the ocean. As we moved along to cross over the suspension bridge to Belle Isle, I felt unsettled. Cars rumbling on the car bridge overhead scared me just as much as it does today.

On the other side of the river, the Roadmap students got to explore an area that once served as a Civil War Prisoner of War Camp. From our readings in Earth Lodge this year, I realized just how desperate the situation was here… soldiers died of starvation and disease and cold just as the old European settlers did in the early 1600’s. As a first-year, this horror was lost on me. Frankly, I was too busy staring at a bunch of kayaks and dipping my toes in the water with a few fellow nature lovers.

As our trip across the river came to a close that fall, I boarded the bus and saw who I knew would be my best friend afterwards — the lovely Marissa Parker. We both shared a moment as she decided to sit down next to me. We talked about our plans to participate in Earth Lodge at some point in ou college careers. Fast forward a year, and you get this photo (taken by Kerry McGowan, also a fellow Lodger):

Marissa and I sleeping on the bus

This year, my trip to the James River Park System kicked off with a walk through Brown’s Island along a canal. After learning about the negative impacts of increased impervious surface and the necessity for riparian buffers, Brown island made me pretty sad. Pavement, non-native tree species, and an overall sore lack of trees/vegetation along the waters edge indicated to me that this area serves the interest of humans above the environment. At least some human artists made their marks on buildings to take my mind off of the negative ways we change landscapes.

And so we retraced our steps to the start of Brown’s Island all the way back to where I was last year – the bridge to Belle Isle. Over the next year, I aim to work on projects that improve the James River Park System and feel a sense of accomplishment rather than a slightly heavy heart.

I had never spent much time off campus until Earth Lodge took me on field trips and volunteer outings on the James. This past weekend I spent most of my Sunday as a course marshall at the annual Splash ‘n’ Dash 5k on Belle Isle. I was stationed at a sharp intersection, tasked with ensuring over-eager runners didn’t blaze straight down the trail. My spot came complete with a log perfect for sitting on, and I spent good chunks of time enjoying the quiet of the woods in between groups of runners. It amazed me that such a seemingly secluded spot could exist in the middle of a city like Richmond. As I watched the runners zoom past, the thing that struck me the most was the variety of people in the race. From families to full-on athletes, it seemed the most of the city was being represented. This was only confirmed as I later walked around the island to collect tape and observed activities from free-climbing to painting. Belle Isle seems to have something for everyone.

After the race, a small festival was set up with bluegrass musicians and a stand of food trucks. The atmosphere seemed to embody the ideal sunny afternoon, and the smell of crepes wafted over everything. I know that a weekend like this is hardly the norm, but the fact that events like this exist to bring together so many different people from around the city tells me the James River Park system is not just about bringing people to the river, but about bringing people together at the river. As corny as it sounds, the James plays an important cultural role as the center of our city, and does a fantastic job of bringing the city together for fun, whether it’s running, eating, or swimming.

Last year, I rarely went to the river. It was not until the fall that I finally made my way down to Pony Pasture. I was amazed to see the number of people floating down the river, kayaking, and just laying out in the sun. This was incredible for me to see, mainly because the Merrimack River near my house is not nearly as populated. Very few people would dare swim in it. Therefore, the fact that there are signs and people promote hanging out and being involved with the river is very cool!

This past weekend I was able to explore the river further by making my way down to the  annual Splash and Dash that is held right here on the James. I have never seen anything like this before. I have been to many running races and I have seen many triathlons, but this race seemed unique to me.  This race had people from the age 9 to 61 come out and be apart of the river for a day. The most interesting part of this was the number of people that came out to take part in something in their city. This to me showed the immense amount of pride people have in not only being from the city of Richmond, but also in the James River Park System. While the river itself is relatively well promoted, I believe that our final project this semester could help raise awareness.

In order to better define the James River Park System, people need to understand what it means to be connected. We can no longer think of the different access points as separate entities. We must find a way to connect these places, for people to better understand the system. Ecologically, these places are extremely interconnected, but now we must find a way to define connectivity in the system amongst ourselves.

Our guest speaker in class on Wednesday, Ikal Angelei, asked us, “What is your focus area?” We answered with a chorus of mumbling which led to the consensus that our main focus included the University of Richmond and the Richmond section of the James River. In order to understand my “focus area” I use the James River Park system.

Excursions to Pony Pasture and Belle Isle opened my eyes to the wonders the James River has to offer. I strongly believe that this system of managed public parks is a necessity to create a symbiotic relationship between the city and the river. Their existence emphasizes the importance of the river habitats and their place within the Richmond area.

The Brown Isle and Belle Isle are excellent examples of the relationship between the city and nature.

Our class trip on Saturday began on Brown Isle. The idea of this park is peculiar, there are no swing sets, baseball fields, or play sets. Brown Isle is a mixture of concrete and grass, flanked by the James River and the Haxall Canal. We experienced the raw and wild nature of the James River from a comfortable vantage point, accompanied by Segways and porta potties. I did not feel as though I was in nature. Compared to Pony Pasture, where I was surrounded by thick vegetation, Brown Isle felt as though I resided within the city.

We visited a few small riparian zones between Brown Isle and Belle Isle. One zone we visited was small and made up of natural growth which provides a weak buffer between the James River and the large amounts of nonpoint pollution generated within the endless number of parking lots surrounding Brown and Bell Isle. Another zone we visited was man-made which had specially selected plants that are notably water thirsty.

I visited Belle Isle as part of the ‘Splash and Dash’ event. Nature is more prominent on Belle Isle but even as I ventured away from the crowds of people sunbathing on the undulating granite, I was met by abandoned buildings and wooden sightseeing platforms. I concluded that these parks exist so that city dwellers can comfortably visit the James River and the surrounding habitat. The James River Park System does an excellent job of creating and maintaining their parks so people do not lose their connection with nature.

Just next to William Byrd Park lies the Maymont gardens.  In a place as busy at Byrd, which just this weekend held a JDRF Walk to Cure Type 1 Diabetes, I found it astounding how few people had ever truly explored Maymont.  My own expectations were of its mere “anti-chamber” and I had no idea of the naturalistic beauty that resided behind it.

Walking around its 100 acres of gardens, paths, and fountains, one can truly forget about what is going on outside its perimeter.  Its proximity to “society” seems exponentially larger as one climbs trees, inspects ponds, and strains for the sight of its wildlife inhabitants.  Even my experience on a Sunday afternoon, with all the exhibits closed and just its pathways available for exploration, simply walking around gives off the sensation of truly being lost in nature.  The hours spent relieved my mind of my usual Sunday evening responsibilities of homework I neglected most of the weekend, and allowed me to revert back to an almost childlike state of mind.  I climbed trees, I rolled down hills, I hopped along the stepping stones of the pond, and I got as close as I could to its small waterfall as I could without falling. My mind could release all the stresses of my upcoming week because, at that moment, all I had to do was be.

I feel in today’s world people often forget to be.  Most people rush from appointment to appointment, doing this and that and finishing one task early so they may start another ahead of schedule.  All of the rushing around with the ultimate goal of returning home, going to bed, and repeating the cycle the next morning.  Now, I’m not saying people shouldn’t be productive, but it can be one of the healthiest and best experiences to just go out and be.  To soak in the moment and appreciate everything around you.  Hear the wind rustle through the trees, feel the grass beneath your feet, watch as two dragonflies dance over water.  Often times, just being gives people a break, just long enough, from their normal, hectic schedule, to allow them to go back at it with fresh heart.

I had only been to Maymont once prior to last Friday, so my adventure started when I couldn’t find the nature center.  I drove to the only entrance I knew of, walked around for a bit, and fell in love with Maymont even more because of my lack of direction.  I dragged my friend Monika along on the trip with me, but it took only one look at the gardens for us to decide Maymont was worth the trip.  It’s certainly a place I’d love to explore more, but we were there for one true purpose only, and we were in a bit of a time crunch, so we checked out the park directory and drove around some more until we finally saw the nature center.

I was shocked, firstly, at how nice the building is.  It was not at all what I was expecting.  I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about going to see the watershed exhibit.  I pictured it to be a small, factual, and boring exhibit in a little nature center, but I was more than pleasantly surprised.  As I stepped into the first exhibit room, I saw the interactive topographic map and was immediately interested.  While these maps normally don’t interest me in the slightest (Oops! Probably shouldn’t admit that in a geography class…), I was interested because this map covered an area I actually knew about.  It was neat to see the map light up where the Jackson and Cowpasture meet at the Iron Gate to form the mouth of the James, and it was even more satisfying to me because I now know about these exact places.

This was just the beginning of the exhibit, though.  The sound of rushing water that was roaring away in the other room was enough to entice anyone to continue.  I was not expecting the exhibit to be as large as it was when I walked into the next room.  My friend and I just turned to each other and both exclaimed, “This is sooo cooolll!” (We’re about as lame as they come, we know).  Immediately, we were like little kids at a zoo.  We ran around looking at all of the aquatic fish, turtles, and frogs.  It was apparent that most of the interactive points of the exhibit were aimed for children much younger than us, but we played with them all the same.  I didn’t really learn anything new, but the exhibits did reinforce what we have learned thus far in class, and I’m sure when it comes to the parents and children that typically visit the nature center, the exhibit is extremely informative.

Aside from all of the neat aquatic life that I had no idea existed in the James, there were two aspects of the exhibit that stood out to me as my favorites. The first, surprisingly, was the model-size replica of a fish ladder.  Because my group didn’t go to the dam and we weren’t able to see the fish ladder on the kayaking trip, I wasn’t sure exactly what the ladder looked like.  This may seem silly, but sometimes pictures just don’t do the actual thing justice.  It was neat to be able to put two and two together and really see how the fish ladder works.

My second favorite part of the trip, perhaps not for the most educational reasons, was the river otter exhibit.  Those little stinkers were just so darn cute and entertaining!  My friend and I took way too many pictures of them, and with them, but it was certainly a nice way to end our day off campus, just laughing at the otters and following them on the outside of the glass as they swam and frolicked through the water in their tank.  I definitely want to go back to Maymont soon to explore more of their other animal exhibits as well as the multitude of other things the park has to offer.  It’s certainly nice and reassuring that a park as nice and well-maintained as Maymont doesn’t rely solely on it’s aesthetic beauty to draw in the crowd.  It’s nice that there is such a nice nature center and an obvious focus on educating the people who visit the park about the surrounding area.

(Just a little Nature Center fun and a selfie with the otters…)