Blog | Geography of the James (Earth Lodge) | "The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. " -Chris McCandless in a letter to mentor Ron Franz

Kerry’s Ditch: A Hidden Doorway to Wilderness

Posted on October 28, 2016 by John DeAngelis

The First Visit:

With my yellow field journal in hand, I slipped out the back door of Grey Court in search for adventure. My mind was teeming loudly with the thoughts of the day and all the journal articles that I knew I would have to include in this reflection were beginning to jumble together. As I rounded the west side of Westhampton Lake, the brazen hip-hop melodies booming from the enormous baseball field speakers violently collided with my whirling thoughts. I knew I could never reflect here.

Speeding cars whipped around the bend and came hurtling towards me as I walked to the lake’s input by foot. The road narrowed right at the spot where the water passed onto campus grounds, so I jumped down off the asphalt and onto the slippery banks of the stream on the west side of the road. I was hoping to find a slice of serenity here at Kerry’s Ditch, but instead I only got a view of a cement riverbed, nearly stagnant water and brambles.

I sat there in the mud waiting for Cronon to descend from the treetops and remind me that nobody can “flee into a mythical wilderness to escape” society. Although I was crouching in a thicket of jewel weed by the stream, the road, mere feet away, seemed to suck all the natural peace from my surroundings. What kind of reflection spot was this?

“To improve water quality and help reduce erosion, the buffer of trees, shrubs and groundcover along this stream was planted by: (…)”

As I began to grope my way up to the road in preparation to leave, I spotted movement in the corner of my eye. To my astonishment, I spied two does standing in a patch of mimosa upstream from the road. All of us instantly froze and gazed at each other for quite some time before one deer flipped its tail up and bounded deep into the woods, only to be followed by its friend. “There’s some wilderness for you, Cronon” I thought as I emerged back on the road. That’s when I noticed a small green sign titled, “Community Stream Project.” The text on the sign explained how the stream’s riparian zone was restored in 2006 in order to improve water quality and reduce erosion.

As I trudged my way back onto campus, I admitted defeat. Sure, I saw some flora and fauna, but was it really wilderness? Clearly, the sign showed how this side of the stream was no secret to others. My reflection spot proved to be busy, exposed and influenced by human factors so much so that I could not find calmness. Maybe Cronon was wrong.

But how long is the stream’s riparian zone? How deep does it penetrate into the woods? If it had a sign, then it’s watershed must extend somewhere, right? And where did those two deer run off two anyways? After posing these questions a few days later, I knew that there must have been more for me to experience. My adventure wasn’t over yet…

The Return:

The stream’s banks were too overgrown for walking.

The overgrowth was too thick for me to walk upstream on the water’s banks, so I headed north on Boatwright Drive, turned left onto New Fraternity Row and slipped through a gap in the back fence of a lodge. As the music from the baseball field faded away and the asphalt parking lot gave way to forest floor, I forged into the woods in search for the stream that feeds into Westhampton Lake.

Pipes can unnaturally alter the route of water within a watershed.

The thin trees and leafy ground underfoot expanded broadly before me and I could easily make out trails of erosion. Water from the nearby residential areas poured into trenches that lined the streets and ultimately flowed directly into this patch of woods via tin pipe. My long desired revelation finally came as I understood exactly why the erosion marks streaked down the small hill towards my original reflection spot. All the rain that fell in this expansive residential area either percolated into the ground or made its way to this patch of woods, wearing away the earth on its journey to Westhampton Lake. My meek, nearly stagnant stream from last week was actually a massive funnel for the runoff of all this land. Campus has no boundaries and is instead connected to these adjacent woodland and residential areas. Now that I perceived my reflection spot as a doorway to so much more, my understanding of it had drastically changed from my first visit.

Wilderness is always surrounding us.

While brooding on my new sense of scale, I gathered my notes and prepared to head back to campus; however, there was a large figure blocking my path to the road. A regal buck with a full rack of antlers was patiently gazing right at me. Cronon was right: wilderness surrounds us everywhere. I had stumbled upon a sublime patch of pure and rugged nature that was mere steps away from busy roads and loud baseball music. Face to face with the majesty of wilderness, I could finally reflect and reach harmony.

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Fun facts

Posted on October 27, 2016 by

Fun fact: I’m a busy person. I don’t have a whole lot of free time to begin with, so I’m always looking for the fastest way to get simple tasks done. The fastest way to the gym from Gray is out the back door, through the woods and over the bridge past the gazebo. It’s an incredible place to watch the sunset too (one of my favorite activities – fun fact); I would recommend doing so if you’ve never tried.

This is my favorite sunset I’ve seen to date. I am not technologically savvy and can’t get it right side up. Maybe pretend it’s artsy this way.

I can also multitask, a habit of busy people, because I can study trees on the way there. I see an American Beech, Hickory, Sassafras… the list goes on and on, but also stresses me out a tad because I have yet to learn all of the trees. Nevertheless, that walk, through the woods and over the bridges to the final destination of the gazebo, has become my reflection spot.

Fun fact: I’m more of a people watcher than an observer. I notice the people in my spot more so than the surroundings. I try to connect the people to my surroundings, but my train of thought almost always wanders toward guessing where people come from, what and where their going home to, and filling in the gaps with my imagination. There are generally people from the community walking their dogs, doing photo shoots with their families, or even the occasional earth lodger. More often than not, there are also two Hispanic women fishing in the lake, always pulling out bucketfuls of fish to presumably take home and eat. That I notice and constantly think about because of how unhealthy the lake is, and surely the fish are as well. Will they get sick? Is that the only way they get food? Will they overfish the lake and decrease the population? Does anyone else even care about these questions? I don’t know, but I sure like to wonder.

I know people use the little island and gazebo for several different things, but I doubt many ever stop to just enjoy the beauty of where they are. They’re too busy worrying about where they’re going, who they’re with, or whatever their hectic mind is wrapped up in. I’m glad that I actually took the time to sit and think, enjoy nature, notice the people in my surroundings. Fun fact: I’m happy to have the opportunity, required for the class or not, to give up my busy schedule for a minute and just chill in a beautiful spot.

Try to find a school prettier than ours. I dare you.

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The Tireless James Adventure

Posted on October 27, 2016 by

The moment I saw my first tire in the water, the exhilaration I felt filled up my muddy canoe to the brim. We hadn’t yet seen a tire despite our best efforts, and during the first mile of our journey, I was beginning to grow anxious for a find. My minimal expectations of finding just one or two tires per canoe were seeming increasingly probable, and I was hoping to find at least one tire to make the trip down to Scottsville worth it.

After finding the first tire and hauling it onto our canoe, we found the tire population on the James to be exceedingly abundant. About one or two strokes of our oars down the broad channel of the James was all it took before we could locate another underwater tire, partially hidden beneath sediment and waiting to be found. Many of the tires were stubborn in their placement under the bed of the James, and extra hands were needed for their removal. This was definitely the best part of the trip for me. Stumbling upon an almost completely covered tire, the chances of removing the tire seemed like a long shot. However, after calling on some friends to help dig around the tire, remove the large rocks, and pull together all at once, the tire would release from the river bed in a whirlwind of sediment. And we, the excavators of the tire, would feel proud, relieved, and exhausted.

As Michael explained in his post, the tires in the James river have a very negative impact on the environment. They release toxic chemicals into the waterway and can block and disrupt organisms. While sometimes removing just one tire at a time seems trivial in comparison to the many environmental problems haunting the watershed of the James river, together, we truly made an impact through our trip. While Jack and I removed about a dozen tires, the entire group removed around 50 altogether.

Together, we can work to make a positive impact on the environment. Our group removed around 50 tires from the James river bed.

While my own individual actions to work on improving my ecosystem can seem insignificant at times, working together with passionate people can genuinely make a great environmental benefit. Often, I feel as though improving the environment alone is too daunting of a task, such as an almost completely buried tire. However, with friends in tow, creating a beneficial impact can be easy and enjoyable.

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Rocketts Landing

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Parr

Around me, I see a riverside park with many families having barbecues and enjoying the sounds of the river. Most of the men are fishing, but not for sport or bragging rights. Instead they are holding a fishing rod, more just to have an excuse to sit outside and enjoy the magnificent James river. For my reflection spot I traveled to Rocketts Landing in downtown Richmond. As I sit here I reflect mostly on the history of this place, and what that means for its future.

Confederate artillery photographed at Rocketts Landing.

Change has always happened here. In the early 1700s, Rocketts Landing was a ferry port to cross the river. Before bridges, railroads, cars, or even an independent American country, a large amount of commerce was happening here. If someone wanted to get cargo across the James, it had to be taken across at this place. This pinch point meant Rocketts Landing had sort of became a confluence of goods and materials for the city of Richmond. I imagine that it must have been bustling with people and cargo going in all directions. From a place of prosperity, Rocketts Landing then changed into a place of destruction. During the civil war this spot was the naval shipyard for the Confederacy. Iron was forged shortly up river near Browns Island (now the location of Folk Festival) and then made into warships. These new iron ships and other boats purchased were all stored and launched from Rocketts Landing, making this a very important piece of history which had a large scale effect.

Rocketts Landing, railroad is now the bikepath

Rocketts Landing with railroad.

As I sit on the dock today, the place looks much different. It is no longer defined by coal burning ironclad fortresses, nor is there industry moving across the river. Instead there is a magnificent green space with recreational opportunities. A 53-mile-long paved path runs from this spot down river to Jamestown. I like to think that this connectivity is much more constructive than what the warships took advantage of. Although all around me is peaceful now, I wonder what this place will evolve into next. High end apartments seem to be overhanging above me and this makes me wish that development will not take over this little spot of Cronan’s wilderness. Although I know that I will not live long enough to see changes like those I read in the history books, I hope to come back to this spot regularly and notice something new.

See comments below for follow up visits.

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Tireless James

Posted on October 26, 2016 by

This weekend I went on the Tireless James trip, which aside from going two hours later than expected and the weather being very cold, was enjoyable and eye opening. Garrett Stern, the trip leader, gave us a bit of background on the way to Howardsville – where we started the paddle toward the tires. People throw tires in the river because typical trash and waste plants will not accept them, and the river is the most feasible dumping ground where they will not get caught. This is problematic because tires leach chemicals such as benzene, mercury, styrene-butadiene, arsenic, and other toxic substances into the water that harm the ecosystem. The issue arises when these chemicals are released into the environment. They contaminate the water, and some of the chemicals bioaccumulate over time. Essentially, worn down tires are very bad for the environment. When the River Rat Training leaders talked about how tires are one of the biggest pollutants to the James, I could not fully wrap my head around that idea. After this weekend, it makes a lot more sense.

One thing about the trip that baffled me is that it is formally only an annual clean up. It is wonderful that we pulled close to thirty tires out of the river, but they have been sitting in the river for a good amount of time before volunteers get to them every year. I worked with Michael, and we found several tires that were buried deep in sediment and took a lot of effort to dig out. There were probably many more that were completely covered and will potentially stay in the river forever. If the tires have been in the river since the last clean up, they will have already leached chemicals into the water that will stay, bioaccumulate, and eventually make their way to the ocean. My point is that I think the clean up should be done more often than once a year, perhaps twice or three times. I appreciate the work that regular volunteers put in to help clean the James, but I think that this particular aspect could be improved by occurring more frequently.

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My Corner of Campus: Mud by the Lake

Posted on October 26, 2016 by

I walked amongst the transforming foliage on a tree root covered path surrounding the lake. As the path crept up to the muddy bank, I sat down and decided to reflect. My muddy bank seemed as good of a spot as any, I supposed. I wasn’t quite sure what to reflect about, so I just sat there in the mud for a few minutes and stared out at the lake.

The path less traveled leading to my reflection spot.

The view from my muddy bank.

I decided to do a little meditation where I wrote down what all of my senses were perceiving. I immediately noticed the construction noises in the distance, as well as the sounds of cars vrooming down the nearby road. There was an empty chips ahoy bag near me. Needless to say, I wasn’t feeling the majestic glory experienced through a sublime piece of wilderness. The lake wasn’t formed from the tears of gods, the vegetation around me wasn’t enchanted by the perfect hue of emerald green, and the animals fled as I approached instead of singing to me and keeping me company.

I continued to sit despite my underwhelming feelings about my reflection spot. I noticed the sounds of birds in the distance, the crashing of acorns falling into piles of amber leaves, the constant humming of crickets incredibly far away. While the damp and soggy bank didn’t feel amazing under the seat of my pants, I took time to appreciate the feel of the gentle breeze as it rippled the surface of the water, distorting the reflection of the gazebo island painted on its surface. I laid down to recognize which leaves had begun changing into warm browns, reds, and oranges for the fall. The longer I sat in the mud, the more peaceful I began to feel. I began to realize my original perceptions of my reflection spot were wrong; I had failed to notice how perfect of a spot I had stumbled upon. But maybe it wasn’t just my spot. Maybe all of the spots around the lake have a hidden beauty waiting to be found.

Hidden beauty found in my reflection spot.

I’ve come to realize that in life, it’s so important to find beauty wherever you can. It helps us as humans to understand and enjoy all of the magnificent things around us, no matter how ordinary they may be. Cronan asks for us to find wilderness in our own backyards, to search for exquisite in the overlooked, to find the beauty in the muddy bank of the lake. To quote the ending of my favorite show, The Office: “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?”

Update: The Return to the Reflection Spot

Following Andrew’s unique idea of reflecting at night, I set out to return to my reflection spot after the sun had gone down with Andrew, Parr, and Jack in tow. Turns out, Andrew’s reflection spot was just feet away from mine! Sitting down on my muddy bank, I heard the piercing squawks of geese more so than in my previous trip, and the white noise provided by the insects had grown. I found that the decrease in vision was compensated by an increase in sounds. As I took in the scene, Andrew, Parr, Jack and I discussed the different viewpoints we’d experienced. Andrew pointed out some things I had overlooked in my previous trip, such as the beautiful slanting tree on the bank of the lake, whose branches caressed the top of the water and reflected back in a beautiful silhouette. Sitting in my reflection spot at night brought me an even greater sense of peace than I had experienced before; the dark shading revealed only the outlines of the foliage surrounding me and the lights along the bridge reflected against the still water. Andrew, Parr, and Jack’s company provided me with an opportunity to reflect on how all individuals view nature in a slightly different way. While we all appreciated the serene and peaceful scene surrounding us, we all noticed and focused on different things.

Nighttime at the muddy bank. The lights illuminate the bridge leading to the gazebo.

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From Cool Cats to River Rats (River Rats program and paddles)

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Yi-Hsin Lin

To be completely honest, as excited as I was for the River Rat training session, it was a pretty hard sell to get up for a 5-hour presentation on Saturday morning. Since I had arrived the latest of our SSIR group, I grabbed a seat in the back row, coincidentally sitting next to one of Todd’s former students, Roy. We conversed and he told me that he lives in Charlottesville as a GIS specialist for the Virginia Natural Heritage Program. I realized that he was so enthusiastic about our public lands that he had come all this way to attend the session. Compared to an hour drive, rolling out of bed and walking 10 minutes didn’t seem so bad. Afterward I began to pay especially close attention to the presentation.

The presentation itself provided a really great overview of the current status of the river. The James is making large strides in improving its water quality and habitat restoration: chemical runoff has been reduced and the number of many local species have increased. They went through the statistics of the river such as 60% in nitrogen reduction and 59% in Striped Bass. However, the main issue of run-off from factories and industries remain in the James. Thus, they emphasized the importance of natural buffer zone restoration, while further discouraging hydrological infrastructure such as dams. This relates back to our class discussion where 100 feet of buffer is ideal for biodiversity and filtration towards a body of water. It is good that we are working towards that goal; not only does it promote natural growth, but it does so without disturbing the environment. Similarly, the River Rat’s dissuasion from hydrological infrastructure ties back to Florsheim’s article in which it disrupts habitats and prevents it from naturally fluctuating.

What impressed me the most was their outreach towards the local community. They were strongly pushing to connect the public to the river. As a result, they offered an array of programs and opportunities for people to get involved such as teacher trainings, ecology school programs, and several river expeditions. According to Don Forsyth, this approach would gradually progress the state of the river through awareness and, ultimately, action. I couldn’t agree more with this method, as including people in their local issues eventually fosters a responsibility towards them. A great example of this is when the River Rats split us into small groups and assigned each of us a local issue scenario. This made the presentation much more engaging because I felt that I had a direct hand in remedying the problems of our river. If we apply this approach to our local communities, we will all eventually be as passionate in protecting public lands as Roy and thus, the James River will catch up to the McKenzie in no time.

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Keeping the James River tireless

Posted on October 24, 2016 by

As we pull into Howardsville ready to take part in efforts aimed at keeping the James River tireless, a question lingers in mind- why would people dispose tires into the James such that their act would necessitate this kind of a cleanup? This is a thought that seems rather absurd to imagine of. For once, I am a little skeptical about finding any tires once we set out in the waters.

As we set out on our canoes floating downstream, the river’s features are very limpid. The waters are very clear contrary my earlier expectations, the channel is relatively broad and a

The broad channel and clear waters of the James at Howardsville

variety of riparian vegetation including sycamores, river birches, and white oaks line the banks. The eroded banks of the channel are also easily discernible most probably due to the recent flooding, and a significant number of riparian trees have fallen into the river.

Two miles down the river and having not spotted a single tire, my hopes of finding any tire escalate. I am still trying to wrestle with the thought of why people would dispose tires into the James that would foster an environmental concern. However, no sooner had we floated a few more feet downstream than McKenzie and I spotted eight tires submerged in shallow waters near the muddy left bank. With utter excitement, we get off the canoe and pull the tires off the river channel scrapping the dirt inside them and loading them onto our canoe. Behind us a flotilla of batteaux provided by the James River Batteau Festival follow collecting tires from our canoes. As we stack tires onto the batteaux, I begin to

A bateau with tires retrieved from the James River

A batteau with tires retrieved from the James River

realize the gravity of the issue at hand. In a stretch of the river of less than one mile and while primarily focusing on the left bank, we collectively retrieve more than fifty tires. The batteaux are so full that they cannot hold more tires. We are forced to transport some of the tires by road to the collection point in Scottsville. This definitely starts to hit me as a call for concern.

Research shows that formulations and chemical compounds used to make tires get released into water systems when tires are disposed in water channels. These substances are potential carcinogens. Tires also block pathways of aquatic animals and may disrupt breeding or forage grounds. This results to unnecessary disturbances in ecological systems.

As we unload the batteaux in Scottsville, I cannot help notice the elation on people’s face as they celebrate their long-day efforts. At once, I learn that the activity was not only about pulling tires out of the river but also connecting people with the James for them to realize the importance of environmental stewardship and conservation.

References:

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Man Vs Nature

Posted on October 21, 2016 by

As I bask on the large flat rocks of Belle Isle, I cannot help reminiscence about the majesty of the James. In front of me, the James roars powerfully as it negotiates bends around the edges of the flat rocks foaming lather, while swirling pebbles within the crevices of the large rock next to me. It’s mind-boggling to imagine that a simple process like swirling of

The large flat rocks of Belle Isle

rocks within crevices will over a course of time result to formation of the magnificent potholes that characterize most of the flat rocks on this island. In a way, it seems like nature has conspired to produce phenomenal features from the simplest of processes, some of which may not be visible to us.

A few feet behind me, the scraped banks of the James are visible, as the river tries to alter its channel morphology. However, one thing stands out in particular- the human interference on the bank structure. A significant strip of the bank has either been reinforced using ripraps or concrete. For a moment, the idea of concrete banks seems

A stretch of concrete along the James at Belle Isle

viable as an act aimed at taming bank erosion which has chiefly been responsible for increasing the amount of sediments in the James. However, with a little more critical approach I discern that concrete banks may result to more deleterious effects than we can imagine.

The sediments from bank erosion are critical in the creation of riparian habitats. The value of such riparian vegetation in controlling bank erosion and providing diverse ecological habitats along the James cannot be underestimated. Thus with engineered banks comes the danger of loss of these ecological functions. These bank-alterations tend to also increase the velocity of the river, increasing the rate of bank erosion downstream. This reduces the ability of floodplains to recharge and consequently exacerbates the water quality. Since watersheds are interlinked, it may be time before pollution from the James affects other watersheds like the Chesapeake or the Atlantic at large. This not only poses a huge threat for aquatic animals that depend on these systems but also on humans who draw water from such systems.

It may be time for us to address the real cause of increased sediments in the James which primarily arises during floods, rather than taming short term symptoms. A huge perk will definitely be controlling stormwater runoff and encouraging sustainable land use upstream of the James.

Second Visit:

Today the island looks very deserted compared to my first visit. Only a few people can be seen biking or jogging on the trail along the river. The magnificent, large, flat rocks that

The flooding James at the pipeline in Belle Isle

characterize this island are hardly visible as the muddy James gushes past the fall line submerging everything on its bed. These are the results of a flood that hit a week ago escalating the river’s height to eight feet.

The muddy waters are a call for concern. Unsustainable agricultural practices upstream coupled with inefficient storm-water management from the residential and commercial areas within the watershed are primarily to blame for the current condition of the James. I am concerned that if nothing to mitigate these causes, we may be gradually regressing the James to its previous adulterated state.

I can hardly envisage the number of aquatic organisms that have faced the brunt of the muddy James. Sediments have been shown to cause detrimental effects on aquatic organisms by clogging gills of aquatic animals, thus destroying gill filaments necessary for breathing. This can lead to massive deaths of aquatic animals affecting population distributions. Moreover, the residents who depend on the James for water are not spared either. Water quality deteriorates significantly. Increased fecal matter from faulty sewer systems can pose a huge health threat during these floods.

As I leave my reflection spot, I am certain that a little community awareness can go along way to help the residents appraise their river and take action to preserve it. Ultimately, efficient storm-water management remains to be the most fundamental solution to this crisis.

References:

https://rotj.wordpress.com/tag/north-bank/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Isle_(Richmond,_Virginia)

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React to the Trash on Dutch Gap (Community Event/Field Trip Service Log)

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Yi-Hsin Lin

It was a weird combination of excitement and discontent when I saw a piece of trash/garbage at the Dutch Gap. Initially, part of me saw every discarded item as a point, treating the whole river clean-up as a competition of who can fill their trash bags the fastest. However, the other part of me felt upset at the sheer amount of trash and neglect that was in the area. I kept thinking “How can people be so inconsiderate and lazy as to not even properly dispose of their own waste. Seeing items such as beer bottles, aluminum cans, and fishing lines especially fueled my anger towards these individuals. I didn’t know who specially was responsible for the litter and pollution, but seeing these specific items steered me to assume that they are ignorant and thoughtless characters who simply use the Dutch Gap in any way they please. It was so disheartening to finally clean up an area only to notice a piece of trash off the beaten path that when recovered, reveals another polluted area. I recall that me and Victoria (a member of “Out of the Sea”) both crawled through a thicket of shrubs and thorns, only tall enough for us to princess squat the whole time, in order to reach some of the denser areas in the Dutch. However, the hardest trash to recover was a bundle of tangled fish lines stuck on tree branches by the shore. I was waist deep in water trying to cut free the rope with only a dull key (I’d left my jack knife in the van) and finally ended up taking the whole branch with me because it was much too difficult.

Several of the trash at Dutch Gap were discarded alcoholic containers.

It is important that we better enforce littering policy because the trash may potentially feed into the James River which is something Park Services, James River Association, and countless other volunteers are working to improve. The Dutch Gap is a very windy bend of the James River and, due to the calmer waters, is more vegetative. Thus, the trash and garbage that comes through this area is trapped in a bed of foliage and simply accumulates. Although this pollution may not be on the same scale as the mining and processing plants, individual littering is something that should not be overlooked. As Don Forsyth mentioned, gradual exposure and awareness of an issue influences behavior and ultimately turns into action. Proper recovery and sanitation should start at the local level and eventually move upwards. How will we ever solve the big problems if we can’t even get the little things right?

Lots of tangled fish lines washed up by the shoreline.

Not even a quarter of that day’s trash haul- so upsetting :/