The following is an end-of-the-year summary of JRPA’s activities as presented by President Bill Wilson:
1. Stream Monitoring – COVID-19 slowed us way down and is still a deterrent to moving forward to more extensive efforts to monitor the Jackson River (J.R.). John Feldenzer leads our team and is looking for volunteers. If you can help, send him an email at zugbug3@comcast.net. This is one of the most important things we do, so please jump in (no pun intended) if you are able.
2. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) – This is a DEQ project designed to remove the lower J.R. from the “Impaired Rivers” category by restricting point source pollution. I am serving on DEQ’s Technical Committee (if you can imagine that) and DEQ is moving forward very slowly. I met with Alleghany County Administrator Reid Walters not long ago, and he knew nothing about the project. I will report that to DEQ. The local governing bodies should be involved fully in that effort.
3. Lake Moomaw Recreational Facilities – Good news here. The USFS is working to get the Bath County Marina back in working order, along with other facilities that have been allowed to get run down. One of our JRPA members, Bill Uzzell, has been very active in efforts to get these repairs done and we have been assisted by Gwen Mason, Public Affairs Officer with the USFS. Gwen used to be an aid to Senator Tim Kaine.
4. The Pulses – We came through the pulse schedule without dramatic damage except that I continue to get reports about extensive erosion. Whether or not our fish and other aquatic creatures are being adversely affected is a matter of continuous study. So far, DEQ, DWR, and the USACE report all okay but we are continuing to be vigilant.
5. Mountain Gateway Community College Scholarship – I plan to call our Board of Directors into session early next year to see if they would like to follow the example recently set by the Cowpasture River Preservation Association (CRPA) when they signed a contract to provide a $500 scholarship to a second year MGCC forestry student, (who resides in Virginia) with a GPA of 2.5 or above. We have about $5,000 in our treasury at this time. Lang and I would like to contribute also if the Board approves the idea.
If any of you have suggestions as to how to better run the JRPA, please let me have them. I am getting a little “long” in the tooth,” so keep your eye out for an energetic new president. My secretary, Kathy Carson, retires tomorrow, so communicating with you will be a problem.
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas – and I wish each of you a Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Bill Wilson, President
Jackson River Preservation Association
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