The Shadow
The end of 2025 is upon us, and I am proud to say the Jackson River Preservation Association (JRPA) started by Bill Wilson eleven years ago is strong with 95 members who are dedicated to keeping the Jackson River clean.
The major undertaking this year has been to join the Allegheny Blue-Ridge Alliance (ABRA) and the Cowpasture River Preservation Association (CRPA) in a joint effort to keep the headwaters of the James River clean.
The JRPA Board of Directors voted to release the JRPA share of a federal grant to ABRA for administrative control to hire a Jackson River Monitor Coordinator (JRMC).
The CRPA also released their funds to ABRA, and this has resulted in solid water chemistry and benthic data for the Cowpasture River under the direction of their river monitor coordinator.
Early monitoring has begun on the Jackson River and its tributaries. In a few weeks, the JRMC will be announced for the Jackson River. This individual will work in partnership with Andrew Young, the Cowpasture River Monitor Coordinator (CRMC).
Andrew has done an outstanding job in his capacity as CRMC and assisting the JRPA with early monitoring sites selection along the Jackson River.
The JRPA under John Feldenzer (Water Monitoring Chairman) has volunteer monitors performing benthic monitoring. Benthic monitoring is the collection and identifying the organisms living on the river floor. Their collected numbers and different tolerances to pollutants by species are good indicators of the health of the river. To understand this, think of the canary in the coal mine.
The JRPA is involved in getting answers from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) on several issues. For example, the fish kill in November 2024. A meeting was held in November with representatives of both departments regarding the fish kill. The JRPA members in attendance were Joe DiNardo, (toxicologist), Joan DiNardo, (statistician), Bill Wison
(past President JRPA) and Monroe “Puggy” Farmer (President JRPA). The fish kill was a direct result of an accidental chemical spill from the paper mill in Covington resulting in the suffocation of the fish. This spill has resulted in additional water testing by DEQ and continual discussion with DEQ and DWR on the need for a fish advisory below the paper mill.
In October the JRPA was represented at the Army Corps of Engineers, Gathright Dam Stakeholders meeting by Mike Whiteside (Board member JRPA), Joe and Joan Dinardo, Bill Wilson and Puggy Farmer. The major concern of the JRPA at this meeting was that the periodic pulse releases of water have resulted in real estate loss due to erosion. The JRPA was told that the pulses will never stop and it is the responsibility of the affected property owners to protect their property. The fact that developing a riparian buffer is difficult if the soil has been washed away, i.e., vegetation does not grow on rocks, was not answered.
In September the annual membership picnic meeting was held, and Dan Shaffer (Director of ABRA) announced the new watershed map that ABRA, JRPA and CRPA have sponsored. This map is interactive, free, and open to public use. The amount of information is extensive and all the water quality data by site is available. When the JRMC is on board, the Jackson River information will be available.
Due to the weather, a scheduled meeting with the Virginia Department of Transportation in December had to be cancelled. However, it will be scheduled after the first of the year. Bill Heindl (well-known trout fisherman and outdoorsman), Ron Wilhelm (biologist), Joe and Joan DiNardo, Bill Wilson, Dick Brooks (President CRPA and JRPA member) and Puggy Farmer will be asking questions regarding the toxic chemicals being sprayed along the roadsides that eventually reaches the rivers/tributaries of the Jackson River and the actual overspray into the water.
In reading this summary, it may seem a few meetings do not make a busy schedule, but background preparation and getting everyone together takes a lot of time. I am thankful for the dedicated people that I work with and the membership that supports our efforts.
If you know of anyone that might like to be a part of keeping the Jackson River clean, we shall welcome them to become members. Please ask them to contact Puggy Farmer at cowpastureriverhawk@yahoo.com.
Thank you for your support of the JRPA. Without you, there is no JRPA!
