Anne Norwood is one of
JRA’s RiverRats. While her day job involves working as a pediatric nurse
practitioner, her unpaid job is working in her garden at her home in
Lovingston, Virginia.
Her connection with the
James is through the Rockfish River where her family bought a farm 20 years ago.
It is situated just a mile from the Rockfish River, so her boys grew up
floating and fishing the (mighty!) Rockfish and the James. No family or friend’s
visit to their farm in summer is complete without a river trip. She said she decided
to become a RiverRat because it was “a way to give back for all the pleasure
that the rivers have given us, and you get this great hat!”
Anne patrols the Rockfish
in Nelson County from US 29 to Schuyler along the Rockfish River Road. “ It’s a
gorgeous winding stretch that bends away from the road for miles, has
overhanging trees, flowers blooming on the banks, lots of wildlife, and enough
drop to be fun,” is how she describes it. She patrols in her canoe that she
claims is familiar with every rock.
“There are lots of people
who cherish the rivers, understand the importance of the James, both locally
and as part of the greater Chesapeake Bay, and are concerned about the health
of the waterways. Being a River Rat is
one small thing we can do to raise awareness, clean up our little corner of the
playpen, and hopefully improve the legacy of the river.”
If
you want to become a RiverRat, join us for one of our upcoming trainings:
Saturday, April 26, 9am-2pm at Boxerwood Gardens and Education
Center, Lexington, VA
Saturday, May 3, 9am-2pm at Smithfield Innovation Center,
Smithfield, VA
For more information, visit our website (LINK TO RIVERRATS) or
contact Amber Ellis, Volunteer Coordinator at aelli@jrava.org
No comments:
Post a Comment