On July 22, 2011, teachers and students from four Virginia high schools completed a four-week exploration down the entire James River aboard canoes, bateau, rafts and work boats where they received a 340-mile lesson in environmental stewardship that will help them create a vision for the next century of conservation of this treasured river.
The expedition launched from Iron Gate near Covington, Virginia on June 25 and concluded in Hampton at Old Point Comfort.
The inaugural James River Expedition, organized by the James River Association, was sponsored by the Dominion Foundation with a $50,000 grant.
The paddlers of the James River Expedition successfully completed their 340-mile journey on July 22 when they reached Old Point Comfort Marina in Hampton.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
On Day 18, the paddlers rafted through the rapids in Richmond, Va., and visited Dominion's headquarters. On Day 19, they visited Chesterfield Power Station, located about 15 miles south of Richmond, then continued down the James River.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The expedition toured Dominion's 580-megawatt Bear Garden Power Station in Buckingham County, Va., about 60 miles west of Richmond.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The expedition put in at Scottsville, Va., on July 7, and added a bateau to the fleet.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The expedition received some fly-fishing lessons on July 5.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The expedition began at Iron Gate near Covington, Va., on June 25.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Participating students were selected from among applicants from high schools across the James River watershed, which represents 25 percent of the land area in Virginia. Schools represented were Open High School in Richmond, Albemarle High School near Charlottesville, E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg and Bethel High School in Hampton.
The teachers and students participated in a variety of activities, including water quality monitoring, river resource mapping and watershed restoration efforts.
The students and teachers also experienced tours of a riverside farm whose best-management practices are a model in agricultural conservation, a city working to reduce its contribution to stormwater runoff pollution, a large tract of undeveloped land protected for future generations by a conservation easement, and a power plant investing in cleaner air and water.
The Expedition also journeyed into the rich historical and cultural traditions along the James River, traveling by historic vessels and meeting with representatives from Virginia Indian tribes and other experts on the river’s history, culture and ecology.
Copyright ©2011 Dominion
