Learn from others – community solution

The citizens of the New River watershed identify with their river, and they support and participate in efforts to conserve the river, its water quality, its natural resources, and its history. Their vision of the future is reflected in a popular bumper sticker, “The New River—Like it is!”

With much of the watershed still rural, there is an effort to help improve the agricultural practices of the farming community in order to benefit water quality. In the Little River watershed, part of the headwaters of the New River, 23 farmers have taken advantage of a USDA grant to implement Agricultural Best Management Practices on their pastureland. Grazing practices can have a big impact on stream quality. When livestock are allowed to freely use creeks and streams, sediment, nutrient loading and pathogens increase, so BMPs usually address fencing to keep livestock out of streams, and the use of alternative watering systems. Many of these 23 farms also were able to piggyback the USDA grant with other cost-share programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which encourages the restoration and protection of streambank habitat and wetlands.

On a larger scale, citizens, localities, districts, businesses, universities and agencies have joined together to form the New River Watershed Roundtable to address the issues of the watershed for today and for the future. Currently, the Roundtable members are working to develop a strategic water quality plan for the watershed, and have made plans to hold five public meetings in early 2003 in an effort to bring the community into the planning process. It is hoped that these public meetings will generate ideas, issues and concerns about water quality in the region, and help guide the development of a strategic plan — which will be designed to promote cooperative, community-wide effort in support of the health of Virginia’s waterways.

Additional resources:

Friends of Claytor Lake
Environmental Protection Agency for Surf Your Watershed
New River-Highlands Resource Conservation & Development
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Western Virginia Land Trust
New River Community Partners
New River Valley Development Corporation
National Committee for the New River
www.runet.edu/~engl-web/river/conservation.htm