Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: July 22, 2020
Contact: Andrew Sporrer, Pr & Marketing Specialist, 804-217-1077, andrew.sporrer@dcr.virginia.gov
Volunteers at Pocahontas State Park gear up thanks to REI
REI donations to volunteers at Pocahontas State Park benefit trail users across the Richmond region
Photographs for this release are available here.
CHESTERFIELD, Va. – Pocahontas State Park volunteers received a big lift from outdoor retailer REI, this time in the form of a large trailer intended to support those building and maintaining trails at the park. The trailer was purchased with a $4,000 donation made by REI Richmond last year and recently filled with hand tools from an additional contribution of $2,500.
These donations come on the heels of the $20,000 REI Richmond provided to Friends of Pocahontas State Park in 2018. Those funds were used to help establish the Co-Op Trail, which opened in 2019 and is now the most popular hiking trail at the park.
“We’re going to continue to support Pocahontas State Park and the recreational opportunities they provide our members and customers,” said REI Richmond store manager Grant Smith. “It’s an easy choice when we see the grant money go directly to maintaining those pursuits.”
The trailer, wrapped and decorated with the logos of Virginia State Parks, REI, Friends of Pocahontas State Park and rvaMORE, will provide on-site support to a small army of volunteers by transporting supplies like a large water cooler, hand tools, gloves and other protective equipment. The friends group helped organize over 28,000 hours of volunteer work in 2019 and anticipates the trailer will help increase that number this year.
“It’s nice to have a commercial partner that recognizes what we’ve built here and believes in it, too,” says friends board member Owen Waltman. “We had almost unprecedented trail use in March and April. It’s been difficult to properly equip trail volunteers.”
“We had a busy spring,” said Nate Clark, manager of Pocahontas State Park. “People have been flocking to outdoor recreational spaces, and increased demand means we have to respond more quickly and more frequently to maintenance requests. This trailer is going to go a long way in keeping our trails open for more people.”
The idea for the trail crew support trailer can be credited to rvaMORE, a trail advocacy and volunteer group that has helped build trails all over the Richmond region.
“People saw how effective our trailer was at staging work days and transporting tools and machinery,” said Roger Sattler, president of rvaMORE. “It made a lot of sense for the friends to have a trailer of their own.”
Previously, the friends group, rvaMORE and park staff would have to coordinate volunteer work parties around one central hub providing access to tools in the trailer. Further, rvaMORE services multiple trail systems throughout the Richmond Regional Ride Center, including James River Park system. “It’s good news for trail users all over Richmond,” Sattler said.
Between the sprawling 110 miles of trail at the park and the recent rise in trail use, the trailer is a much needed addition.
“As we progress through the park’s master plan, we’re transitioning more into a maintenance operation rather than a construction operation,” Clark said. “This trailer is going to help those that are helping us.”
Back at REI, Smith says it’s is a good visual representation of the shared interest in the recreational resources Pocahontas State Park continues to deliver.
“We’re just glad we can make a difference and help increase recreational access,” he said.
Those interested in volunteering at the park should contact: kerstin.niedermaier@dcr.virginia.gov.
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