Students from Jamestown High School will set out Saturday on the James River Expedition on canoes, bateaux, rafts and work boats.
The James River Expedition, organized by the James River Association, is in its third year and is sponsored by Dominion Resources, the parent company of Dominion Virginia Power, through a $50,000 grant from The Dominion Foundation, its charitable division.
“The James River is a vital resource to Virginia’s communities and we’re proud to sponsor the trip for its third year,” said Hunter Applewhite, president of The Dominion Foundation, in a press release. “Dominion Resources is committed to preserving and protecting our natural resources, and we believe this is an investment in the future of the Commonwealth.”
The expedition is arranged in three eight-day segments, which cover the entire 340-mile river, to educate students and teachers about the James River and the importance of keeping it clean and healthy. Activities during the expedition include water testing, wildlife identification and macro-invertebrate sampling. Tours have been arranged of riverside farms, industrial and wastewater treatment facilities and power stations.
As the expedition begins Saturday, students from Jamestown High School will join Hopewell and Hickory High Schools to focus on the upper James River, traveling from Iron Gate to Snowden by June 29.
The next round will include students from Clover Hill and Monacan High Schools. They will paddle the middle James from Lynchburg to Cartersville between July 13 and 20. The last leg of the trip from July 27 to Aug. 3 will take students from Woodside, James River and Highland Springs High Schools down the lower James River from Richmond to Hampton.
“The expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the participants and they will walk away with a greater understanding of the river’s importance as a natural resource. These students will share their stories with friends and the lessons they learn will be passed on for generations,” said Bill Street, CEO of the James River Association, in a release.
Three Envision the James forums, which provide communities and citizens the opportunity to collaborate on a vision for the river’s future, will include students’ accounts of The Expedition. The forum including student accounts on the upper James River Expedition will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Twin River Outfitter in Buchanan. Visit the forums’ website for more information.
To find out more information about The Expedition, visit its website.
