Taking ownership of Pony Pasture

Pony Pasture Rapids Park is an urban paradise for many. A cheap way to make the best of one’s day for those that can’t afford a trip to the beach or don’t have the time to leave the city for a vacation.

The exposed granite boulders are a big draw for Richmond’s rock hoppers and sunbathers. Family gatherings are as popular as inner tubing, kayaking, swimming, fishing and partying.

But there are many people who take the pristine park conditions for granted. It takes a lot of work to keep human interference from tarnishing Pony Pasture’s natural beauty.  Between the James River Park System’s staff and the many volunteers and dedicated park-goers, the work gets done.

I am one of those proud people and Pony Pasture Rapids Park is now my park. Actually, many people own the park, and taking ownership is encouraged. After all my years of using the park, I’m now volunteering my time to maintain it and defend it from those that abuse it.

I spent five hours clearing trash and helping people park cars at the west Richmond park on the hottest day of the summer. The official high that day was 105 degrees, beating the record of 99 for July 25. Didn’t matter, the park was packed.

I can claim four garbage bags worth of trash and recycling. I had help, as people who saw me coming with my trash bag would volunteer things they had collected from the river. It was good to have children helping a little, especially with aluminum cans.

Other than all the of senseless disposal of diapers all over the place, the worst part of clearing trash was a six-pack of glass bottles smashed on the rocks.  That malicious act took the longest to clean. I also found an enclave of more than 80 cans, bottles, boxes and food containers that was about as bad as it gets. The worst part was that a trash can was only 15 feet away. Trash in, trash out people.

I think the cigarette butts were the most disappointing thing I found. Smokers know better and should be prepared to clean up after themselves.  I found 70-plus butts in one spot. The location suggested to me that it was obviously a good spot to see nature more than people-watch and I was disgusted by the lack of respect for the outdoors.

Parking is another issue at Pony Pasture. Between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on most summer weekends, the lot gets full and the park system workers and volunteers help manage the flow of cars into the park and keep everyone happy, according to park manager Ralph White.

By 3:30 p.m., the line to get into the lot was 20 cars deep and the wait was about 20 minutes. The lot — which is the largest in the park system — has 80 parking spaces but can be expanded with creative management to 110 spaces, White said.

“In the early ‘80s, riff-raff was so bad, people petitioned to have the park closed – twice,” White said. The Pagans and Hell’s Angels motorcycle gangs were a big part of the problem, he said — doing donuts with motorcycles in the gravel, smashing car windows, starting fights, drinking, doing drugs, womanizing, etc.

Pony Pasture was a rowdy and untamed place in those days and citizens weren’t happy, but the park was never permanently closed.

That was a long time ago. The park seems to be more popular now than ever and keeping peace and harmony for a diverse and multiculural crowd on a hot day is beneficial to everyone. 

“It’s a parks issue, not a police issue,” White said. Having the parks department and volunteers run the parking lots at peak hours frees police from having to dedicate several cars to patrolling the park.

White said Richmond police usually dedicates one unit to Pony Pasture on the weekends.

“There is no one breaking into cars or starting fights… and everyone gets along much better,” White said. Having attendants manage the parking lot at peak hours has helped ease tensions and people seem to respect the park more now.

While I was there, the police mostly concerned themselves with the cars in line for the parking lot that blocked westbound Riverside Drive. There were no calls for Emergency Medical Services, no rescues, no arrests that I saw.  Everyone was getting along, despite the close quarters, heat and huge crowds.

There were at least seven volunteers, including a two couples that lived near the park that like to ensure that their neighborhood is well-maintained. Another young man volunteered in the park all day doing whatever the parks department had for him. He is a regular and has taken ownership of his Pony Pasture.

I will continue to volunteer. The afternoon didn’t seem like work.  I was earning time to enjoy my James River. 

If you see something you don’t like about any city park, take action. Take ownership. Make the park yours.

Find out how to help the James River Park System or any of the volunteer groups: Friends of the James River, James River Outdoor Coalition and the City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities.

My ‘Wish List’ for James River Park System

I love the James River and spend a lot of my free time kayaking, swimming, biking and hiking wherever I can in Richmond.

I am also dedicated to several  volunteer groups that help clean, maintain and restore some of the river’s best features.

Many people in those groups have a good sense of the best ways we can improve the way we utilize the river and its resources — and ways to make those visions a reality.

The James River Park System is now protected by a conservation easement that limits development, but that doesn’t stop us from developing new ways to enjoy ourselves when we visit.

Richmond.com published Part I of a Top 10 Wish List of the things I’d love to see happen in our treasured park system.

James River meeting could prove Legendary

Legend Brewing Company hosted a gathering of dedicated lovers of the James River Wednesday night that might prove to be start of something monumental.

The meeting took place on the famed deck of the Southside restaurant as the sun slowly set on a pleasant June evening in full view of one of the best views of the downtown Richmond skyline. Members of the James River Outdoor Coalition, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off Roads Enthusiasts, Friends of the James River and Richmond Road Runners Club had a meeting/social with the Richmond Sports Backers, XTERRA, James River Park System and even Richmond Police.

It was a meeting of the minds of for the most dedicated and energetic stewards of the James River. Many great ideas were shared and the potential for many combined efforts and projects emerged.

I was particularly happy to see the faces of many people who I’ve contacted over the years and to get to know many new faces a little better. Ideas were bouncing all over the place — the crowd was full of thinkers and doers.  Ralph White and Nathan Burrell of the JRPS were there to pass thanks, good information, project updates…and to fire up the troops.

We were reminded that many of the great projects on the James River that have been put into action the past couple of decades have come from dedicated private citizens with the vision, ambition and manpower to make it happen. Want something done? Have your plan and get people organized to do it. Get the city involved when the people are assembled and working to help complete the job — don’t expect the city to do it for you.

In fact, I did get positive feedback on my paddling in the Haxall Canal idea — and this would be the group that would help execute the plan.

Fired up? Join one of these groups and make a difference. All in attendance agreed that meeting in a group setting with more cross-pollination of ideas and combined efforts on projects can help to make everyone’s river dreams come true.

Annual Earth Day Festival hero: Ralph White

Sunday’s 2010 Richmond Earth Day Festival was the fifth held in Manchester on the south banks of the James River at Floodwall Park and Plant Zero. It was a blast as always, and a great way to connect with like-minded people in a fun, positive atmosphere. 

I’m an earth day kind of guy. I attempt to be a steward of the land. I’m an avid recycler, got my backyard vegetable garden and compost pile, powerless blade lawn mower and my two new rain barrels.  I bike instead of drive whenever I can. Frequent farmer’s markets. Buy, eat, shop local — and when I do, I bring my own bags. Of the three Rs I’m probably more into reduce and reuse than recycle. I try to teach my kids to respect that way of living.

I also love the outdoors, with the James River being my main focus.  When I can, I try to do my part to keep it clean and teaching my kids the right way to go about living to be responsible and help make our world a little cleaner and greener.

I’m not going into all the details from the festival — you’re reading this, so you were probably there and saw it all. If you missed it, you can guess most of what you missed and check some of the photos below.

I do want to point out how much I enjoy Ralph White’s small annual portion of the festivities. He is the park manager for the James River Park System and put on a three-hour show for kids — planting shoreline vegetation, releasing fish, talking about the river.

As usual, Ralph was engaging for young and old, full of enthusiasm and information and showed tremendous patience and tolerance. With Ralph, it’s never the big things — all the little things. Everything is part of a bigger picture. Ecosystems depend on all things working in unison, etc. It’s fascinating to watch him work a crowd.

Ralph White is a hero to the Earth Day crowd, only he lives it on an every day basis, year-round. He and his park system coworkers are stewards of our treasured riverfront, and I admire their work and dedication.

If you’ve ever found yourself wandering around a section of the JRPS and seen him, he’s picking up trash, snagging some recyclable material, teaching, organizing, networking.  You can’t conquer everything. Work hard, do all you can, come back and do it again the next day. It’s his passion, and we’re lucky to be able to enjoy the results.

I saw several other JRPS staffers on hand — including maintenance manager Peter Bruce and trails manager Nathan Burrell — and hopefully the festival was a chance for them to relax, socialize, celebrate — not work.  From this point on through the summer, they are likely working 12-16 hour days, 6-7 days a week and — knowing them — loving every second of it.

Next time you go to the river, take a small trash bag. Commit yourself to picking up whatever is convenient for you to carry out. Volunteer to clean or in some way care for this precious resource. Ralph and his folks never run out of projects that need attention. Make the park your park, and leave your mark. Spread the word and get your friends out to help and call it a party. Every time I’ve volunteered for a clean up or trail building day it has been an overwhelmingly satisfying and positive time — my own little festival.

Find what fits you and make every day your own Earth Day.

Richmond MORE and city open Forest Hill Park trails

After nearly six months and 800 man hours, one of the key elements to the revitalization of Richmond’s Forest Hill Park is now complete with the re-opening of the biking and hiking trail.

The trails were closed to allow the reworking of portions of the original trail to help prevent erosion and to make it easier to maintain, said Nathan Burrell, Trail Builder for the City of Richmond.

“That’s why we build them that way — to cut down on the maintenance and let us work on other projects and continue to expand,” he said.

The restored trail is intended for use by everyone, not just the mountain biking community, he said. The single-track trail winds it’s 3.2 miles around the perimeter of the wooded areas of Forest Hill Park and highlights many of the park’s existing features.

Several new techniques were put to use and the trail looks fantastic.

The restoration of Forest Hill Park’s lake was completed under budget and a month early and the park will soon put in place a footbridge over Reedy Creek at the above the lake in memory of the Bryan Harvey family. The lake has become a marsh after being filled by silt over many years of neglect.

“We’ve turned the corner on perception,” said J.R. Pope, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation Department. “People are taking ownership of the parks.”

The trail restoration was a combined effort from the City of Richmond Parks and Recreation Department, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts, and many other volunteer groups.

RA-MORE is an all volunteer organization formed in 2005, is dedicated to improving the state of mountain biking in the Greater Richmond Virginia area.

The Forest Hill Park trail project cost $15,000 to complete — $5,000 from the city and $10,000 in donations, mostly from RA-MORE.

One example of the cost is the new wooden multi-use bridge over a brook in the middle of the park.

“The bridge is incredible,” Pope said. The bridge has a curve in the middle as it crosses the ravine and a staircase — a fine example of carpentry.

Several overheard comments from riders as they approached bridge for the first time were nothing but complimentary.

Greg Rollins, president of RA-MORE, congratulated the 25 members that attended an opening day picnic before the group hit the trail to celebrate its completion.

“J.R. saw that the mountain bikers wanted to be a part of the parks,” Rollins said. “Guys that come out and put 8 hours in each Saturday.”

Burrell was the project leader and was especially proud that the trail was completed in time for the Urban Assault mountain bike race, which is part of Dominion Riverrock, scheduled for May 14-15.

“We were able to bring something together that only a small amount of people could use….to something that walkers, hikers, bikers, everyone could use,” he said. “And as a result, everybody is happy!”

Burrell added that the next trail building project is in the wooded hillsides Dogwood Dell, below The Carillon and across the road from Pumphouse Park. 

Pope agreed and said that effort would be the next logical step in establishing the Pumphouse as the new visitor’s center for the James River Park System.