rapidan and robinson state of the rivers 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Rapidan and Robinson State of the Rivers 2015
A StreamSweepers report to landowners and watershed
supporters
State of the Rivers
• The Land around the Rivers• The River Valleys• The Rivers• Recommendations to Help People and Wildlife
The Land Around the Rivers
Robinson River
Rapidan River
Typical Upper Landscape around Rivers
~80% Forest Cover
Typical Landscape Around Lower River
Under 50% Forest Cover
The River Valleys
Floodplain (without trees)
River Forest Cropland Water Urban Hay/Pasture
Rapidan 29.9% 16.1% 5.5% 3.4% 45.2%
Conway 22.4% 29.3% 0.6% 8.5% 39.3%
Hazel 37.9% 14.4% 1.6% 2.0% 44.1%
Hughes 30.4% 9.5% 0.0% 8.9% 51.2%
Jordan 41.0% 0.5% 0.3% 3.8% 54.5%
Robinson 16.0% 12.8% 1.8% 9.5% 59.9%
Rose 13.7% 1.3% 0.0% 18.0% 67.0%
Rush 42.7% 0.5% 2.0% 4.4% 50.5%
South 16.3% 9.9% 2.6% 7.0% 64.2%
Thornton 30.9% 0.9% 2.6% 7.7% 58.0%
Low Percentage of Trees in River Valley Floodplains
Clear or tan areas are without trees
The Rivers
The Quality of the Canopy, Bed, and Bank
The Rapidan River from SNP to the Rappahannock
Five Sections
The Robinson River from Village of Banco to the Rapidan
Three Sections
Rapidan High Quality
Rapidan Low Quality
Robinson High Quality
Robinson Low Quality
Comparison of 2014/2015 to 2000 Shows Conditions Generally Worsening
Red shows river health decline since 2000
Water Quality Partnership National Cancer Institute
Recommendations• Need more forest and native grasslands in rivers landscapes
– especially in floodplains*• Need new businesses that will pay landowners to grow river
friendly crops• Rivers need ongoing Sweeping – people keep treating rivers
like dump**• Probably need for new comprehensive programs to eliminate
endocrine disrupting compounds getting into environment
* Invasive species becoming real problem** Especially in water supply rivers – tires leach endocrine
mimicking compounds