The Poor House and nearby trail on UVa grounds received a sprucing up during Earth Week thanks to Carey Hill’s efforts to coordinate volunteers from the UVa Sustainability Outreach Committee and the Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Community (CAMBC). Thanks, Carey!

 

Before and After shots

highlight the efforts of May’s Second Saturday Work Party volunteers. Under the leadership of Michael Barnes, volunteers mowed, lopped, pulled, sawed, dug, and removed trash from this lovely stretch of trail between the Christian Aid fields and the RT’s intersection with 5^th Street near Harris Street. Check out more pictures on our photo pages.

 

Future opportunities to volunteer:

June 1, City Parks & Rec. is celebrating National Trails Day by clearing trail in the Ragged Mountain Natural Area. Watch local media for details.

June 8, RTF Second Saturday work party.

Anytime – Carry clippers w/ you when you hike and clip back those aggressive vines and branches. RTF’s goal is to keep trail corridors open to approximately
6’ wide X 7’ high.

As the RTF board reported to membership earlier, the southern interchange of the proposed Route 29 Bypass, if built, will impact the Rivanna Trail between Barracks Road and Old Ivy Road, possibly displacing this segment of the trail permanently.

 

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is holding a public information meeting to present three design alternatives of the southern interchange.

 

Thursday May 23, 2013

5 – 7:30 PM

Holiday Inn Charlottesville, 1901 Emmet Street

 

Written and Oral comments will be due by June 3, 2013

 

The RTF board has not seen these current design alternatives. We encourage all members and trail users to view them at the public meeting, ask to see them online if unable to attend the meeting, and provide feedback to VDOT as appropriate.

 

View VDOT’s official announcement of this meeting.

Congratulations to Andrew Heatwole, who achieved the status of Eagle Scout on April 28. Andrew's service project was to design and build a new bridge for the Rivanna Trail, which was installed last fall on the Observatory Hill section. The  Trail has been the beneficiary of a number of Eagle Scout projects over the years, and we congratulate Andrew on his achievement and thank him for his service to the RTF.

The March work party installed some new signposts at the Holmes Avenue trailheads, and moved a stretch of the trail between there and Locust Avenue onto higher ground. Part of this stretch has long been subject to flooding, so we shifted a bit of the trail out of standing water to what we hope is drier ground. The muck quotient is still high because of the melting snow, but the hope is that this part of the trail will now drain and dry out quicker. Please help establish the new path the next time you're in the area!

In architecture, a lintel is a “horizontal structural element” used for various purposes. To the RTF, lintels are a convenient way to get hikers through shallow water. Unfortunately over time they crack and disintegrate. Luckily for us hikers, February work party leader Nick Hamblett and his merry band of volunteers were not deterred by cold water.

Nick reports, “Despite definitely cold temperatures, about a dozen hardy volunteers showed up for the February work party, on the second Saturday. Starting from the RTF shed off Morton Drive, we worked our way clockwise on the trail. Work split into two groups. The first was a truly adventurous group who worked to replace the broken lintels (cement beams) in the creek passing under 250. Their efforts in the cold water that morning are much appreciated, as the passing can now be made with much more confidence, as none of the blocks are missing chunks. The second group got to remain dry the whole time, and cleaned up the trail from the culvert under Hydraulic up to about the first clearing made by the recent stream restoration project. We hacked back some thorns, and re-defined the trail along the restoration project, closing up the temporary trails that were in place for the duration of this project. Ramps to small footbridges were improved, as were drainage channels in some of the muddy spots. Thanks to all of the volunteers, whose efforts continue to improve the trail, a gem of Charlottesville.”

The bridge connecting Quarry Park to the Rivanna Trail is closed while a replacement is installed. The original bridge was in declining health, and the RTF partnered with the City to purchase and relocate the pedestrian bridge that was used during the Jefferson Park Avenue bridge replacement. Access to this segment of the trail is available from the Route 20 and Avon Street ends. The new bridge should be open later this spring.

Approximately a dozen enthusiastic volunteers gathered at the RTF shed on January 12th under foggy and cooler than expected temperatures to attack two sections of the Rivanna trail that were experiencing some erosion along Moore's Creek.  The first section that we tackled was the section from Azalea Park to 5th Street.  After crossing the creek we sidecut into the back re-routes of the trail in about 4-5 sections as well as clearing debris from a downed tree that was blocking the trail. We finished that section around 11:00 and then made our way to Jordan Park to  do the same on the section of the trail from Jordan Park to Avon Street.  Thanks go out to all who vounteered to making this a very successful work Day.

 

On Jan. 5th several dozen enthusiastic coated, hatted, and gloved kids hit the Rivanna Trail with bunnies, bears, caterpillars, dinosaurs, salamanders, dolls, and monkeys for the 8^th annual Teddy Bear Hike. Thank you, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, for hot chocolate! See more kids and animals in the RTF website photo album.

After a two-year absence, the RTF newsletter is back! For our members and e-mail contacts for whom we have mailing addresses, look for a copy in your mailbox during the second week of December. For an advance look, click here for a pdf version. It's been a good year for the RTF and our network of trails, and with the support of our friends and volunteers the best is yet to come.

The annual Loop de Ville has consistently enjoyed perfect fall weather, and this year was no exception. Leaving from Riverview Park at a dark and brisk 6:30 am, the group made its way through clearing skies and pleasant temperatures, returning exactly eight hours later. Thirteen people completed the entire circuit, including five who made the drive up from Richmond! Check out some photos here.