CAPITAL PROJECTS:
We want to ensure that everyone has a personal connection to the James River and is inspired to maintain its health. With your help, we can establish River Education Centers in the majority of the communities where JRA has offices for education and community activities.

BUILDING AND FACILITIES WILL INCORPORATE:

Celebrating the importance of the James & launching lifelong lovers of the river
  • A gateway to our river for people of all skills and ages
  • A provider of positive first river experiences and future opportunities that build on them 
  • An interactive, hands-on learning environment 
  • A hearth for river storytelling and socializing
Reflecting the diversity of what the James offers & the different communities we serve
  • A building that connects us to the ecology of our river
  • The spectacle of our river as an event
  • The juxtaposition of history, nature, and recreation as a unique trait of the James River 
  • A narrative of our path to a healthy river 
Fostering a confluence of ideas and providing a catalyst for the community
  • The powerful synergy of stewardship & recreation
  • A workplace for the JRA and other like-minded groups
  • A landmark to represent collective goals and values
  • A crossroad for outdoor activities
  • A public space for local engagement

UPPER JAMES RIVER EDUCATION CENTER

YOUR SUPPORT WILL:
  • Add a batteau program to JRA’s education programs and James River Adventures, opening up river experiences to a broader diversity of people, including younger children and those with disabilities. 
  • Build a new trail and landing to provide safe and easy access to the batteau and to launch paddle craft, all of which have tremendous potential to attract new users, bolster tourism and strengthen the community’s connection to the river. 
  • Through improvements to the community facilities at Riveredge Park, establish a River Education Center that strengthens education programs and serves as a focal point for river activities in the region.

JAMES A. BUZZARD RIVER EDUCATION CENTER

YOUR SUPPORT WILL:
  • Establish a cutting-edge River Education Center in downtown Richmond that captures and reflects the importance of the James and provides an unparalleled location for environmental education. 
  • Advance Richmond’s riverfront revitalization plans, attracting new visitors to the river.
  • Create a central and high-profile opportunity to build appreciation for the river and awareness of JRA.

LOWER JAMES RIVER EDUCATION CENTER

YOUR SUPPORT WILL:
  • Complete improvements to the existing site and facilities to establish a River Education Center in partnership with the National Park Service
  • Complement the Historic Triangle’s history and culture attractions with outdoor activities and environmental education.
  • Add a new dock and building improvements to enhance our educational impact.

ON THE TIDAL JAMES

YOUR SUPPORT WILL:
  • Secure and outfit a Coast Guard-certified education vessel to be used as a floating classroom. 
  • Allow JRA to better serve schools from Hampton Roads to Richmond, reducing driving time and increasing river time of education trips. 
  • Provide universal access and a safe, stable teaching platform for students and teachers of all abilities to experience the James River.
“I am a long-time river advocate and first met JRA when serving as the Lynchburg City Manager. JRA’s approach to environmental stewardship is reasonable and effective and I am glad that the City could work with JRA to help lower urban and wastewater pollution to the lowest levels in decades. What we do in the Upper James affects the health of the entire river, and it is good to be part of the comeback story.”

​-Kimball Payne, Lynchburg, VA
PROGRAMS & OPERATIONS:
Together, we can strengthen the programs that have achieved the progress to date, including being an advocate for the river and a catalyst for action. With your support, we will put the James on a path to a “Grade A” by strengthening our critical programs and operations. We will also increase investment into each of our vital programs and improve our systems and sustainability. You’ll see your donation in action across our “Straight As” for a Grade A James River.
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Your support will fund:

AWARENESS

  • Conduct the James Changer awareness initiative to broaden understanding and demonstrate how the river impacts people's lives and how their lives impact the river.
  • Add our first staff position devoted solely to communications and awareness-building.
  • Develop new engagement tools using the latest and most cost-effective technology, including virtual reality, online story banks, compelling videos, and web content.

APPRECIATION​

  • Expand our environmental education program with highly visible River Education Centers located in Lynchburg, Richmond, and Williamsburg.
  • Educate and inspire even more stewards of the river by expanding education programs at each River Education Center to reach our goal of educating over 15,000 people annually.
  • Grow our teacher training and student leadership programs. 
  • Offer unique river trips for the general public, serving non-school groups like church groups and businesses.

ACTION

  • Increase our capacity to implement on-the-ground restoration projects throughout the 10,000-square-mile James River watershed.
  • Spearhead a consortium to coordinate the many partners working on different aspects of watershed restoration.
  • Build coalitions of public and private partners to prioritize and implement river access plans and projects.

ADVOCACY

  • Bolster our team’s expertise with subject-matter expert studies.
  • Add new advocacy tools to engage more people in speaking up for the James River.
  • Conduct targeted policy research to address emerging issues and threats to the health of the James River.
  • Ensure that the James RIVERKEEPER® program has the latest technology and equipment to monitor the James River and respond to problems.
RESTORATION PROJECTS:
Achieving the goal of a fully healthy James River requires steadfast determination, collaboration, and strategic use of resources. With your support, we can continue to put projects on the ground that restore wildlife habitat, improve local streams and creeks, and filter polluted runoff before it flows to the James River.

Your support will fund:
  • Implementing watershed restoration and green infrastructure projects that utilize the latest technology and science to target projects to the most effective locations, achieving the maximum benefit for the James River. 
  • Helping farmers plant streamside forests on their agricultural land to restore degraded streambanks, improve farming operations, and control pollution. 
  • Together with localities and communities across the watershed, implementing urban stormwater practices to reduce polluted runoff while also enhancing these communities with green space and wildlife habitat.
  • Making tidal shorelines more resilient through living shoreline projects that not only address shoreline erosion but also adapt to sea level rise and provide critical intertidal habitat. 
  • Leveraging available public sources of funding to accelerate the implementation of valuable restoration projects in order to meet Virginia’s commitments under the James River and Chesapeake Bay cleanup plans. 
  • Filling key gaps in other funding programs that may prevent landowners from implementing projects and that ensure a comprehensive solution to pollution problems.
ENDOWMENT:
We’re passionate about what we do. So we want to complement and build on our core activities, expanding awareness and appreciation for the importance of the James River and our work. With your help, we can secure our financial and organizational strength so that we can serve as the voice for the James and safeguard its health for generations to come.
Your gift to the endowment secures the future of our river, giving JRA the long-term resources needed to maintain our programming, advocacy, and facilities for the next generations. Our goal is to increase our endowment from $2 million to $4 million. We hope to secure the majority of this goal by asking our donors to consider a planned gift to JRA. Through endowment gifts, our river will be protected for generations of
families, students, wildlife, and sanctuary seekers to come. By leaving a lasting legacy, Planned Giving donors will be honored as a member of JRA’s Watershed Society.
​Why “Watershed?”
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There is a saying, you can never step into the same river twice. The natural beauty and impact of The James River is ever evolving, growing and strengthening. But, not without your support. We chose the name Watershed Society to thoughtfully represent not only the expansive nature of our work and the reach of the James River, but also because the term signifies a turning point, a time for change. This is exactly what your support means to “America’s Founding River” - a call to action to protect, elevate and access the James River – for countless generations to come.
“We love the James River. As we watch the tides sweep in and out of the wetlands-rich creek on which we live, the river is never far from our minds. For over 30 years on this creek, we’ve relished the timeless push and pull of water, slowly in and out of the James. This is just one of the reasons we are longtime supporters of the James River Association. Its leadership in advocating and providing stewardship for the James River brings together collaborators and stakeholders who are dedicated to its long-term health. It also educates our younger community members, providing interactive lessons and unique opportunities for students to experience the river firsthand. 

The James River deserves our investment, and the James River Association is the place to invest.”

-Kathy and Bruce Hornsby, Williamsburg, VA
​© 2022 James River Association. All Rights Reserved.
16S 17th Street, Richmond, VA 23219
For more information about the James Changer Campaign, contact Ashleigh Moody at [email protected].