Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR) will host their 1st annual Canoe and Kayak Races and Open Paddle on Saturday, October 4.

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Discover the natural beauty of Petersburg National Battlefield. At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 21 a nature hike will depart from tour stop 4 of Petersburg National Battlefield’s Eastern Front Unit. The one hour walk, guided by a National Park Service biologist, will take participants along a creek where both plant life and animal life will be observed. The hike concludes with an attempt to catch a glimpse through a telescope of one or two of the park’s newest inhabitants; bald eaglets.

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We had a first meeting with Mr. Muse of the Planning Dept. this morning, a summary of which can be found at the Petersburg Dog Park Yahoo group, here. Chuck and I will be driving around to look at/take photos of several sites that were discussed this weekend. Does anyone want to join us? We will also need to survey the community to get a sense of potential demand (how many people might use a dog park, how often, with how many dogs), so that we can figure out likely parking and dog-pen size requirements. If you are interested in helping, please go to the Yahoo group to discuss.

The July 2008 edition of Richmond Magazine features a story on LISC and their efforts to help bring affordable housing (among other things) to Petersburg: Extreme Makeover - Petersburg’s revitalization plans take shape. Page 145.

Also featured in the July issue of Richmond Magazine: Petersburg Tees Off, by Cliff Davis, page 135, on the new Dogwood Trace Golf Course.

There’s been a very insightful meeting with the folks at Barker Field in the spirit of not reinventing the wheel, Leonard Muse of the Planning Dept. has agreed to pull together the appropriate city services reps to discuss siting once infrastructure needs are nailed down, and along the same lines the Willcox Watershed Conservancy has agreed to discuss the possibility of siting a dog park within the perimeters of Lee Memorial Park when their nascent Site Committee is up and running. For more details, check out the files and posts at what is currently called the Petersburg Dog Park yahoo group.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 180 and Petersburg’s Breakfast Kiwanis Club teamed up bright and early this a.m. to help clean up the immediate area of the Lee Park ball fields and pavilion as well as the watershed leading to Willcox Lake.

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The Virginia Outdoors Plan is the state’s official document regarding land conservation, outdoor recreation and open space planning. It helps all levels of the public and private sectors meet needs pertaining to those issues. The 2007 Plan has recently been released. Click here to read the plan pertaining to the Crater District; click here to read the plan pertaining to the Richmond region.

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Cliff Davis writes on 1) what Lee Memorial Park could look like in 10 yrs (here), and 2) finding paradise in the heart of Petersburg (here).

Petersburg National Battlefield in cooperation with the Civil War Preservation Trust will be holding the first annual Park Day in the Battlefield on Saturday April 5. This is a chance to take part in some volunteer work at the Battlefield. Participants should meet at the Visitor Center parking lot at 9:00am, and be sure to bring appropriate clothing for the weather, a pair of gloves, and lunch. Activities will include trash pick-up and also some trail work.

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Click here to watch the interview.
Click here for Dogwood Trace’s website.

In several conversations, on and off the internet, the idea of a local bark park has come up. Feel free to use this thread to brainstorm on the idea and maybe find a group of like-minded individuals willing to work toward realization of same. To get a sense of what others elsewhere have done very recently to get the balls rolling in their own community, check the several links below.

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I’ve received notice that there’s been an uptick in smash and grabs at Petersburg National Battlefield Park. It is asked that you not leave valuables in your vehicles when you are at the Park (or at least that you not leave them in plain sight), and that you park at the Visitor’s Center.

Details on the participating gardens, luncheon, fashion show, and other special events are now available. For detailed information, go to the Petersburg Garden Club’s Garden Week webpage.

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Per the P-I, Congressman Randy Forbes has announced that $1.4m has been included in the recently approved federal spending bill for use toward dredging of the Appomattox River. Earlier threads and discussions on Forbes’ request for this funding can be found here (Jul 07) and here (Nov 07).

Formation of the Willcox Watershed Conservancy, a 501c3 nonprofit, is the latest step toward the restoration of Lee Memorial Park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places [click here to check out the registration form]. Today’s P-I notes that other steps forward to date include a master plan, which outlines the projects to be conducted (approved by city council January 2004), and $100,000 in funding for use toward phase I projects. In January the group work toward developing a strategic plan that the Conservancy will use to effect the goals outlined in the master plan.

Per the P-I, Dogwood Trace’s greens were completed in October and next up is the clubhouse. Jamie Fagan, the pro managing the golf course, is inviting folks to take a tour of Dogwood Trace today through Sunday, 2-4pm.

Effective Monday Oct 29. According to the P-I, the restrictions are as follows:

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In case you missed the last post on the subject (you know who you are), Petersburg National Battlefield Park has many miles of trails that are open to joggers, mt. bikers, and horseriders alike. This morning 6 of us (including a local police officer and state police officer — thanks for showing your support!) participated in a ‘bike patrol’ — we had maps to distribute should we encounter anyone who is lost, and we cleared the trails of fallen tree limbs we encountered.

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= Dogwood Trace. Read about the name selection process in today’s P-I.

Each Tuesday, 5pm. Enter the park from Rte 36, pay the entrance fee ($5 unless you have the $15 annual pass), circle through the parking lot and follow the tour road; the group meets halfway down the park tour road at the Sutler Store Parking lot. Rating: Novice. Pace: Easy to moderate (emphasis on fun). Distance: 6-12 miles depending on your personal preference. Time: 1-2 hours. Terrain: singletrack, doubletrack. [via: Yahoo group, Richmond Area Ridefinder]

Richard Hotchkiss, the new volunteer coordinator for Petersburg National Battlefield Park, would like to have mountain bikers patrol the trails on a formal basis.

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Monday’s RTD covers Petersburg Garden Club’s efforts to restore Lee Memorial Park’s wildflower garden, the result of the only Depression-era work relief conservation program completed by single female heads of households. For detailed history of the park, read Lee Memorial Park’s registration form (1.78MB) with the National Register of Historic Places.

The projected financials and master plan (drawing) are available on the City of Petersburg website.