Smith River Mini-Triathlon

Smith River Mini-Triathlon

Run: 1.2 miles along the beautiful Smith River   Paddle: 1.2 miles on the Smith River's class I rapids. Bike: 2.5 miles on paved and natural surface terrain. Experienced mountain bikers for bike leg. Awards for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place finishers. All pre-registered participants receive a T-shirt. Classes: Solo-Youth, Male, & Female. Team-All Male, All Female, Coed different age increments. Call 403-5140 for more inf. Registration brochures are online at www.martinsville-va.gov/Parks-and-Recreation.html  or call us for a registration brochure.
DATE/TIME: Saturday, May 21, Registration and check in 9am-9:45am. Race starts at 10am 
11:15am-Awards ceremony at Trailhead
LOCATION: Fieldale Trail Head, (Off River Rd., Fieldale, VA)
FEE: $15 per participant, $20 fee day of the event
Kayaks & Canoes available to rent - $15 - Smith River Outfitters, Must reserve kayaks by calling 252-0701  or canoes - 403-5140 & they will be onsite.

You’re invited! Draper Landing to Berry Hill Float June 4 Join in DRBA’s seven-mile float on the Dan River from Eden’s Draper Landing Access to Berry Hill Bridge on June 4, coordinated by Will Truslow, DRBA’s past president. Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the access’s graveled parking lot beside the NC 700 Bridge to set the shuttle (GPS 36.4987, -79.6814). Three Rivers Outfitters of Eden, 336-627-6215 or www.3-R-O.com, will offer boat rentals and shuttle for the float, which will end on private property with the owner’s permission. In this river trip of Class I water, participants will navigate at least seven ledges and shoals with long-standing historic names found on old maps. Six of these have been made easier to navigate by structures such as sluice walls built in the nineteenth century by the Roanoke Navigation Company (founded 1812), a joint effort of Virginia and North Carolina, and by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The sluice walls concentrate the river’s water at shallow ledges, creating a narrow channel deep enough to float long, narrow batteaux, the commercial “semi-trailers” of early river travel.   Nearly a century before the river was improved for navigation, in 1728 a survey team led by Virginia’s William Byrd determined the “dividing line” between North Carolina and Virginia. Byrd named the Dan River for the river in northern Israel and gave names that still survive to many of the river’s tributaries. One was Cascade Creek, which enters from river left about halfway through the trip, so called “by reason of the multitude of waterfalls that are in it” some distance before it reaches the Dan.   Devil’s Jump Shoal, just downstream from Cascade Creek, is named for impressive mid-river rocks. On river right less than a mile downstream from Devil’s Jump is the confluence of the Dan with Tanyard Creek, named for the tannery owned by John Morehead, father of North Carolina Governor John Motley Morehead, who grew up nearby.   Between two old sluice walls of Tanyard Shoal, separated by nearly a half-mile of the Dan’s flow, is a place called on an 1823 survey “The Wreck,” according to William E. Trout III, author of the Dan River Atlas. “Why?” he asks, inviting future river mappers to solve the mystery. Other examples of intriguing nineteenth-century labels are Beasley’s Gallows Shoal Sluice and the well-preserved Hairston’s Fish Trap Sluice, likely modified from an Amerindian fish weir of 1000 years ago. The trip is part of the series of over 100 First Saturday Outings that have been offered by DRBA almost from its inception. Other interesting facts about the geology, history, and culture of this section of the river are found in Maps 42 – 45 of “An Insider’s Guide to the Dan River in North Carolina and Virginia,” available at www.danriver.org .

Participants in the outing are asked to provide boat, life jacket, lunch and water, to dress in layers of artificial (quick-drying) fabric and to sign a waiver.

Directions: To reach Draper Landing Access (GPS 36.4987, -79.6814) from the north or west, take NC 14 to NC 700 East. Travel on NC 700 about 4 miles through Eden to the bridge over the Dan River. After crossing the bridge, go 0.1 mile and turn left into the gravel driveway to the access. From the south take US 29 North, turning left (west) on NC 700. Just past Quesinberry Road, turn right into the gravel driveway to the access beside the NC 700 Bridge over the Dan. From the east take US 29 South, turning right (west) on NC 700, and proceed as described above.

More information: For trip information, contact trip coordinator Will Truslow, 336-547-1903, willtruslow@hotmail.com

336-627-6270 http://www.danriver.org

Axton Elementary say's "Bye Bye trout"

Its Monday morning on the Smith River at Bassett Virginia and vivacious group of young students pile out of the big yellow bus, excited to be out of school and ready for an adventure on the river.  These students from Hannah Sullivan's class at Axton Elementary have been raising brown trout (with a little help from their teacher) for the past 6 months in a tank in their classroom.  They are one of 31 tanks across 4 counties in one of the country's single largest Trout in the Classroom Programs, TIC in Southern Virginia !

 Each year, students and teachers get brown trout eggs from the state hatchery at Wytheville in December,  The tiny pinkish / orange eggs are only a few weeks old when the schools first receive them and these "eye-up" eggs are placed in breeder baskets made of netting and suspended off edge of the tank.

Its not long before the first trout start to "break out of their shell" and get their first look at a new environment. 

Often, the first thing the new trout see are many eyes on the outside of the tank, staring back at them !

By Christmas the fry have hatched are now called alevins,  Just a few weeks later and the "sac fry" have absorbed all their yolk sacs and are ready to start eating trout food.

Once the trout are big enough to be "swim-ups"  they are released from the breeder net in to the tank.  By May, the trout are now big, fat and healthy and are known as "fingerlings" and at this stage  they are ready to be released in the Smith River.

The students and teachers help take care of the trout and have to make sure the water is cleaned and the trout are fed.  They also have to make sure the water is the correct ph and the ammonia levels are low.

The students are learning that trout need good clean water to survive.  So now the big day has arrived and they are ready to take theses trout they have been raising and let them go into their new river home.

On this day, The Dan River Basins new Executive Director, Tiffany Haworth, donned rubber boots and joined the students as they introduced the trout to their new home.

After the last trout swam out to deeper water, it was time for the students to take a "stream walk" and learn more about the river and what the trout were going to eat now that they would not be fed each day by the students.


                      
On the stream walk the students learned that bugs like stoneflys, mayflys, helgramites and crayfish (macro-invertebrates) live under the rocks and logs in the river.   A seine net was used to capture some of the macros for closer examination.

 It was another great day in the best classroom in the world...the river
Thanks to Hannah and Patrick Sullivan, all the students and teachers at Axton Elementary and a special thanks to Tiffany Haworth for helping the kids stay "mostly" dry during the stream walk experience !

DRBA First Saturday Outing for May

DRBA Paddles the Dan in Stokes County

DRBA’s May 7 First Saturday Outing will be a 5-mile paddle trip on the Dan River in Stokes County from Snow Creek Access to Hemlock Golf Course Access coordinated by Will Truslow.   Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Snow Creek Access, about 200 yards west of Dodgetown Road Bridge on Pitzer Road (GPS 36.4026, -80.1404), to unload boats and gear and set the shuttle. For boat rentals and shuttle, contact Three Rivers Outfitters, 336-627-6215 or 276-340-3983, www.3-r-o.com, or Dan River Company, 336-593-2628, www.danrivercompany.com. History and legend abound on this section of the river, which is characterized by high bluffs forested with hardwoods and stands of stately hemlock trees. Just upstream of the put-in is the frame of the Pitzer Steel Truss Bridge, dating from 1918. About half a mile below Snow Creek is Thompson’s Fish Dam, which has remnants of a rare wooden slat trap. According to “An Insider’s Guide to the Dan River,” a “heavy timber frame, about eight feet square, formed a grid of slats” to trap fish channeled into the trap by a vee-shaped low rock wall. At least two branches of the Great Wagon Road forded the river at shoals on this section, and caves are said to have been used by Confederate draft dodgers. Rock formations and uncommon Carolina hemlock stands have received recognition as the Dan River Cliffs natural heritage area. According to Truslow, “This section of the Dan has the last of the really high bluffs before the river winds on into the Piedmont. Some are about 150 feet high.”  The most spectacular is Davis Bluff, a dramatic rock face on river left where huge boulders lie in the water at the base of the cliff. Legend says that a member of the Davis family fell to his death from the road on top. To this day, the cliff is known as Mount Horrible. The Dan River in this section is rated mostly as Class 1, but the remains of a former Duke Power dam, dynamited in 1975, create a sometimes challenging Class 2 rapid. Fortunately, it is located within sight of the take-out ramp at Hemlock Golf Course. Meet at 10:00 at the Snow Creek Access on Pitzer Road. Arrange to supply boat, paddles, life jackets, water and lunch; wear water-shedding artificial fabric or wool (not cotton, and certainly not blue jeans); and provide a back-up change of clothing. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver. Directions: At the intersection of NC 8 and NC 89 about 3 miles south of Danbury, NC, turn northeast onto Dodgetown Road. Drive about 4 miles and cross the Dan River. Immediately turn left onto Pitzer Road. Snow Creek Access is on the left in about 200 yards. Driving south from Virginia on US 220, turn west on NC 770 to Sandy Ridge. Turn south on NC 704 to Prestonville. Turn south on NC 772 toDodgetown. Turn right onto Dodgetown Road and drive about 4 miles. Just before crossing the Dan River, turn right onto Pitzer Road. Snow Creek Access is on the left in about 200 yards. More Information: Will Truslow, 336-547-1903, willtruslow@hotmail.com

New Walking Trail Opens at PHCC

Cutting a ribbon to open a new trail at Patrick Henry Community College and the city reservoir are (from left) Ron Epperly of PHCC; Jennifer Doss, tourism director and formerly with the Dan River Basin Association; Brian Williams of DRBA; Martinsville Mayor Kim Adkins; Jim Frith of Frith Construction, which had the contract to build the trail; Martinsville City Manager Clarence Monday; City Parks and Recreation director Gary Cody; and Jeff Mansour of the Harvest Foundation, which paid for the trail. Thanks to a unique partnership between Patrick Henry Community College, Martinsville City, The Harvest Foundation and Dan River Basin Association, the community has a new hiking and biking trail through the woods around the beautiful Beaver Creek Reservoir. The project was funded by Harvest with in-kind donations from Martinsville City Parks and Recreation Department. Land easements were provided by PHCC and Martinsville City. The project was developed by Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) and trail construction was completed by Frith Construction Company. Additional work was provided by Boy Scout Troop 63 which built benches and picnic tables that were installed by Martinsville Parks and Recreation at various points along the scenic trail. The Beaver Creek Reservoir is also known as the Martinsville Reservoir and is a source of drinking water for the City of Martinsville. The natural setting of this beautiful lake makes it ideal for hiking, fishing and nature viewing. Surrounded by steep hills and lush forest, canoeing, kayaking and fishing are also favorite activities at the lake. The trailhead and parking is located at the upper level parking area adjacent to the Frith Building on the campus of Patrick Henry Community College. Students and the general public have easy access to the trail from campus parking lot. Future plans include extending the trail around the edge of the reservoir and connecting it to a parking area located across the lake from PHCC, at the end of boat ramp drive. The trail is considered a multi-use trail and is open to hiking, mountain biking, running, and nature viewing. Trail users are asked to “share the trail” and help keep the area clean and beautiful by “taking only photographs and leaving only footprints”. PHCC Trail Loop of the Beaver Creek Reservoir Trails & Smith River Trail System is approximately 3/4 of a mile long natural surface trail to be used by hikers, mountain bikers, and to be utilized as an out-door classroom for PHCC students.

Back to the River !

April 2, 2011 Back to the River! Back to the River! April 2 Outing on Smith River from Bassett to Great Road Access DRBA’s First Saturday Outing on April 2, 2011 will celebrate springtime with a return to the water—a 5.2-mile float on the Smith River in Henry County from the Bassett Access to the newly opened Great Road Access. Charlie Williams, expert paddler and Outings Committee Chair, will coordinate the trip. Participants are asked to meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Bassett Canoe Access, 271 Trent Hill Drive, Bassett, VA (GPS 36.76992,-80.00147) to unload boats and gear and set the shuttle. For boat rentals and shuttle, contact Smith River Adventure Outfitters, 276-252-0701, www.smithriveradventureoutfitters.com or Three Rivers Outfitters, 336-627-6215, 276-340-3983, www.3-r-o.com. Constructed through a partnership of DRBA and Henry County, both the Bassett and Great Road accesses are part of the Smith River Trail System, a growing network of blueways and greenways designed to connect riverside communities through Henry County, VA, downstream to Eden, NC.  The Bassett Canoe Access, opened in 2006, is located at the now dormant J. D. Bassett Chair Factory, which “stands as a silent testament to an historic furniture industry that once supplied America,” according to “An Insider’s Guide to the Smith River.”  As the Smith runs through the town of about 1,300 residents, remnants of the past remind paddlers of the river’s history. In the 19th century, Smith’s River Navigation Company built rock wing dams and sluices to enable long, narrow batteaux to haul iron and grain to market in Danville. Although commercial navigation on the river was short-lived, the company’s wing dams survived and were modified by twentieth-century riverside industries for water intakes. Shortly below the put-in, paddlers will pass the “Leaning Tower of Bassett,” one of these later structures. On river left, the Norfolk Southern Railway line parallels the river the full length of the float, serving past and present factories in this important industrial center. About a mile into the trip, on river right is Bassett Historical Center, which houses a wealth of local historical and genealogical materials used by patrons from around the world. Just downstream is the third of six bridges that span this section of the river. A short distance below the fifth bridge is Blackberry Creek, entering from river right. The Great Wagon Road crossed the Smith River nearby, providing a route for settlers migrating through the region in days gone by. From Blackberry Creek for a half mile is “The Hayfields,” where the river is shallow and “trout fishing is best accomplished by wading,” according to DRBA staff member and avid trout fisherman Brian Williams, who wrote the Smith River guide. Trout thrive throughout this portion of the river. The take-out is at the Great Road Access, the Smith River’s newest river access point, which opened in September, 2010. Solutia Performance Films granted easements for the access and for an adjacent 500-foot-long trail. Plant manager Joe Stultz says, “This is our way of giving back to the community.”  Participants in the outing are asked to meet at 10:00 at the Bassett Canoe Access. They should arrange to supply boat, paddles, life jackets, water and lunch; wear water-shedding artificial fabric or wool (not cotton, and certainly not blue jeans); and provide a back-up change of clothing. Since the river may be shallow in places, wear shoes appropriate for wading. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver.          Directions: From US 220 north of Martinsville, take the VA 57 West/Fairystone Park Highway exit towards Stanleytown/Bassett. After about 3.4 miles, turn left at Fairystone Parkway/Lenoir Street. After about a mile, take the second right onto Lenoir Street/Trent Hill Drive. The Bassett Canoe Access will be on the left beside the factory building, at 271 Trent Hill Drive. More Information: Charlie Williams, 336-337-8843, chawilliams59@yahoo.com

DRBA Annual Celebration March 5th

Dan River Basin Association's Annual Celebration Saturday, March 5, will feature Philpott Lake as well as major elements of group's mission-preserving and promoting the region's rivers and culture through education, recreation and stewardship.

 

The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Henry Community Center in Henry.

After refreshments and time to view displays, the short business session will include recognition of exceptional volunteer service, election of board members, and staff reports on the association's extensive activities in Virginia and North Carolina during the past year, as well as a glimpse of the year ahead.

Featured as the celebration's speaker will be Craig "Rocky" Rockwell of Bassett. As operations project manager at nearby Philpott Lake, Rockwell is uniquely qualified to present a program on his topic-"Philpott Lake: Past, Present, and Future."

                                  
Nestled in the rugged foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the juncture of Franklin, Henry, and Patrick counties, Philpott Lake is described as "a scenic wonderland."

The 3000-acre lake, created when Philpott Dam was completed on the Smith River in 1952, was built to control flooding, generate hydroelectric power, and provide recreational opportunities on the water and along its 110 miles of shoreline. Boating accesses, camping and picnic areas, and hiking trails are among the amenities provided alongside the lake.

Among the most popular is the Jamison Mill Park, named for a three-story gristmill built in the late 1880s and operated until about 1950.

Hazel Via Hale, granddaughter of Robert Carter, the miller at Jamison Mill for over 50 years, is author of "Memories: Jamison Mill Era."

According to Hale, until the mill was demolished for the lake, it was a gathering place for the whole community where people came for miles to have corn ground into meal.

Nowadays, another community group comes from miles around to the Jamison Mill area: the Friends of Philpott, who have put in many volunteer hours building and maintaining trails at Jamison Mill Park.

Organized in 2007, Friends of Philpott has the mission to provide environmentally responsible use, development and protection of the natural and recreational resources at Philpott Lake through community involvement and education.

Friends of Philpott will join Dan River Basin Association volunteers in providing hospitality and refreshments for the celebration.

Members and guests will hear reports from the association's staff, including Brian Williams from Dan River Basin's Virginia office in Collinsville; acting executive director Jenny Edwards from the Eden, N.C. headquarters office; Dale Swanson from the Stokes Field Office in Danbury, N.C.; and Chad Hall, North Carolina program manager, whose office is in Yanceyville, N.C.

Following the meeting and a picnic lunch provided by each participant, members and guests will carpool to the newly extended Jamison Mill Trail, about six miles away.

Coordinators for the 2.5-mile hike will be Linda Drage of Friends of Philpott and Mary Lawson of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers staff, who can tell about the history of the mill, development of the trail, and interesting natural features of the site.

Participants are asked to bring a picnic lunch to be eaten at the community center. Those joining in the after-lunch hike should wear hiking boots or walking shoes and dress in layers.

To reach Henry Community Center, 5241 Henry Road, Henry, VA_(36.842172,-80.024966), drive on US 220 north of Martinsville for about seven miles past the traffic light at Bassett Forks. Turn left on Henry Road (Route 605). Drive about eight miles to the Henry Community Center, also housing the volunteer fire department, on the right.

Meetings and outings of the Dan River Basin Association are free and open to the public.

For information about the celebration or the hike, contact Wayne Kirkpatrick at 276-694-4449 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              276-694-4449      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or wynbtyk@embarqmail.com.

Membership information is available at www.danriver.org.