5th Annual Environmental Education Expo

Event to Benefit DRBA

1 ticket $40, 2 tickets $60 - Purchase online at powerhouseproject.net

DRBA to Paddle Dan from State Line to US 58

On Saturday, April 7, the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) invites you to paddle a rarely traveled section of the Dan River. 

The organization's First Saturday Outing will float 9 miles from the Berry Hill Bridge at the North Carolina-Virginia line to near the US 58 Bridge in Pittsylvania County, VA.

Participants will meet at 10:00 am at a private access point on the north side of Berry Hill Bridge on Virginia Route 880/North Carolina Route 1761 (GPS36.543508,-79.605914).

Three Rivers Outfitters of Eden, 336-627-6215 or http://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.

Coordinator for the outing is Dr. Will Truslow, avid paddler and past president of DRBA.  Truslow says, "This is the first time DRBA has had a paddle through this part of the Dan.  Most of the trips is in Virginia with gently moving water, and there is a subtle beauty to the section. We're likely to see blue herons along the way."

 Participants in the outing are asked to bring boat, a life jacket for each boater, lunch, and water.  Since the lunch stop will be late in the trip, snacks are recommended.

 Dress in layers of synthetic (quick-drying) fabric or wool, and be prepared for wind or rain.  All participants are asked to sign a waiver.

To reach the put-in from Eden, take NC 770 (Meadow Road) east.  Continue into Virginia on County Road 863 (Berry Hill Road).  After 0.8 mile, turn right onto County Road 880 (Stateline Road).  The destination is through a gate 1/2 mile ont he left.

From US 29, turn west onto NC700 toward Eden.  After 6.9 miles, turn slightly right onto Loop Loop.  Take the first right onto Berry Hill Bridge Road.  After 2.5 miles, cross the Dan River.  Proceed a short distance to the first curve, and turn right through the gate.

From the west, take US58 east toward Danville.  Turn righ5t onto County Road 708 (Long Circle), drive 0.2 mile.  Turn left onto County Road 862 (Oak Hill Road); drive 5 miles.  Turn right onto County Road 863 (Berry Hill Road); drive 0.8 mile.  Take the first left onto County Road 880 (Stateline Road).  The destination is through a gate 1/2 mile on the left.

Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge.

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

For information about the Dan River Basin Association, visit http://www.danriver.org/.

DRBA Tenth Year Celebration March 3 in Danville

Come and celebrate the Dan River Basin Association's Tenth Anniversary!

DRBA's Annual Celebration honoring its first decade will begin at 9:30am on Saturday, March 3, in the Pepsi Building at The Crossing, 661 Craghead Street, Danville, VA (GPS 36.584404,-79.385639). The public is invited free of charge.

The day's activities will include all the major elements of DRBA's mission- preserving and promoting the region's rivers and culture through education, recreation and stewardship. In addition, a look back over DRBA's many successes during its first ten years will provide inspiration for the coming years' efforts in the mult-county, bi-state river basin.

After a half hour to enjoy refreshments and 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 is one of DRBA's founding members, Dr. Lindley S. Butler of Wentworth. As a senior North Carolina historian and author of numerous books and articles on local, state, and regional history, Butler is uniquely qualified to present a program on his topic- Dan River Basin Association: Past, Present, and Future.

Encompassing portions of sixteen counties in Virginia and North Carolina in its 3300 square mile watershed, the Dan River Basin includes six rivers- the Mayo, Smith, Sandy, Banister, Hyco, and of course, the Dan. The Dan River Basin Association was formed in 2002 to preserve and promote the region's abundant natural and cultural resources.

Recognizing that this beautiful area, extending from the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the broad waters of Kerr (Buggs Island) Lake, shares a history of reliance on the rivers for transportation, commerce, and industry, DRBA provides a unified vision of cooperation across geographic boundaries.

Butler has provided leadership for DRBA, serving as a founding board member and officer. He spearheaded efforts that ensured the establishment of the Mayo River State Park in North Carolina and the Gravely Nature Preserve in Virginia. In addition, his work on the historic batteau navigation structures in the Dan River earned the placement of many of these structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

Members and guests will hear reports from the Association's staff, including Executive Director Tiffany Haworth and program managers and coordinators from DRBA's four offices- Collinsville, Virginia and Danbury, Yanceyville, and Eden, North Carolina.

Following the meeting and lunch provided by each participant, around 1:15pm DRBA members and guests will join Danville Parks, Recreation & Tourism's Outdoor Director Karen Cross on a hike on Danville's Riverwalk. This eight-mile paved trail is a model for trails in the region. Learn more at http://www.danvilletrails.com/.

Participants in the Celebration are asked to bring a picnic lunch to be eaten at the Pepsi Building, or plan to enjoy lunch at a local restaurant of their choosing. Those joining in the after-lunch hike should wear hiking boots or walking shoes and dress in layers.

Directions: To reach the Pepsi Building, from 58 Business in downtown Danville, take Main Street south across the Dan River and turn left at the first traffic light onto Craghead Street. Follow that for about 5 blocks until you see the sign for The Crossing at the Dan. The Pepsi Building is on the left beside the parking lot.

From the Danville Expressway, US 29/US 58, turn north onto Goodyear Blvd (State Route 737). Stay on Goodyear until it ends at Industrial Avenue. Turn right onto Industrial, which will become Craghead Street. Follow Craghead until you see the sign for The Crossing at the Dan. The Pepsi Building is on the right beside the parking lot.

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 T Butler, members@danriver.org or (336) 349-5727.

Membership information is avaible as members@danriver.org.

DRBA - February 4 First Saturday Outing

Dan River Basin Association to Hike at Fairy Stone State Park February 4
Continuing DRBA’s Tenth Year Celebration

The Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) will continue its Tenth Year Celebration with a February 4 hike on trails in Virginia’s Fairy Stone State Park. Participants will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Stuart’s Knob Trailhead on Union Bridge Road (Virginia State Route 623) on the north side of Fairy Stone Lake (GPS 36.798504,-80.116784).

The two-mile hike will begin with the Iron Mine Trail, which winds along high and steep ridges through areas of rhododendron and stands of beech, pine, hickory, poplar, maple, and sycamore trees. The trail’s namesake feature is the mouth of an old iron mine, its dark opening covered by a barred grate. Remnants of iron ore may be visible alongside the trail.

The path will then connect to the Upper and Lower Stuart’s Knob loops. After a few climbs and declines and a fine vista of a portion of Fairy Stone Lake, hikers will return to the parking area.
The park’s brochure rates the hike as strenuous, but Trip Coordinator Lucas Conkle, chair of DRBA’s Outings Task Force, considers the trails moderate. Switchbacks make it easier to climb the slopes, and Conkle plans to set a gentle pace to allow participants to enjoy the forest, the historic sites, and the views.

“The Stuart Knob Trail system has a nice mix of views and history,” Conkle says. “It is sure to become one of your favorite hikes if you go on the trip.”

Fairy Stone State Park, founded in 1936 as the largest of Virginia’s first six state parks, is named for the cross-shaped staurolite, a rare mineral found in the region. Legend says this area was once home to fairies and other woodland creatures. Word of Jesus’ crucifixion so saddened these fairies that they wept tears which crystallized staurolite (silica, iron and aluminum) in the form of Maltese, Roman and St. Andrews crosses.

At the conclusion of the hike, participants will eat their picnic lunches near the shore of the168-acre Fairy Stone Lake. The waters of the Smith River, delayed by the dam that forms the lake, eventually slip over the Fairy Stone spillway into Philpott Lake.

The 4,537 acre state park, still one of Virginia’s largest, offers a total of 14 miles on several hiking trails. Conkle recommends that anyone who wants to hike after lunch consider taking the 1.5-mile Whiskey Run Trail around the base of Stuart’s Knob on their own.

Participants are asked to bring lunch, water and a hiking stick; wear comfortable shoes or hiking boots; dress in layers of water-shedding artificial fabric or wool; and be prepared for rain or wind. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver form.

Directions: From US 220 at Bassett Forks, VA, turn west onto Hwy 57 (Fairystone Park Highway). Drive 12 ½ miles. Turn right onto Fairystone Lake Drive. Drive ½ mile, and turn left onto Fairystone Farm Lane. Continue onto Union Bridge Road. The destination will be 0.8 miles on the left.
From US 58 at Stuart, VA, turn north on Hwy 8. Drive 4 miles, then turn east onto Hwy 57 (Fairystone Park Highway). Drive 8 miles. Turn left onto Fairystone Lake Drive. Drive ½ mile, and turn left onto Fairystone Farm Lane. Continue onto Union Bridge Road. The destination will be 0.8 miles on the left.

Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge.
For more information, contact Trip Coordinator Lucas Conkle at conklel@alumni.greensboro.edu.
For membership information, visit http://www.danriver.org/.

DRBA to Hike Fieldale Trail January 7

Start of DRBA’s Tenth Year Celebration

The Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) will begin its Tenth Year Celebration with a January 7 hike on the Fieldale Trail beside the Smith River in Fieldale, Virginia. Participants will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Fieldale Park (GPS 36.700615,-79.934185) near the site of the old Fieldale Iron Bridge for an out-and-back stroll coordinated by Friends of the Fieldale Trail volunteers.

Hikers may choose to walk a distance of from 1 ½ to 6 miles, since two sections comprise the trail—a 1.5-mile Upper Fieldale Trail from Fieldale Park to the original trailhead, and a 1.5-mile Lower Fieldale Trail downstream from the trailhead. Both segments are flat and easy to walk. Walking the entire distance out and back gives a total of six miles.

The Fieldale Trail offers "a golden opportunity to see Mother Nature up close and personal right in our own backyard," according to Adopt-a-Trail volunteers Charles and Pat Dameron. Tommy Wyatt, a leader of DRBA’s Friends of the Fieldale Trail, adds, “The trail is a great place to meet people from the community. Families, children, elderly people, bicyclists, and even people training for marathons use the trail as part of their daily activities.”

Hugging the bank of the Smith River, the graveled Upper Fieldale Trail winds through woods and open fields frequented by a variety of birds to the trailhead at the Fieldale Canoe Access, where a restroom is available. From there, the natural-surface Lower Fieldale Trail enters the riverside forest and skirts rhododendron bluffs alongside the river to its downstream terminus. Towering sycamore trees shelter the trail, and gravel bars and rock formations in the streambed give voice to the river.

Envisioned at a 2005 planning session of DRBA’s Martinsville-Henry County affiliate, the Fieldale Trial is part of the proposed 45-mile Smith River Trail System from Philpott Dam to the river’s confluence with the Dan River at Eden, NC, as well as the Beaches to Bluegrass Trail across Southern Virginia.

One mile of the Upper Fieldale Trail opened in July, 2007 and the Lower Fieldale Trail was dedicated in March, 2009. Built with both public and private support, the trail is operated by Henry County Parks & Recreation.

A special attraction is a section of the 1931 Fieldale Iron Bridge that carried traffic across the Smith River for nearly 70 years. When the bridge was replaced in 2009, present and former residents and friends of Fieldale from all over the United States contributed funds, time, and materials to save trusses of the landmark structure. The 54-foot portion of the historic bridge now proudly serves as nearby trail art.

Construction of the Textile Heritage Trail, an extension of the Upper Fieldale Trail, is currently underway. The loop trail will feature interpretive signs celebrating the textile heritage on which the town of Fieldale was based. Brian Williams, DRBA’s Program Manager, notes that “a hard-packed gravel surface and boardwalk will make this entire trail handicapped accessible.”

Jennifer Doss, Director of Tourism, says, “The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to work in partnership with DRBA to construct the Textile Heritage Trail. Part of our Deep Roots Legacy, this project ties together the wonderful natural resources that our community has to offer, along with its rich heritage of textiles.”

Participants in the hike should meet at 10:00 a.m. at Fieldale Park, 188 Field Avenue, at the intersection of Field Avenue and South River Road. Bring lunch, water and a hiking stick; wear comfortable shoes or hiking boots; dress in layers of water-shedding artificial fabric or wool; and be prepared for rain or wind. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver form.

Directions: From US 220 take the VA 609 exit towards Fieldale. Turn right at Dillon’s Fork Road, continue on Virginia Avenue, continue on Patrick Avenue, turn right at Field Avenue. Turn right at South River Road, and immediately turn right into the parking lot of the Fieldale Park.

Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge.
For more information, contact Trip Coordinator Paula Wyatt at 276-647-3274 or pwyatt1@embarqmail.com.
For membership information, visit http://www.danriver.org/.

Step Back to 1728 with DRBA on December 3 Outing

Dr. Will Truslow, avid outdoorsman and past president of the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA), will coordinate DRBA's First Saturday Outing December 3- a 2.5 mile hike beside the Mayo River. Truslow, who often runs the Mayo River in his kayak, will meet hikers at 10:00am under Anglin Mill Bridge (GPS 36.53454, -79.99010), about 0.3 mile upstream from Mayo Beach, not far om the famous "Boiling Hole."

From the meeting place, participants will walk north along the Mayo River to Fall Creek. They will turn upstream beside the creek, hikers will proceed downstream along Fall Creek back to the river's edge. They will continue north along the Mayo to a place where the North Mayo and South Mayo rivers meet near the state line.

Crossing from North Carolina into Virginia, the hikers will arrive at the literal "high point" of the outing: "Byrd's Rock" or "Byrd's Ledge." Here William Byrd, leader of the survey party that established the border between Virginia and Carolina in 1728, viewed his crossing and camping place on the west side of the North Mayo River. In keeping with the survey party's experience, DRBA participants will take their lunch break at Byrd's Ledge.

Hikers will then retrace their steps to the meeting place, again crossing Fall Creek on large rocks.

Truslow comments,"This is a flat hike that goes right beside the Mayo River and is just beautiful. Seeing the massive rock formation of the Falls is the highligt of the hike and is very impressive. It's hard to imagine an 18-foot waterfall in Rockingham County.

Thanks to efforts by DRBA, most of the path, as well as the Fall Creek waterfall are included in North Carolina's Mayo River State Park. In additional, the North Mayo and South Mayo rivers are recognized as Virginia Scenic Rivers for several miles upstream from thier confluence.

To reach the trailhead under Anglin Mill Bridge, exit US 220, turning west on Smith Road (SR 1360), winding four miles to a T-intersection wth Anglin Mill Road (SR 1358). Turn left on Anglin Mill Road and travel about a half-mile to within less than a mile of the bridge across the Mayo River. Turn left on unpaved Anglin Loop Road (SR 1385). This road will be not far past DeShazo Mill Road and the fire station. At the river, turn right on Mayo Beach Road (SR 1359), following the river upstream past the Boiling Hole to a parking area under the Anglin Mill Bridge.

Participants are asked to bring a walking stick, lunch and water, to wear stout boots and layered clothing, and to sign a waiver.

Meetings and outings of the Dan River Basin Association are free and open to the public. For more information about the outing, contact Will Truslow at (336) 547-1903 or willtruslow@hotmail.com. For information about the Dan River Basin Association visit http://www.danriver.org/.