DRBA at Bright Leaf Hoedown!

Be sure to visit the DRBA booth during the 29th Annual Bright Leaf Hoedown on Saturday, September 29. More than 20,000 people are expected on the Historic Town Square in Yanceyville for this annual, family friendly festival that features music, educational booths (such as DRBA’s), kid’s country, farm Olympics, mock tobacco auction, car show—and of course, food! For more information contact the Caswell County Chamber of Commerce at (336) 694-6106. See you at the Hoedown!

Join DRBA in October for NC's Big Sweep

DRBA's October 2nd Outing to be a Cleanup from Madison to Jacob's Creek as part of NC Big Sweep.

DRBA's October 2 outing will be a 5-mile cleanup float on the Dan River from Madison to Jacob's Creek. Meeting at 10:00 a.m. at the NC 704 Access in Madison (36.3849, -79.9550), we'll paddle through seven navigation sites, well-preserved nineteenth century river structures now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coordinated by DRBA President Wayne Kirkpatrick, the cleanup is part of NC Big Sweep, the statewide component of an international watershed cleanup. Participants record the types of trash they find, contributing to statistics that help design educational programs to prevent littering.

The navigation structures, built in the 1820s and expanded as late as the 1880s, include sluices, landings, and wing dams that made the river usable by flat-bottomed batteaux, the long, narrow workhorses of nineteenth century river commerce in the region.

According to river historian Lindley Butler, "The structures channel the water through rapids and ledges that would have blocked the batteaux, each of which carried several tons of goods. Present-day recreational users enjoy the effects of these structures, which have been self-maintaining for over 130 years.

"Because of the navigation system, this section is rated as Class 1, suitable for novice paddlers. The work done in the 19th century enables us to float the Dan throughout Rockingham County even in times of extreme drought."

Below Madison, which was chartered in 1815 as the head of batteau navigation, points of interest include the confluence of the Mayo River and Roberson's Fish Trap Sluice, which incorporates a widened fish weir originally built to collect fish making their great spawning runs upriver from the coast.

Cross Rock Rapid, which provides footings for the US 220 Bypass Bridge, is followed closely by Slink Shoal Sluice and Wing Dams, recognized by a nearby state historic marker. Called the navigation system's "crown jewel," Slink Shoal consists of the longest sluice, or channel, and the only surviving log-crib wing dams on the river.
Boaters will stop for lunch at Lone Island, the site of a ford that was in use by 1769 and served as a crossing during the Revolutionary War.

Revolutionary-era Governor Alexander Martin lived on the bluff above Jacob's Creek Landing, which is just upstream from the private take-out, used by permission of the owners.

More information may be found on Maps 54-56 of An Insider's Guide to the Dan River, available at www.danriver.org. Participants are asked to bring boat, life jacket, gloves, lunch and water, to dress in layers of artificial (quick-drying) fabric and to sign a waiver. Trash bags will be provided.

Boats may be rented from Three Rivers Outfitters, 336-627-6215 or Dan River Campground, 336-427-8530.

Directions: To reach the NC 704 Access Point from north or south, take US 220 to the Madison, NC exit at NC 704. Turn west on NC 704 toward Madison. At the first traffic light, turn right onto Market Street (small brown sign directs to Dan River Access). Go two blocks, and turn right onto Murphy Street. Cross the railroad tracks and turn right at the bottom of the hill onto Water Street. Continue under the bridge. The access site is on the left.

From the east, take NC 704 to Madison and follow the directions above.
From the west, take US 311 to Madison. At the traffic light just past the brick Methodist Church, turn left onto Market Street. Go two blocks, and turn right onto Murphy Street. Cross the railroad tracks and turn right at the bottom of the hill onto Water Street. Continue under the bridge. The access site is on the left.

For more information, contact Wayne Kirkpatrick at (276) 694-4449.

Celebrate Labor Day Weekend with a River Float

On September 4 DRBA will celebrate Labor Day weekend with a float on the most popular section of the Smith River-Marrowbone Creek Access to Mitchell Bridge Access in Henry County, VA. Meeting at 10:00 a. m. at the Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Nature Preserve, 2525 Eggleston Falls Road in Ridgeway, Virginia . The group will launch canoes and kayaks at the nearby access point. The 3.5-mile "blueway" Smith River Trails section, rated Class 1, is suitable for novice paddlers. Trip coordinator is Charlie Williams, DRBA Board Member. He will be aided by other DRBA members who frequent this section of the river.

For the first half mile of the trip, the river flows alongside the Gravely Nature Preserve's high bluffs where paddlers can glimpse the Rhododendron Trail. As the name implies, the path winds through a rhododendron thicket as it hugs the river's edge. About a mile farther on, Leatherwood Creek enters from river left. Paddlers often enter the wide mouth of the creek and take a leisurely side trip up the shaded stream to observe woodland wildflowers and birds. Early American patriot Patrick Henry, for whom both Patrick and Henry counties are named, lived on a large plantation near the headwaters of Leatherwood Creek from 1779 - 1786.

Just below the mouth of Leatherwood Creek is a broad rounded boulder in the middle of the river. known as "Lunch Rock," it makes "a perfect spot to stop for a break," according to "An Insider's Guide to the Smith River, available at www.danriver.org.

Henry County, in partnership with DRBA, has made the Smith River accessible to the public over the past three years by building public access points at eight new sites along the river, including the Marrowbone Creek Access, which opened in 2007, and Mitchell Bridge Access, built in 2009.

Participants are invited to linger after the outing to enjoy the Gravely Nature Preserve, part of the county's "greenway" Smith River Trail system, which was dedicated in April, 2008. Developed by DRBA and Henry County, with funding from The Harvest Foundation, the 75-acre preserve features two miles of interpretive trails. Historic features include early twentieth-century tobacco barns and the Burgess Family cemetery, reminders of former owners of the property.

Industrialist, civic leader, and archaeologist Richard P. Gravely, Jr. owned the property in the late twentieth century and left instructions for its preservation as a wildlife and nature conservancy. The preserve now hosts frequent educational and recreational events for all ages, including day camps, fitness walks, historic presentations, workshops, after-school programs, and geo-caching.

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

Directions: To reach the Gravely Nature Preserve from US 220 south of Martinsville, turn east at a traffic light onto Old Sand Road. Cross the US 58 overpass and immediately turn left onto Eggleston Falls Road. Travel about two miles to the preserve, which is on the left, across from the foot of Old Mill Road.

More information: Charlie Williams at 336.337.8843

Gunn Memorial Library presented IMPACT: Speaking Out For Rivers Through Art & Action

More than 20 children (and several adults too!) created art from recycled bottles to demonstrate the impact that consumer waste can have on streams, rivers and oceans if not disposed of properly. Since plastic is among the most detrimental of all consumer waste, iIMPACT puts a special emphasis on it.

In a multi-media presentation, the participants learned how watersheds work and how plastic is transported along rivers and streams, injuring wildlife. Each child then created a "bottle bloom" from a plastic bottle recovered (and thoroughly cleaned) from the waste stream. They took great pride and care in painting their blooms because, once 500 bottle blooms have been collected, the Dan River Basin Association will transform the blooms into an educational art exhibit to inspire adults to use re-useable bottles and grocery bags.

The art is intended to open up new ways to understand and "see" the tremendous negative impact that consumer waste is having upon rivers, oceans and wildlife. iIMPACT workshops are free and available to youth and senior groups, including extended care homes, senior centers, scouts, classrooms, faith based, home school students, and more. This program is made possible with support from DRBA members.