From the President

By Jeff Wright

The spring paddle season was a success and volunteer members made good progress on stewardship management plans, conducted maintenance activities on four FODR properties, and made plans for more member activities as well as future paddle trips.

​EVER SAVE A DRAGON? We’re looking for volunteers to help answer that question. Here are some of the things we do to protect and preserve the Dragon and educate others about this rare ecosystem. Please join us!

By Jeff Wright

​The 2022 spring paddle season was great! Wonderful guests, wonderful school groups, beautiful water and weather, prothonotary warblers, bald eagles, flowering trees, flowering plants, butterflies, dragonflies, beaver dams, and thousands of of bald cypress knees. A key factor in the success of the paddle season was the 30+ volunteers who staffed the paddle and logistics crews.

We are already getting ready for the summer paddle season in July. Registration opened on June 15 and the paddle season runs from July 21 to August 12. Summer shows another face of the Dragon when the foliage is green and lush, plants are in bloom, butterflies and birds abound, and turtles can be seen hanging out on logs. We plan these paddle trips for the morning when its cooler; however, much of the paddle route is in the shade.

​This spring we focused on creating stewardship management plans for each of our properties. We also conducted maintenance on roads, trails, and signage. Teams have visited Powcan, Kostyal, and our Big Island and Church View complexes.

Properties under conservation easements were successfully inspected by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and no violations were found. We will continue work on stewardship management and property maintenance throughout the year.

Please consider joining these stewardship and maintenance teams. We are always looking for additional FODR members to participate in property monitoring and maintenance efforts.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the spring edition of The Local Scoop magazine. The cover story and much of the issue are devoted to Dragon Run. If you haven’t paddled down the Dragon, you can experience it from the comfort of your armchair or hammock. No problem if you don’t have a hardcopy issue, just go online to read the articles: https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=66116&i=740433&p=1&ver=html5

Susan McFadden, publisher of The Local Scoop magazine, and cover artist Christian Johnson, generously donated prints of the artwork for the cover of the spring issue to FODR. We are offering framed and unframed prints of the artwork which depicts many of the characteristics of the Dragon. All proceeds go to Friends of Dragon Run. More on how to purchase the prints can be found in this newsletter or at DragonRun.org.

If you have ideas for additional activities in 2022 or want hands-on involvement, please contact me at [email protected]. We are expanding many of our programs and looking for additional volunteers to support our programs and properties. In addition to our spring, summer, and fall paddle seasons we will also offer hikes on one or more of our properties this fall. Join us for yet another view of the Dragon.

EVER SAVE A DRAGON? Volunteers are always welcome to help answer that question.

Best of the seasons and the Dragon Run to all. Hope to see you soon.