Previous Events
Karst Education Day at Luray Caverns
On Sunday, March 22, 2009 we held our second adult karst education day with a great line-up of speakers from the Department of Conservation & Recreation, Department of Environmental Quality, Chesapeake Stormwater Network & the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias.
They presented information on what karst geology is, why it is sensitive and why it requires careful consideration in relation to land use issues. We also had a special geology tour of Luray Caverns.
This workshop was sponsored by the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias and the Page County Water Quality Advisory Committee.
Mill Creek Stream Corridor Assessment
Thank you to everyone who volunteered and to the landowners who granted us permission to be on their land for the Assessment.
Students from the geographical information system (GIS) classes at Page County High School and Luray High School joined volunteers from the Water Quality Advisory Committee, landowners and other local citizens to conduct a stream corridor assessment (SCA) of the Mill Creek Watershed on Friday, May 1, 2009.
A professional with the Izaak Walton League trained the volunteers on what to look for as they walked along Mill Creek including areas of erosion, pipe outfalls, condition of riparian buffers, in or near stream construction, channel alterations, stream crossings and other stream-related issues.
The stream assessment allowed volunteers to rapidly assess the general physical condition of a stream system. The students gathered GPS location coordinates to accurately map all of the sites inventoried. The maps and other information gathered during the survey will support the future preparation of a watershed management plan for Mill Creek and guide subsequent restoration activities.
Mill Creek is approximately eight miles long, from its headwaters in Stanley to its confluence with the South Fork of the Shenandoah River near Hamburg.
Contact the Water Quality Advisory Committee/Watershed Management Planning Team at 743-4808 or info@pagewaterquality.org about the our next meeting date and location. Guests are always welcome.