Virginia Students and Teachers Selected for Month-Long Educational Voyage Down Length of James River

Participants will experience environmental stewardship on James River Association’s JAMES RIVER EXPEDITION, sponsored by Dominion Resources

RICHMOND, June 16, 2011—Eighteen students and teachers from high schools across Virginia have been selected to participate in the JAMES RIVER EXPEDITION, a four-week exploration down the entire James River aboard canoes, batteau, rafts and work boats where they will get a 340-mile lesson in environmental stewardship and help create a vision for the next century of conservation of this treasured river.

The EXPEDITION is being sponsored by Dominion Resources, whose $50,000 grant is underwriting the cost of the trip. It is making the grant through The Dominion Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm.

“The protection and preservation of the environment are ingrained in the work we do every day,” said Pamela F. Faggert, Dominion’s chief environmental officer. “A partnership with the James River Association that involves educating our youth about one of Virginia’s greatest natural resources is an investment in the future. We’re working hard today to care for the environment and we’re counting on our young people to continue and enhance this work in the future. This EXPEDITION will teach, inspire and create life-long ambassadors for the river.”

The teachers and students will participate in a variety of activities, including water quality monitoring, river resource mapping and watershed restoration efforts , as well as specially arranged tours of a riverside farm whose best-management practices are a model in agricultural conservation, a city working to reduce its contribution to stormwater runoff pollution, a large tract of undeveloped land protected for future generations by a conservation easement, and a power plant investing in cleaner air and water. The EXPEDITION will also journey into the rich historical and cultural traditions along the James River, traveling by historic vessels and meeting with representatives from Virginia Indian tribes and other experts on the river’s history, culture, and ecology.

“The JAMES RIVER EXPEDITION is an enormous logistical enterprise, but one we have always dreamed of undertaking given its capacity to provide such an intimate and far-reaching learning experience for teachers and students alike,” said Bill Street, executive director of the James River Association. “We’re also excited for the opportunity to highlight the benefits that the river provides all of the communities along it and to begin a community discussion about what the river's future looks like in the next century. We value and appreciate our friends at Dominion for making the EXPEDITION possible.”

Students and teachers were selected among applicants from four high schools across the James River watershed in Richmond, Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Hampton, representing 25 percent of the land area in Virginia. This year’s participants include:

  • Nikolina Cetic - Albemarle High School, Charlottesville
  • Cara Chiocca - Open High School, Richmond
  • Grant Gibson - Bethel High School, Hampton
  • Eric Hahn - Albemarle High School, Charlottesville
  • Rebecca Henderson - Bethel High School, Hampton
  • Jessie Kincaid - E.C. Glass High School, Lynchburg
  • Isaiah Ralph - Bethel High School, Hampton
  • Caleigh Remocaldo - Open High School, Richmond
  • Isaac Schumacher - E.C. Glass High School, Lynchburg
  • Kelvin Tyler - Open High School, Richmond
  • Derek White - E.C. Glass High School, Lynchburg

Teachers selected for the EXPEDITION include:

  • Emily Betts - Biology instructor, Open High School, Richmond
  • Walt Chaney - Environmental sciences and ecology instructor, Albemarle High School, Charlottesville
  • Jessie Dreschel - Biology instructor, E.C. Glass High School, Lynchburg
  • Troy Thompson - Earth science instructor, Bethel High School, Hampton

The JAMES RIVER EXPEDITION will launch from Iron Gate near Covington, Virginia on June 25 and conclude in Hampton on July 22. Readers can follow the students’ journey at the James River Association Facebook page, found at www.facebook.com/jamesriverassociation.

About the James River Association
The 340-mile James River runs from its headwaters in the Appalachians into the Chesapeake Bay, making it one of the longest rivers totally contained within one state. Called “America’s Founding River” for the role it played in helping provide for the Jamestown settlers, the James River has a rich history, sustains a vibrant and diverse ecosystem and is a source of life and recreation for millions of Virginians. The James River Association is a nonprofit conservation organization that serves as the primary “voice” of the James River, helping to ensure its health and vitality for more than 30 years. For more information about JRA, visit www.jrava.org.

About Dominion
Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.
 

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Contacts:

Cameron McPherson
804.788.1414 - cmcpherson@hodgespart.com

Daisy Pridgen, Dominion
804.771.6115 - Daisy.Pridgen@dom.com