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The 2002 Virginia Outdoors Plan

Region 10: Thomas Jefferson Planning District The Thomas Jefferson Planning District comprises Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene,Louisa and Nelson counties and the city of Charlottesville. The region’s westernedge is in the mountainous Blue Ridge physiographic province. Forming theremainder, and the majority of the region, is the Piedmont physiographic province’srolling landscape.

The 1996 Virginia Outdoors Plan predicated that by 2010 the population in theregion would exceed 200,000. According to the 2000 census, the population for theregion was 199,648. The region will easily meet and far exceed this predication.Fluvanna County has experienced a 61.3% growth from 1990 to 2000. Only LoudounCounty, in Northern Virginia, experienced more growth in the 10-year period.

This region is characterized by varied terrain, habitats, and vegetation types. It isprimarily rural in nature except in the vicinity of Charlottesville, which is moreurban and suburban. The presence of Lake Anna has provided the catalyst for thedevelopment of a large retirement community. Adding to the scenic beauty of thearea are viewsheds of mountainsides, ridges and pastoral valleys. As a testament tothe interesting character of the landscape, a number of roads have been designatedas Virginia Byways, including Routes 6, 20, 22, 56, 250, 151, 231, 610, and 614.

The region abounds with scenic, natural, open space and historic resources; a lega-cy that Virginians have worked together to protect, as exhibited by Scenic Riverand Virginia Byway designations. Additionally, more than 28,110 acres in theregion are under open space easements held primarily by the Virginia OutdoorsFoundation, thereby protecting the open-space qualities of the affected land.

A number of rivers add to the scenic and environ-mental qualities of the area. Segments of the Rockfish,Rivanna and Moormans rivers have been designatedas Virginia Scenic Rivers. The Rivanna River has beendesignated an official project of the Save America’sTreasures campaign (November 16, 2000) by theNational Trust of Historic Preservation. Other importantrivers in the area include the James, Tye, Mechums,North Anna, South Anna, Hardware and Piney. Aswith most regions in the Commonwealth, there is aneed for greater public access to the rivers.

Walking, driving for pleasure, water-related activities,use of playgrounds, and bicycling are activities experi-encing high levels of participation in the region. SeeTable 12, page 245.

The 2000 Virginia Outdoors Survey indicates a need forsoccer fields, river access points for fishing and boat-ing, picnicking and camping facilities in the region.

The 2000 Virginia Outdoors Survey also ranked the top39 activities that individuals participated in; visitinghistoric sites ranked 5th in this survey. Monticello,Historic Michie Tavern and the University of Virginiaare located in this region, and their popularity with thegeneral public should be used in marketing the region.

The following recommendations relative to resourcesin the region could contribute to regional open spaceand/or recreational opportunities for meeting currentand future needs of area residents.

Private sector

This region has an abundance of scenic and historicresources. The private sector could consider makingland available for hunting, walkers and bicyclists, thusincreasing access to these important resources.Visiting gardens is also an activity experiencing highlevels of participation and should be considered by theprivate sector. Considering the number of rivers in thisregion and the need for greater public access, opportu-nities exist for private investment in providing guideand outfitter services. There is a need to provide areasfor the use of four-wheel-drive off-road recreationalvehicles. This may be an opportunity for the privatesector to make use of lands for recreation that may notbe productive for other uses. There is a strong tradi-tion in this region of farm-to-farm trail riding by theequestrian community. With changing landownership

patterns, this tradition is in danger of being lost.Efforts should be made to encourage dissemination ofinformation about landowner protection from liabilityafforded persons who participate in providing trails forhorseback riding across their lands.

Federal facilities

1. An effort should be made to reduce air pollutionthat obstructs viewsheds from Shenandoah NationalPark and the general vicinity. The issue of changingland use adjacent to the park also needs to be examinedfurther. Local governments need to support efforts toencourage adjacent landowners, localities, and plan-ning district commissions to develop a scenic overlayzone adjacent to and within the viewshed of theShenandoah National Park as part of a multiregionalpark viewshed planning process.

2. There is a need to develop a Blue Ridge VisitorInformation Center/Services Center in the vicinity ofI-64 near the intersection with Skyline Drive and theBlue Ridge Parkway. Shenandoah National Parkreceived more than 1.3 million visitors in 1999 and theBlue Ridge Parkway in Virginia receives an estimated10 million visitors annually. A partnership among theNational Park Service, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service,the state of Virginia and surrounding localities couldbe created to plan, build, and operate a complex nearRockfish Gap or Afton Mountain that would compli-ment the visitor centers envisioned in the ShenandoahBattlefield National Historic District. Local govern-ments also need to support efforts to encourage adjacentlandowners, localities and planning district commis-sions to develop a scenic overlay zone adjacent to andwithin the viewshed of the Blue Ridge Parkway as partof a multiregional parkway viewshed planning process.

State parks

Projects identified in approved master plans need tobe funded. State park master plans must be revisited byDCR staff every five years; any significant changes notidentified in the original master plan, or improve-ments/additions costing in excess of $500,000, must gothrough the public participation process.

3. The Middle Valley area beyond Charlottesville hasbeen identified as a desirable location for the develop-ment of a state park.

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The 2002 Virginia Outdoors Plan

Natural areas

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has,as of March 2001, documented 134 occurrences of 59rare species and natural communities in the ThomasJefferson Planning District. Eleven species are globallyrare and three are federally threatened or endangered.Twenty-five conservation sites have been identified inthe district; 17 (68%) have received some level of pro-tection through ownership or management by state,federal and nongovernment organizations.

DCR recommends that the eight unprotected conser-vation sites be targeted for future protection efforts.The appropriate method of protection will vary witheach site but may include placing the site on Virginia’sRegistry of Natural Areas, developing a voluntarymanagement agreement with the landowner, securinga conservation easement through a local land trust,acquiring the site through a locality or local land trust,dedicating the site as a natural area preserve with thecurrent owner, or acquiring the site as a state naturalarea preserve. For a discussion of the Natural HeritageProgram, see page 133.

Other state properties

The following state-owned properties contain significantacreage of undeveloped land that may have recreationalpotential. Each site should be assessed, and cooperativeuse agreements should be developed where appropriate.

4. The Birdwood property in Albemarle County is a 148-acre tract of land owned by the University of Virginia.

5. Undeveloped portions of the Piedmont CommunityCollege campus in Albemarle County may have recre-ational potential.

6. Undeveloped portions of the Blue Ridge Hospitalproperty in Albemarle County may have recreationalpotential.

7. The Virginia Department of Corrections owns a194-acre tract in Louisa County, which may haverecreational potential.

8. The Milton Airport property located in EasternAlbemarle County on the Rivanna River, owned bythe University of Virginia, has tremendous potentialas a riverside park. The property’s 172 acres, which isflat, could be a key to meeting open field space needs.

A cooperative venture between the university, the cityand county could help meet needs in the region.

9. The Hardware and James River wildlife manage-ment areas, owned by the Virginia Department ofGame and Inland Fisheries, offers the potential forpartnerships in developing trails and possible linkagewith the James River.

Regional parks

10. Fluvanna County’s publicly owned, 960-acrePleasant Grove site is being partially developed forthe following recreational purposes: athletic fields, theheritage trail that will link up the historic village ofPalmyra and a riverside old mill and lock, along withequestrian trails, an historic preservation area, andnatural habitats. The county is currently working onthe master plan for this area, which will be completedby fall 2001.

Public water access

Access to Virginia’s rivers and streams is necessary formeeting water-related recreational demands. Accessconsiderations for the region include the following:

11. The feasibility of providing picnicking and primi-tive and canoe-in camping should be investigated forthe Hardware and James River wildlife managementareas, as well as other large tracts of land on majorrivers in the region. Where appropriate, portages shouldbe created around dams and other river obstacles.

12. A canoe put-in should be considered on theRivanna River between Palmyra and the Town ofColumbia.

Scenic Rivers

The following river segments should be evaluated todetermine their suitability as a Virginia Scenic Rivers:

13. The James River in Nelson, Buckingham, Albemarle,Fluvanna and Cumberland counties.

14. The South River in Greene County.

15. The Hardware River in Fluvanna County.

Scenic highways and Virginia BywaysThere has been a tremendous interest in thematictrails including, Civil War trails, the Wilderness Road

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The 2002 Virginia Outdoors Plan

Trail, the Birding and Wildlife Trails, the RevolutionaryWar trails, the African-American Heritage Trail sys-tem, and other driving tour routes. The next logicalstep after the Scenic Roads in Virginia map would be todevelop a series of regional maps or booklets thatdescribe and help locate the resources and servicesfound in all sections of the state.

The following roads have been recommended for con-sideration as Virginia Byways:

16. The designation of a James River Byway consistingof roads that closely parallel the James River BateauFestival trail should be considered. The corridor wouldinclude Route 6 in Fluvanna County, Route 626 inAlbemarle and Nelson counties.

17. Scenic Route 15 corridor from the FluvannaCounty line to Culpeper.

18. Route 810 from Stanardsville in Greene Countyto Crozet in Albemarle County.

Trails and greenways

Local and regionally initiated trail and greenway plan-ning is important for identifying and providing com-munities with these resources. The Department ofConservation and Recreation recommends that eachlocality develop a trail and greenway plan as part of itscomprehensive plan. In this plan, an effort should bemade to link existing and proposed trails and green-ways into a regional greenways network connectingexisting and proposed recreational, natural, cultural,water, business/commercial, and other resources thecommunity deems desirable. Localities, counties andcities should also determine appropriate roads for bicy-cle routes, and should work with the VirginiaDepartment of Transportation to develop these routesby adopting local comprehensive pedestrian and bike-way plans as a component of their transportationplans. The Virginia Department of Transportation caninclude funds for bike trail construction projects onlyif the bikeway plan is included in the locality’sapproved transportation plan.

The following are greenway/trail proposals for this region:

19. Appalachian National Scenic Trail is in need ofadditional protection.

20. A Rivanna River Trail in Fluvanna and Albemarlecounties should be developed to connect the Town of

Columbia and the Trans-Virginia Trail with theAppalachian Trail.

21. A land trail, James River Trail, along the entirelength of the James River should be considered.

22. The abandoned rail line through Fluvanna shouldbe developed into a multi-use trail.

23. The C&O Line between Clifton Forge andCharlottesville, presently operated as a “short-linerailroad,” should be acquired, if abandoned, and devel-oped as a greenway. It has potential as a multi-use trailcorridor, while providing linkage to several majorrecreational systems.

24. Interstate Bike Route 76 should be enhanced andproperly identified.

25. The Nature/Wildlife Trail to Long Island Creeklocated near Palmyra. This site has been named anAmerican Treasure by the White House MillenniumCouncil and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

26. The Rivanna Conservation Society’s RivannaRiver Water Trail is being developed under a grantfrom the National Park Service. Also, the FluvannaCounty Historical Society and the Virginia CanalsSociety are attempting to have all the locks on theRivanna Canal added to the Virginia LandmarksRegister and the National Register of Historic Places.

27. The Holland-Page House, owned by the HistoricalSociety in Fluvanna County, is being developed as amuseum of rural life from 1865-1900. A nature trail isin the planning stages from the log cabin to the LongIsland Creek. This site has been declared an AmericanTreasure and could be linked at some stage to a futureRivanna River Trail.

Hostels

28.The Charlottesville area is suggested as a hostellocation.

State forests

29. Expand demonstration and research opportuni-ties, as well as facilities for hiking and outdoor study atLesesne State Forest.

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The 2002 Virginia Outdoors Plan

DCRDepartment of Conservation & RecreationCONSERVING VIRGINIA'S NATURAL AND RECREATIONAL RESOURCES

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