DRBA ANNUAL MEETING & TRAIL OPENING, MARCH 2
February 21, 2013
DRBA 11TH YEAR CELEBRATION
MARCH 2 AT ROCKINGHAM COMMUNITY COLLEGE
and RCC TRAILS RIBBON-CUTTING
Come and celebrate two milestones! The Dan River Basin Association marks eleven years of successes, and the newly extended trail system at Rockingham Community College will officially open.
DRBA's Annual Celebration will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, in the Whitcomb Student Center at Rockingham Community College, 484 County Home Road, Wentworth, NC (GPS 36.386552, -79.755914). The public is invited free of charge.
The day's activities will include all the major elements of DRBA's mission-preserving and promoting the region's rivers and culture through education, recreation and stewardship. In addition, a look back over the past year will provide inspiration for the coming years' efforts in the multi-county, bi-state river basin.
After a half hour to enjoy refreshments and view displays, the short business session will include recognition of extraordinary volunteer service, election of board members, and staff reports on the Association's extensive activities in Virginia and North Carolina since last March, as well as a glimpse of the year ahead.
Featured as the Celebration's speakers are two exceptional educators who guided DRBA's Stream Team Community Partnership Project, which has reclaimed a neglected stream in Danville. Nurse and health educator Sherri Wright engaged students and staff at the Galileo Magnet School, who joined students from the WW Moore Juvenile Detention Center, led by their teacher and mentor Jane Clardy. Wright and Clardy will describe their students' experience and share a documentary created by the participants. Come and enjoy "DRBA: Making It Happen!"
Encompassing portions of sixteen counties in Virginia and North Carolina in its 3300-square-mile watershed, the Dan River Basin includes six rivers-the Mayo, Smith, Sandy, Banister, Hyco, and, of course, the Dan. The Dan River Basin Association was formed in 2002 to preserve and promote the region's abundant natural and cultural resources.
Recognizing that this beautiful area, extending from the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the broad waters of Kerr (Buggs Island) Lake, shares a history of reliance on the rivers for transportation, commerce, and industry, DRBA provides a unified vision of cooperation across geographic boundaries.
Members and guests will hear reports from the Association's staff, including Executive Director Tiffany Haworth and program managers and coordinators from both states.
Following the meeting and lunch provided by each participant, at 1:15 p.m.
DRBA members and guests will join Rockingham Community College staff and faculty for a ribbon-cutting at the trailhead of the RCC Trails. Newly extended and refurbished as a joint project of DRBA and RCC, the trails system is now five miles long, winding through hilly woodlands, skirting meadows, and paralleling and crossing rocky streams.
Participants in the Celebration are asked to bring a picnic lunch to be eaten at the Student Center, or plan to enjoy lunch at a local restaurant of their choosing. All participants will be offered a lunch special at Mom's Kitchen and Elizabeth's Pizza, both within one mile of RCC. Those joining in the after-lunch hike should wear hiking boots or walking shoes and dress in layers.
Directions
From Greensboro, travel US 29 North. Take Exit 149 for NC 87-N. Drive 5 miles, keeping straight through three stop lights. Take the NC-87/NC-65 ramp to Eden/Wentworth. Drive 4.2 miles on NC-65 through two stop lights. At the third stop light, turn left onto County Home Road. Drive 0.4 miles. Whitcomb Student Center is the first building on the right.
From Danville, travel US 29 South. Take Exit 153 for US 158-W/NC 14-N. Drive 2.4 miles, keeping straight through one stop light. At the second stop light, turn left onto US 158-W/US 29 BUS-S/Freeway Drive. Drive 2.1 miles. Take the NC-87/NC-65 ramp to Eden/Wentworth. Drive 4.2 miles on NC-65 through two stop lights. At the third stop light, turn left onto County Home Road. Drive 0.4 miles. Whitcomb Student Center is the first building on the right.
From Martinsville, travel US 220-BUS South to Ridgeway. Turn left onto VA-87 S. Continue as it becomes NC-87 S/NC-14 S. Drive 7.3 miles, cross the Dan River and immediately turn right onto Harrington Highway, following NC-87 S for 1.7 miles. At the stop light, turn left to continue on NC-87 S. After 5.6 miles, turn right onto County Home Road. Continue on County Home Road for 0.7 miles. Whitcomb Student Center is on the right.
From US 220, exit onto NC-704 East. Drive 8.1 miles. Continue straight onto NC-65 E for 3.8 miles. At the stop light, turn right onto County Home Road. Drive 0.4 miles. Whitcomb Student Center is the first building on the right.
Meetings and outings of the Dan River Basin Association are free and open to the public. For information about the celebration or the hike, contact T Butler, members@danriver.org or 336-349-5727.
Membership information is available at http://www.danriver.org/.
Further Information:
Fletcher Waynick, DRBA President
336-342-4013
fwaynick@danriver.org
T Butler, Newsletter Editor
336-349-5727
members@danriver.org
