Recognizing Local Conservation Heroes

This year, we are proud to recognize Joan Chapman of Woodstock, VA, the founder and leader of Shenandoah Reel Women, for her work connecting women and girls to the joy of fly fishing—building a community of people who love our rivers and want to protect them.

One of Shenandoah Reel Women’s favorite offerings is the annual summer fly fishing camps, which have been running since 2021. Joan connects campers to Virginia’s public lands by hosting the camps at state parks, including sessions held in the Valley’s Seven Bends State Park outside of Woodstock. Seven Bends offers great access to the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, where campers learn the ins and outs of the sport while discovering the importance of healthy aquatic habitats needed for fish to thrive. These camps provide a safe, welcoming space for women to learn the sport while also connecting them to a supportive network of peers and outdoor leaders.

Not only is Joan teaching the sport, but she is also showing young women that finding enjoyment in the outdoors can lead to a lifetime of environmental stewardship. One friend and camp supporter, Lisa Filipy, shared:

The camp is a magic place where girls learn life skills and outdoor skills in a safe, friendly environment. The wonder of standing in a river with a fly rod! No judgment, only friendships, and knowledge to last a lifetime. I believe starting with young people is how we teach them to love their environment and then they want to help and take ownership of it. These young women are our next set of environmental stewards.

Joan doesn’t do her work alone, either. Shenandoah Reel Women is built through strong relationships with individual leaders in the fly fishing sport and community partners like Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, who provide formal environmental education alongside the fly-fishing training, highlighting the importance of taking care of our rivers and streams.

By making fly fishing accessible to every girl, woman, and neighbor she reaches, Joan exemplifies how access is the true foundation for a lifetime of stewardship. We are thrilled to honor her this year.