Alliance weighs in on state and federal policy that impacts water quality, but the majority of our efforts are focused on the decisions made day-to-day at the local level. Decisions by local boards of supervisors and planning commissions that impact streams and rivers, neighbors downstream and the Chesapeake Bay are guided by long-term comprehensive plans, so we are deeply involved with the creation and revision of these plans.
Shenandoah and Rockingham counties have both just approved major rewrites of their plans and both include an emphasis on the importance of water:
We respect that WATER IS LIFE. We are committed to cherishing our water for the next generation. Knowing that clean and abundant water is finite but also vital for health, agriculture, economic growth, and overall well-being.
~SHENANDOAH 2045: A FUTURE TOGETHER
Rockingham County’s defining natural and historic resources will be stewarded for future generations by protecting the environment, preserving community character, and planning for a resilient future.
~ROCKINGHAM 2024-2044, goal accompanied by an eight-point strategy toward the objective to protect water quality
We’re following ongoing comprehensive plan updates in Augusta, Warren and Page counties and will advocate for plans that set out water protection.
Forest Stream Stories
Peter's Mill Through the Seasons
Peter’s Mill Run, located in Shenandoah County’s Fort Valley, is a very small, perennial and beautiful mountain brook passing through hardwood-pine forests in the George Washington National Forest. It has long stretches flowing swiftly downhill over boulders, in some places creating small waterfalls that have scoured-out deeper pools of calmer water.
Peter’s Mill Run is unique in that it flows northeast from its origins before making an abrupt, almost 90-degree turn in Tasker’s Gap where it suddenly heads in a southeasterly direction down the Massanutten Mountain to eventually join the larger Passage Creek in Edinburg.
A visit here is calming to the mind, heart and soul, even more so with temps in the 30s and a blanket of snow covering the mountainside.
Board Member Joe Lehnen (Shenandoah) can often be found fishing along Peter’s Mill Run, his favorite stocked trout stream, in the late fall and winter months when
Memories of Big Mary's Creek
As a kid growing up in Augusta County, I spent two weeks every summer at Nature Camp in the George Washington National Forest exploring Big Mary’s Creek. Those days were spent splashing in the water, turning over rocks, catching crayfish, examining “discovered” aquatic creatures, and plunging into the swimming hole. Now as an adult I still love to explore national forests and fish for brook trout in small mountain streams.
Board Member Sarah Francisco (Augusta) continues to advocate to ensure the most important areas of our national forests are well-protected as healthy habitats for fish and wildlife and for clean sources of local drinking water.