Ragged Mountain Resource Center

* Cornerstone Projects * Recent Accomplishments & On-going Programs *

* Programs in Development * Volunteers needed! *

*RMRC Office Wish List * Directions * Ragged Mountain's Links to related organizations*

Click here to email Hunt at Ragged Mountain Resource Center

Ragged Mountain Resource Center is a non-profit, community oriented organization focusing on sustainability of the Rappahannock River Watershed and neighboring bio-regions of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Chesapeake Bay.

...based in Rappahannock County, Virginia, we help coordinate educational and recreational activities such as hikes, water monitoring and similar natural history projects, environmentally balanced living practices, and provide general information about the region.

Hazel River Photo courtesy Martin Titus

Ragged Mountain Resource Center is an honoured recipient
of achievement from the Governor's Office of Virginia and
the Secretary of Natural Resources in the initial Virginia Watershed
Award Program:

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The Virginia Watershed Awards have been established to recognize individuals,
organizations and communities for excellence in protecting their watersheds. The Awards
water quality. They are modeled after a national award to recognize innovative
approaches toward this same goal. In presenting these inaugural awards, Secretary of
Natural Resources John Paul Woodley stated "Watersheds transcend city and county
lines, they are basic natural jurisdictions... By working on rewarding work done in
watersheds, we hope to tear down any artificial barriers and promote cooperation
to improve everyone's water quality". Award winner efforts will result in reducing
amounts and sources of polluted run-off in watersheds. The awards are designed
to emphasize local partnerships that demonstrate voluntary initiatives, and educational
and economic incentives. Eligibility requires programs to be operational for at least
two years in order to verify successes, and to comply with applicable laws and/or
regulations. "These winners deserve the utmost credit for their perseverance and
dedication to improving their local water quality, which has a positive impact
downstream" said David Brickley, Department of Conservation and Recreation Director.
The awards are coordinated by the state agencies in the Natural Resources Secretariat.
Secretary of Natural Resources Woodley "gratefully and appreciatively acknowledges
Ragged Mountain Resource Center's programs as major contributions in the Rappahannock River
watershed's water quality awareness and improvement efforts with an Honorable Mention
Award and Certificate".

The Ragged Mountain Resource Center provides educational and recreational activities,
information on the environment and general information about the upper
Rappahannock river basin on its website http://www.oldway.com/rm.htm and
through the local library system.

"Under Mr. Harris's direction, the center has provided a wide variety of outreach, training and
data gathering, including stream monitoring, directing water quality workshops and managing
streambank restoration efforts and BMP (best management practices) implementation",
states Rappahannock County Administrator John McCarthy.

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RAGGED MOUNTAIN RESOURCE CENTER

2003 Activities, etc...

Major emphasis this year will be placed on tree-related issues and
programs as a complement to existing water-related issues and programs,
on balancing one's life through physical, mental and emotional
well-being and activities related thereto, and on honorable involvement
in community.

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A Common Sense of Respect and Responsibility

It is hoped that through these programs we can enhance communitywell-being
and promote a valued sense of respect and responsiblility for theresources in our
homeplace and elsewhere in this world. We welcome and encourage participation
on any level, and especially welcome voluntary and monetary contributions
toward programs for which one might have a special passion, skill or
simply an interest or curiosity in.

Additional projects, programs, special events, concerns and such will
be considered upon request and review of existing schedules, personnel, funding, level of concern
to community and whatever else need be factored in.

Ragged Mountain's Office is located at: Oldway Art Center, Sperryville, Va.

11794 Lee Highway, Sperryville, VA 22740

Phone 540-987-3366 Fax 540-987-3365

Mailing Address: Ragged Mountain Resource Center - Box 141,Washington,Virginia,22747

E-mail: huntoldragon@earthlink.net

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This site is donated, designed, and maintained by Oldway Art Center

Calendar of Events:

We are in the process of reorganizing the Ragged Mountain Resource Center

website, office and program offerings, so please be patient and check in again periodically.

Input is certainly welcomed, so send any suggestions via email to Hunt c/o

huntoldragon@earthlink.net or call 540-987-3366.

Our mailing address is Box 141, Washington, Virginia 22747.

Additional information about programs and background on the
organization is available on the current website.

Input always welcomed. More events to be posted soon.

We will also be coordinating clean-ups of older dump sites and other
events into the next year, such as: Native Planting Programs; Surveys of
damage and health in the SNP after recent fires; Surveys of older, notable
trees; Establishment of a Quick Response Citizen Task Force: and much
more......

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Other events will be added when confirmed. Bookmark this page and check back!

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Cornerstone Projects Include:

We will be having the "Second Saturday Hike Series " throughout the year,weather permitting. The Rappahannock Water Monitoring Network will also try to meet each month and certainly each season to do macro-invertebrate monitoring.The Supervisors and Planning Commission usually meet the first Monday and third Wednesday respectively each month,though there are occasional changes and cancellations.The KICK meetings have been at the Library on Sundays though they will probably shift around according to activity.

We will also be doing other projects and programs in the year ahead that may be of interest to you or someone you know, including:

Tree Planting and Identification/Protection of Notable Species of Trees.

"Blue Ridge to the Bay" Events...

Educational Speakers 'Series, Musical events, Clean-ups.

Moonlight Hikes of Old Rag and other notable locations.

Developing a working relationship with the Shenandoah National Park Archaeologists and Historians and the Rappahannock Historical Society to identify sites in and around the SNP of significant historical interest and significance to the community,especially those related to water,such as mills,spring houses,wells,etc.

Working with Rappahannock County and Orange County Schools (and others) in developing Experiential Education Programs.

Continuing to enhance and promote the Rappahannock County Library's "County Corner" Resource Shelves.

Working with Washington and Sperryville citizens and businesses on Planning and Visioning processes to insure whole-community input in examining concerns,needs and interests for community well-being.

Helping develop "Guidelines for Sensible Building Practices and Considerations for Sensitive Building Sites" in predominantly agricultural and mountainous regions such as the piedmont.

Bonfires on special occasions such as Halloween,solstices and equinoxes.

Again, I welcome input, involvement, criticism and especially contributions toward these projects and their goals of enhancing community well-being and balance through honorable citizen endeavors, particularly through educational and recreational resources.

Please feel free to contact me about any of these activities or anything else you think is relevant to these goals.

Hunt Harris
Executive Director

Other Goals:

Working with local, regional and national organizations, educators, schools, artists and musicians on a multi-faceted
Watershed Protection Project(s), entitled " From the Blue Ridge to the Bay" because of its primary focus on the Blue
Ridge Mountain and Chesapeake Bay Bioregion(s).

Working with local and regional governments, citizens and non-governmental
organizations toward establishing sustainable Comprehensive Plans related to present and future needs of communities.

Co-ordinating a variety of programs intended to "expand the walls of the home, school and workplace"
by drawing upon the expertise and interests of community members and focusing on the educational wonders of the
world around and within us.

Serving as a reference center for building community co-operative networks locally,
regionally, nationally and globally, emphasizing a balance between time-tested traditional
methods and advanced technological tools.

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Recent Accomplishments & On-going Programs

* Cleanup of the headwaters of the Rappahannock River in Chester Gap, May, 1996

* "From the Blue Ridge to the Bay", July 1997 series of events focusing on water resources:

* Panel discussion at Rappahannock Library with DEQ, Va. Izaak Walton League, Piedmont Environmental Council, ENSAT, Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District, 4-H, U.S. Geological Survey, Shenandoah National Park, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other groups in an audience participation format.....

* Multi-media art show with water as its theme at Middle Street Gallery in Washington, VA

* Hikes to headwaters of local rivers in Rappahannock Co.

* Slide show on stream bank restoration with Hal Wiggins of the Army Corps of Engineers

* Establishment of the County Corner at Rappahannock Library, a multi-media resource center within the library based upon the county comprehensive plan, including displays of water- related books and other information relevant to the community

* Development of water-monitoring network in co-operation with Izaak Walton League Save Our Streams program

* Helped organize 1st Va. statewide Citizens for Water Quality Summit, June,1996 at UVA School of Architecture, including working with artists to create a multi-media exhibition focusing on the theme of water

*Helped organize 1st permanent Senior Citizens Center for Rappahannock County in Washington, VA

* Initiated a series of community visioning forums intended to complement the 5 yr. revision of the county Comprehensive Plan, and to provide citizens with an opportunity to express issues of interest and concern to them

* Helped develop curriculum and resource network for Rappahannock Co. Public School Environmental Sciences classes

* Helped develop, administer and conduct resource classes with Orange Co. Public Schools "Discovery" program ( 1st ever VA state public school program based on Outward Bound outdoor education ), including full moon and daylight hikes.

* Organizes and conducts regular full moon hikes of Old Rag Mountain for the community at large

*2nd Saturday Hike Series to headwaters of rivers in our watershed and to other locations such as White Oak Canyon Falls, Mary's Rock and other sites

* Organizes and conducts semi-annual roadside/streamside cleanup in Rappahannock Co.

* Co-partnership with Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) in developing educational hikes and related programs

* Annually conducts bonfires on Halloween for the community

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Programs in Development

* Organizing a forum for focusing on agricultural practices and regulations, including a tour of farms utilizing best-management practices

* Developing a series of hikes with the Rappahannock Historical Society and the Shenandoah National Park archaeologists to sites in and around the park of historical interest and significance to the community, especially those related to water, i.e., mills, springhouses, etc.

* Helping develop guidelines for sensible building practices and sensitive building sites in predominately agricultural and mountainous regions such as the Virginia Piedmont

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Please feel free to contact our office in Sperryville at any time via phone, fax or e-mail.
There are at present no "regular" visiting hours, though one volunteer possibility
is to establish office "shifts" and attempt some semblance of a schedule.
Otherwise, pre-planned meetings are recommended.

Hunt Harris , Executive Director
Ragged Mountain Resource Center
Box 141, Washington, Virginia 22747
Tel.540.987.3366 / fax 987.3365
Email: huntoldragon@earthlink.net
Website: http://www.oldway.com/rm.htm

Volunteer Opportunities:
Volunteers are welcome and needed to help with a
variety of RMRC projects. If you have time, please come by or call the Resource Center.

Ragged Mountain Resource Center
11794 Lee Highway, Sperryville, VA 22740
Phone 540-987-3366 Fax 540-987-3365
huntoldragon@earthlink.net

We invite, appreciate and depend upon your participation!

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RMRC Office Wish List

"WISH LIST" requests include:

New Macintosh computer equipment, both desk and laptop styles.

Project-Specific in-kind or monetary donations.

Larger and possibly more permanent office and library location.

(Ragged Mountain is a tax-deductible non-profit)

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Directions:

Ragged Mountain Resource Center is located at Oldway Art Center - 70 Miles west of Washington DC at the edge of Shenandoah National Park in Sperryville, Va. Watch for the red footbridge!

From DC: Beltway to Rt 66 West. Follow to Rt 29 at Gainesville. Rt 29 South to 211 West at Warrenton. Follow Rt. 211 (Lee Highway) 28 miles to Sperryville. 1 Mi. past Sperryville on left.

From Charlottesville: Rt 29 north to Madison Va. Left on Rt 231 to left on 522 at Sperryville. Straight through town to left of Rt 211 -1 Mi. past Sperryville on left.

From Rt 81 and Points West: Get on Rt 211 east at New Market and follow past Shenandoah National Park. 1.5 Miles past the park on the right.

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Ragged Mountain's Link List

The Piedmont Environmental Council

Friends of The Rappahannock
"To Conserve, Protect, and Educate"

The Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center...ANSERC

The DISCOVERY Program of Orange Co

Virginia Center for Stewardship

a site dedicated to stewardship activities and best practices taking place
throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and surrounding areas.

Ragged Mountain's Office is located at: Oldway Art Center

Click here to email Hunt at Ragged Mountain Resource Center

This site is donated, designed, and maintained by Oldway Art Center