Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, images, and additional information follow below.
All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 10-21-16.
TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of October 24, 2016.
MUSIC – ~ 4 sec
This week, we feature music about a Virginia Blue Ridge mountain river noted for exceptional natural qualities and a historical ownership conflict. Have a listen for about 25 seconds.
MUSIC - 27 sec
You’ve been listening to part of “Hazel River,” by Timothy Seaman with Henry Smith and Paulette Murphy, on the 1997 album “Here on This Ridge,” from Pine Wind Music. The album was a project celebrating Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge’s people, lands, and waters. According to Mr. Seaman, the tune commemorates a 1977 hike downstream along the Hazel River’s headwaters, and the music reflects that experience by moving down through several keys. The Hazel River begins on the Blue Ridge in Rappahannock County, then flows approximately 51 miles to its confluence with the Rappahannock River in Culpeper County. Along the way, its tributaries include the Hughes, Rush, and Thornton rivers.
The Hazel is noted for its scenery, trout fishery and other aquatic communities, and whitewater paddling sections. Based on those qualities, the Virginia State Water Control Board designated a 6.5-mile section of the upper Hazel River in Rappahannock County as a Tier III/Exceptional State Water. According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, a Tier III designation recognizes waters with outstanding scenic beauty, exceptional aquatic communities, or superior recreational opportunities, and it prohibits any new or increased permanent wastewater discharges into such waters from identifiable point sources. The Hazel’s designation, as well as the October 2016 removal from the river of part of the 150-year-old Monumental Mills dam in Culpeper County, was complicated by king’s grant claims—that is, claims from some streamside landowners that specific grants during the colonial period give the landowners possession of the streambed and the right to prohibit wading and fishing.
Scenery, trout fishing, paddling, history, streambed-ownership controversy—that’s an exceptional number of story lines to follow along the Hazel River’s run to the Rappahannock. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with a few more seconds of “Hazel River.”
MUSIC - ~ 11 sec
SHIP’S BELL
For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.
AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
“Hazel River” and “Here on this Ridge” are copyright Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission. More information about Mr. Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.
This episode updates the “Water Sounds and Music” segment of Episode 39 (10-25-10). “Hazel River” was also featured in Virginia Water Radio EP209 – 4/14/14.
PHOTOS
Upper photo: Hazel River near Shenandoah National Park boundary, Nov. 4, 2005. Middle photo: Hazel River in Rappahannock County, Va., outside of national park, Nov. 4, 2005. Lower photo: Hazel River about five miles upstream of confluence with Rappahannock River in Culpeper County, Va., Nov. 3, 2005. All photos from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Summary Report for the Hazel River Staff Site Visit November 3 & 4, 2005,” PDF available online at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityStandards/ExceptionalStateWaters(TierIII).aspx (scroll down to “Shenandoah National Park Region/Hazel River/Site Report”).
EXTRA FACTS ABOUT THE HAZEL RIVER
Following is a description of the upper Hazel River in Rappahannock County, Va., of which an approximately 6.5-mile segment was designated as a Virginia Exceptional State Water, effective in August 2008. The description is an excerpt from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Summary Report for the Hazel River Staff Site Visit November 3 & 4, 2005,” PDF available online at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityStandards/ExceptionalStateWaters(TierIII).aspx (scroll down to “Shenandoah National Park Region/Hazel River/Site Report”).
“The upper segment of the river within the Shenandoah National Park is a coldwater-habitat, headwater stream with a steep gradient, and the surrounding area is heavily forested. The Hazel River is classified by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as a Class II wild trout stream from its headwaters downstream through most of Rappahannock County and, according to Exceptional State Waters guidance, satisfies the eligibility criteria of possessing an exceptional aquatic community. ...The streambed is dominated by boulder and cobble substrate and is characterized by numerous plunge pools that provide excellent habitat for native brook trout. ...The benthic macroinvertebrate community that was observed appeared to be what would be expected to inhabit a coldwater mountain stream, consisting of stonefly, mayfly, and caddisfly species. The environmental setting, recreational opportunities, and aquatic communities all appear to be of exceptional quality.
“Shortly after the Hazel River exits the national park, it may best be described as a transition from a coldwater fishery to a warmwater fishery. Though the terrain is still somewhat mountainous, the gradient becomes less steep and the substrate becomes mostly cobble, gravel, and sand with occasional bedrock outcroppings. Most segments of the river observed had adequate riparian buffer zones though others had pasture land directly abutting the river without the benefit of riparian buffers. A cursory benthic survey was done and caddisfly, mayfly, and stonefly species were noted.
“Access to the river outside of the park is difficult unless one owns land on the river or has landowner permission to access the river through private property. Bridges provide limited access. Of the five or so bridges within this segment, only two provided what may be considered reasonable access for a canoe or kayak. Canoeing or kayaking the majority of this segment would probably only be feasible during periods of high flow. It should be noted that a number of the properties along the length of the Hazel River are claimed to be King’s Grant properties and as such landownership extends to the riverbed and the landowner is in control of fishing rights.
“Staff concurred the environmental setting through the Upper segment from outside the park boundaries downstream to the Rappahannock/Culpeper County line may be considered ‘exceptional’ to ‘good’ and the aquatic communities as healthy and diverse. The recreational opportunities outside of the national park may be rated as good though limited by accessibility.”
SOURCES
Used for Audio
American Whitewater, “Hughes and Hazel, Virginia, US—SR 603 to Rt. 522 Bridge,” online at https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/1944/.
Beau Beasley, “Anglers across nation watching VA Crown Grant case,” Bay Journal, 7/1/02.
Engineering Concepts, Inc., “Upper Hazel River Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Plan Technical Report,” submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, June 2009, available online (as PDF) at http://www.rrregion.org/pdf/publications/environment/tmdl/implementation/Hazel_IP_TechnicalPlan.pdf.
Fred Fox, Trout Unlimited/Rapidan Chapter, “Hazel River” (May 9, 2011), online at http://www.rapidantu.org/2011/05/09/hazel-river/.
Donnie Johnston, Emotions surface at river meeting, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 3/28/07.
Donnie Johnston, Hazel River flows free after Culpeper dam is breached, Culpeper Star-Exponent, 10/6/16.
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Exceptional State Waters—Tier III,” http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityStandards/ExceptionalStateWaters(TierIII).aspx.
For More Information about the Rappahannock River Watershed and Shenandoah National Park
College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia/Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/.
National Park Service Web site, “Shenandoah National Park-Virginia,” online at http://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.
Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, “Upper Rappahannock River Basin TMDL Study,” online at http://www.rrregion.org/rappbasin.html.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Surf Your Watershed” Web site, at http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/huc.cfm?huc_code=02080103 for the Rapidan-Upper Rappahannock watershed.
For More Information about King’s Grants and Streambed Ownership
William E. Cox., “Public Recreational Rights on Virginia’s Inland Streams,” Virginia Water Resources Research Center Special Report No. 10, January 1980, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49271.
Elizabeth A. Murphy and Kurt Stephenson, “Inland Recreational Fishing Rights in Virginia: Implications of the Virginia Supreme Court Case Kraft v. Burr,” Virginia Water Resources Research Center Special Report SR12-1999, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49459. See pages 4-6 for a basic explanation of king’s grants, which are also called “crown grants” or “colonial grants.”
Susan Svrluga, Troubled waters: Landowners, angler wrangle over access to Va. river, Washington Post, 8/19/12 (regarding a court case over access on the Jackson River, a James River tributary in western Virginia).
RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). Please see specifically the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” category.
Previous episodes on the Rappahannock River watershed:Dam Removal on Rappahannock near Fredericksburg – Episode 71, 7/11/11;
Introduction to Rappahannock River – Episode 89, 11/21/11;
Watersheds on Blue Ridge (James, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah) – EP209 – 4/14/14;
Virginia bridges – Episode 245, 12/22/14;
June 1995 flooding in Madison County, Va., on the Rapidan River (a Rappahannock tributary) – Episode 272, 6-29-15;
George Washington, Walter Johnson, and the Rappahannock River (at Fredericksburg) – Episode 304, 2/22/16.
Previous episodes on king’s grants and stream access:
Virginia General Assembly committees (includes information on Senate Bill 737 in 2013 regarding stream access) -- Episode 147 (2-14-13);
Jackson River stream rights court case -- Episode 76, 8-22-11.
Previous episodes on Shenandoah National Park:
Virginia National Park Service units – Episode 229, 9/1/14;
Air quality and water impacts in Shenandoah National Park – Episode 231, 9/15/14.
STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS
The episode may help with Virginia 2013 Music SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”
This episode may also help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science SOLs:
Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.
Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
3.6 - ecosystems, communities, populations, shared resources.
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.
Life Science Course
LS. 10 - changes over time in ecosystems, communities, and populations, and factors affecting those changes, including climate changes and catastrophic disturbances.
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.
Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.
Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.
The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:
Virginia Studies Course
VS.2 – physical geography of Virginia past and present.
United States History to 1865 Course
USI.2 – water features important to the early history of the United States.
Civics and Economics Course
CE.7 – government at the state level.
CE.8 – government at the local level.
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
World Geography Course
WG.10 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes.
Government Course
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
GOVT.16 – role of government in Va. and U.S. economies, including examining environmental issues and property rights.
The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2015 Social Studies SOLs, which become effective in the 2017-18 school year:
Civics and Economics Course
CE.7 – government at the state level.
CE.8 – government at the local level.
CE.10 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
World Geography Course
WG.18 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes.
Government Course
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
GOVT.15 – role of government in Va. and U.S. economies, including examining environmental issues and property rights.
Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/
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