On June 11th and 12th, the Rappahannock River Roundtable brought together over a dozen conservation partners for a two-day regional planning workshop. This workshop focused on building a landscape-scale land conservation plan for the Rappahannock River watershed. The planning process is supported by Green Fin Studio and Saltwater RVA Consulting.
The workshop convened a diverse group of partners representing local governments, tribal nations, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal agencies, including:
Planning a Conservation Future
On Day One, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) led participants on a boat tour along the Rappahannock River to visit and learn about Fones Cliffs—a site of immense ecological and cultural value. The tour celebrated decades of collaborative conservation work, culminating in the recent return of 1,000 acres of Fones Cliffs to the Rappahannock Tribe in 2025.
On Day Two, partners gathered at the Rappahannock Tribe’s Indigenous Conservation Education Center at Cat Point Creek to continue a strategic planning process focused on building “a common agenda” to inform a robust “landscape-scale land conservation plan for the Rappahannock River watershed.
We shared and celebrated new successful projects, grants, and programs. We discussed opportunities for future collaboration. We discussed top priorities and conservation values that drive our collective work. It also allowed us to network and improve relationships with our friends and colleagues who live and work 100+ miles away.
Why This Work Matters
Land protection and conservation are essential to ensure a healthy and scenic Rappahannock River. These efforts also safeguard the abundant wildlife corridors as well as the cultural, historic, and indigenous resources we have in the watershed.
This plan will act as a tool and resource to foster collaboration and secure funding to support high-priority land conservation in the region. It will also help the partners track the process and measure success.
As one of our partners, Bryn Sonnett of Piedmont Environmental Council, beautifully summarized:
“Our meeting was a unique opportunity to showcase the work that many partners contributed to protecting the natural and cultural resources of Fones Cliffs and Cat Point Creek. The cooperation between the Rappahannock Tribe and USFWS is a stellar example of building trust to further conservation goals, and I look forward to continuing this landscape conservation work through the Rappahannock River Roundtable and our incredible group of partners.”
Looking Ahead
To learn more about this and similar efforts from the Rappahannock River Roundtable, make sure you plan to join us at the 2025 Rappahannock River Symposium in Fredericksburg on Wednesday, October 15, 2025!
This effort is made possible thanks to the generous support of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Chesapeake WILD grant program and the dedication of so many incredible conservation partners in the region.
