|
-
-
The Northern Neck Land Conservancy is trying to preserve a rural way of life in the region. This farmland, located near Nomini Grove in Westmoreland County, is an example of what the conservancy is working to protect. The group works closely with landowners.
- |
SALUDA--Carefully tiptoeing through a section of large rock riprap by the river's edge, Sara Chaves Beam goes out to visit her babies.
Not the two youngsters she and her husband, Jim, are raising at a home just down the lane from this tranquil piece of shoreline on the Rappahannock River.
No, these "babies" are the 20,000 or so oysters that Beam--environmental scientist, educator and oyster farmer--is raising in mesh bags anchored in the shallows just downriver from the Middle Peninsula town of Urbanna.
"I'm doing everything as simply as I can," said Beam, pulling up a polyester bag filled with oysters rapidly fattening in the warm river water. "They're in small bags I can handle easily. They're in water I can wade to. And they're close enough to make it easy to check on them."
The fact that the growing happens in a way that cleanses the ecosystem, with oysters filtering the water they cycle through for nutrients, is a main reason Beam is raising these tasty bivalves.
"I call the operation Sunrise Sea Farm and our motto is 'Saving the Bay one oyster at a time,'" said Beam, popping open one of the oyster bags to reveal dozens of healthy oysters, now bigger than silver dollars.
Chaves, who has degrees in environmental and marine science and once taught at the University of Maine, says its easy to trace her passion for the environment and the bay to her childhood here in Fredericksburg.
Her parents, Juan and Marcia Chaves, have a home just a stone's throw from the Rappahannock River in Falmouth. Grandparents who lived in Fredericksburg when she was growing up gave her and her brother another spot to pull out fishing poles and cast for catfish.
"Toss in a farm my family has a connection to in King George, a place we'd visit on Sundays growing up, and time we'd spend in spots like Colonial Beach, Potomac Creek and Nags Head, and that's where I got my love of nature and the water," said Chaves. "It's always been a part of my life."
These days, the Stafford High School graduate is serving as a steward to the land and water in a variety of ways.
They include:
Working for the Smithsonian to sample and study the ballast water discharged from ships in this country and around the world, with an eye for the various organisms that are spread in this common shipping practice.
Fostering her small-scale oyster farm, with the hope of one day expanding the operation to include more of the oyster grounds she has permits for on the Rappahannock.
Teaching AP environmental science to high school students online through the University of Virginia.
And finally, a new job that she's very excited about, working as an assistant to the president of the Northern Neck Land Conservancy, a group that describes its mission this way: "To preserve the rural heritage of the Northern Neck by conserving its lands, waters, economies and culture for future generations."
The group works closely with land owners and an array of federal and private agencies to help those who want to "protect their land by using simple, voluntary land preservation agreements."
Beam said living on the Middle Peninsula, and getting to know the people and places in the Northern Neck, has made the work of the Land Conservancy important to her.
"There's a history here of stewardship of the land and water," she said. "And a realization of the value to the traditional industries of fishing and farming. People know that if they are lost, so is what makes this region special."
One of the first tasks for the girl, who once spent every post-school afternoon fishing on the riverbanks here, is to help with a major annual function for the Northern Neck Land Conservancy.
It's a cookout and annual gathering Sept. 10 called "Boots and Barbeque" at a home known as "Juggs" at Sabine Hall Farm.
There, at the Richmond County riverside farm that dates back to Colonial days, the invitation notes "We'll walk and we'll talk and we'll eat something too."
Those interested in tickets to the event or in joining the Land Conservancy can get more information online at nnconserve.org or by calling 804/435-2814.
In addition to helping with events like that, Beam said she will be doing educational outreach for the organization, which she believes is vital to preserving the way of life in the region.
"All you need to do is look at the growth that's slowly but surely coming into the Northern Neck from my hometown, or up from Tidewater," she said. "The timing is critical now because of this coming wave of development."
An approach she feels comfortable with, as with oysters and the bay, is saving the land "one piece at a time."
To reach ROB HEDELT:
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com
