THANK YOU!

This season is about gratitude, community, and care. With each year that FOLAR is able to contribute to our regional community and coordinate great programs, we are thankful for the support and people that help us offer such experiences. Overall, we’ve enjoyed being a connector and community builder more than anything else in the past…

FOLAR Embraces New Volunteer System

2024 has been a very successful year for us when it came to collaborating with our volunteers. We are interacting with more and more volunteers each year, so we recently upgraded our volunteer system to be more user-friendly and streamlined as we embrace more helpers. We will be rolling out this software over the next…

FOLAR Executive Director to Step Down

FOLAR Board Chair, Sam Hayes, and Wendy Austin at the 16TH annual Paddle Battle on the Appomattox River. Photo by Sidd Kumar. After a decade of service with the Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR), Wendy Austin will step down as Executive Director in early 2025. When Wendy was hired in 2015; she was…

Our “Treasured Views”

The community has spoken! Our “Treasured Views” Workshops gathered people from all around the region to identify and document their favorite views along the Appomattox River. Now, we’ve got a round-up of some of our top “Treasured Views!” Campbell’s Bridge, Petersburg – Just on the outskirts of VSU, this overlook offers passers-by scenes of people…

Autumnal Reflections of the Appomattox River

You are invited to quiet your mind and enjoy stories of nature during this special poetry reading night. Poets Gwyn R.C. Moses and Hollee Freeman will explore and evoke the Appomattox River’s beauty through spoken word. In partnership with Resist Booksellers, the Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR) will showcase a selection of the…

Paddle Battle 2024 in the Books

What a day! What a paddle! Just like that, Paddle Battle 2024 is in the books. Over 150 attendees, paddlers, and volunteers from across the region gathered to help us celebrate the Appomattox River and all that it offers us. From the Guided Paddle to the Race, folks enjoyed their time on the water –…

FOLAR Featured on Virginia Home Grown!

Look at us, we’re going to be on TV! FOLAR is excited to be featured on PBS’ Virginia Home Grown on Tuesday, September 24! Our Environmental Stewardship Coordinator, Elise, was recently interviewed about managing invasive plants along the Appomattox River, and during the episode premiere, she’ll be present to ‘dig’ more into how you can…

READY, SET, PADDLE!

Paddle Battle 2024 is Saturday, September 21! This annual event brings folks together from all across the region as we celebrate the Appomattox River and all its beauty. There’s something for every paddler – from beginner to advanced – whether you want to test your skills in the 10-mile Race, float along the shore in…

Thank You to Our Summer Intern, Makayla

Summer is coming to a close, and with that, we want to thank our Summer Intern, Makayla, for being such a huge part of this season with us! Makayla helped us with various projects over the past few months, from creating epic blog posts on our website, to documenting her experience through photographs while she…