Rivanna Conservation Alliance

06/05/2026

Hot weekends like this one call for a trip to the river!

06/02/2026

Happy halfway through 2026! Get outside with RCA this month with volunteer opportunities and community events.

Learn more and sign up at www.rivannariver.org/events or click on Volunteer with RCA in our Linktree!

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06/01/2026

05/29/2026

Our native trees need YOU! 🌳 Help improve the health of our forests by managing invasive plants in Darden Towe and Riverview Park.

The Rivanna Conservation Alliance is hosting monthly work days this summer. Sign up and help us restore the native forests around the Rivanna River!

Volunteers must wear long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes, and bring a water bottle. Volunteers under 18 must be supervised by an adult guardian. We'll bring the tools!

For more information and to sign up, visit rivannaforestpartnership.org/volunteer

05/23/2026

We have a VERY special post for you this World Fish Migration Day! 🐟

Did you know that the Rivanna River watershed is currently home to two species of fish that migrate between our freshwater streams and the Atlantic Ocean? American eel (𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢) spawn in the ocean and then live in our watershed during their adult years. Sea lamprey (𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴) do it in reverse — spawning in our local streams but living most of their adult lives in the ocean.

Earlier this spring, our Director of Monitoring spotted two sea lampreys at one of RCA’s biological monitoring sites on the North Fork of the Rivanna River. These ancient creatures are among the oldest vertebrates still living today, having been around for 360 million years! Although they resemble the American eel, lampreys are actually more closely related to sharks.

The sea lampreys in this video migrated all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to build their nest here in the Rivanna River watershed. Look closely to see one using its mouth to move rocks around! Once the new lampreys hatch, they’ll spend several years developing in the substrate of the stream. When they reach their juvenile stage, they’ll start their journey back to the Atlantic and, once fully mature, return to our streams to continue the cycle.

The incredible journey these fish make is made harder by the barriers they encounter along the way, especially dams that block their access to important habitat. Fortunately, these spawning lamprey were able to find a place to build their nest just below the North Fork Rivanna dam. Plans to remove this dam are getting started and will result in more accessible habitat for these important fish in the future.

05/19/2026

This past Saturday, thirteen wonderful volunteers beat the heat to manage invasive plants in Riverview Park as part of the Forest Health Restoration Partnership.

The "before" shots may appear to show lush swaths of green, but don’t be fooled! What you are seeing is almost entirely invasive plants like multiflora rose, autumn olive, and Japanese honeysuckle. These invasives smother, cover, and shade out the native undergrowth, which stops new native trees from sprouting and smaller native plants from flowering. The open spaces created by removing these invasives will allow native species to thrive, moving us ever closer to our goal of restoring and preserving Riverview’s riparian forests!

Learn more about the Partnership, invasive plants, and how you can get involved by visiting www.rivannaforestpartnership.org

05/14/2026

🌳Do you love trees? Do you care about the trees in Charlottesville? The City of Charlottesville wants your input on its updated Urban Forest Management Plan!

Complete the Urban Forest Community Survey by May 24th to provide feedback on tree priorities, preferences, potential challenges, and guidance on how the urban forest should be managed in the future.

Go to connect.charlottesville.gov/urbanforest-managementplan to complete the survey today!

P.S. City of Charlottesville residents will have the option to enter a drawing at the end of the survey to win some prizes!

05/12/2026

Last weekend’s Rivanna RiverFest was all-day fun!! We explored, we played, we created, we splashed, and we danced (boy, did we dance!) What was your FAVORITE part of Rivanna RiverFest? Tell us in the comments!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate our Rivanna River with us last weekend! And thank you to the many organizations for bringing hours of fun with interactive activities that connect our community to our natural environment.

Thank you to the Rivanna RiverFest partners for putting on another great celebration, our sponsors for allowing free entry to all, and the for opening up their beautiful space for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you to for a phenomenal show that kept us on our feet til the end!

Thank you to , , , .cville, and .va for the most DELICIOUS food and drinks!

05/08/2026

We have a PACKED schedule for Rivanna RiverFest tomorrow, May 9th! Come by the Rivanna River Company for dozens of free hands-on activities that celebrate our river, tubing, trail walk-and-talks, casting lessons, art, face painting, and more!

At 6pm, get ready to dance! CVille Bachata Social will be showing us some moves to dance the night away with Kadencia at 6:30pm.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase on site. Outside food is welcome but please no outside alcohol!

Check out www.rivannariver.org/rivanna-riverfest for frequently asked questions, parking information, and more.

See you at the river! ☀️☀️

05/07/2026

Last weekend was Clean the Bay Day, so we turned it into Clean the Bay WEEKEND! 🐟

Two groups of volunteers cleaned along two Rivanna River tributaries — Meadow Creek at Michie Drive and Moore’s Creek near 5th Street. The grand total from the weekend was 15 bags of trash and several large items removed from our streams!

We had a great time with some familiar faces and new friends (some very tiny and plastic). Thank you for cleaning up our local streams!