Dan River Basin Association

10/09/2026

NEXT WEEKEND!
Join DRBA and the crew to clean up the Dan River this fall! No boat required, we'll be wading the river for most of the stretch if you don't have a boat.

Join us if you:
💙 Love the River
💙 Love digging up tires
💙 Enjoy meeting new friends
💙 Want to give back to the community

HUGE Thank you to Troop 562, Madison Rescue Squad, and Visit RoCo for partnering with us to make this an NC the Beautiful Cleanup through America 250!

10/03/2026

FREE TRAINING! Become a Citizen Water Quality Monitor (CWQM) with DRBA!

Thanks to funding from JTI Leaf Services and in partnership with Danville Parks and Recreation, DRBA is offering a CWQM Training in November. Space is limited so sign up today! All supplies will be provided to workshop participants. Volunteers will be expected to monitor once a month over a one year period.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 11th @ 1 - 3 PM
WHERE: Coates Recreation Center, 1725 Westover Dr., Danville
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: November 4th

LINK TO REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/CWQM1111 or scan the QR code on the flyer

WORKSHOP DETAILS: Monitoring our waterways is one of the best ways to understand what is happening in our watershed. Join the Dan River Basin Association for hands-on training that empowers people of all ages and abilities to help protect the Dan River and its tributaries. Learn how you can make a difference and help preserve the watershed for future generations. With support from JTI Leaf Services, this free program is open to adults ages 18 and older, as well as youth accompanied by an adult. Registration required. Book online or call 434.799.5150.

10/02/2026

Fall planting plans? This is the best time to seed milkweed for next year!
Milkweed seeds need to go through a cold period of about 30 days to break their dormancy cycle. This is called cold stratification in the plant world.
Sprinkle the seeds where you want them next year and see the results in the spring!

Why is milkweed important? Monarchs only have ONE host plant- milkweed! This is where they lay their eggs and the caterpillars eat before they transform into butterflies and take their journey south. Monarchs are a key pollinator species.

Have you seen any monarchs this season? Here are a few we've captured recently!

10/01/2026

Grateful to these agencies and our partners who do amazing work to preserve local river history!

VMNH recently joined forces with the Virginia Department of Transportation and Virginia Department of Historic Resources to document and chart a preservation plan for an incredible find — an 18th-century river crossing located in Henry County in southern Virginia!

Learn more at:
https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/blog-posts/interagency-partnerships-and-documenting-barksdales-ford/

10/01/2026

Another amazing mural that highlights the beauty of our local watershed!

10/01/2026

We are grateful to our community leaders who understand the importance of outdoor recreation as a resource for the region. Thank you, VisitMartinsville, for showing off a few of our beautiful places in MHC!

09/30/2026

We are thrilled to be working on this project with the Piedmont Regional Piedmont Governor's School for Mathematics, Science and Technology!

We would love see a Litter Logperch in every urban stream in Martinsville (and throughout the Dan River Basin!). If you are interested in installing a Litter Logperch as a research project for your students in partnership with DRBA, reach out to Krista Hodges, Director of Environmental Education, at [email protected].

09/29/2026

We are excited to be working with Henry County Public Schools to implement Green Leaves Investigations in the elementary classrooms as part of their Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE), which is also a big part of their Environmental Literacy Plan!

This education project to improve environmental literacy in Henry County is generously funded through The Harvest Foundation.

🌎 Small actions can make a big difference!

Fourth-grade students at Drewry Mason Elementary took a closer look at how our everyday choices can impact the environment. Students explored their local watershed and learned how something as small as a piece of litter can travel through our waterways and eventually make its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

They also compared our local watershed with the Chesapeake Bay watershed, building a better understanding of how waterways are connected and why protecting them matters.

A special thank you to our community partner, the Dan River Basin Association, for helping provide this meaningful, hands-on learning experience for our students!
The Harvest Foundation

09/27/2026

This week is Source Water Protection Week. Here in the Dan River Basin, our drinking water begins somewhere along the Dan River Basin. Protecting that water before it reaches the treatment plant is an important part of providing high-quality drinking water to our community. The river upstream and downstream of us is used for drinking water. Let's be good neighbors to each other and protect our rivers!

Learn more about our watershed on our website!