Last week Sam Brock from News Channel 6 and cameraman Andy came out on an Eagle Tour.  It was a pretty good trip and we saw plenty of bald eagles, osprey, great blue heron and even a few deer.  It was a fine day.  Click here to see the story!

Click here to link to a wonderful article written by Jerry Uhlman in this past Saturday's Richmond Times Dispatch.

Currently there are openings for Eagle Tours on Saturday, July 10 (9AM and 11:30AM departures) and on Sunday, July 11 (7AM and 9:30AM departures).  All trips leave from Deep Bottom Boat Landing.  Email mike@DiscoverTheJames.com if you would like to sign up.  -- Capt. Mike

Click here to go to the story on the Eagle Tours.

This site has been 10 years in the making.  The James River Fishing School started in 2001 and today it has changed into something wonderful ... a full guide service for fishing, historical and wildlife outings.  I hopy you enjoy the site ... DiscovertheJames.com.  -- Capt. Mike

Photo Right:  Here is an image of my favorite eagle on the James River, 'Bandit'.  It's an artsy, photoshoped image.  The picture wasn't sharp, so I took it into photoshop and gave it a 'colored pencil' filter and this is what happened.  I hope I am able to post photos of 'Bandit' for the next 25 years.  Bald eagles live to be 35 years, and I'm guessing this beautiful girl is less than 10 years old because of her inability to build a long standing nest.  I love this bird.   -- Photo by Capt. Mike

June 12, 2010

On Saturday, June 12, over a thousand volunteers participated in the 11th Annual James River Regional Cleanup.  When all was said, and done, the event was a grand success!  There were volunteer meetup locations on both the tidal and nontidal James River. Our particular site was the Pony Pasture Park and we had 181 volunteers including a dive team to clean up below the surface, and a number of boaters to paddle between Huguenot Flatwater and Pony Pasture to clean up the debris in the trees along the banks, and among the many rocks scattered around the river. One would think people would just be responsible, but as a society, unfortunately, we are a long way from that kind of wide spread appreciation and accountability.  Volunteers walked the roads, woodlands, islands, river edges and the river itself to collect 23 big garbage bags of trash and over 20 bags of recyclable items.

What made the day special was the coordination of special projects as Ralph White and I met and talked about 'special line items' he would like to see done in and around the Pony Pasture parking lot and surrounding area. Small groups of constituents and employee outings from local business showed up raring to lend a hand (or two). Coca-Cola showed up with 36 people who painted recycle bins and painted curbs. The Coca-Cola team included a few kids who helped with painting the recycle bins (and this made for a cute photo opportunity).

Other teams included Capital Ale House, who hauled and spread gravel but I think the most appreciated duty of the day was the Capital Ale House group who cooked lunch for everyone. The Richmond Dive Club 'dove' in and pulled trash from the river. For whatever reason, people who bring both glass bottles and aluminum cans to the river often end up tucking their trash under the rocks in the river. Again, it falls back to that total lack of responsibility.

Boy Scout troop 891 clipped vegetation around the entrance and exit to Pony Pasture and all that 'sweat equity' made for some nice images and a proud day for those youngsters and their guardians.  Those boys and their leaders made a very real, wonderful 'visual' difference. 

I'd like to thank all the individuals, groups and organizations who made the day possible, including the James River Advisory Council who organizes the event year after year. 

See you all in 2011. 

-- Capt. Mike

Our inagural Civil War Tour on the James is fully booked.  We now have a new date available and that is on July 24.

The Civil War on the James Tour offers the natural beauty of the James River as you trace the Naval actions that took place in the area of Dutch Gap and Jones Neck from 1862-1865.  Listen to stories about Confederate torpedoes, the Dutch Gap Canal, The Bermuda Hundred Campaign, and the James River Squadron's desperate attempt to break out at Trent's Reach.

2-hour tour:  $40 per person

Click here for more info on the Civil War Tour

The photo's stories?  To the right:  During the Civil War, Union troops started to build a canal at Dutch Gap in 1864 to cut off a large bend in the James River protected by Confederate forts as in Batter Dantzler.  The digging of the canal failed during the war, but was completed in the 1930's and is now the main James River channel.

For more information or to book your outing, contact Capt. Mike Ostrander at 804-938-2350.