State and local officials break ground on the James A. Buzzard River Education Center. Participants include (from left) James River Association mascot Scoot the Sturgeon, Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Travis Voyles, JRA President and CEO Bill Street, first lady Suzanne Youngkin, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and 7th District Council member Cynthia Newbille. (Photo by Mark Newton)
Along the bank of the James River in Richmond on a toasty May morning, a young turtle was discovered crawling around a grassy space near Great Shiplock Park that has stood vacant for about 30 years.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said the turtle was a symbol for why he and other local and state officials had gathered that morning for a groundbreaking for the James A. Buzzard River Education Center. “That turtle’s blessing everything here today because this is advancement on the James River,” he said.
The center, set to open in summer 2024, is named for the late Jim Buzzard, a former chair of the James River Association’s board of directors and president of MeadWestvaco, who died in 2021. That same year, JRA purchased 0.85 acres for the project from The Conservation Fund, which, together with the Capital Region Land Conservancy, secured 5 acres along Dock Street.
At the groundbreaking, JRA President and CEO Bill Street said the $9 million project would offer hands-on learning for visitors and a “personal experience with the river” because of its proximity to woods, shallow and protected waters, and the tidal portion of the James. Centers are also planned for Lynchburg and Williamsburg.
The goal is to engender pride and respect for the river’s role in the city’s history and ecosystem as scientists document higher sea level rise, temperatures and precipitation levels.
“In our biennial State of the James report, we are at a B-minus,” Street said. “That is tremendous progress, but we want to get a grade-A James River that all can enjoy.”
