Friends of the Lower Appomattox River, Inc.

The natural and conservation significance of the Appomattox River corridor is enormous. Situated in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the river is a source of drinking water for the surrounding communities and the corridor falls within the priority area of the Governor of Virginia’s Conserve Virginia strategy which identifies land having the highest conservation value for the state. The lower Appomattox is a Virginia State Scenic River. FOLAR works to promote community participation in river stewardship and organizes regular regional river/corridor cleanup campaigns.

Residents and visitors are more likely to be good stewards of the River and appreciate the area's unique environment if they are able to learn about these resources personally.  The goal of this program is to support experiential and educational opportunities relating to the Appomattox River corridor environment and to offer the FOLAR Environmental Stewardship Scholarship to local high school graduates in partnership with the John Randolph Foundation.

Completing the Appomattox River Trail will leverage the growth of the outdoor tourism and recreation industry and its beneficial impact on health and wellness in the metro-Richmond region through a vision to create connection from the Appomattox River Trail to hundreds of miles of regional trail including the Virginia Capital Trail and James River Park system. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Outdoors Plan (VOP) identifies the Appomattox River Trail as a Regional Featured Project. While it is commonly understood that trails, parks and open space attract tourists and their dollars, the infrastructure for walking, biking, and active recreation also drives primary industries that bring well-paying, year-round employment.