Fredericksburg recognized for river stewardship

From left, City Councilor Jon Gerlach, FOR River Steward Adam Lynch, City Councilor Kerry Devine. Photo Credit: Friends of the Rappahannock

The City of Fredericksburg is honored to have recently received the Friends of the Rappahannock’s 2021 River Steward Award. Councilors Kerry Devine and Jon Gerlach accepted the award during a May 19 celebration at the Friends of the Rappahannock Annual Meeting.

This significant award acknowledges the City’s work on instituting the five-cent plastic-bag tax and opening the Riverfront Park, bringing the community closer to the Rappahannock River.

In response to this honor, Councilor Devine reaffirmed that “as stated in our City Council Vision for 2035, ‘Fredericksburg’s location on the Rappahannock River compels us to consider the environmental impact of every decision we make.’ City Council’s adoption of the plastic-bag tax was a significant step toward our community-wide goal of promoting a clean, sustainable environment. The plastic-bag tax is intended to reduce the use of single-use disposable plastic bags in the city and promote the use of durable multi-use bags. Everyone can do their part to make meaningful change for the Rappahannock River by switching to reusable bags.”

Among those also recognized by the Friends of the Rappahannock for their dedication to environmental education were a local Girl Scout for her River Safety initiative, Fauquier County Parks and Recreation for outstanding watershed programming, Educator Sue Jenkins from Culpeper Public Schools and Educator Diane Brooks from Spotsylvania County Schools. Delegate Bobby Orrock was also recognized for his dedication to environmental advocacy and support of the environmental education budget amendments.