More than one-third of all Virginians rely on the James River and its tributaries for water, commerce, and recreation. Our vision is a fully healthy James River supporting thriving communities. We believe if you change the James, the James will change you.
Explore
You can hike it, bike it, swim it, run it or raft it. How you enjoy the James River is up to you.
Support
We’ve taken the river from a D- to a B- in terms of overall health – but we need help to reach our goal of a Grade A James.
Volunteer
Whatever your interests are, there is a role for you in improving the health of the James River.
Discover
The James is Virginia’s largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, at 340 miles long it is one of the longest rivers in America that begins and ends in the same state.
The James River Watershed
The James River is Virginia’s largest river, flowing across the entire state from its beginning at the headwaters of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Bath and Highland Counties, to its mouth at the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton Roads.
Each year millions of Virginians go to the James and its tributaries to boat, fish, swim, hike or just take in the beautiful scenery.
Greening RVA Libraries
News & Notes
Meet Volunteer Richard Schauffler
We are honored by the dozens of volunteers that work with us every month. Whether spending an afternoon planting trees with our James River Buffer Program, taking weekly water samples as a Water Quality Monitor volunteer, or patrolling a section of river a few times a...
read moreFrom the Marsh: Living Shoreline Edition
Welcome back to the marsh! Today we’re visiting a very special, brand new marsh, the James River Association’s very first living shoreline! Living shorelines are a stabilized shoreline made from natural materials, including sand, marsh plants, and sometimes oyster...
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