Volunteer for the James

Join our effort to protect and restore America’s Founding River

Whether it’s getting your hands dirty with one of our Watershed Restoration projects, acting as a voice for the river through our Advocacy efforts or helping out with office tasks, there is a job for everyone to play a part in making a cleaner James River.

Take Action

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Patrol your river

Our RiverRats program, now with over 200 volunteers, involves extensive training. RiverRats carry out at least three river patrols and one community action project per year. Action projects range from simply attending James River Association outreach events to tagging and tracking Atlantic Sturgeon with VCU researchers!

Get the details on our RiverRats program!

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Monitor water quality

Volunteers undergo training and follow our rigorous sampling protocol to upload river data (e.g., bacteria levels and turbidity) directly to our James River Watch website, which provides users with nearly real-time citizen-sourced data on river conditions from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.

Get involved in our Water Quality Monitoring program!

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Get your hands dirty

Volunteers plant trees, remove invasive plant species, clean up trash, assemble and install rain barrels, build rain gardens, and more.

Get involved in our Watershed Restoration program!

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Advocate for your river

Our Action Network made up of thousands of advocates contacts legislators, attends public hearings, researches policies and regulations, and helps us recruit others to speak up for the river.

Get involved in our Advocacy efforts!

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Maintain Green Infrastructure

The James River Association’s Green Infrastructure Stewards are volunteers who work with our staff to maintain green infrastructure projects installed through the Greening Richmond Public Libraries Program. Their stewardship ensures that these projects continue to function properly in reducing stormwater pollution on library grounds, while also ensuring community members have access to welcoming and well-maintained green space.

Join our monthly volunteer efforts in Richmond.

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Cleanup the James River

Interested in helping to keep the James River and public spaces on its banks clean?  Volunteer with one of the following organizations to clean up trash before it reaches the James River.

James River Park System
Contact Matt Mason at matthew.mason@richmondgov.com to organize your own cleanup in Richmond’s James River Park System.

Keep Henrico Beautiful
khb@henrico.us

Keep Virginia Beautiful
info@keepvirginiabeautiful.org

Keep Virginia Cozy
keepvirginiacozy@gmail.com

RVA Cleansweep
rvacleansweep@gmail.com

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Thank You to the 2024 Water Quality Monitors!

As we wrap up the James River Watch bacteria monitoring season, we want to express our sincere gratitude to our incredible volunteers! Your dedication to collecting weekly water samples has been invaluable in tracking the health of the James River. Your efforts help...

Thank you Volunteers and Riparian Stewards for a Great Spring Season!

The JRA Restoration team had another amazing spring planting season in the Middle James watershed!  In total, we planted 69 acres (21,848 trees!) of new streamside forest. Of that, 3.4 acres (1,042 trees) were installed with the help of awesome JRA volunteers, and...

Meet our volunteer: Chris Stone

Happy National Water Quality Month!  The James River Association has worked to improve the health of the James River since 1976, when the James was considered one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Since then, the river’s health has increased remarkably,...