Faculty Student & Research
The University of Richmond faculty and student-body have produced -and continue to produce- novel research on the James River, its connection to Richmond, and various other fields relating to the River. The University of Richmond prides itself on both its undergraduate and professional research, and the Sustainable James Project recognizes the University's commitment to the River and Environmentalism.
Summer 2015 Interns & Research Fellows
"This summer I worked in the UR Spatial Analysis Lab as a summer intern, and I worked on various projects. In particular I would like to highlight a project we did with the Chesapeake Conservancy in collaboration with the Capital Region Land Conservancy. We were tasked with conducting analysis on land parcels, and the data collected would eventually aid in making decisions on which land parcels would be best to select for conservation. Moreover, in the future I plan to use my GIS skills in the field of Epidemiology. Possible applications of GISin Epidemiology include: mapping outbreak epicenters and their potential spread, resource management, and even mapping chronic diseases in cities."
Shaquille plans on being a doctor and has a major in Biology.
Shaquille Christmas '16
"For several weeks this past summer, I conducted research – under the mentorship of Dr. Todd Lookingbill – regarding the Bear Rocks Preserve, an area of land located in the mountains of West Virginia and managed by The Nature Conservancy. I was one of two students on a research team with the goal of writing a proposal to the National Park Service (NPS), suggesting that Bear Rocks should be considered for designation as a National Natural Landmark (NNL) and explaining why it is the most representative example of plateau geology in the Appalachian Plateaus province of the United States. While Carly Sibilia, a fellow student conducting research, focused her efforts on comparison sites for the report, I studied the Bear Rocks Preserve. I spent many hours reading articles and perusing information about the geology and ecology of the site, deepening my knowledge of plateau geology and boreal forest ecosystems. However, the research was not all remote – I took two trips to Bear Rocks to observe and document the natural features, as well as to converse with experts from The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service. After two pleasant camping trips on-site and several enlightening conversations, I closed out the summer in the spatial analysis lab, finishing my sections of the report and making sure the proposal was complete and ready to send to the NPS. As of right now, the report is in the court of the NPS for evaluation. I will likely not be involved further with the analysis of Bear Rocks for potential NNL designation; I look forward, though, to hearing whether my research efforts have aided in the establishment of a new landmark! While I cannot say yet what my future plans or career will be, I am quite interested in the areas of land management and environmental conservation, and I am grateful for now having connections with a couple land conservation organizations as a result of my summer research experience."
Natalie Somerville '17
"This summer, the University of Richmond is sponsoring me via the Spider Research Fellowship to investigate a project of my own design. My research is focused on solar energy in Mexico, a country with lots of sunlight and a strong commitment to the green economy. Many believe the solar economy will explode in Mexico, and through my studies I have been assessing the validity of these claims. More specifically, I have been researching the laws and culture affecting the success of solar in Mexico in an effort to determine if this renewable really has a future. This research will fit well into my long-term goals, as I hope to work in a governmental or non-governmental organization doing environmental work in Latin America."
Kerry McGowan '17
Water Quality Monitoring
Over the past few years, Dr. Todd Lookingbill has headed a water quality sampling program on campus to give undergraduates experience working in the field, while alos cataloging a large dataset on the University of Richmond waterways. Little Westhampton Creek, and Westhampton Lake are the two major water bodies which have been monitored for the past few years.
Dr. Todd Lookingbill began the Water Quality Monitoring Program at the University of Richmond 2009 in his Physical Geography classes and has continued it since. The program was designed to give students hands-on experience working with water quality analysis; however, over the years the the program has cataloged a sizable database monitoring the relationship between rainfall and nutrient run off from the various zones of campus. The main area of interest is the Gamble's Mill Corridor, a stretch of University owned land next to the Virginia Country Club.
Left is the map of the University of Richmond Water Quality Monitoring Program Sample Sites. The top locations are the two inflows into the lake, which come in through surburbia. The two lower locations are from Westhampton Lake and the lake's outfall over the dam. The lowest sample sites are in the Gamble's Mill Corridor and monitor nutrient run off from the adjacent golf course.
Annual Data
Data has been collected since 2009 at these locations. However, incomplete data was collected prior to my taking over the program, so the 2009 and 2010 databases cannot be used. During the most recent data collection interval, the relationship between stormflow and baseflow nutrient runoff rates was examined. Below is a table displaying aggregate nutrient concentration (Nitrite + Nitrate + Ammonia + Phosphate) measured in parts per million (ppm) per cubic meter (m^3) per second (s), or ppm/m^3/s. This representation of the data was chosen to normalize the data and account for total discharge differences from the culverts. The Swales documented below are culverts that capture runoff from an adjacent golf course. These were chosen for study because of their mathematically viable designs which allows for simpler calculations.
James River Access Mapping
The James River Parks are extremely popular destinations and are visited by over 500,000 people per year (jamesriverpark.org,2013). Residents who are properly informed of their natural surroundings are more likely to behave in a way that will improve their environment. This is why the University of Richmond has created a detailed map of all three local counties (Henrico, Chesterfield and Richmond) to help people understand their surroundings better in an easily accessible map. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) made these maps possible and there is no doubt that GIS is a rapidly growing field. With a wide range of topics, GIS is able to explain things in unique maps and links that are easier for many people. To access the map, click here.
Campus Stormwater Drainage Project
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The University of Richmond mapped the campus' stormwater drainage system and created an inventory of campus drainage structures in an attempt to calculate the campus' stormwater contribution to the James River.
Connectivity Analysis for the James River Heritage Trail
The James River Heritage Trail (JRHT) is envisioned as an interconnected network of trails extending the length of the river. Currently in the conceptual planning stages, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is leading a coordinated approach among dozens of interested parties in the James River watershed to define the trails that will make up this network. A study published in the Fall 2014 edition of the academic journal Southeastern Geographer uses tools common to conservation practices to design a proposed recreational trail network for the JRHT.
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With limited funding for both recreation and conservation, linking these two goals can provide a rich return on investment. Using principles of green infrastructure (GI) networks, the authors devise an approach to trail design that would promote both ecosystem and human health. Spatial analysis tools were used to identify potential locations for the JRHT based on (1) existing protected areas, such as parks and wildlife refuges, (2) Virginia’s proposed statewide GI network (the Virginia Natural Landscape Assessment or VaNLA), and (3) a coarse GI network comprised of large, intact open space. Areas of high priority occurred where these three datasets overlapped on parcels of land close to the river’s banks.
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Considering all possible routes through the James River watershed, a connectivity analysis (Circuitscape) was conducted to identify potential pathways for the JRHT that efficiently flow through and between multiple locations of high natural resource value (Figure 6). At the basin scale, the analysis highlighted the challenge of connecting high value lands in the headwater region to high value lands in the coastal section of the watershed. The relative lack of green space in the Middle James created a series of bad routing options, resulting in a braided network of moderately connected paths. Preferred trail routing was more clear-cut in the Upper James, where several trails already exist within high value lands, and the Lower James, where the watershed’s narrower boundary and high development limits the possible options.
Unique trail planning recommendations emerged from the analysis for each of three physiographic provinces within the James River watershed. For example, new riparian trails could be viewed as restoration opportunities rather than conservation strategies in the agricultural and urban areas of the Piedmont region (e.g., Richmond City Green Infrastructure Assessment, Richmond Riverfront Plan). However, the detailed location of trails ultimately needs to incorporate many additional considerations related to other recreational goals, priorities, and logistical constraints.
The analysis concludes with the recommendation for continued, intensive boots-on-the-ground planning with local stakeholders. Dividing the basin into smaller fifth- and sixth-order watersheds pinpointed areas of high local variability in connectivity that require further study to assess the best positioning of trails given the fine-scale environmental variability and additional recreational and logistical concerns that must be considered in the final implementation (Figure 5b). These sites could be reanalyzed at much finer scale to consider factors such as trail intent, user perceptions, land ownership, and physical characteristics not evident at the basin-level. The methods provided in the paper can save time and money by prioritizing a few options for further study. The overall approach of coupling conservation and recreation goals through the creation of multi-purpose trail networks presents a cost effective and efficient planning strategy for the watershed.
Reference: Courtenay, C.I., & T.R. Lookingbill. 2014. Designing a regional trail network of high conservation value using principles of green infrastructure. Southeastern Geographer 54:270-290 doi:10.1353/sgo.2014.0023
Conductance map created through Circuitscape. The connectivity analysis was based on the landscape priority surface. - C. Courtenay & T. Lookingbill (University of Richmond). Source: www.envisionthejames.org