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Hurricane Helene

Barrel container holding a variety of pink ad purple flowers

Lee County Garden Club Awarded a Green Grant

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Barrel container holding a variety of pink ad purple flowersLee County Garden Club in Jonesville is awarded a $750 Green Grant in the Community Beautification category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

Lee County Garden Club was formed in 1937 and pledged to protect and conserve the natural resources of the planet, becoming caretakers of air, water, forest, land and wildlife. Since then, a lot of the focus has been on the Jonesville area to improve the look of Main Street and Cumberland Park.  

When Hurricane Helene hit the area last fall, the winds destroyed the areas of the park, including the beautiful, covered pavilion, and several large old trees. On Main Street, the half-barrel pots were ruined as well as the hanging pots on the old-fashioned lampposts.  Members of the Lee County Garden Club will work to replace the barrel planters and hanging pots, and fill them with soil, flowers and mulch.  The second focus area for Community Beautification is in front of the town hall, which has only tree stumps remaining. 

With donations of plants purchased by members and funds provided by the Green Grant, the Garden Club will return Main Street and the park to its former beauty.  They will mulch borders, a few areas of perennials, dwarf trees, and add a bench and solar lights. A local contractor will be grinding the stumps at no charge to contribute to the beautification efforts. 

Hopefully, it will aid in the return to normalcy of the town after Helene struck and uplift the spirits of residents and visitors. 

Logo for Claytor Lake's Izaak Walton League of America with the drawn image of water, fish, deer, trees, and birds.

$1,000 Award Goes to Claytor Lake Chapter Izzak Walton League

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Logo for Claytor Lake's Izaak Walton League of America with the drawn image of water, fish, deer, trees, and birds.Claytor Lake Chapter Izzak Walton League in Pulaski is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address environmental concerns in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

The Izaak Walton League of America, founded in 1922, is one of the country’s oldest and most respected conservation organizations that’s dedicated to the protection of natural resources and the promotion of outdoor recreation. The Claytor Lake Chapter has focused its efforts on the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of Virginia’s natural resources. Their work encompasses the preservation of forests, soil, water, and wildlife, supporting both local ecosystems and the broader environmental health of the region.

Each month, the Claytor Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League hosts dedicated workdays, where volunteers come together to help clean up the local roadways leading into the campground and the surrounding waterways. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Claytor Lake and the surrounding areas experienced significant damage, with debris from upstream flooding flowing into the cove where their campground is located. The flooding has pushed even more materials downstream into a nearby creek that runs through the community, further expanding Photograph of Claytor Lake with still blue water, grasses in the foreground, spit of land with trees, blue skythe area in need of cleanup.

The Chapter needs basic tools and equipment to help sustain these efforts.  Green Grant funds will be used to purchase battery-powered chain saw, gas-powered chain saw, safety vests, as well as grabbles and ropes for removing debris from the waterway. 

These tools will greatly enhance our Chapter’s ability to clean up Claytor Lake and the surrounding roadways. Not only will they make the work easier and safer for our volunteers, but they will also allow the organization to more effectively serve the community by removing hazardous debris and restoring the natural beauty of the area. With the help of these grant funds, the Claytor Lake Chapter can continue its important mission of environmental stewardship.