Location: Northend Greenway, Harrisonburg, VA
Partners Involved: Momentum Earthworks and the Northend Greenway Steering Committee
Type of Buffer: Urban
Aerial Photo of Site
A recent riparian buffer project in Harrisonburg is the Northend Greenway and Blacks Run Stream Restoration Project. The property had historically been used as a field for livestock, and the surrounding area is an urban industrial development. This project opened in September 2019, linking the Parkview area of northern Harrisonburg with the Downtown District and included not only establishing a 6.5-acre riparian buffer, but a stream restoration and construction of a shared-use path enjoyed by an average of 90 people a day walking, jogging and biking. The project follows the path of Blacks Run, an impaired stream that flows through Harrisonburg’s Downtown District.
The Northend Greenway stream restoration project repaired 2,778 linear feet of streambank along Blacks Run and an unnamed tributary. This project included planting a mix of more than 1,400 native trees within the 6.5-acre riparian buffer. To draw further attention to this project we have hosted two community tree planting events, where 75 volunteers planted 100 additional native trees along the Northend Greenway shared-use path.
To make the Northend Greenway even more enjoyable to visitors two benches were installed at waypoints made from local wood, as part of our Urban Wood Program that repurposes the wood from trees that needed removal. Also, a bicycle repair station was installed to aid the many bicyclists who use this trail. Signage in both English and Spanish has been installed promoting the benefits of the projects and a history and map of the path.
This post Is part of the first annual CCLC Riparian Buffer Month. For more information check out our page
If you would like to support professional training of landscape professionals in the design, instillation, and maintenance of riparian buffers, please donate today to the CBLP-Buffers scholarship fund. We believe that landscape professionals have a unique ability to directly affect the health of our landscapes- and your donation will directly assist a professional in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to pursue training.
