Save Byrd Park

SaveByrdPark_2

Byrd Park’s lit up Boat Lake fountain (circa 1985)

Today children who live near Carytown, or in the Museum District, or in the Fan District are a few minutes bike ride from Byrd Park’s undisturbed, naturally wooded area in which to play and learn. They can walk through the quiet woods and perhaps catch a glimpse of the eagles and deer that call that part of town home.

Yes, there remains today a small quiet section of Byrd Park that answers only to nature’s whim. Soon, that may be changing.

The City of Richmond is close to forming a partnership of a sort with Go Ape (of Maryland) to install a high-flying ropes course in the dense woods behind Dogwood Dell in Byrd Park. The course will be built and maintained under Go Ape’s hopefully watchful eye. Once completed, the concept will have people paying money to swing through trees and so forth.

For this project to be established in the section of Byrd Park that Go Ape wants to use, it will mean changes would have to be made. Trees would need to be removed; lots of underbrush would have to be cleared. How those changes would affect the wildlife there now is something we can only guess at.

J.R. Pope, the director of The City’s department that oversees parks and recreation said, “Go Ape will build the course, staff the course, maintain the course and assume all liability, whereas the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities would insure that Go Ape follows all the terms of the contract.”

While the public — including Carillon/Byrd Park area residents — first learned of the project in October of 2010 from a newspaper article, apparently the City of Richmond has been working with Go Ape for almost a year on developing a ropes adventure course in Byrd Park.

Since this potentially noisy theme park-like activity will be located a stone’s throw from the neighbors who live adjacent to the park, some of them now wonder who initiated the contact between The City and Go Ape that has had them working together behind closed doors. City officials? Go Ape? A go-between?

Some neighbors wonder why nobody asked them for input. A petition protesting the Go Ape development is circulating among the neighborhood’s home owners.

Now the Fan District Hub wonders — has it already been decided? Has the ropes course project been approved by J.R. Pope’s bosses?

“The proposal is currently being reviewed and modified as needed for the city,” said Pope.

Meanwhile, those petition-signing neighbors as well as others in town who love Byrd Park wonder why The City wants this project to be shoehorned into the only passive natural area left in Byrd Park. Among other questions that quickly come to mind are these:

  • Who decided this project should be considered for installation in undeveloped public land in the heart of Byrd Park?
  • Given that land’s unique value to the community, as it is, what was their reasoning?
  • Would the project be better suited to a county or state park?
  • Wouldn’t the project be best suited on private land?

Aesthetically, culturally and bottom-line-wise, perhaps it all comes down to this set of questions:

  • With the ropes adventure course installed in the Byrd Park, other than a huge liability potential for The City, what will Richmonders themselves have gained?
  • What will they have lost?
  • Who will save Byrd Park?

DeerByrdPk

The deer in the part of the park Go Ape wants to use will have to find another place to call home.

Updates: New information and links to stories about this proposed development are below:

  • The Save Byrd Park Facebook group is here. Look around, become a member if you like.
  • From the City of Richmond: On Thurs., Nov. 18, a public meeting on this matter will be held at the Carillon in Byrd Park at 6:30 p.m. J.R. Pope, the director of Richmond’s parks and recreation facilities, will be in the room. Also among those expected to attend the meeting to present information and answer questions are the following: Dr. Carolyn N. Graham, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services; E. Martin “Marty” Jewell, the 5th District representative on City Council; Douglas Dunlap, Project Development Manager, Economic & Community Development; Dan D’Agostino, U.S.A. Managing Director, Go Ape Ltd.
  • J.R. Pope, who headed up the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Development for the last five years, has just been removed from his position. This has the appearance of a forced resignation. Read about this sudden change in City Hall here. At this point it’s unclear how this news will impact Thursday’s (6:30 p.m. at the Carillon) meeting with City officials and Go Ape’s representative. However, Pope was a major booster for the Go Ape plan.
  • From the City of Richmond’s Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities: “Due to internal changes, the public meeting scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 18, at the Carillon on the proposed Go Ape ropes course for Byrd Park has been postponed. A new date and time will be announced when it becomes available.”

Posted in Civic Groups, Features

32 Comments.

  1. I can hardly believe this is a good idea, sounds like danger.

    Brooke Saunders @ November 11th, 2010 at 10:50 am

  2. I am a homeowner in the Carillion neighborhood, adjacent Byrd Park, and I am strongly opposed to the proposed rope course. What is now there, has taken thousands of years to come about. There are trees there that predate the Civil War. There are rare plants there that I’m told are on the Federal Endangered Species list.The area is home to wildlife both up in the trees and on the ground whose habitats will be destroyed by this rope course. The area is one of the few (if not the only) areas completely untouched by human developement within the city limits of Richmond. It is a treasure that everyone in the City (and the state for that matter), can enjoy for hundreds of years to come ( only people with the money, and who are physically able to get up in a tree can use the rope course). It is pristine area that the city or a company would not be able to re-create once this rope course is put in. Once it’s destroyed, it can never by put back the way it was. This is a public park for all of us to enjoy. I can’t understand why the city would allow a private company to permanently alter and destroy what is there, to build something that only a limited number of the population would be able to use, thereby limiting access to this area only to people who have the money and physical ability to use the course.

    John Hulzing @ November 11th, 2010 at 12:56 pm

  3. Protect Byrd Park from the City

    Richmond’s Byrd Park has a natural gem that is threatened by the city’s push for economic development. The park’s last remaining passive natural area is located between the Carillon and Pump House Drive. City officials want to commercialize this area of the park by allowing a company called Go Ape to build an adventure course with zip lines and Tarzan swings.

    The area at risk is a forest treasure. Several access points make it relatively easy to enter if you know where they are. In an area hidden by the surrounding terrain, there is a babbling creek between steep slopes with old growth trees. It’s like being in a valley in the mountains far from Richmond.

    If you look long enough, you may see the deer that are ignoring you and watching you at the same time. You can look up and marvel at the height of the trees and watch a variety of birds flitter from tree to tree.

    Unfortunately, the city wants to replace the birds and animals with people paying $35 to $55 to swing through the trees screaming like Tarzan.

    In Byrd Park as it exists today, one has the opportunity to visit this area and be entertained by nature for free. One can observe nature taking care of itself by accepting fallen trees into the landscape and allowing the spring fed creeks to seek their own paths. The history, serenity, and real beauty of a forest can be observed only at ground level.

    Byrd Park’s natural treasure is at risk and needs protection from the city.

    Debbie Flippen @ November 11th, 2010 at 2:45 pm

  4. Our city parks should remain free and open to the public. Even if one likes this idea, how many Richmonders can afford the $50 or so it is going to cost to play Tarzan for a few hours? It would cost my family of four $200 to visit this currently free park. We might even have fun, until we realize that going to a city park has now turned into a vacation-like experience that we need to save up for since we can no longer go on a regular basis as we do now. Go Ape seems to be the only winner here – they are getting access to free public land. If the city likes this idea so much, why don’t they put in a free rope course instead so that the average Richmonder can still enjoy their park? Go Ape is a private company. They should put their course on private land instead. The city should not take the park away from the public and allow the Go Ape owners to make a profit at the expense of the citizens of Richmond.

    Steve @ November 11th, 2010 at 8:55 pm

  5. Keep those comments coming. I want to hear from those in favor of the project, too, because I want to change minds with this discussion.

    Here’s my view on this issue in a nutshell: Like Central Park in Manhattan, Byrd Park was carved out of the heart of a growing city and set aside as public land. These moves were made before eager, aggressive developers grabbed that primo land for full exploitation as private property.

    You couldn’t do that today.

    The wisdom of those visionary leaders who created city parks, state parks and national parks, etc. — and resisted the developers! — now seems remarkable.

    Plenty of cities don’t still have naturally wooded land in a public park, accessible to anyone, in the middle of town. While I realize that to some folks it’s not much more than a patch of weeds, nonetheless, Richmond shouldn’t surrender such a rare treasure without a good reason to do it.

    A thorough discussion with much weighing of options seems proper in this case. What’s the rush?

    FTRea @ November 11th, 2010 at 11:38 pm

  6. i have walked that area a hundred times, the only reason there is woods is because the land was too steep to develop. the city used the area for a dumping ground for many years, lots of piles of bricks and trash have been over grown. there were a nice set of trails but after the bikers left they are overgrown and unmaintained. the guys who cruise pumphouse drive constantly leave condoms, lubricant, and used tissue on the trails. the babbling brook is contaminated with beer cans and feces that wash down from the dog park and folks afraid to use the restrooms. Kudzu vines are threatening to cover the trees behind the dogwood dell. The plan is develop a set of public hiking and biking trails below the overhead course so every one has access to the park. This is a beautiful area, but in it’s current state of neglect and disrepair, not a family friendly environment.

    rich @ November 12th, 2010 at 6:34 am

  7. I’m not sure how you can you make the Central Park argument – Central Park is one of the most commercialized parks in the country! That’s not to say it’s bad – it is a great place balanced by nature and amenities. Byrd Park is similar – it has private operators (Sally Bells kitchen in that new building and the boat rental I think is also private) and you can rent facilities from the Carillon to the tennis courts to the ballfield. By your logic, Arts in the Park could be considered private exploitation and disrupts the neighborhood on a massive scale every year – perhaps you should argue to move that to the convention center!

    Tom @ November 12th, 2010 at 10:18 am

  8. Two Questions to Think About

    Background

    Regardless of what Go Ape writes in PR articles or edits into their videos, if you pay attention to the pictures and news videos from the park in Rockville, Maryland, you can see what they will actually do to Byrd Park. Trees that are in the rope line paths will be removed. Trees surrounding the paths will be limbed up to above rope line height. The result will be the equivalent of a series of power line clearings. Tree top canopies will not be cut, so the forest destruction will not show on Google aerial maps. What city officials are proposing to do to Byrd Park will be hidden from view except by those who visit the park.

    Now, take another look at the pictures and news videos and pay attention to the people. They are having a great time, but they do not appear to be observing the environment below them.

    Questions:

    1. Will those who visit a rope course at Byrd Park go there to enjoy the serenity and beauty of what used to be natural forested area?
    or
    2. Will those who visit a rope course at Byrd Park go there because there is not currently a rope course at Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens?

    Dennis Flippen @ November 12th, 2010 at 10:19 am

  9. If you read the minutes of the meeting, the city arborist is supportive of the the project and said it is non-invasive and that IF any trees needed to be removed the Urban Forestry gets final say and alternatives would be presented. He also said this part of the park will receive more arborist attention than it does currently. They also say that the course can be done without removal of any trees. To call this a Busch Gardens is ridiculous.

    Tom @ November 12th, 2010 at 11:29 am

  10. Rich, in your nightmarish description of the section of Byrd Park Go Ape wants to develop, you finished with “…in it’s [sic] current state of neglect and disrepair, not a family friendly environment.”

    Which makes me think you may not have been in that part of the park for a long time. Bikers still ride through parts of that area every day. Your list of gross-outs — similar to a parade of horribles — is somewhat reminiscent of the sort of fabricated propaganda that was hurled at the neighborhood around The Diamond, when the busy Ballpark-in-the-Bottom pushers wanted to support fast-buck developers who needed public backing for their scheme to fly. In order to make Shockoe Bottom look more desirable the propagandists repeatedly cast North Boulevard in a bad light.

    So, to support Go Ape I expect we will soon hear much about how that quiet natural part of Byrd Park in which eagles now live needs to be changed/developed.

    Why?

    Because it’s become a home to open cesspools, rabid animals and litterbugging scofflaws.

    Tom, I don’t know what you mean by a Central Park “argument.” I said Central Park was set aside by visionaries, like other city, state and national parks.

    Hey, I don’t object to the versatility of Byrd Park. Nor do I have any problems with Arts in the Park, which is in and out of the park without changing the land. Go Ape wants to make permanent changes.

    As it is now, Byrd Park accommodates tennis, boating, fishing, Little League baseball, picnics, concerts, charity events, dog-walking, bird-watching and lots of other activities. It’s a wonderful park with many features, man-made and natural. It also has one piece of land that remains wild. I’d rather not see that untouched, wooded area converted into a thrill-ride theme park.

    Finally, I simply don’t believe that no trees will be removed. Who said that? Please, I want names.

    FTRea @ November 12th, 2010 at 12:03 pm

  11. Pictures and videos of the Go Ape rope course in Maryland show straight line open pathways, which are not natural. Trees will be removed and limbed up in Byrd Park.

    When I talked to the city arborist, he pointed out that his responsibility is for controlling, not preventing, impacts on city trees. He also pointed out that the city has no staff position that specializes in evaluating ecological and environmental impacts. Additionally, the Department of Planning and Development Review has stated that the Urban Forestry Commission is not part of the approval process for this project.

    Economic development projects are high priority for this city administration. Therefore, it is probably difficult for anyone in the city to say they are not supported of this project.

    It is true that Go Ape says that its designers and independent arborists will work closely with City of Richmond Park officials to establish an environmental management plan that will ensure that the impact on the park and trees is minimized.

    However, regular visitors of Ricmond’s parks may have noticed that Department of Parks & Recreation employees never miss an opportunity to drive large trucks across the root systems of trees struggling to survive in the open park areas. Go Ape’s arborist should have no trouble convincing the city that a tree is going to die anyway.

    Dennis Flippen @ November 12th, 2010 at 1:24 pm

  12. Dennis – you are saying things that you want to be true but simply aren’t. Go back there and it is easy to see there are plenty of places with the changes in terrain where you can put a walk line 30 feet up. You say Urban Forestry is not part of the process but yet there they are saying they support it and will work to make sure the area is not adversely affected. It says right there in black and white that the final decision to remove ANY tree is left to the city. And since you don’t have an argument you insult the staff and try to make them look like idiots.

    Tom @ November 12th, 2010 at 3:12 pm

  13. FT you said Central Park was set aside “before eager, aggressive developers grabbed that primo land for full exploitation”. Yet Central Park is plenty exploited. Tavern on the Green was there for how many decades?, and there are and kids rides and vendors of all shapes and sizes. I don’t consider that exploited (some gawdy maybe) but providing for NY’ers in a park environment. Read the minutes if you want names. Look it up. They say they can design the course without removing any trees. If you walk back there it is entirely doable if you put a walking line 30 or 40 feet off the ground. You talk as if the woods are being removed and the thrill ride” in its place but I don’t see it.

    Tom @ November 12th, 2010 at 3:19 pm

  14. Tom –

    We are communicating directly with city personnel, so we know who they say is involved with this project and who they say is not. I quote what city personnel have told us; I am not making it up. Also, I have Go Ape’s proposal that verifies that this is a top down economic development project.

    Maybe it is good that you are insisting that no trees need to be removed. Some zip lines in the US are constructed within the tree canopies without clearing pathways below them. Go Ape is a British based company, and pictures of their courses show cleared pathways.

    Are you willing to push for a canopy design that will help us save the trees if the project goes forward? Your help in figuring out what is true, regardless of what we wish, will be appreciated.

    Dennis Flippen @ November 12th, 2010 at 4:16 pm

  15. Tom, let’s not quibble over how fully, or not, Central Park has been exploited. Both Central Park and Byrd Park are publicly-owned mixed-use land. My point was that the land was acquired a long time ago, in a time when visionary public officials could sometimes resist hopping aboard every blue-sky development scheme’s bandwagon. Both parks date back to the 1800s.

    But I think you already knew that.

    FTRea @ November 12th, 2010 at 4:24 pm

  16. Let’s all be honest. The area in question is certainly not pristine, but it is an area we all seem to enjoy and are quite passionate about.

    Businesses and the environment can coexist quite well with proper planning. However, what I read on many posts here are closed minded people who have already made up their minds because they don’t want “other” people using their “private paradise.” Strikes me as typical NIMBY’s fear mongering.

    There are plenty of trees in need of care that are currently damaged / topped because of recent storms, etc. Perhaps some of the anti-rope course folks (and the pro-ropes course folks too) could take arborist lessons on these. Since we all can agree saving trees is important, this would be a great starting point and might even lead to an effective dialogue. At the least, we could help some trees that are actually in need of care.

    Jackster @ November 12th, 2010 at 8:26 pm

  17. Why can’t Go Ape set up their operation on private land? Tarzan and Jane can still swing, Go Ape can still make money, and Richmond citizens and the wildlife under our stewardship can still enjoy our free nature preserve. Everyone wins, including the family of deers I encountered on a path there earlier this week.

    Jonathon @ November 12th, 2010 at 11:22 pm

  18. We know that the city is not able to keep track of everything going on. After storms in Byrd Park, neighbors will drag branches into piles and then call the city to pick them up. We actually consider the park our front yard, and we like to keep it looking nice for everyone to enjoy.

    The irony is that we believe that if more people would actually visit and enjoy the part of the park behind the Carillon, they would realize it is unique as an old growth wooded area in the middle of the city. As a natural area, it takes care of itself. When a tree falls, it is absorbed into the landscape.

    Arbor Day is a great event at the Carillon every year. Hopefully, a rope course will not go in, and maybe we can include a tour of this part of the park. It is an area that could be considered to be a “paradise” if visited at ground level.

    Dennis Flippen @ November 13th, 2010 at 12:40 am

  19. Quick note to Rich who said:
    “… the babbling brook is contaminated with beer cans and feces that wash down from the dog park and folks afraid to use the restrooms.”

    There is a spring fed drainage path coming from the dog park hillside. This drainage path joins the babbling creek about midway on its journey to Pump House Drive where drainage is blocked and some trash has accumulated.

    This is a beautiful weekend to revisit the park. I think you will find that it is much better than you remember. We can continue to clean it up without leasing it to a private company.

    Dennis Flippen @ November 13th, 2010 at 11:32 am

  20. Does anyone know the process to apply for private company ownership of public park land? I have some business ideas I would like to run by the city, and my company would make it worthwhile to thee city council members if they give us access to the land we need to set up operations. Our theme park ideas will be much more affordable to the average citizen, and they would also be accessible to the young and old who can’t participate in Go Ape’s tree swinging events. I think a American owned and operated company should also have an opportunity to bid on and present our proposal to commercialize this public park land.

    Bill @ November 13th, 2010 at 12:47 pm

  21. Dennis – you are right. This is an awesome weekend to be in the park. We did it about 0800 this morning and took the cobblestone path behind the Carillon, past the dog park and down to the Pump House. The dog park was already busy with 12 – 15 dogs enjoying themselves. Quite a few trees are currently in full color.

    Didn’t see any deer this time probably because there were a few people walking in front of us with their dogs off leash but the leaf colors were worth the walk.

    Jackster @ November 13th, 2010 at 7:39 pm

  22. [...] Byrd Park in the news to do with possible a ropes course installation in a densely wooded section of the park, perhaps it’s time to brush up on the history of [...]

    The Fan District Hub » Blog Archive » A brief history of Byrd Park @ November 13th, 2010 at 8:48 pm

  23. To wrap up earlier confusion in discussions on tree removal:

    Urban Forestry is part of Public Works Operations.

    My comments referred to the Urban Forestry Commission, which does not include city employees.

    Neither Urban Forestry nor Go Ape has said that a rope course in Byrd Park would be built without removing any trees.

    The Urban Design Committee minutes indicate that Go Ape’s business director “stated that they have been able to design the course [in other locations] without the removal of any trees and if there was a case that we would have to remove a tree [in Byrd Park] we would provide complete transparency of that happening before hand and will then present some potential alternative.”

    According to J. R. Pope, design of a course for Byrd Park has not been initiated.

    Dennis Flippen @ November 14th, 2010 at 8:00 am

  24. Park director John Pope has resigned. What does that mean for this behind-closed-doors deal he worked out with Go Ape?

    Jack @ November 16th, 2010 at 10:16 am

  25. Jack, that’s the 64 dollar question right now. From all appearances Pope was pushing this project with an unrestrained enthusiasm.

    Why Pope thought so highly of Go Ape’s proposal seems a bit mysterious to me. From what I understand, the money The City would get from Go Ape as its piece of the pie was projected to be tens of thousands of dollars, and not many tens.

    So, there was/is probably more to this thing’s appeal than meets the detached observer’s eye. Perhaps Pope saw the ropes course as the camel’s nose in the tent for further development in the park? He’s been a let’s-build-it guy.

    Hopefully, Pope’s removal will put the ropes course construction work on hold for a while. I believe the more the average Richmond citizen knows about this off-the-wall concept the less popular support it will have.

    FTRea @ November 16th, 2010 at 2:58 pm

  26. I agree. There needs to be more public discussion on this, especially since Go Ape wants to run a private business on public park land. Mr. Pope may have had a bigger vision in mind for the future of our public parks when he opened this park door for Go Ape, but it is time for others in the public to peak inside and see if they agree with this unknown vision, especially if Mr. Pope is now out of the picture due to his resignation.

    Jack @ November 16th, 2010 at 4:19 pm

  27. [...] To read more about the Go Ape ropes course click here. [...]

    The Fan District Hub » Blog Archive » Meeting on Ropes Course postponed @ November 16th, 2010 at 6:18 pm

  28. I do wonder what will happen if they were to build the ropes course & then the company goes out of business. The park would be permanently altered/ruined.

    But mainly, as many have said, it’s a public park. We shouldn’t hand it over to commercial developers nor should we divide the park. (I’ll never use the ropes course, so that section of the park would then be useless to me)

    nthecity @ November 16th, 2010 at 7:22 pm

  29. Our parks should remain free and open to the public. They should not be given to a private company so they can charge our citizens $50 to swing from trees like Tarzan. What about the poor that can’t afford this, the kids too young to participate, the elderly too old or weak to hang from a rope, the handicapped who are physically unable? Should we allow Go Ape to tell these citizens that they are not welcomed in our parks anymore if they are either unable to pay or participate in this strenuous activity? Do this on private land, not in a public park.

    Tony @ November 17th, 2010 at 8:58 pm

  30. This is incredible. “What about the poor?” Give me a break. Believe me I won’t be shelling out $50 to do this, but I will still be bringing my dog to Barker Field, walking the exercise path and going to the Dell. Byrd Park is not closing and there is no admission fee.

    picolo @ November 19th, 2010 at 10:11 pm

  31. [...] Rec (and others) that was in July. So when J. R. Pope and whoever else decided the Go Ape plan for Byrd Park was a good idea, Pope, et al, were basing their decisions on rather scant evidence of Go Ape’s [...]

    The Fan District Hub » Blog Archive » Why was ropes course on a fast-track? @ November 29th, 2010 at 3:45 pm

  32. Privatizing public parks sounds like a bad idea and a slippery slope. Byrd Park is a pretty great place- why take such a risk now?
    Glad so many people are working on this issue.
    Richmond Parks seem to be involved in a bit of contrary these days, check out what’s going on in Monroe Park too- http://www.monroecampaign.wordpress.com or http://www.monroepark.org

    Mo Karn @ January 2nd, 2011 at 9:09 pm

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