John Tippett: River Hero 2008

John Tippett is a native of southern Maryland who now lives in Fredericksburg, VA. John's love of rivers grew out of a childhood spent on the lower Potomac and other western tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.

John had an early vision about his calling in life. He wanted to lead a local watershed protection group and, by emphasizing on partnerships, make the watershed a national example for river conservation. In 1995, he acted on his vision and became the Executive Director of Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR), a fledgling watershed organization in Virigina.

The Rappahannock River begins as a mountain spring below Chester Gap in Shenandoah National Park, in northwest Virginia, and flows 184 miles to the Chesapeake Bay. The river drainage totals 2,715 square miles, and includes some of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. Despite this pressure, large sections of the river corridor remain green and wild, including 27 miles of the river just upstream of Fredericksburg that have no bridge crossings.

John can claim a number of high-profile successes including:

• Working with local business and government leaders, U.S. Senator John Warner and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, John brought about the removal of Embry Dam in 2004-05, providing fish passage to over 700 miles of river and tributary aquatic habitat.
• Through negotiations with the region's largest developer, John established several hundred acres of conservation easements along the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, providing habitat and streamside buffers in an area of heavy commercial development. As part of this process, FOR convinced the developer to relocate several planned multi-story buildings further from the river in order to protect the river's natural viewshed.
• A 3-year campaign to create a 4,300 acre conservation easement along 25+ miles of river corridor upstream of the city, forever protecting the river and its habitat from both commercial and residential development.
• An on-going educational campaign that educates 3000 young river stewards.

Thanks to John's contributions within the Rappahannock watershed, a dam is gone and the river now runs free forits entire length, with most of the lower river protected by streamside buffers in permanent conservation easement. As a result, fish may migrate wherever they wish. Paddlers may enjoy extended trips that include whitewater once buried beneath a dam. And, millions of people can have a wild outdoor experience within a short, carbon-conscious drive of their homes.