Virginia Tech's George Couttie took fourth at the ACC cross-country championships and 10th at the NCAA national cross-country championships last fall. He will run in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA outdoor track and field meet this week.
Virginia Tech's George Couttie took fourth at the ACC cross-country championships and 10th at the NCAA national cross-country championships last fall. He will run in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA outdoor track and field meet this week.
Ferrum College student Dashawn Nichting prepares samples for phosphorus testing.
For the past 40 years, a dedicated group of guardians has been protecting the waters at Smith Mountain Lake.
Hundreds of volunteers, dozens of scientists and numerous eager students over the decades have had a hand in monitoring the lake. Their observations have helped to keep one of the region's biggest retirement and vacation destinations clean and clear.
Their dedication lies in the Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality Monitoring Program, created through a partnership between Ferrum College and the Smith Mountain Lake Association that has proved beneficial for both sides. Through valuable scientific testing, it creates teaching opportunities for the college while helping the SMLA keep a closer watch on the lake.
Volunteers Larry Sakayama and Mark Earnhardt collect water samples and process them through a filtering apparatus. The samples are then taken to Ferrum College.
Volunteers head out each year just after Memorial Day and take samples around Smith Mountain Lake every two weeks until Labor Day. Scientists and students at Ferrum College also collect their own samples as well as analyze those collected from volunteers.Â
The long-running program just embarked on its 40th year last month. A team of 51 volunteers collected water samples at 81 locations around the lake, along with the Ferrum team collecting samples of their own.Â
Each bit of information will be cataloged as it has been for the previous 39 summers. That information, every two weeks, gives the SML community a clear view of the lake's health.
"The data that has been captured over that 39-year history is extremely important," said John Vidovich, president of the SMLA. "It is a really good indicator of trends."
Vidovich said having access to such a massive amount of data, especially week to week, is a huge asset for Smith Mountain Lake. The SMLA's website provides detailed charts of information collected from the samples and other measurements done by volunteers on the water.
Each volunteer travels by boat to approximately three sites around the lake every two weeks to collect samples and conduct tests at various depths. The first test uses a secchi disk to measure the water's clarity. The disk is lowered into the lake until it can no longer be seen, which is then measured.
The clarity of a lake can be impacted by increased sediments in the water due to runoff or heavy boat traffic. Increased algae growth due to high levels of phosphorus can also be a cause.
Volunteer Bill Koontz collects a vertical sample of water from Smith Mountain Lake using a hose.
Another test involves volunteers using a long hose to collect water samples from the lake at three meters and at six meters. The collected lake water is drained into a bucket. Volunteers place some of the water in a container for Ferrum College to measure phosphorus levels. Another portion of the water is drawn through a specialized filter which is analyzed for chlorophyll-a content.Â
Once completed, the filter is bagged and kept in a freezer along with the water sample until they are collected by Ferrum College. The samples are collected by students participating in the program. They work with professors in getting precise measurements from the samples each week.Â
John Rupnick has volunteered for the water quality monitoring program for more than a decade. He spends around an hour every two weeks during the summer collecting the samples. He sees this volunteer work as critical for keeping the lake clean.
"I believe it is incumbent upon the residents of the lake to take care of their asset," Rupnick said.
He added that monitoring the lake water to assure it remains safe and clean is the best insurance policy for lake residents. If the lake quality declines, he said home values would drop and tourism would stall which would impact area businesses.Â
"I think monitoring is an acknowledged benefit to the lake and to guests that visit the lake, even though they may not appreciate it or understand it," Rupnick said. "And definitely to the residents of the lake, because of the tools that we have now on the website, which allow people to see the health of the lake on a bi-weekly basis. I think it is really important for people to see those numbers."
Tom Hardy, SMLA's director of the program, agrees that the work done in the program is critical to the community. Knowing what is impacting the lake allows them to push for change from residents to help keep the lake cleaner.Â
"Until you start monitoring a thing, you're just in the dark," Hardy said.
While volunteers collect a majority of the samples at Smith Mountain Lake, it is Ferrum College where the work is done analyzing those samples to get the necessary data.
The college has multiple high-tech instruments that can show the levels of chlorophyll-a and phosphorus. A team of professors guide students as they sort through the information.
Ferrum environmental scientists Carolyn Thomas and David Johnson founded the program back in 1986. They joined with Jim Morse, SMLA president at the time.
Thomas was the program's director for 32 years until her death in 2020. Environmental scientist Delia Heck took over the program soon after. She leads a team of five other scientists that include Thomas' husband, Bob Pohlad, in continuing the program.Â
Water quality monitoring program director Delia Heck speaks with Ferrum College student Ashly Cutcliff who is spending the summer as an intern with the program.
"It all comes down to passion and purpose," Heck said. "For us, we have a passion and a purpose."
Every other week, the team of scientists and students collect samples at 14 locations using a boat purchased by Appalachian Power for the program. Those samples are tested for bacteria as well.Â
Student scientists hired each summer for the program conduct the tests under the guidance of Heck and other faculty. This year's students are Dew Adams, Gracie Edwards, Ashly Cutcliff and Dashawn Nichting.Â
Ferrum College laboratory supervisor Carol Love looks at testing results on the monitor with student Dashawn Nichting.
In addition to spending a day on the water, the students also spend a day traveling around the lake collecting samples from each of the homes of volunteer monitors. In addition, they spend multiple days analyzing the samples in the labs at the college.
"I like doing the total phosphorus testing," said Cutcliff. Each student challenges themselves to be as accurate as possible.
Ferrum College students Dew Adams, from left, Dashawn Nichting, Gracie Edwards and Ashly Cutcliff look over samples they collected at Smith Mountain Lake.
The work done by students often provides a significant boost to their resume after graduation. Heck said students have gone on to jobs at the Virginia Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Quality.Â
Ferrum is also expanding the lab work. Heck said efforts are currently underway to have the lab certified to test cyanobacteria following the harmful algal blooms that hit the area in 2023 and led to multiple swim advisories during the summer.
The water samples collected from Smith Mountain Lake are tested in a variety of ways. One test is placing the samples under a florescent light. Samples with elevated levels of E. coli bacteria glow under the light.
Having a clearer picture of the lake helps the community take action to solve those problems. Heck said testing decades ago showed higher levels of bacteria believed to be from boats dumping their waste in the lake. That led to the SMLA creating a pump-out program that collected waste from boats.Â
Hardy said the program has also shown trends in things such as the amount of phosphorus in the lake. Higher levels can lead to increased algae growth and hurt water quality.Â
That information, according to Hardy, has led to efforts over the years encouraging lakefront residents to use less fertilizer on their yards and thus limit phosphorous getting into the lake. Buffer gardens, which help collect runoff before it enters the lake, are also more common now.
Ferrum College faculty and water quality monitoring program founders Carolyn Thomas, left, and David Johnson, right, train some of the first monitors of Smith Mountain Lake back in 1987.
In 2013, Virginia passed a law that prohibits the sale of phosphorus in lawn maintenance fertilizers to prevent water pollution. But even with the restrictions, waste from farms animals or even flocks of geese is high in phosphorus and can find its way into Smith Mountain Lake through runoff.
Phosphorous can even find its way into the water through improperly maintained septic systems. Because of that, testing for it is still critical for the program.Â
"Without this program," Hardy said, "people could be using heavy phosphorus fertilizers along the shoreline and triggering algae problems without anyone knowing it because nobody was monitoring it."
Pohlad said having a detailed view of the lake allows people to take steps when problems arise.Â
"When you show people the data, you show them the facts, it's hard to argue," he said.
With this being the 40th year of the program, Heck said efforts are underway this year to complete an extensive look at trends over the decades. Ferrum College scientist Dana Ghioca Robrecht is working through the years of data that will be presented sometime later this year.Â
Keeping a close eye on Smith Mountain Lake is important as it hits 60 years since the completion of Smith Mountain Dam. Man-made lakes such as SML are known to degrade over time and become less clean. The work of the water quality monitoring program, Pohlad said, has helped keep the lake younger for longer.
"It's not cleaner because of our monitoring," Pohlad said. "It is still clean."
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
Volunteers Jim Lopresto (left) and Mike Forte organize furniture under a large outdoor tent for the Joyous Junque yard sale this Friday and Saturday.
Well over a thousand eager shoppers are expected to descend on Resurrection Catholic Church in Moneta this Friday and Saturday for its annual Joyous Junque yard sale.Â
The popular community event offers a variety of furniture, household items, electronics, tools and even sporting goods. Each item selected for the sale is good quality and priced to be sold.
"We are continuing with the idea of being a little more selective," said Terry Culton, co-coordinator of the sale this year along with his wife, Helen.
Joyous Junque co-coordinator Helen Culton organizes some of the smaller items that will be available at this Friday and Saturday's Joyous Junque yard sale.
Crews work throughout the year picking up donated items from homes around the Smith Mountain Lake area. In recent years, Terry Culton said, they have made more of an effort to assure the items are good quality before they pick them up.Â
Beneath the giant tent set up near the church this week is a variety of high-quality household furniture. Most of it is like new from homes where the pieces were rarely used. Those quality items will be available at yard sale prices, Culton said.Â
With the sale, people are able to purchase nicer furniture than they might otherwise not be able to afford, while Resurrection is able to receive money that goes directly to their fundraising efforts.
"We have skilled eyes who identify the value," said Helen Culton. "We sometimes price it less than half."
Volunteers work for several weeks before the sale organizing the items. Culton said more than 100 volunteers help make the event come together each year, from unloading and pricing to even making small repairs.
"My team has been tremendous," Culton said.
The efforts have shown over the years. The sale often brings visitors from within the community and beyond. Many wait in line for hours before the start of the sale for the opportunity to purchase the quality items.
As in previous years, Joyous Junque has a few unique items for the sale this weekend. One of those items is a highly collectible 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Dale Earnhardt Edition, expected to sell for a little under $10,000.Â
Joyous Junque co-coordinator Terry Culton stands beside the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Dale Earnhardt Edition that will be available for sale this weekend.
Everything is priced to be sold. The church's goal with each sale is clear out all stock and start fresh for the next year.
While the prices are low, the profits are high. The church makes around $80,000 from each sale, Terry Culton said. Those profits are split between approximately 25 nonprofits in the surrounding community.
Culton said Joyous Junque often comes at a good time for area nonprofits that struggle for donations during the summer months. Many nonprofits receive their donations around tax time and around Christmas, which leaves a long stretch of needed funding in the middle of the year.
Those needs have increased in recent years with uncertainty in the economy.Â
"Many food pantries are empty," Culton said. "They are all struggling to keep their fridges full."
This year's Joyous Junque yard sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3507
Soon-to-be Franklin County High School graduate Annabelle Perdue was a member of the track and basketball teams. She plans to continue those sports at Ferrum College.
Franklin County High School will hold its graduation ceremony Thursday at 7 p.m. at Cy Dillon Stadium. More than 450 seniors will walk the stage to celebrate this milestone.Â
Annabelle Perdue is one senior who accomplished a lot in her four years of high school. She has been an active athlete playing multiple sports, a member of the school's National FFA Organization, and been involved in the daily operation of her family's farm in Glade Hill.
"I think a hard work ethic is one of the most important things to have," she said.Â
Perdue started off playing softball and basketball her freshman and sophomore years before moving to track and basketball her junior and senior years. She plans to continue those latter two sports when she attends Ferrum College this spring.Â
She says she has learned the importance of hard work in sports just as much as in her daily life on the farm.Â
Soon-to-be Franklin County High School graduate Annabelle Perdue grew up on a cattle farm in Glade Hill. She hopes to teach farming to the next generation.
"A hard work ethic will beat talent when talent doesn't work hard." Perdue said. "That is not my quote, but that is a really important quote I think about, because if you lack hard work, then it's hard to get places."
In addition to hard work, Perdue has a goal of helping others. The start of her freshman year at Ferrum College will be delayed by a semester as she will be in basic training for the Army National Guard.Â
Perdue will be leaving next month for basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. She will be following the footsteps of her father and other family members who have served.
"Just being able to serve is a really great honor," Perdue said.Â
Serving is something that Perdue plans to do as a career. She intends to double major at Ferrum in agriculture and education with the goal of becoming a teacher for the next generation of farmers.Â
"I've been really passionate about agriculture my whole life growing up on a beef cattle farm," she said.
As a member of the FFA, Perdue said she was able to get a taste of that passion while teaching elementary school students through its Food for America program. The program provides the opportunity for high school students to host interactive classroom lessons.Â
"I found a really deep passion for being able to share with the younger generations where their food comes from," Perdue said. "And that agriculture is not all sows, plows and cows."
Perdue said she sees a lot of the same passion in her classmates, many of whom are farmers themselves. She praised the work ethic of her classmates who share her love for agriculture, which still has deep roots in Franklin County.
As Perdue moves on to the next phase of her life, she wants to remain a positive light for those around her. She also wants to share her Christian faith with those around her. She said that faith in Jesus helped her get to where she is today.
"I would really like to just be able to share Him with everyone that I meet going into this chapter of my life," Perdue said. "I know I am going to meet a lot of new people. One of my biggest goals would be to share His kindness and His grace and mercy that he has shown me to others and just be a light to others the best that I can."
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3507
