New Greenway Fence Will Help Keep Happy Creek Clean

Front Royal’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) is excited to announce the completion of a newly installed 250 ft split-rail fence along the Royal Shenandoah Greenway as it passes by Royal Plaza.

On June 8th, 2023, local civic groups and community volunteers braved the heat and humidity to install a new 250 ft split rail fence along the Royal Shenandoah Greenway.

While the split-rail fence adds a beautiful aesthetic to the greenway experience, it serves an important dual purpose. A durable hardware cloth has been added to the entire length of the fence, spanning from the ground to the first rail. This mesh acts as a litter barrier for any wind-blown trash coming from the Royal Plaza shopping complex. The FR-WC Anti-Litter Council had previously identified this area as a contributor of pollution into our town’s Happy Creek watershed, and so the new litter barrier fence will serve as a physical barrier for any trash that is headed towards the waterway. Royal Plaza management and surrounding stores have been very receptive to improving the situation, and have been lead collaborators on this project.

The new fence is equipped with a wire mesh that prevents wind-blown litter from reaching our beloved Happy Creek waterway. It’s already working!

ESAC wants to remind our community that we are all a part of the greater Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Whether your property is adjacent to the Shenandoah River, on a mountain top overlooking Front Royal, or an active farm in the surrounding rural landscape, we are all connected by the same overarching watershed. Our waterways are a shared resource that we can all have a hand in keeping clean.

Enjoy your next walk or bicycle ride down the strip of Royal Shenandoah Greenway between South Street and Criser Road. You’ll not only notice the new beautiful fence, but the rows of white crape myrtles planted last year are in full bloom!

After the main job was done, local volunteers completed a thorough cleanup of the area. Several diehards, including Clayton Rankin pictured here with the rake, put in some extra effort by teaming up to remove a rogue plastic bag from a tree bordering Happy Creek. A local bystander heard one of them proclaim with a big smile: “No Trash Left Behind!”

ESAC would like to thank the following partners for their collaboration on another successful project:

The Front Royal / Warren County Tree Stewards and the Front Royal / Warren County Anti-Litter Council for their financial contributions. Additional thank yous go out to Royal Plaza and the Beautification of Front Royal Committee for their support, to Front Royal’s Department of Public Works for their donation of equipment, and to the Riverton Lowes for their generous donation of the fence materials!

The “tunnel” of crape myrtles planted last summer along the Royal Shenandoah Greenway bordering South Street are in full bloom this year!