The Waynesboro Game and Fish Protective Association is Virginia’s oldest conservation organization. As the current president, Kenny Wilkinson knows he has big shoes to fill, so he is doing everything he can to carry on the decades-long mission.
In 1931, concerned about the loss of habitat and wildlife resources in southeastern Augusta County (the headwaters of the South River), a group of sportsmen and area civic leaders formed the association and requested that “all lovers of hunting and fishing” come together to “talk over the matter of re-stocking nearby streams with fish; and generally, consider the problems of present-day sportsmen.”
They wasted no time jumping into the thick of things. Their biggest success story was, of course, the establishment of Big Levels. But within months they had placed 40,000 brook trout in South River waters, including Back Creek, and released 3,000 bream in other South River tributaries.
The growing membership, including prominent state and national politicians, was not afraid to speak up about water quality issues either. In July 1931, the association sent an urgent telegram to Virginia’s Game Commission about industrial water pollution. “The killing of fish in South River by industrial waste at Wanesboro [sic] is a daily occurrence. In thirty days, there will be no fish left to protect. We demand this matter be investigated and proper remedies applied.” noted the telegram.
Today members continue to advocate for conservation practices, plant trees and shrubs for wildlife habitat, and help sponsor student scholarships. After nearly a century, the conservation group still adheres to the outdoor principles that brought them together in 1931.
You can get involved in the Waynesboro Game and Fish Protective Association by contacting Kenny Wilkinson at rkjpinetrail56@gmail.com.
*Picture: Kenny Wilkinson standing in front of a wildlife area that he has created.