Mission Statement

To maintain the quality of the natural resources and to enhance and preserve the character of the area in the best interests of it's residents, the property owners and the public.

DITCHLEY VIRGINIA

The Dividing Creek Association

The Dividing Creek Association was founded in October 1990 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the environment, to maintain the quality of the natural resources and to enhance and preserve the character of the area in the best interests of it's residents, the property owners and the public.

The association currently consists of approximately 150 registered families, represented by a fourteen-member board of directors.  The directors serve staggered three-year terms with two or three new directors elected annually.  Anyone interested in serving on the Board of Directors in any capacity is encouraged to contact one of your directors for further information.  There are two directors, scheduled to retire this fall.  The board is encouraging  an increase in the number of directors to ensure adequate representation of our members. The board is regularly scheduled to meet twice annually, once in March and again in November.  Additional meetings are called for, as required.

The Dividing Creek Association
supports the
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Hughlett Point Natural Area Preserve
 

The Hughlett Point area, is what brought the Dividing Creek Association into being.  Through the efforts of the Dividing Creek Association, the Audubon Society and the Virginia Department of Conservation, the development of a marina/resort complex on Hughlett Point was averted. Through these efforts the Hughlett Point Preserve was established and brought into the                       
Department of Conservation and Recreation's,
 Natural Area Preserves Program. 

                             The Marsh at Hughlett Point                  

The property is now under the care of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and a group of volunteers, many of whom are association members, calling themselves, "Friends of the Preserve". This group regularly works in the capacity of Monitors and Guides at the preserve.       Welcome Center Hughlett Point

Ran Marshall presenting the annual DCA Donation
 to
 Rebecca Wilson, DCR Natural Heritage Steward

The association is vitally interested in supporting the Hughlett Point Preserve and other areas in the Dividing Creek watershed.  Five dollars of each Dividing Creek Association's members dues, or approximately $750.00 is donated to the Hughlett Point Foundation annually. Dividing Creek Association Members are encouraged to participate in the support of and the activities at the Hughlett Point Preserve.

DCA Members Sib and Jane Towner are the coordinators for Friends of the Preserve and can be contacted at 435-3566 for additional information.

DCR Regulated Duck Blind on the Hughlett Point Preserve

DIVIDING CREEK AREA HIGHLIGHTS

Dividing Creek

Dividing Creek from Day Mark #7

Hughlett Point from Day Mark #7

North Shore Dividing Creek Day Mark #10

Ditchley Point, South Shore Dividing Creek

North Shore Dividing Creek

Harding's Wharf, North Shore, Dividing Creek

South Shore
Harvey's, Natty Cove Area

Abilini's Computer Services
Rob Adams

South Shore
 Natty Point Area

Entering Lawrence Cove

Southern Comfort on Lawrence Cove

Work Boat on Lawrence Cove

Prentice Creek

Wes Worsham's Tower on Kent Point
Prentice Creek Day Mark #2
and
Ditchley
 

Wes Worsham's Home Tower and Boat House
on
Kent Point

Ditchley Park

Ditchley Point, North Shore, Prentice Creek

South Shore, Prentice Creek
Hurricane Ernesto Casualty

Old Home
of
 The Annual Oyster Roast

Ryland Gaskins Work Boat,
 Dock and Home

Pete Merrick's Home
and
TowBoat US Operation on Prentice Creek

Head of Prentice Creek
Prentice Point

Jarvis Creek
and
Kent Cove

Jarvis Creek Entrance Day Mark # 2

Kent Point
North Shore of Jarvis Creek

Entering Kent Cove
from
Jarvis Creek

Old Kelley Fish House and Work Boats
in
Kent Cove

Head of Kent Cove

 Kent Cove Day Mark #6

Jimmy Kelley's old fish house and dock
Kent Cove

Outbound Kent Cove

Kent Point
outbound from Kent Cove
on
Jarvis Creek

Jarvis Point
from
Jarvis Creek

Jarvis Point

Dividing Creek, Prentice Creek,
Barnes Creek,Henry's Creek and Jarvis Creek

Citizen Volunteer
Water Quality Monitoring

 The Dividing Creek Association, Citizen Volunteer Water Monitoring Group, in association with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has been monitoring the waters of Dividing and Prentice Creeks since October 2006. In April 2008 the group added Jarvis Creek to their list of monitored waters. In April 2009 both Barnes Creek and Henry's Creek were added to our monitoring area. There are currently ten monitors, nine DCA Members and one non DCA Member monitoring 37 locations once a month from April through December. This amounts to 333 individual samples taken annually.

 Our citizen volunteers monitor the quality of our waters so that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, US Environmental Protection Agency and the numerous colleges and universities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed can analyze what steps might to be taken to return our waters to what they were prior to the early 1900s. Our citizen volunteers conduct test monitoring of Water pH, Turbidity(water clarity), Dissolved Oxygen, Salinity, E. coli Bacteria Count, and Water Temperature using the latest testing equipment currently available. This equipment is purchased through Grants from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality a small donation of DCA Member Dues and our Annual 50/50 raffle taken at our Spring Picnic or Fall Oyster Roast. The 333 Water Samples taken are compiled and then entered on the VADEQ/National Database for analysis and evaluation by all parties involved in the effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

 With the results of these test samplings the association is working to advise and help additional monitors do further testing in an effort to assist residents of the area to return our waters to their pristine state of years gone by.

 All Dividing Creek Association, Citizen Volunteer Water Quality Monitors are Certified, VA Commonwealth/National Water Quality Monitors. In this capacity the DCA Monitors are qualified to monitor waters anywhere in the country as well as train and certify new monitoring personnel as the opportunity presents itself. In the past year the DCA Citizen Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Group conducted training and certification of Paul Rockefeller from the Antipoison, Dymer, Tabbs and Indian Creek Area in Water Quality Monitoring methods. Upon being certified Paul has  formed a Citizen Volunteer Group in his area and is now conducting E. coli Bacteria monitoring the Antipoison, Dymer, Tabbs and Indian Creek Estuaries.

 Anyone interested in becoming a Citizen Volunteer Water Quality Monitor either joining the DCA Group or wishing to start a group in another area please contact association president Jesse Dize at 435-1815 or the Volunteer Citizen Water Quality Monitoring , Quality Analyst, Skip Kramb at 435-0697

Team Leader, Ran Marshal
and
Quality Analyst, Skip Kramb
Taking Water Samples
on
Prentice Creek

Dividing Creek Area
Wireless
High Speed Broad Band
Internet
and
Telephone Communications

The Dividing Creek Association has worked with two local Broad Band Communications providers Kaballero Communications (kaballero.com) and Northern Neck Internet Communications (nnwifi.com) to provide Wireless High Speed Internet and Voice over IP (VoIP) Telephone Service to the Dividing Creek Community.

Kaballero.com's
Hughlett Point
Wireless High Speed Internet
Antenna
 

Kaballero Communications has installed the above access antenna on Hughlett Point. This antenna is now providing Wireless High Speed Internet Service to all of the lower end of Dividing Creek, Ditchley, Kent and Jarvis Points, and much of Prentice and Jarvis Creeks.

New Northern Neck WiFi Antenna
at
241 Etta Lane
on
Prentice Creek

The above Northern Neck WiFi Antenna, is installed at Pete Merrick's home at 241 Etta Lane on the North shore of Prentice Creek. This antenna provides High Speed Internet Service to all of Prentice Creek, Jarvis Creek, the lower end of Dividing Creek, Ditchley, Kent and Jarvis Points.