Specialty plates could be a bonanza for James River Park System Specialty plates could be a bonanza for James River Park System

Richmond Times Dispatch

By Andy Thompson
Published: January 3, 2010

Few volunteers are more dedicated to the James River and the Richmond park system that bears its name than Warren Foster. The Martin Agency's marketing director spends much of his spare time in a canoe on the river or taking care of Williams Island, the 90-acre parcel across from Pony Pasture that he quite deservedly, though jokingly, calls Warren's Island.

So it's probably fitting that it was Foster who, about a year ago, came up with an ingenious fundraising idea to consistently supplement the park budget. If it goes through, it could be a huge boon to the JRPS, the river itself and those who love to spend time on, in and by it.

"It just dawned on me riding around on my scooter," he said.

What dawned on him? License plates, in general. And in particular: 1) Virginians love their specialty plates; 2) There are specialty plates for darn near every organization or cause out there.

Went to college in Virginia? There's a plate for you. Like to fish? There are two (bass and trout). There are plates for NASA, Natural Bridge, the National Guard and the National Rifle Association. Freemasons, Friends of Tibet and Foxhunters all have one thing in common: they have a Virginia specialty plate.

By Foster's count there were about 200 of these plates on the DMV Website. More importantly, he discovered that they were created as a fundraiser for the group represented on the plate. Each one costs the driver $25 a year. After the first 1,000 are sold, however, $10 of that $25 goes to whatever's on the plate.

Why not a James River Park System license plate?

"With all the park enthusiasts around town, I figured, it's a great way to show off your pride in the park," he said. "Then I started doing the math and it started getting real interesting . . . and what's so cool about this is that it can be a lot of money but also that it's a sustainable fundraiser."

A study commissioned in 2006 by the Friends of the James River Park (of which Foster is a board member) estimated that the park system handles about 500,000 visitors a year. That's half a million. If just one percent of those people signed up for a license plate, that's 5,000. Take the first 1,000 off the top and you've 4,000 people at $10 a plate.

$40,000 is a huge chunk of change. Assuming those 5,000 people renew their plates the following year and every year after, that's a yearly $50,000. Imagine what could be done with it.

JRPS director Ralph White was practically over the moon when I spoke to him this summer after city council gave him $100,000 to hire seasonal staff. And anyone who's spent significant time in places like Ancarrow's Landing, The Wetlands and Belle Isle know White and his crew put in long hours and accomplish a heroic amount on a shoestring budget.

There are plans to renovate the park headquarters near Reedy Creek. There's talk of turning the Pump House into a visitor center. These things cost money. And of course there are all the humdrum but crucial maintenance expenses that add up during the year.

"I want the funds to go pretty much right into Ralph's hands. He's got a million causes that he needs it for," Foster said.

Foster got some help designing the plate from Cliff Searles and Kristen Manger, a couple of creative friends at work, but his job is far from done. Rules state that since each new plate must be officially approved by the General Assembly, Foster must collect 350 applications by the time the legislature goes back into session in late January.

"I wish it was November," he said. "We're in kind of a rushing phase right now."

Foster has sent out emails to all the local groups with a stake in seeing the JRPS flourish. He's put up flyers throughout the park. What he needs is a wider audience.

That's where you come in. If you've ever spent time by the James River, fished from Belle Isle, walked your dog under the Nickel Bridge or sunned on the rocks at Pony Pasture, here's a chance to give back.

To receive an application for a James River Park System license plate, either go to http://www.jamesriverpark.org and click on the picture of the plate or email Foster directly at ParkLicensePlate@gmail.com and he'll forward one.

Contact Andy Thompson at