Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter (Walton
Park) Facilities
(updated: December
31, 2022)
Member and Guest Use of Walton Park
Walton Park boasts a large stocked pond, firearms ranges,
joint-use archery ranges, hiking trails, wooded picnic areas,
large open grounds, playground areas, approved camping, (NEW)
a fence-enclosed apiary (bee hives) with an adjacent honey
processing facility, 2 pavilions, tool and equipment sheds and
a meeting house. All these features are for use by members,
their guests and by authorization from a Chapter official
only.
The land is host to all kinds of flora and fauna. An
educational guide was created by the daughter of a member as
a girl scout project. She created an
innovative and informative guide that
can be used by anyone that is proficient with the use of a QR
scan code reader from an application on your smart device.
View the varied features of Walton Park
here
*NOTE* - You are required to have
your Membership ID on your person while on Chapter property
and at Chapter events at ALL TIMES! After March 31, 2014,
anyone using the firearms ranges must display a Shooter's
Photo Identification card. Effective
April 18, 2014 all Chapter members bringing any guest
other than an immediate family member onto the property to
use the chapter ranges must sign in at the gate house per
order of our insurance carrier (see additional information
about registering guests below).
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
PROCEDURE: There is NO Commercial TELEPHONE on
site! Please bring your cell phone for personal calls! But
be advised that some cell phones (providers) will not
receive a very strong signal. There is a phone inside
a green protective enclosure to the right of the Clubhouse
entrance door and a similar phone is located on the tool and
equipment shed wall nearer to range 1. These phones
should be used for Emergency calls to 911. An
emergency procedure can be found in the Pistol, Rifle,
and Shotgun Range Rules and, for your convenience, as
a part of the latest version of the range user's
pocket guide.
CAUTION: The
speed limit on the internal roadways of the facility is
posted at 10
MPH. Excessive speed is prohibited and will
be grounds for disciplinary action.
CAUTION: There
are HoneyBee
Hives on the grounds at the fence-enclosed area on
the west side of Walton Pond
. Those
who are allergic to honey bee venom from stings need to
avoid the area of our grounds near the enclosed bee hive
area. Stay
at
least 20 feet from the perimeter of the fence-enclosed
area where the hives are located.
Porta-Potties are provided for general use at various
places on the grounds. There are NO inside restrooms
available except for official meetings, work day activities
and other special events.
Members Must Register Their Guests Before
Using Ranges (February 6, 2022)
The Board of Directors of the Fredericksburg-Rappahannock
Chapter of the Izaak Walton League requires that any Chapter
member bringing any guest(s) onto the property to use the
Chapter ranges must sign the guest(s) in at the "gate house."
This requirement has resulted from an order of our insurance
carrier. Guests include any non-member other than a close
family member (that is, a spouse or child under the age
of 18 (see chapter bylaws in the
Membership
Login page) ) living in the household; any other
relative or friend would be a guest. This requirement relates
to medical and liability insurance coverage in case a guest is
injured while at the Chapter Grounds; those close relatives in
your household are likely covered by your liability and
medical policies whereas those outside of your household are
not.
The sign-in register for this purpose can be found at the
green painted "gate house" (adjacent to the left side of the
road after passing through the gate area). You may enter the
grounds with your vehicle to access to the gate house. See
gate entry procedure directly below.
As always, the guests are responsible for following all
Chapter rules that apply to the member and the member remains
responsible for any actions of the permitted guests while on
the property.
Electronic Gate Entry System
The Chapter has a modern embedded chip sensor system to
command open the security gate to the facilities mechanically.
The sensor for entry from Herndon Road is on the brick pillar
on the driver side of the car. If you carefully approach
the pillar you are able to use the embedded chip in your
plastic membership card to signal the sensor to open the gate
from inside your vehicle. The sensor does not need to be
physically touched with the card but you need to hold the card
within 6 inches or so to be sensed. The procedure to leave is
similar. Please remain in position at the pillar and
allow the gates to fully open before proceeding to drive
through the gate area. You have 45 seconds to transit
the gate area into or out of the Chapter. The keypads on the
6X6 vertical timber on the right side of the entry road as you
enter the chapter grounds from the highway remains in order to
allow emergency vehicles and Rappahannock Electric Corporation
and other services to enter the property.
No
member needs to use the keypads any longer.
Remember, you are allowed 45 seconds to get past the now open
arm of the gate before it automatically closes.. Be sure to
pull far enough past the entry area to make certain that the
gate does not strike your vehicle as it closes. To depart when
the gate is closed you pass your membership card in front of
the sensor at the brick pillar on the driver side side as you
leave. Again, make sure your vehicle is clear of the
swinging gate by not lingering too close to the gate exit area
after fully opening.
Use of Chapter Facilities
(grounds, pavilion, activity center or chapterhouse)
When requesting the use of any chapter facility (grounds,
pavilion, chapterhouse or activity center) for scout use, a
birthday party, a family get together, church groups or
whomever, you MUST book the day and time with the event
coordinator, the chapter president. Booked dates take PRIORITY
over any use of facilities not formally booked. Use for
ANY organized event MUST be booked. Large events MUST be
approved by the chapter board of directors for recommendation
to the Membership for park closure for Private Event use!
Any use of the facilities must abide by the house and
ground rules. View/download the House
and Ground Rules
Organizations requesting a booking on the schedule for use
of the facilities must read and sign the premises use
agreement. View, download and execute the Premises
Use Agreement with the chapter event Coordinator,
Herbert Pritchett, in order to obtain advanced approval for
use of the Chapter for your event. A
minimum of 45 days is advised in order to process
the approval including review by the Board which meets once
per month. Sometime during the days before the actual event
contact the Chapter to obtain a group pass in order to
properly open the gates for entry and exit by the authorized
members of the group.
Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun Range Use
The
Pistol, Rifle,
and Shotgun Range Rules govern all use of the Firearms
Ranges by IWLA Chapter members and their guests. Read and
heed. The Chapter has a team of range safety officers
(see the attached list in the range rules) that volunteer time
to monitor for the safe use of the ranges, to enforce rules,
and to assist members with interpretation of the rules.
When the ranges are not monitored it is incumbent on each
member to self regulate their use of the ranges and abide by
the rules. Click
here for a list of RSO volunteers.
Also for your benefit is a
range user's pocket guide for download
and printing. Please carry it with you (hint: fold and place
with your Shooter's ID badge and review periodically. You will
always have it when shooting!). Here is a
booklet
form of the range rules that can be printed and folded
to create a document that can be placed in your range bag for
easy and quick reference.
High Definition Camera Surveillance
As part of
the Chapter's security program, high definition video
camera surveillance is employed to monitor selected
portions of the Chapter. Two pan, tilt and zoom
cameras survey the grounds from two locations. One
location near the archery range road surveys the back lot
of the grounds including range 4 and one on a pole in the
parking lot surveys the entry gate and front lot. In
addition, there is a fixed focus camera installed at
ranges 1, 2, and 3 to monitor each firing line.
Atlas Clay Pigeon Thrower (Shotgun Range)
(changed June 30, 2020)
The Raven Clay Pigeon thrower installed on May 21, 2015 has
been replaced once again by an improved model. Detailed
description and instructions on its use are provided in the
Atlas thrower
operator's
manual. Members must receive a training session on
the proper set up, use and stowage of the thrower in order to
obtain the combination to the lock to open the stowage box
housing the new thrower. Training sessions can be
arranged on monthly workdays at around 10:30 am to noon.
Simplified
instructions for the Atlas target thrower must be
followed
to
prevent serious personal injury and to prevent damage to the
thrower. Please print a copy and bring it with you when you
use the new thrower.
Scheduled use of Facilities by
Scouts
On occasion both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts will use
the Park Facilities for their activities. Please consult the
Chapter Calendar to determine when the Scouts will be present.
Activities include camping and ceremonies such as the Order of
the Arrow, etc.
View pictures of Scouts camping at Walton Park here
Facilities are Limited Use during Chapter
Work Days
As a rule Work Days are held on the Saturday following the
Regular monthly Chapter Membership Meeting. Work days START
no earlier than 7:30 AM and might run until 3 PM.
Note: For safety reasons, the park is
CLOSED to other activities during the Work Day period. This
closure includes the Firearm Ranges. There will be a posted
sign indicating that the park is closed.
View previous Work Day pictures
here
Special Note in Harmony of Grounds Use
Please remember, while at the Walton Park, when other groups
are there as well, ALL Scouts stay to the LEFT of our Driveway
(Unless approved for a Range Event), AND ALL Members,
including those wanting to use the Ranges, stay to the RIGHT
of our Driveway.
Designated Chapter Campfire
RULE
Campfire use is allowed
at the designated campfire area (large circle of landscaping
blocks) or the Bar-B-Que Pit ONLY!!
Any campfire use MUST RECEIVE PRIOR APPROVAL
from the Chapter Board and must conform to Spotsylvania Fire
Code Laws and the County Fire Marshall. This Rule takes
precedence over ANY other Campfire Rule written or stated.
Use of Drones (Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)) on
and over Chapter Property
Drones may be
used at the grounds but are restricted to flying in the main
open areas. Drones shall
not be flown
near the high voltage power lines traversing the property,
the ranges, or the bee enclosure. Also be considerate
and do not fly any aerial vehicle near people or parked
vehicles if these do not belong to your family. Fly
over the pond only with lots of skill and confidence and at
your own risk for loss. Do not photograph anyone with
drone mounted cameras without their knowledge or
permission.
Fly Responsibly:
As
of
December 21, 2015, the FAA requires unmanned aircraft
weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) on takeoff
(including everything on board or attached), and operated
outdoors, be registered at www.faa.gov/uas.
Additional
state
or local requirements may apply. Check your local
jurisdiction. The following websites may help you make
informed decisions about how regulations impact you: www.knowbeforeyoufly.org and www.modelaircraft.org.
Some
additional information about recreational drone flying is
found at this web
site and
many good tips about how to "stay out of trouble" here. Another great resource
is a blog article by Jacky Miller on
terminology and how to fly a drone (by permission).
