Virginia: Goochland County Supervisors Unanimously Approve Orapax Sporting Clays Range

At its meeting on January 2, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a sporting clays range on the Orapax Hunting Preserve.

The Orapax Hunting Preserve gained approval to operate this range for two years before having to apply for an extension or modification to their Conditional Use Permit.  While this is a great victory for sportsmen, several restrictions were imposed to ensure the approval of this permit.  The amended conditions are:

• The range can only be operated during hunting season from September 1 through April 30 each year. Originally, the Orapax range sought the ability to operate outside of hunting season to provide sportsmen with shooting opportunities year around.
• The range is to operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and access is limited to a maximum of 18 people per day.  Originally, the preferred hours of operation were from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the ability to accommodate up to 24 shooters per day.
• The range can only be open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as compared to Monday through Saturday.

The original resolution can be viewed here on pages 280-283.  The final language of this resolution, including several amended conditions, will be available on the Goochland County Board of Supervisors website at the beginning of next week.

Thank you to everyone who attended this hearing and supported this range.  If you would like to thank your Supervisor for voting in favor of this request, contact information can be found here.