Teta Kain pulled up to last Thursday morning’s reception like a rock star, exiting her van as music was blaring and the crowd jockeyed for position to get a photo or shake her hand. And, to the Friends of the Dragon Run and its many supporters, that’s exactly what she is … a rock star.

Clouds hung over the Friends of the Dragon Run property in Mascot, but Mother Nature held off on the rain, perhaps as her way of saying thank you to the woman whose been such an ally of her cause in preserving this unique, pristine watershed.

About 60-70 people gathered together to officially dedicate the Teta Kain Nature Preserve on Farley Park Road, and unveiling the sign that will greet canoeists, birders and other nature lovers as they explore the site in the years to come.

The program began with Dave Hershiser of the Kilmarnock & District Pipe Band performing a number on the bagpipes (a bagpipe performance, apparently, was Kain’s only request for the dedication). After that, FODR president Jeff Wright welcomed those who gathered at the newly named Teta Kain Nature Preserve. He gave a brief bio of Kain, who was born in Maine, graduated from nursing school and went on to serve in the Air Force as a nurse before eventually coming to settle in Gloucester on the Middle Peninsula and develop a lifelong love for the Dragon Run. “That’s where it all starts,” Wright said.

Middlesex County supervisor Wayne H. Jessie Sr., who represents the county’s Jamaica Magisterial District where the preserve sits, spoke next. The Dragon Run, he said, is “a jewel in Middlesex County” and he encouraged everyone to tour it, “if you’re not afraid of snakes,” he added, receiving knowing laughter from the crowd.

Kain, he said, is “a blessing to the community and Middlesex County.”

Laura McKay, manager of the Coastal Zone Management Program with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, shared a funny story of a trip with Kain to the Eastern Shore to take part in a birding festival. The two were standing on a boardwalk when some music started playing, prompting McKay to ask Kain if she wanted to dance. No, Kain replied, adding “I only like HAARD rock” McKay recalled, giving her best impression of Kain’s New England accent.

McKay said that Kain has served as “an inspiration to all of us … to never ever stop protecting nature.”

Andy Lacatell, Virginia Chesapeake Bay Program Director with The Nature Conservancy, struggled with his emotions as he began to speak. “I’m going to cry as I say this,” he said. “The single greatest blessing of my time with the Nature Conservancy is knowing you,” he told Kain. He said it’s been his “greatest joy and blessing to work with the founders of the Friends of the Dragon Run … most especially, Teta.”

He joked that if he was placed on an abandoned island and could choose one person to accompany him it would be Kain, who would be the perfect companion and a skilled outdoorswoman. Of course, he added, the two wouldn’t be alone for long, because Kain always surrounds herself “with SHAARP, handsome men,” he said, doing his best New England accent.

Lacatell spoke of the first time the two met, back in 2001, at this same spot as he prepared for his first trip on the Dragon. He was waiting at this site when Kain drove up with the music of AC/DC blaring on the radio. “Hi, I’m Teta Kain, what’s your story?” were her first words of greeting, according to Lacatell. “That’s when our friendship began.”

“It’s safe to say nobody does it like Teta and nobody will ever do it like Teta Kain,” he said. “Your love for the Dragon Run is infectious,” Lacatell continued, inspiring others to take up the cause. He called her “a conservation hero” adding that “no one is more deserving of this honor than you are … the Empress of the Dragon.”

In addition to providing access to the Dragon Run, the preserve includes a nature trail. “It’s a great place to bird, it’s a great place to be,” Wright said.

FODR vice president Carol Kauffman thanked Kain for her inspiration, “for being our mentor, for being our friend.” The Friends then presented Kain with something she frequently uses to bribe others to help with Dragon Run cleanups and related projects—a bouquet of Snicker bars.

Kain then got her chance to speak. “This will only take about two hours,” she joked. Her comments, however, were quite brief. “I love you all,” she told those in the crowd, adding “maybe if I could speak to you individually, it would be better.”

She got that chance after unveiling the Teta Kain Nature Preserve sign as groups and individuals came up to her, all wanting a chance to pose with her and the new sign.

The Friends of Dragon Run is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation organized in 1985 by Middle Peninsula residents who generously donated funds to purchase and preserve a 203-acre tract of Dragon Run swampland in Middlesex County. With assistance from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation staff and an affiliation with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the purchase was made possible with tax deductible contributions.