Aaron McFarland runs 'Treelab,' and if it succeeds, he'll clean the James River while making Richmond cooler, happier, and less crime ridden.

At 24 years old, Bethany Patterson was so fast she graced the cover of Ultra Running Magazine. Now 39 and a mother of three, the Richmonder has run and won dozens of ultramarathons all over the country. But here's what crazy: she might just be getting started.

BikeWalkRVA Director Max Hepp-Buchanan moved here 5-years ago from Seattle to make sure the answer isn't: "Meh." See how he thinks we're doing; how far we have to go; and what it will take to create a paradigm shift in our approach to transportation in the River City.

Ted Elmore gave up partnership in a downtown law practice to champion Richmond's moonshot -- imagining, envisioning, planning, fundraising and (one day, hopefully) building BridgePark, a monumental green space over the James.

It's been five years since Nathan Burrell took over for Ralph White at the helm of the James Park. Burrell talks about the future of the park, as well as the constant challenges of managing an attraction that drew nearly 2 million visitors last year.

Kitt West does things on a BMX bike that would make mere mortals wet their pants. He's also one of RVA's most dedicated trail builders and is out to make sure the resources are there to groom the next generation of gnar shredders. In this week's podcast, we go inside Richmond's burgeoning BMX riding and racing scene with one of its leading lights.

In this week's Views from the Treehouse podcast, we talk to David Kunnen, Executive Director of the Blue Sky Fund, a local non-profit whose mission is "to provide transformational experiences for urban youth through outdoor education." We ask Kunnen what his group does to reach kids, what works, what doesn't, and how doing his job well means going out of business.

In this week's Views from the Treehouse podcast, we chat with Mike Baum of Keep Virginia Beautiful. Shiver in the River, a winter festival that has become KVB's signature event, is coming up on Feb. 24th. And we ask Baum the crucial questions: What, besides alcohol, causes normally sane people to plunge into the James in late February? Are Speedos allowed? Has he ever participated? And what percentage of participants say something about shrinkage? This is a fun one, folks!

This week we interview Richmond native Trevor Frost, an award-winning photographer and videographer whose work has been featured in National Geographic and the Washington Post, among many other publications. Frost details his career with National Geographic, discusses on his love for the outdoors and gives us a glimpse into the life of a globetrotting professional photographer.

When it comes to outdoors pursuits, Brad Cooke and Michael Stratton are Renaissance men -- they can do it all. The teachers at Collegiate and Trinity Episcopal schools, respectively, also run the only middle and high school outdoor adventure programs in Central Virginia. In this treehouse sit-down, we ask them, among many other things, about skyrocketing youth participation in endurance and adventure sports; why Richmond is the perfect place to do what they do; and what parents can do turn their kids into little outdoor Renaissance men and women; all that and more over a couple of pints of local brew. Cheers!