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Please see our Year in Review below to learn about things we accomplished this past year. Some highlights include:
- Support Adopt-A-Park at Indian River Park, Adopt-A-Spot Trees and Gardens at Oaklette Bridge, and Adopt-A-Road along Indian River Road, Clean The Bay Day, Internation Coastal Cleanup, Business Area Planters
- Input on multiple City Planning initiatives including Indian River Design Guidelines and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area boundaries
- 1350 lbs. Trash Removed over Multiple Cleanups
- 4 Nature Walks and 1 History Walk
- 4 Guest Speakers
- 1 High School Scholarship Awarded
- Recognized for Sustained Distinguished Performance as an Elizabeth River Project River Star Business
- Overall, 93 Volunteers performed 900+ Volunteer Hours
We couldn't accomplish any of this without dedicated members, volunteers, and supporters. Please join us for our Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Event on Thursday, January 16 at 7 pm at Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive. We'll recognize our volunteers and the great work they do at this meeting and there will be refreshments and desserts. We will hold elections for our Board. And because there are timely updates, we will have two guest presenters at this meeting: a) a representative from the Indian River Shopping Center to share what's happening at the center, and b) representatives from Hampton Roads Transit to get our feedback on the plans for Connecting Chesapeake of which two option included improved bus service along Indian River Road. Whether you've been supporting us for years or are just curious to learn more about who we are, all are welcome to attend the meeting.
The Friends of Indian River is an all-volunteer, local 501(c)(3) non-profit. You can support our efforts by becoming a member, renewing your membership, or just making a contribution online http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/membership.html
Year in Review
Blue Heron Landing Park
On October 23, Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism held the Grand Opening event for Blue Heron Landing Park. Along with Mayor West and members of the City Council, the Friends of Indian River participated in the unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. The new park features a broad boardwalk, a floating kayak launch, and a restored living shoreline complete with oyster castles to form a new oyster reef, marsh areas, and what will grow into a new upland forested area.
Planning and Zoning
We are continuing to push for near-term safety improvements to Indian River Road, including reducing speeds, establishing a safe crosswalk over Indian River Road at the new Blue Heron Landing Park, bicycle safety improvements, and traffic enforcement. As part of the implementation of the Indian River Small Area Plan, in 2022 the City Council approved funding for the Renovation and Rehabilitation of Indian River Road. With the opening of the new park, implementation of these improvements is urgent. Indian River Road has severe issues with speeding and has been the site of multiple severe accidents. VDOT's Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan (PBSAP) identifies Indian River Road in Chesapeake as one of the Top 1% statewide roadway segments in priority to review for safety projects and other planning needs. There have been at least two pedestrian fatalities since 2010 and multiple injuries. This past July, the bus stop at the corner of Lilac Avenue was wiped out in a crash, fortunately with no serious injuries. We have sent letters, petitions, and spoken with members of the City Council and City Staff and hope to have a meeting with Public Works in January.
In the first part of the year, the Planning Department published new maps revising Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area (CPBA) district boundaries. We were alarmed that these maps removed CBPA protection from areas around the head of the tide of the Indian River by Indian River High School. We were able to get the City Council to defer action and then working with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Wetlands Watch, and other groups we got the Planning Department to do a second review of the boundaries, restoring protection to about 280 acres of land around the City including the land near the High School and identifying 14 additional acres to add to the CBPA, including parcels around the south end of Indian River Park.
We worked with the City Developments and Permits Department to ensure that Coleman Farms townhouse development next to Indian River Park completed its Landscaping Plan. In the final phase, the developer planted nearly 250 trees and shrubs, mostly native species on the property.
Volunteer Events
We organized 5 major cleanups this year including three along Indian River Road and the Oaklette Bridge and two at Indian River Park. These included efforts under the Adopt-A-Road, Adopt-A-Park, Clean the Bay Day, and International Coastal Cleanup programs. Overall, our volunteers removed 1350 lbs. of trash and debris.
Besides the cleanups, our efforts at Indian River Park focused on the care of the Native Plant Garden at the Trailhead Entrance and invasive species management. We had group efforts to weed and mulch the Native Plant Garden in January, April, and October, as well as individual volunteer activities throughout the year.
Invasive species management at the park focused on removing Japanese Stilt Grass, pulling English Ivy, and pruning back the red-berried Linden Viburnum to contain and reduce the spread of the plants. We had Invasive Species Workshops in February and December to both teach about the problem of invasive plants and remove English Ivy.
We also patrol the trails in the park to help keep them clear of debris, do minor trash pickup, and report major trail blockages, bridge damage, or other issues. We've been involved in planning meetings with PRT to establish a new system of trail signage in the park, which will hopefully be installed in 2025.
Our dedicated crew of volunteers kept up with regular maintenance at the various gardens maintained by the Friends of Indian River, including at the Indian River Oaklette Bridge, Indian River Park, Plymouth Park, and several planters along Indian River Road. Without their dedicated efforts, these gardens would likely get overrun by plants we don't want in these plantings, i.e., "weeds". (Although the definition of what is a weed varies depending on gardening goals).
Overall, 93 volunteers performed 900+ Volunteer Hours with the Friends of Indian River in 2024
Connecting with Nature
In the fall, we had a member field trip to visit the Elizabeth River Project's new Ryan Resilience Lab, a cutting-edge green building with floating docks, green roofs, solar arrays, rainwater capture, and much more.
Civic Engagement
In 2024, guest speakers at our meetings included:
- March: Kevin Finn, Chesapeake Planning Department on the planning document updates
- May: Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) reported on planning the high-capacity transit options for Chesapeake
- September: Amy Weber, Chair of the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC), briefed us on the new "Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes" program
- November: State House Delegate Bonita Anthony
In April, we joined multiple other environmental groups to table at the Earth Day Festival at Campostella Square Park organized by the Climate Action Network.
In June, we held a picnic instead of a regular indoor meeting.
The Friends of Indian River teamed up with the Cape Henry Audubon Society and other regional partners including the Virginia Zoo and Elizabeth River Project to launch the Bird Safe/Lights Out Hampton Roads program. Bird collisions with windows are actually among the biggest human-caused reasons for bird deaths, right up there with cats and habitat destruction. Up to 1 billion birds a year in North America die from crashing into windows and not just in tall buildings, but also with one and two-story homes. The Bird Safe/Lights Out effort looks to improve building safety by advocating for bird-safe window treatments, reducing unnecessary outdoor lighting, and other steps to make our community safer for birds. Learn more at https://birdsafehr.org/
We brought back our “Main Street” Indian River Holiday Lighting & Decoration Contest this year. Our judges gave top marks to Midway Veterinary Hospital, Shadez of Beauty Hair Salon, and Moulton Tax Service. Honorable mentions go to Trade Team USA, NAE Credit Union, Wickers Crab Pot, Botanica Spiritual House, Mobile Pig-Nic Catering / The Pig Shop Restaurant, Affordable Transmission, Beasley's Farm Market, Sky Lounge, and Crossroad Cleaners.
Of course, we continued our online outreach through our monthly newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, Next Door, and our website.
Indian River High School Scholarship
Applications are now open for students graduating in 2025. Learn more about the scholarship at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/friends-of-indian-river-scholarship.html
Awards and Recognitions
We thank the Carl W. Mangum Jr. and Marguerite S. Mangum Fund #3 of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation for making a generous grant to the Friends of Indian River this year. This helped our organization fulfill our mission to improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Indian River neighborhoods.
We congratulate Lynn Gilbert for being named "Spat Catcher Supreme" by the Elizabeth River Project for catching the most oyster spat for the Elizabeth River. Lynn has been an oyster gardening on the Indian River for several years, raising baby oysters in cages hung from her pier. In this case, she also participated in the Elizabeth River Project's Catch the Spat citizen science program to measure how well oysters are naturally reseeding themselves. Several oyster restoration projects have been done along the Indian River by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, through the Elizabeth River Project River Star Homes program, and as part of the new Blue Heron Landing Park. Oyster populations are rebounding in the river.
There are nearly 200 Elizabeth River Project River Star Homes and 6 River Star Businesses in the Indian River watershed today, but we want to recruit many more. Learn how you can become a River Star and take advantage of its benefits at https://elizabethriver.org/river-stars/
Board of Directors
Rogard Ross Carol Warren Diane Burke Helene Haluska
Jayne Whitney Amy Weber Chris Whitney Jennifer Raymond Vickie Easley
Active Supporting Members and Volunteers 2024
Larry Allen V Simon Ardyna V Jill Arnone M Semih Atabey V Gary Ball MV* Susan Ball M Catherine Bernard M Heather Black and family V Cynthia Blankenship V Edward Borges and family V Mark Bunker V Diane Burke MV* Don Burke V Joe Burke M USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) V Margie Carraway M John Fisher Clark M Coalition of Sailors V Anna Cook MV Brian Easley M Vickie Easley MV Kyle Carlo Evangelista V Eric Fiedorczyk V David and Lynn Greenfield M Annie Guertin M | Helene Haluska MV* Jim Haluska M Jim Hartle M* Sandy Hill M Mike Hoffman V Matthew Huff V Robert Ike, Jr. M Jill Jamison MV Lisa Kennedy M Tom Kennedy MV Janet Kerns V Sharon Komenda M* Jim Lang M Susan Lang MV Jessica Lettiere and family V Paige Lewis M Robson Da Costa Lopez V Scott Lotan M Nicole Marlow V Justin Martin V Chris Mathew M Ed Mathew M Cheynne Maupin M Barbara McCane M* David Miller MV | Keith and Debbie Moore M Navy Logistics Support V Vic Nichols M Timothy Moreland V Amy Petersen M Aiden Poulsen V Jennifer Raymond MV Cynthia Rodriguez V Rogard Ross MV* Bianca Roxas V Reynaldo Roxas V Brooke Schaab M Brjiesh Sharma V Jim Spiegeler M Pat Starling V Pat Swearingen M Douglas Throp V Justin Traugen M Carol Warren MV* Amy Weber MV* Chris Whitney MV* Jayne Whitney MV* Bill Will M Marc Winans M Herman Wong V |
* - Completed more than 100 lifetime volunteer hours with FIR
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