Monday, December 28, 2015

Friends of Indian River Year End Report for 2015

2015 was a busy year for the Friends of Indian River and our community. Our organization is entirely driven by our volunteers and we are thankful for all their efforts. This year saw significant progress in efforts to spruce up Indian River Road, enhance Indian River Park, and further the Eastern Branch Restoration Strategy. Our outreach efforts are expanding and we’re taking a more active role in area planning and zoning efforts. We also wish to thank the many partners who have supported these efforts including the Chesapeake Departments of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (PR&T), Public Works, and Public Utilities, the Elizabeth River Project (ERP), the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), the Chesapeake Master Gardeners, and the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC).

The Friends of Indian River invite you to attend our Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 21, 7 pm at Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive, Chesapeake, Va. 23325. We will hold elections for our officers and board and discuss plans for 2016.   With the continued support of our members and volunteers, we will build upon this year’s successes.

Our Top 10 Successes for 2015 include:

1. Over 150 Volunteers contributed more 800 hours to Friends of Indian River activities

From cleanups to outreach, trail maintenance to administration, photography to gardening, volunteers have been working diligently to make our community a better place to live. We tallied over 800 hours on our projects and those don’t include other volunteer efforts by our members supporting the Elizabeth River Project, the Master Gardeners, the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council, local civic leagues and churches, and folks just working to fix up their personal backyard ecosystems.

2. Upgrades at Indian River Park including the new Native Plant Garden

Some of our most visible progress is at Indian River Park. We started in January with the planting of the native plant garden at the trailhead entrance, which bloomed beautifully through the spring, summer, and fall. Keeping the entrance area looking nice took lots of effort from many gardeners, organized by Master Gardener Amy Weber, to weed, prune, and mulch the area. Plant identification signs were ordered and installed over the summer. We had plant donations from Southern Branch Nursery and Meadows of Bliss Nursery. We worked with PR&T to revise their maintenance and mowing schedule at the entrance area. In the fall, PR&T also delivered us more mulch and installed a new “apron” at the parking lot entrance. The Friends also continued to hack back the English Ivy, Japanese Stilt Grass, and other invasive plant species. And with our support, Eagle Scout Candidate Randy Riffle organized the building of a bird blind along the nature trail.

3. Clean the Bay Day

In June we hosted the annual Clean the Bay Day at Indian River Park, bringing in over 90 volunteers and removing at least 850 pounds of trash from the park and its stream. Groups including Cub Scout Packs 42, 700, and 800, the Junior Master Naturalists, the Oscar Smith High School National Honor Society, Capital One Bank, and local residents, all participated. And we wrapped it all up with a tasty picnic and cookout lunch for the volunteers.

4. Roadside Cleanups and Upkeep of Bridge Gardens and Trees

The Friends continued our Adopt-A-Highway and Adopt-A-Garden projects along Indian River Road. Across four cleanups, including one set aside for the International Coastal Cleanup around the bridge, our teams collected about 60 large bags of full of trash, litter that would otherwise be washed into our river and bay. We’ve also tried to get the word out to prevent litter including the “Cigarette Butts=Litter” campaign. We continued our gardening around the bridge, keeping up the four corner gardens and tending to the young trees that we planted along the median last year; we’re happy to report we’ve only lost one tree and have high hopes for their long term prospects.

5. River Star Homes and Living Shorelines

We strengthened our partnership with the ERP to promote the River Star Homes program. Several of our members are already taking advantage of the ERP’s programs to help pay for landscaping to build Living Shorelines and/or Lawn Makeovers on their property. The City has signed an agreement with the ERP to help fund the initiative as a way to meet the city’s clean water goals. And as part of that effort, the Friends provided the Cooperative Extension Office with a database of addresses adjacent to the Indian River; the Cooperative Extension Office use this information to send these residents more information on Living Shorelines and invite them to a seminar. The seminar was popular with local residents attending to learn more and get information from representatives of the ERP and the Friends. Several members are also working on the permitting to establish oyster reefs along their shorelines.

6. Eastern Branch Environmental Restoration Strategy

Focusing on one of the key goals of improving public access – and thus public awareness - we’ve been working with the ERP and PR&T to get the city to establish a canoe/kayak launch site along the Indian River. Options have been identified and we’ve been working together to try to address the funding challenge to make this a reality. We’ve also been participating in an effort to establish a new Eastern Branch Bike Trail through our area. The proposed route would extend along Indian River Road through Oaklette before cutting through Norfolk Highlands to Rokeby along Indian River Park and then continue off into Virginia Beach. Presentations have been made to both the Chesapeake Bicycle and Virginia Beach Trails Advisory Committees. The Chesapeake committee already voted to endorse the concept and, separately, the Norfolk Planning Commission approved a new Strategic Bike Plan that includes a bike route along Indian River Road in Norfolk.

7. Great Speakers at our Monthly Meetings

We continued our speaker series at our regular meetings. Guest speakers this year included:

- Lynn Gilbert on Vermi-Composting
- Monica Christiansen and her team from PR&T on various park programs affecting our area.
- Jackie Shannon from the CBF on Oyster Gardening
- Sara Felker from the ERP on Better Lawn Care
- Julie Finn from Meadows of Bliss on Butterfly Gardens
- City Council Member Ella Ward
- Elizabeth Vaughn, Public Outreach Coordinator for the City Public Works on the city’s various environmental programs

8. Education and Outreach

The Friends hosted several nature walks around the area including spring and fall hikes at Indian River Park and bird watching at Indian River “Woodland” Lake between the Middle and High School. We were a key partner at this year’s RiverFest celebrating the Eastern Branch. We organized a tour for our members of the CBF’s new ultra-green Brock Environmental Center on the Lynnhaven. And our social media outreach continues on Facebook, Twitter, and E-mail; in the last month we topped 400 likes on Facebook. Now we’re working with PR&T to host a BioBlitz, including a series of nature walks, at Indian River Park in April, 2016.

9. CBF Education Boat Trip

This fall, we sponsored a special outing for our members on the CBF Education Boat Jenny S out on the Lynnhaven River. Eighteen members spent 4 hours touring the river, collecting samples of the local sea life, and learning about ecosystem of an estuary very much like our own Indian River. This was a great opportunity for building our environmental literacy and building stronger friendships within the group.

10. Awards recognizing our efforts

In March, we were honored to receive the Communications Award or our environmental activities by the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC). And in October we received the Award for Environmental Excellence - 2015 Fostering Partnership from the Hampton Roads Alliance for Environmental Education for our efforts supporting RiverFest

Planning and Zoning

A few items didn’t make it into our win column, yet. In December, the Chesapeake Planning Commission approved a plan to build 240 apartments on in 18 acres of woods adjacent to Indian River Park. While we did succeed in getting the building setback from the park increased from 60’ to 90’, there are still numerous concerns associated with the project including the impact on local school crowding. This Zoning Request goes to the City Council for final consideration in January.

We’ve kept up pressure on the City regarding the situation with Aqua Virginia and the Indian River Shopping Center. The City has been in negotiation with Aqua Virginia and there is a proposal for Aqua Virginia to upgrade its water system (to provide fire suppression capacity) in conjunction with the City’s plans to upgrade the area’s Sewer System in 2017. This would resolve one of the key stumbling blocks to re-developing Indian River Shopping Center. But engineering plans still need to be developed and a written agreement between the City and Aqua Virginia is targeted for 2016. The proposal is not a sure thing and we’ll be tracking this effort to ensure that there is follow through.

Annual Meeting – January 21, 7pm, at Oaklette United Methodist Church

We will be discussing plans for 2016 and getting membership input at our Annual Meeting in January. We’re looking to continue with our cleanups, gardening, and park efforts. We expect to help with the ERP’s Living Shoreline and Oyster Reef Projects. Of course, we will continue to partner with the City on projects such as the Canoe/Kayak Launch Site, the BioBlitz at Park in April. There is also discussion to hold a Mini-RiverFest/Community Day in our area, perhaps in conjunction with grand opening of new Activity Center at Indian River Park.

We look forward to your continued support and participation and to make 2016 a bountiful year for the neighborhoods of Indian River.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

December Events - Ivy and Holiday Party

Three dates to mark on your calendar for December
- Wednesday, December 9th, 7 pm - Planning Commission meets again to vote on Eastwyck Crossing Apartment proposal adjacent to Indian River Park
- Saturday, December 12th, 9:30 am - Volunteer Event to Remove Invasive English Ivy at Indian River Park
- Thursday, December 17th, 7 pm - Holiday Party and Volunteer Appreciation Event

Eastwyck Crossing Apartments
The previous Planning Commission meeting ended in a tied vote on the proposed Eastwyck Crossing Apartments located adjacent to Indian River Park at the south end of Miller Avenue.   The site was approved for a condo development in 2008, but now the developer wants to build a 240 unit apartment complex.   Concerns raised include the crowding of local schools (Indian River Middle School is over 120% of capacity), reduced proffer payments to the city (from $3811 per unit to $2000 per unit), negative impact to the city and school budget, the loss of the woodland at the site, and impact to the park.   The proposal will have another public hearing at the next Planning Commission on Wednesday, December 9th, 7 pm at City Hall; those wishing to speak must register before 7 pm.  Thereafter the proposal goes to the City Council in January for a final vote.  For more discussion, see this post on Facebook.

Volunteer Event to Remove Invasive English Ivy at Indian River Park
On Saturday, December 12th, we need volunteers to help  remove Invasive Ivy at Indian River Park from 9:30 AM to Noon.   We'll mainly be cutting English Ivy that has grown up trees.   This will prevent the ivy from creating fruit and creating new outbreaks in the park.  Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves; we recommend long pants and long sleeved shirts. Bring pruning clippers, loppers, screwdrivers (which are amazingly useful in prying ivy off tree trunks) and/or pruning saws if you have them.  We'll have water and snacks available.   Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.  Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.) which is located just south of Military Highway, i.e. across Military Highway from the Fire Station.

Holiday Party and Volunteer Appreciation Event
On Thursday, December 17th, at 7 pm at Oaklette United Methodist Church, we will hold our end of year celebration to recognize our many accomplishments, recognize our volunteers, and socialize. Bring a desert to share and join the festivities.  We'll have a silent auction, so you can finish some Christmas shopping too.
If you have some items to donate for the silent auction, those are welcome; just bring them in and we'll add them to the auction table.  Please also consider bringing a donation of non-perishable food items for the Oaklette United Methodist Church food pantry to the meeting this evening.   Even if you have not been to a meeting in a while or if this would be your very first meeting, we encourage you to come out and partake in the merriment!


Friday, October 23, 2015

October-November Events

Upcoming events and meetings:
- Saturday, Oct 24, 9:30 am (tomorrow) - Volunteer Work Day @ Indian River Park - Help Needed
- Monday, Oct 26, 6:30 pm - Presentation on River Star Homes, Living Shoreline, and cost-sharing grant opportunities for home owners @ Library
- Tuesday, Oct 27, 6:30 pm - Community Meeting regarding proposed Eastwyck Apartments at southeast side of Indian River Park @ Oaklette UMC
- Saturday, Nov 7, 9:30 am - Indian River Park Nature Trail guided walk
- Thursday, Nov 12, 7:00 pm - Planning Commission meets regarding Eastwyck Apartments @ City Hall
- Saturday, Nov 14, Boat Trip out of Pleasure House Point
- Thursday, Nov 19; 7:00 pm - Monthly Meeting featuring the Bay Star Homes Program @ Oaklette UMC
- Saturday, Nov 21, 9:30 am - Adopt-A-Road cleanup along Indian River Road

And in more detail:

Saturday, Oct 24, 9:30 am (tomorrow) - Volunteer Work Day @ Indian River Park

This Saturday, October 24 is a big Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Work Day at Indian River Park from 9:30 am to Noon.   We need more volunteers to help spread mulch around the picnic areas and garden area.    We'll also be doing some weeding and invasive plant removal.    Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.) The more volunteers that come out, the more that we can accomplish!   Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. If you can, bring shovels, rakes and other gardening tools. We will have water and lots of snacks. (We also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles). Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

Monday, Oct 26, 6:30 pm - Presentation on River Star Homes & Living Shoreline
Learn how to make your home a "River Star" home and become eligible for grant money to improve your shoreline and help make the Indian River cleaner and healthier for fishing, boating, and wildlife! The Virginia Cooperative Extension office will be providing assistance with cleaning up the Indian River in partnership with the Elizabeth River Project and the Friends of Indian River. They will be holding a FREE educational program at the Indian River Library on Monday, October 26, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. To receive additional information or to sign up for this program, call the Chesapeake Extension Office at 757-382-6348.

Tuesday, Oct 27, 6:30 pm - Community Meeting regarding proposed Eastwyck Apartments
There will be a community meeting to discuss the proposed apartment complex at the southeast side of Indian River Park. The developer will be there to answer questions and take feedback from the community. The meeting will start at 6:30 pm at the Oaklette United Methodist Church on Indian River Road (520 Oaklette Drive, Chesapeake, Va. 23325).

Saturday, Nov 7, 9:30 am - Indian River Park Nature Trail guided walk
From 9:30 am to 11 am,  join us for a hike along the nature trail and through the park.  Learn about the history of the park, the native trees and plants in this century old forest on the Indian River flood plain, and its value to maintaining the health of local butterfly, bird, and wildlife populations.  Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.).  

Thursday, Nov 12, 7:00 pm - Planning Commission meets regarding Eastwyck Apartments
The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the Zoning Request for the Eastwyck Apartments.  Persons wishing to comment must submit a speakers request prior to 7 pm.  http://www.cityofchesapeake.net/government/Boards-Commissions/full-listing/11planningcommission.htm

Saturday, Nov 14, Boat Trip out of Pleasure House Point

There are also a few spots left on our Boat Trip with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation out of the CBF Brock Environmental Center at Pleasure House Point, Virginia Beach, on Saturday, November 14, 2015. We invite you to join us for a tour of Lynnhaven River to learn about the ecology of an estuarine river system similar to our Indian River, view migratory birds, help trawl for and examine sea life, enjoy fellowship with other members of the Friends of Indian River.   The trip will leave the dock at 10 am, returning 2 pm.   Guests should depart Indian River area no later than 9 am to arrive at Pleasure House Point on time and walk (15 minutes) to dock.  As a thank you to our members, this boat trip will be FREE to members in Good Standing (Dues Paid).  However due to concern of “no-shows”, there is a $10 Registration Fee per person to reserve your spot; the Registration Fee will be refunded when you go on the trip or if someone on waiting list fills your spot.   “No-shows” will forfeit Registration Fee.   Offer limited to immediate household only for Family Memberships.    Not a member?   Individual memberships start at $15.    Space is limited to 30 guests and the minimum age is 10 years old, so contact us now to reserve your spot.



Thursday, Nov 19; 7:00 pm - Monthly Meeting featuring the Bay Star Homes Program

Join us for our regular meeting and a presentation by Public Works Spokesperson Liz Vaughn.  Learn about how to sign up for the new Bay Star Home Program and help improve the health of the Chesapeake's environment.   
There will be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation.  Meeting starts at 7 PM in the Social Hall at the Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive.    Please also consider bringing a donation of non-perishable food items for the Oaklette United Methodist Church food pantry to the meeting this evening.


Saturday, Nov 21, 9:30 am - Adopt-A-Road cleanup along Indian River Road
From 9:30 AM to Noon, we'll be doing our quarterly Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road.  We meet at side parking lot of Indian River Post Office, 3810 Indian River Road, Chesapeake and we'll be cleaning up 1 mile of Indian River Road from the city limits at Wingfield Avenue all the way to MacDonald Road. This will help to spruce up the area, collect trash that will otherwise get washed into the river and impact wildlife, and give us the opportunity to interact with residents and businesses along Indian River Road.  The city will provide garbage bags and orange safety vests. We'll have water and a few snacks available. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

October Events

On Saturday, October 10, we'll be doing Adopt-A-Spot: Gardening at Indian River / Oaklette Bridge from 9:30 AM to Noon.   Meet at the Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive, Chesapeake and walk over to the bridge.    We will do some fall gardening and maintenance around the bridge and the newly planted trees.   We may also do some roadside cleanup along Indian River Road if we have enough volunteers.   Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

Our next regular meeting is on Thursday, October 15 at 7 PM in the Social Hall at the Oaklette United Methodist Church.  Councilmember Ella Ward will speak with us on various topics including the role of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.  There will be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation.

Saturday, October 24 is a big Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Work Day at Indian River Park from 9:30 am to Noon.  Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.)   We'll be spreading mulch and working on various projects around the park including trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, tending to the native plant garden at the entrance, and trash pickup. The more volunteers that come out, the more that we can accomplish!   Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. If you can, bring shovels, rakes, pruners, saws and other gardening tools. We will have water and lots of snacks. (We also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles). Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

See our full calendar for all talks and volunteer events this year.  For the latest news and happenings, do like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.   We hope that everyone will be able to make it out to at least one volunteer event to help improve our community. 

Monday, August 17, 2015

September Events

We hope everyone had a great summer.   We're gearing up for a busy fall season for our community.

On Saturday, September 12th, our fall calendar starts off with a really big event - RiverFest at Nauticus in downtown Norfolk.   The Elizabeth River Project's annual festival is at a new venue and this year's focus is on the Eastern Branch including our Indian River.     There will be Workshops, an Art Show, Kids Activities, Food Vendors, a Native Plant Sale, Eastern Branch Boat Tours, a Closing Party and Concert, and its all Free (except for stuff you may buy from vendors).   The Friends of Indian River will have a table set up at the event to highlight our watershed.  The event runs from 10 am to 5 pm, so come on down and join the fun.


Thursday, September 17th, is our next regular meeting at Oaklette United Methodist Church,  520 Oaklette Drive, Chesapeake, VA, at 7 pm.   Julie Finn of Meadows of Bliss will have a presentation on Attracting Butterflies with Native Plants.   Really, who doesn't want butterflies? Come and learn how to bring them to your backyard.  There will be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation.

The following Saturday, September 19th, from 9:30 AM to Noon, we'll have our  Adopt-A-Road Cleanup and International Coastal Cleanup At Indian River Oaklette Bridge    We'll be cleaning along Indian River Road with a special emphasis on the shoreline around the Oaklette Bridge as part of the International Coastal Cleanup. This goal is to collect trash that will otherwise get washed into the river and impact wildlife. Meet at the side parking lot of Oaklette United Methodist Church.   The city will provide garbage bags and orange safety vests. We'll have water and a some snacks available. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

For the rest of the year, we'll have a full calendar of talks and volunteer events.  We hope that everyone will be able to make it out to at least one volunteer event to help improve our community.   In November, we will also have a boat trip for members on the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Education Boat out of Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach.   Space is limited and we'll have details available at the next regular meeting.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Clean the Bay Day 2015

What a great Clean the Bay Day at Indian River Park today.    With gorgeous weather over 90 volunteers from around the city came to the park to remove trash and debris that sullies our natural area and would otherwise slowly get washed into Chesapeake Bay.   We had participants from Cub Scout Packs 42, 700, and 800, the Junior Master Naturalists, the Oscar Smith High School National Honor Society, Capital One Bank, local residents, and of course, our core volunteers from the Friends of Indian River.    Dozens of cub scouts and their families fanned out scouring the main trails, other teams headed out to the far reaches of the park, while the undaunted students from Oscar Smith headed out into the muddy flood plain to retrieve being washed downstream by the storm runoff.

Actually, the park trails were in excellent shape with little trash, allowing us to focus our efforts on the flood plain.  By the end of the morning, our hardy volunteers had hauled out 38 consolidated bags of trash, a tire, a fire extinguisher and a muddy, soggy mattress.   All in all, we estimated that we removed 850 pounds of trash, which was about 20% less than last year.   The most common items were beverage containers - cans, bottles, cups - and food wrappers.    The largest item of the day was the mattress.   The most interesting item was an old Red Ryder BB Gun (with a warning about the risk of possible eye injury).

After the cleanup, many participants stayed around for the after picnic and enjoyed burgers, hot dogs, camaraderie,  and the good feeling of success.    And our next cleanup, along Indian River Road is only two weeks away!    For more photos see HERE



Saturday, May 23, 2015

A thank you to our hardy gardeners for coming out on this beautiful day to tidy up the gardens at the Oaklette Bridge along Indian River Road.   Six volunteers turned out on this Memorial Day weekend, weeding, mulching and planting flowers at the gardens at each corner of the bridge.     The crepe myrtle planters were weeded and the sidewalk cracks were cleared.   The bald cypresses and American hollies in the median were also pruned and mulched.    Thanks to these volunteers the gardens are looking gorgeous!


Thursday, May 7, 2015

Upcoming Events in May and June

We got a lot of activities going on over the next month - hikes, our monthly meeting, gardening, Clean the Bay Day, and architectural tours.   There's something for everyone and we hope you come out partake in the fun.   We do particularly need volunteers of our Adopt-A-Spot gardening on May 23rd and Clean the Bay Day on June 6th.   Come on out and help make our community better!

 On Saturday, May 16th, from 9:30 am to 11 am, there will be a guided hike along the nature trail and through Indian River Park.  Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.) and learn about the history of the park, the native trees and plants in this century old forest on the Indian River flood plain, and its value to maintaining the health of local butterfly, bird, and wildlife populations.   

Thursday, May 21st, 7 pm is our next regular meeting at Oaklette United Methodist Church; Jackie Shannon from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will be telling us about Oyster Gardening and Oyster Restoration along our Eastern Branch.   As always, there will be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation.


On Saturday, May 23rd, from 9:30 am to noon, come out and help with our Adopt-A-Spot gardening around the Indian River / Oaklette Bridge, including the area around the last year's tree plantings.   We'll be putting in a few new plants, doing weeding, and putting down mulch.   Meet at Oaklette United Methodist Church.   Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. If you can, bring any gardening tools such as like cultivators, and shovels that are helpful in planting. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.​

We also need on-going volunteers who will be willing to "adopt a corner" routinely go out and check on the bridge gardens and do some routine weeding and watering.   Contact us at info@friendsofindianriver.org  if you are interested and we'll discuss the details!

Saturday, June 6th is Clean the Bay Day and we'll be doing our cleanup at Indian River Park from 9 am to Noon at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.).   We will be working along the stream buffer in Indian River Park, the headwaters of the Indian River.   This will help to spruce up the area and collect trash that will otherwise get washed into the river and impact wildlife.    The city will provide garbage bags.   We'll have water and snacks available.  Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful.   There is also trash to be collected from the flood plain of the creek, which is wet; bring rubber boots if you can help in this area.   Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.  We will have a picnic after the cleanup around noon.  The Friends of Indian River will provide hot dogs, burgers, and drinks.   We invite folks to bring a side dish like dessert, chips, pasta salad to share.  To help our planning, please RSVP to info@friendsofindianriver.org if you know you will join us.   (Last minute volunteers are still always welcome).

And on Saturday, June 13th, we organizing a tour the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's new Brock Environment Center at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach.  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center, now open at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach, is one of the most energy efficient, environmentally smart buildings in the world.   The Brock Environmental Center is designed to meet the strictest environmental standards in accordance with the Living Building Challenge™ and is the first in the nation to embrace energy and water independence.   Come see this cutting edge architectural example.  The tour is at (corrected time)  Noon but we may meet before hand to carpool, stay tuned for details.  Space is limited so you MUST RSVP to info@friendsofindianriver.org

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Indian River Park Adopt-A-Park

Our volunteer day at the park was cut short today by the on and off rain, but Thank You to the  12 volunteers who accomplished a lot, fixing up the entrance area.   Pulling weeds, spreading mulch, and staking trees, we got the gardens around the parking area refreshed and ready to show off their spring blooms.   We also planted two Washington hawthorn seedlings which should add some nice color to the trees along the roadway in the coming years.   The native plants we planted this winter are popping up all over.   The red chokeberries are just past bloom, the columbines are looking great, and a lot more color is getting ready to burst forth.   Along the nature trail we also found native trumpet honeysuckle in full bloom, and less showy, along the forest floor mayapple blossoms.
Blue flags
Picnic area


Atlantic White Cedars
Columbines

Trumpet honeysuckle
Mayapples


Monday, March 30, 2015

April Activities

At our next regular meeting on Thursday, April 16, 7 pm., representatives from Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism will be talking to us about our local parks and recreation centers, including upcoming plans and events.   As always, there will be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation

On Saturday, April 25, we are holding an Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Work Day at Indian River Park, from 9:30 am to Noon.  Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.) We'll be working on various projects around the park including trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, tending to the native plant garden at the entrance, and trash pickup - depending on volunteer availability. The more volunteers that come out the more that we can accomplish! Afterward, we'll also do a short guided walk of the nature trail for those interested.  Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. If you can, bring shovels, rakes, pruners, saws and other gardening tools. We will have water and lots of snacks. (We also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles). Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

March Adopt-A-Road Cleanup

We had a great turnout for our quarterly Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road.   Ten of our regular, dedicated volunteers turned out on this beautiful day.   And we had help from a group of volunteers from Naval Air Station Oceana.    With the extra help from the Navy, we were able to do an extra thorough job all the way up to railroad overpass at the Norfolk city line.   Together, the combined team collected over 30 heavy bags of trash including lots of plastic bottles, cans, plastic bags, food wrappers, cigarette butts, and automotive fragments.   Once again, a big thank you to these hard working volunteers!
Volunteers out in force!
The Navy sends a message: Stop Littering!

Friday, February 20, 2015

March Activities

"Compost-dirt" by normanack - http://www.flickr.com/photos/29278394@N00/2457055952/Our next regular meeting is on Thursday, March 19, 7 PM in the Social Hall at the Oaklette United Methodist Church.   Lynn Gilbert will will teach us about Vermi-Composting.   Learn how you can take your kitchen scraps and turn them into a rich compost to enrich your soil and jump start your plants.   And in the process you help reduce the flow of trash to our landfills and provide great stewardship of our environment.   We are now meeting in the big social hall at the church, so there is plenty of room for you to come on out and join us for this interesting presentation.   As always there will be light refreshments and door prizes after the talk.

On Saturday, March 21, from 9:30 AM to Noon, we'll be doing our quarterly Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road.  We meet at side parking lot of Indian River Post Office, 3810 Indian River Road, Chesapeake and we'll be cleaning up 1 mile of Indian River Road from the city limits at Wingfield Avenue all the way to MacDonald Road. This will help to spruce up the area, collect trash that will otherwise get washed into the river and impact wildlife, and give us the opportunity to interact with residents and businesses along Indian River Road.  The city will provide garbage bags and orange safety vests. We'll have water and a few snacks available. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

February Activities

February 13th thru the 16th is the Great Backyard Bird Count, a worldwide citizen science effort to identify the distribution of birds.   

As part of this event on Saturday morning, February 14th, the Friends of Indian River will host a guided bird walk around the lake between the Indian River Community/Rec Center and the Indian River High School .   When scouting the site, a variety of birds were spotted including Cormorants, Mallards, Pied-Bill Grebe, Bluebirds, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Woodpeckers, and more.  Meet at the Indian River Community Center, 2250 Old Greenbrier Rd, at 8:30 am.  We'll be out for about 1 to 1.5 hours.  We'll have some binoculars and a spotting scope, but do bring your own if you have some!

Even if you can't make it out to the walk, you can report your bird sightings at  http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/  or http://ebird.org/.   If you got photos, there is a new Flickr group to share your nature photos from around the Indian River area at https://www.flickr.com/groups/indianriver/.


Our February meeting was cancelled due to the snow and ice. Jackie Shannon's presentation on Oyster Gardening and Restoration will now be at our May meeting.   At that time we'll learn all about oysters, how important they are to water quality, plans for restoring oyster reefs along the Eastern Branch and Indian River, and how you can help raise baby oysters to restore such reefs.   

Lastly, the Elizabeth River Project and Friends of Indian River are looking for historical photos, maps, and stories about the Indian River and the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River. These artifacts will help us share the story of this branch with its citizens. If you have photos you’re willing to share, or even a story about growing up near the river, send us a message at info@friendsofindianriver.org.





Thursday, January 29, 2015

Eastern Branch Restoration Strategy


Here is the link to the new Eastern Branch Environmental Restoration Strategy developed by the Eastern Branch Steering Committee convened by the Elizabeth River Project.   The Steering Committee had participants from citizen groups, non-profits, local businesses, and government organizations from across Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.   The Eastern Branch Environmental Restoration Strategy is a plan to mobilize government, business, and citizens to improve the quality of the Eastern Branch ecosystem - and the quality of life for the residents of the area.   Key actions include engaging residents and giving them a stake in the river, restoring wildlife habitat, restoring clean water, and cleaning the river bottom.

Also the State of the Elizabeth River, Scorecard 2014 was released in 2014.   This scientific data set and analysis was compiled by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Elizabeth River Project.    Overall the Eastern Branch got a grade of "D".   The Indian River got a grade of "F" due to excessive Nutrient and Bacterial Contamination.   On the plus side, we did get a "B" for the amount of Dissolved Oxygen in the water, which is a good sign.   This scorecard gives us a baseline to measure future improvements.