March Newsletter and Events

Due to inclement weather, we are rescheduling our Adopt-A-Park gardening event to Thursday, 3/23, at 1:30 pm

• Upcoming Events
• 3/11 - Saturday - Second Saturday Hike at Indian River Park
• 3/16 - Thursday - Bi-Monthly - Trees in Our Community
• 3/23 - Saturday - Adopt-A-Park @ Indian River Park
• 3/25 - Saturday - Great American Cleanup @ Indian River Park
• Other News
• Indian River High School Scholarship
• February Re-cap
• Spring Membership Drive
• Volunteer Needs

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Upcoming Events

Second Saturday Hike at Indian River Park

Date: Saturday, March 11, 8:30 am to 10:30 am

Location: Meet at the Indian River 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.

Time to start up our Second Saturday hikes again.  Come out to the park to 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. Note: the forest trail has uneven surfaces and minor elevation changes.

Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/2GHEESxYvZvKhfaZ7 (suggested but not required)

Bi-Monthly Meeting - Trees in Our Community

Date: Thursday, March 16, 7 pm

Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive

Our guest speaker will be Bobby Nance, with Bartlett Tree Experts.  Bobby is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and is passionate about all aspects of trees.  His goal is to challenge the status quo of tree care by providing science-based recommendations to sustain long-term tree health.

We will also have a short business meeting to review the organization budget for 2023-2024 and have the latest community news and updates!

Adopt-A-Park at Indian River Park

Date: Saturday, March 23, 1:30 pm to 4 pm

Location: Meet at the Indian River 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.

We'll be tending to the native plant garden at the park entrance, including weeding and mulching. We may also do some trail work, pruning, weeding, and cleanup. 

Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. If you can, bring shovels, rakes, pruners, saws and other gardening tools. We'll have water and snacks available. We also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles and cans. 

Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision. 

Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/4veXLqUXj242Js886 (suggested but not required)

Great American Cleanup at Indian River Park

Date: Saturday, March 25, 9:45 to Noon

Location: Meet at the Indian River 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.

The CEIC is hosting the Great American Cleanup at Indian River Park this year.  

Please dress in appropriate clothing and shoes for the weather. We recommend that you wear long sleeves and pants. Waterproof shoes or boots will be helpful as well, since we’ll be working along the streambed. Be sure to bring your own reusable water bottle. We'll provide bags, gloves, and trash grabbers.

This event is open to the public and family-friendly! Please invite your friends and family members!

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Other News

Indian River High School Scholarship

The Friends of Indian River are once again sponsoring a $500 scholarship for a current Indian River High School senior who will be a college freshman next year. The scholarship will recognize a senior who excels in leadership, citizenship, extracurricular activities and academics. The scholarship application can be found on the Chesapeake Public Schools internal ScholarshipVue database. All completed applications will be returned to the IRHS Scholarship Coordinator by April 7. For more information, visit http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/friends-of-indian-river-scholarship.html

February Re-cap

Thank you to the four volunteers who came out for our February Adopt-A-Road.   They collected about 80 lbs of litter and debris along Indian River Road and around the bridge.  

On the 18th, we had one of our best Great Backyard Bird Count bird walks ever around the lake between the Indian River Community Center and the High School.  Right at the start, we spotted two Bald Eagles and two Osprey wheeling across the sky above the lake.  The Osprey are starting to prepare their nest in one of the nesting platforms installed above the ballfields - that's really early, this being only mid-February.  Then we had a real treat with a flock of 18 Ring-necked Ducks on the lake; this is a first for us and the flock may have been blown here by the previous day's storm.  They were joined by 5 Northern Shoveler ducks, 3 Pied-billed Grebes, a couple of Double-Crested Cormorants, some Mallards, and lots of Canada Geese.  We also saw Great Blue Herons, Hooded Merganser, 3 kinds of woodpeckers, various sparrows, an Eastern Towhee, and more.   All told, we identified 26 species!  See some pics at here.

Spring Membership Drive

The Friends of Indian River are an all-volunteer, local, 501(c)(3) non-profit, and we depend on member contributions to advance our mission to improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Indian River neighborhoods.  Our fiscal year ends March 31 and our fundraising goal is $1500; we are currently at $865.  Help us reach our goal.  You can become a member, renew your membership, or just make a contribution online at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/membership.html

Volunteers Needs

We need volunteers to help with weeding at the new landscaping at the Indian River Oaklette Bridge and at the native plant garden at Indian River Park. We also need volunteers to help with removing invasive plants at the Park. There are also other volunteer opportunities listed on our website at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/volunteer.html.  If you can help out on any of these, please contact us at info@friendsofindianriver.org