View this newsletter online at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/
- Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, November 4 - Election Day
- Saturday, November 8 - Second Saturday Hike @ Indian River Park
- Saturday, November 15 - Adopt-A-Park - Invasive Species Workshop
- Thursday, November 20 - Monthly Meeting - City Council Member Pat King
- News
- Leave the Leaves
- Alternative Waste Disposal coming to Chesapeake
- Revised Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Ordinance to Protect Mature Trees
- Chesapeake Comprehensive Plan heading to City Council
- Climate Action Series at Brock Environmental Center on Nov. 12
- October Recap - Mulching and Weeding at the Park
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, November 4, 2025: Election Day
- 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. at your regular polling location
- On the ballot are the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Delegate, Commonwealth Attorney, Sheriff (a major party write-in candidate is also running), Commissioner of Revenue, Treasurer, and a Special Election for one School Board position.
- Get all the official election information, including Sample Ballots at Voter Registrar | Chesapeake, VA.
Saturday, November 8, 2025: Second Saturday Hike @ Indian River Park
- 8:30 am to 10:30 am
- Location: Indian River Park entrance
at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2003 Rokeby Ave.) which is located just south of Military Highway, i.e. across Military Highway from the Fire Station. - 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. Note: the forest trail has uneven surfaces and minor elevation changes.
- Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/sZ91FcLm2ZAKs3Qq6 (suggested but not required)
Saturday, November 15, 2025: Adopt-A-Park - Invasive Species Workshop
- From 9:00 am to Noon.
- Meet at the Indian River Park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2003 Rokeby Ave.) which is located just south of Military Highway, i.e. across Military Highway from the Fire Station.
- Learn to identify various invasive plant species that threaten Indian River Park and natural areas across the Tidewater region. Those found in the park include English Ivy, Chinese Privet, Multifloral Rose, Linden Viburnum, and others.
- Then we'll have a work effort to manage some outbreaks of the either Linden Viburnum or English Ivy (TBD). The more volunteers that come out the more that we can accomplish!
- Please wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, a hat and bring work gloves. Bring pruning clippers, loppers, screwdrivers (which are amazingly useful in prying ivy off tree trunks) and/or pruning saws if you have them. We will have water and snacks but 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.
- Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/FfNEETA13wxMrANH9, suggested but not required.
Thursday, November 20, 2025: Monthly Meeting - City Council Member Pat King
- 7 pm to 8:30 pm
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- Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive
- Our guest speaker will be City Council Member Pat King. This is a chance to discuss community and citywide matters with the Council Member.
- All are welcome. We'll also have the latest community news and updates! There will be light refresh
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Leave the Leaves
Each autumn, homeowners dutifully bag their leaves in the required clear 35-gallon plastic bags so that the workers can see that it is "light yard waste". In November and December, City trucks will collect a maximum of 50 bags per home per week. Tax dollars pay for the trucks, fuel, and thousands of staff hours required to collect all these leaves, and then pay again to haul the leaves to the landfill. Currently, there is no local market to commercially compost such large volumes of leaves.
And for the most part, this is all unnecessary. Leaves have been "God's mulch" since the first trees sprouted. Leaves provide a cover for gardens that conserves moisture, keeps the ground warmer during the winter, and reduces soil erosion. The fallen leaves also hide countless butterfly and moth eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalises; over the winter, the leaves provide vital habitat for these over-wintering pollinators, native bees, and other beneficial insects. By spring, bacteria, fungi, and other naturally occurring organisms compost the leaves to enrich the soil and provide plants with valuable nutrients. Besides all these benefits for both your yard and the local ecosystem, leaving the leaves can also greatly reduce the need for buying and hauling commercial mulch to your yard.
Tips for using leaves in your yard
- Mulch mow the leaves on your lawn. Mulch-mowing your leaves builds soil health and provides nutrients for the lawn; it's easier than raking and a lot quieter than leaf blowing.
- Leave the leaves and add leaves, mulched mowed or not, around your trees and perennial plants. They'll protect your plants in the same way as store-bought bagged mulch. Don't pile the leaves too high. Like with wood chip mulch, leaf mulch should not be piled against the trunks of trees and shrubs. Put a 3 to 6-inch layer of leaves around the base of trees and shrubs. A 2 to 3-inch layer of shredded leaves is ideal for perennial flower beds. For vegetable gardens, a thick layer of leaves placed between the rows functions as a mulch and an all-weather walkway that will allow you to work in your garden during wet periods.
- Add leaves to an existing or new compost pile. Mulched leaves will decompose faster in a compost pile. If you're new to composting, remember you want to mix equal volumes of carbon-rich, naturally dry plant material, such as fallen leaves, with nitrogen-rich green yard clippings, fruit and vegetable kitchen waste, etc.
Alternative Waste Disposal coming to Chesapeake
In October, after a Closed Meeting, the Chesapeake City Council voted to direct the City Manager to extend the Use and Support Agreement with SPSA for 25 years to 2052. This is contingent on SPSA, the Southeastern Public Service Authority, finalizing a contract with Commonwealth Sortation LLC to provide a mixed waste sorting facility using AI and robotics to remove recyclables and organics. This contract would guarantee a waste diversion rate of 50%, with 20% of the waste sent for recycling and 30% of the waste (the organic material) processed by pyrolysis to create Biochar (to be used to make concrete and provide long-term carbon sequestration). Half of Chesapeake's waste would be handled at the pilot facility by July 2026, and all of our waste will be sent to the future processing facility by 2028.
This will actually entail an increase in tipping fees and overall waste management costs for the City of Chesapeake, and it will essentially restore recycling for City residents at a rate higher than was achieved with blue bins. However, as one of the speakers noted, even if we achieve a 50% diversion rate from the landfill, we are still sending 60,000 tons of trash to the landfill. And while the contract guarantees 20% will be separated for recycling, that doesn't actually guarantee how much of the material will actually be converted into new products. The mantra of REDUCE and REUSE continues to be as important as ever.
Revised Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Ordinance
The Friends of Indian River commented in support of these changes. We also asked that developers be required to post informational signage along the edge of the RPA to educate post-construction residents and tenants that the buffer is an environmentally sensitive protected area. The City Landscape Specification Manual currently requires signage for Reforestation areas, but not Preserved Areas.
Chesapeake Comprehensive Plan
The Friends of Indian River, along with partner organizations, submitted comments on the draft. Several of these were addressed, but others were not. A key issue of interest to us is the need for a policy to educate and connect residents, businesses, and institutions with conservation landscaping practices such as the use of native plants, creating pollinator gardens, rain gardens, and reducing erosion. Many local organizations, including the Friends, are working on this today, and we need continued support from the City. You can read more about this in our partners' Greening Chesapeake newsletter.
Wednesday, November 12, 6:30 pm is the final installment of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Climate Lecture Series at the Brock Environmental Center. Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, a leading climate scientist and expert in urban microclimatology, equity, and science communication, will explore how climate change intensifies challenges in cities—especially for vulnerable communities—and share community-driven solutions for a more just and resilient future. Register at https://events.cbf.org/climateimpacts-111225
October Recap
Have an idea for an article for our newsletter? Send your submission, max 250 words, to us at info@friendsofindianriver.org along with a photo and we'll consider it for our next edition.
