December Newsletter and Events

• Upcoming Events
• Saturday, December 6, 2025: Adopt-A-Road Cleanup
• Saturday, December 13, 2025: Second Saturday Hike @ Indian River Park
• Thursday, January 1, 2026: First Day Hike @ Indian River Park
• News
• Election Results
• Cuffee Pool Groundbreaking
• November Recap 
• Giving Tuesday

Upcoming Events

Saturday, December 6, 2025: Adopt-A-Road Cleanup

• 
  From 9 AM to 11:30 am  
• Meet at Lilac Avenue and Indian River Road. Park along Lilac Avenue by the Norfolk Highlands Primary School.
• Join us for our quarterly cleanup along Indian River Road and at Blue Heron Landing Park.
• We are also asking all business owners along Indian River Road - and everywhere really - to make sure they sweep up in front of their storefronts as part of the effort.   And if you can't make it out for our organized cleanup please take 15 minutes and cleanup the street and ditches in front of your home; pass the word to your neighbors!
• For our main cleanup on Indian River Road, the city will provide garbage bags and orange safety vests.  Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful.  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/TZejpGmvQ8dpHnSj8 (suggested but not required)

Saturday, December 13, 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/N6VghuCAroAHQW837 (suggested but not required)

Thursday, January 1, 2026: First Day Hike @ Indian River Park

• 
  1 pm to 3 pm
• 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.
• Start the New Year with 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/4oYUNC95Cutr1Ma59 (suggested but not required)

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News

Election Results

In Virginia, we hold elections every year, and this year it was for state-wide officeholders, the House of Delegates, and several local offices.

For the local results, the winners were:

• Commonwealth's Attorney - Matt Hamel
• Commissioner of Revenue - Victoria Proffitt
• Sheriff - Wallace Chadwick III
• Treasurer - Corrie Kring
• School Board - Amanda Quillin

Winning re-election for the House of Delegates in our area were

• Bonita Anthony, HD92 (Chesapeake/Norfolk)
• Cliff Hayes, HD 91 (Chesapeake/Portsmouth)
• Alex Askew, HD 95 (Virginia Beach)

Cuffee Aquatic Center Groundbreaking

City officials and community members gathered at the Dr. Clarence V. Cuffee Community Center on a bright morning on November 14 for the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Aquatic Center.   This indoor pool will be the City's first municipal pool.  The 28,280 square foot facility will house a 25-yard competition pool, a separate leisure pool area, a therapy room, the Aquatics Office, toilets and showers.  It is expected to be completed in 2027. 

Enclosed in glass walls and a retractable roof, one feature that the Friends of Indian River and our partners at the Cape Henry Audubon Society continue to advocate for is the inclusion of bird-safe glass to prevent deadly window collisions.  Our understanding is that this is still one of the options being negotiated as part of the final construction plan.  

November Recap

We are grateful for the six volunteers who came out in November for our Invasive Species Workshop at Indian River Park.  Participants learned how to identify various invasive plants threatening the habitat in the park and then worked to prune Linden Viburnum and clip and remove its berries.  Thousands of berries, and thus thousands of potential new plants, were removed.

At our bi-monthly meeting, attendees were engaged with a presentation on the History and Value of Trees by our own Rogard Ross.  The talk discussed the importance of trees in our region from pre-Columbian times through today.  It also examined the ongoing threat to trees in our urban environment, with the City of Chesapeake having a net loss of over 800 acres of trees in the previous decade. 

Giving Tuesday

Please keep the Friends of Indian River in mind on Giving Tuesday.  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 at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/membership.html

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.

November Newsletter and Events

 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
• 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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News

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

New single-stream waste management that combines trash, recycling, and composting into a single bin may be coming to Chesapeake and the Hampton Roads region in 2026.  

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

In October, the City Council also approved changes to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area (CBPA) Ordinance.  The CBPA Ordinance is our primary tool for protecting the land along our waterways, at least in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.   This ordinance protects the 100' buffer along our shores, i.e., the Resource Protection Area (RPA), from development and is critically important for protecting water quality and building coastal resilience.  The amendments, reflecting the changes made by the General Assembly in 2020, reinforce the protection of mature trees in these buffer zones and factor in the impact of sea level rise in planning.   These are significant improvements supported by the environmental community. 

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 draft Chesapeake Comprehensive Plan was reviewed by the Planning Commission on October 8th. Overall, the draft does a good job of providing a strong vision for creating a high-quality future for the City. The policies presented adopt the principles of Smart Growth, environmental responsibility, resilience, and Complete Streets that provide safe access to all, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users.

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.

Climate Action Series at Brock Environmental Center

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

Thank you to the volunteers who came out for our Adopt-A-Park volunteer event at Indian River Park in October.  We had a great turnout with 13 volunteers weeded and mulched the garden, getting it ready for the winter!

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.