September Newsletter

We hope everyone had a great summer.   The statistics for August still need to be compiled, but this may very well have been the hottest summer on record.  But now we're looking forward to more comfortable temperatures and starting up our fall programs listed in the attached calendar.   The Elizabeth River Project has also gotten new funding and we expect to see a re-invigorated effort around the Eastern Branch Restoration Strategy starting in October.  

To kick-off those efforts, the guest speaker at our September 15th meeting will give us information about Living Shoreline Restoration and on the September 17th we'll be doing the International Coastal Cleanup at Plymouth Community Park.  We're also working with the Parks Department to initiate a revitalization plan at Plymouth Community Park.   

The proposal to build the Eastwyck Apartments adjacent to Indian River Park has re-emerged and is going to the Planning Commission for another review on September 14th. We're continuing to follow this issue.

Sincerely,
Rogard Ross
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

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Rain Barrel Workshop
Date: Saturday, September 10th, 10:00 am to Noon
Location: Indian River Community Center, 2250 Old Greenbrier Road

The Chesapeake Master Gardeners and the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (PR&T) are sponsoring a rain barrel workshop at the Indian River Community Center.  In this workshop, you'll receive all the materials, instructions, and hands-on help to build your own rain barrel to take home.   The Friends will be at the event too to lend a hand and distribute information.  Cost: $55 for materials.   Register with PR&T at 757-382-6411 or at https://apm.activecommunities.com/cityofchesapeake/Activity_Search/rain-barrel-workshop-indian-river-comm-ctr/22075

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Eastwyck Apartments at Planning Commission
Date: Wednesday, September 14th, 7 pm
Location: City Hall Council Chamber

The proposal to build 240 apartments on an 18 acre wooded lot on the some end of Miller Avenue, adjacent to Indian River Park, is returning to the Planning Commission.   The Friends have previously raised concerns about this project including the impact on school overcrowding, especially at Indian River Middle School,  and the amount of mitigation performed with regards to the lose of the 18 acres of woods.  The application posted on the current agenda also reverts back to the September 11, 2015 site plan which leaves out several adjustments agreed upon in November.   Persons wishing to comment at the Planning Commission must sign-up prior to 7 pm.

Planning Commission Agenda        Application Part 1      Application Part 2

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Living Shorelines and Rain Gardens
Date: Thursday, September 15th, 7 pm
Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Dr.

Jim Cahoon, from Bay Environmental, will present on Living Shorelines and Rain Gardens.  We'll also have information from the Elizabeth River Project on how you can get funding help to do your own living shoreline or rain garden installation.  The goal will be to implement dozens of living shoreline restorations along the Indian River over the coming years!  There will also be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation.

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International Coastal Cleanup at Plymouth Park
Date: Saturday, September 17th, 9:30 am to Noon
Location: Plymouth Community Park, 701 Pond Lane

Plymouth Community Park is a small waterside park along the Indian River that is in need of some love. We did our first ever cleanup at this site for Clean the Bay Day. While we got out most of the big stuff, it needs another thorough going over to collect the remaining trash.   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. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.

We'll also be sharing information about planned improvements at the park.  Initial plans for park upgrades include the installation of improved signage, an information kiosk, garbage cans, a pathway along the tree line, a pair of picnic tables on the site of the old ball court, and some checkerboard game tables. Future improvements may include a children’s playground and a river overlook.

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Other News

• Nothing new to report regarding Aqua Virginia.  The Pilot reported that Aqua Virginia will be getting a new CEO, but that doesn't seem to be directly related to our issues. Meanwhile, no word of any progress from City.
• The City of Chesapeake is partnering Elizabeth River Project to promote the River Star Homes program in our area.  When you take the pledge to join the free River Star Homes program, you can qualify for cost-share funding for lawn makeovers, shoreline restoration, rain gardens and more. You DON'T have to live by the water to sign up and make a difference. See http://www.elizabethriver.org/river-star-homes for more info!
• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation will be holding their VoiCeS training program in a new, condensed, two-day format on Saturday, September 17th and Saturday, September 24th. A number of Friends of Indian River members have taken this superb program to learn about the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and what steps can be taken to "Clean the Bay". These classes will be held in Hampton from 10 to 4. $25 to cover cost of materials and field trips. Register at https://cbf.org/voices-hr-apply
• 2016 RiverFest will be held on October 9th at Paradise Creek Nature Park in Portsmouth.   Stop on by for a fun filled afternoon of family oriented, river friendly activites and also an organized walk across the Jordan Bridge.   See http://www.elizabethriverfest.org/ for all the details.
• Check out the updated Community Guide page on our website. Its chock full of useful links.  http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/resources.html

July Newsletter

Summer is here and our next meeting is not until September, but we wanted to thank everyone for a successful first half of the year.   We had volunteer events to remove invasive English Ivy at the park, cleanup along Indian River Road, and garden at the Indian River Oaklette Bridge.   Over 110 volunteers came out for Clean the Bay Day at Indian River Park and Plymouth Community Park collecting over 1500 lbs of trash.   And our BioBlitz was a big success documenting over 300 species of plants and animals in the park, 121 of which were recording on the day of the event.

Three of our members have now worked with the Elizabeth River Project to install oyster reefs off their property on the Indian River.   Over 180 cubic yards of oyster shell were strategically placed to provide the foundation to accelerate the recovery of oysters in the river.   The reefs will also provide homes to other river life including blue crabs, mussels, snails and juvenile fish.   At this point several other waterfront property owners have approached us to learn how they too can participate in river restoration efforts, like oyster reefs, living shorelines, and rain gardens.   If you are interested, reply back to this e-mail.

Upcoming events include
- Chesapeake Recycles Day at Greenbrier Mall on Saturday, July 23 from 9 am to Noon
- Rain Barrel Workshop at Indian River Community center on Saturday, Sept 10 at 10 am ($55, registration required)
- International Coastal Cleanup at Plymouth Community Park, Saturday, September 17, 9:30 am to Noon
For more information and our full fall calendar, please visit http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/calendar.html

Our next regular meeting will be Thursday, September 15, 7 pm at Oaklette United Methodist Church.   Jim Cahoon of Bay Environmental will present on Living Shorelines and Rain Gardens. We'll also have information from the Elizabeth River Project on how you can get help in doing your own living shoreline or rain garden installation.

A few other items of interest

• Would you like to have a healthier, river-friendly lawn?  The non-profit Elizabeth River Project can help you plan your organic lawn makeover and provide up to $500 in funding. One of their lawn expert will schedule a time to meet with you to go your over lawn concerns and goals and conduct a soil test to see what your soil needs. Often in this area, aeration, to deal with compacted soils, and top-dressing with organic leaf compost will add beneficial microbes to the soil. And, they can provide up to $500 to help Chesapeake homes in our Elizabeth River watershed with these lawn makeovers that are not only river-friendly, but safe for pets and kids as well. Sign up to have our lawn expert contact you at http://www.elizabethriver.org/organic-lawn-care-makeovers or call 757-399-7487.
• Also, the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is another new program that provides financial reimbursement to property owners installing specific conservation practices like living shorelines, rain gardens, permeable pavement, and more.  The program is open to residential, commercial, industrial, recreational applicants, both private and public, and may reimburse up to 75% of the cost of some projects. Contact us for more information or see http://vaswcd.org/vcap
• Mosquito Control 101. Perform regular scans of your yard to make sure there is NO standing water. This includes tarps where rainwater has collected, clogged rain gutters, buckets, unmanaged birdbaths, old tires, planters, pet dishes, kiddy pools, cans or bottles. Mosquitoes need about one week to complete their lifecycle From eggs to biting adult.     For more info see http://content.yardmap.org/learn/mosquitoes/

Clean the Bay Day 2016

This year the Friends of Indian River hosted cleanups at two sites - our 4th year at Indian River Park and, for the first time, Plymouth Community Park on the west shore of the Indian River.

At Indian River Park, 81 volunteers pull about 530 pounds of litter. We thank all the volunteers who came out including Cub Scout Packs 42 and 700 and Boy Scout Troop 303. This year we expanded efforts into new areas south of the power lines that we didn't reach previously. And, we're very happy to report that the total trash collected was 40% less than last year haul and only half of the 1000+ pounds we collected in 2014 - a really positive trend.

This was our first year at Plymouth Community Park and perhaps the first cleanup at this site by anyone in a really long time. Plymouth Community Park is a small 4.5 acre park wedged between the Plymouth Park and Campostella Square neighborhoods along the river. The park consists primarily of a riparian buffer along the river and a stream, an open field, and has no amenities. About 30 volunteers came out and collected over a 1000 pounds of trash including 13 tires and items like an old microwave. We had to bring in a small tractor to help haul some of the stuff out. A big thank you to the volunteers at this site and our first time Zone Captain Carol. We hope to see increased community involvement and stewardship at this site and are planning to return for the International Coastal Cleanup in September.