November Newsletter

It is finally starting to feel like fall. This Saturday, October 29th we will have a guided hike at Indian River Park, which is spruced up after our Adopt-A-Park event last week. There is also still room to join our tour of New Earth Farm on Saturday, November 5th. Free for our members, this tour will visit this sustainable and educational farm in Pungo; we’ll visit their educational gardens to talk about sustainable agriculture, see their sustainable building and energy use techniques, learn about their farm animals, and visit other areas of the 21 acre working farm. RSVP now by emailing info@friendsofindianriver.org.

Vice-Mayor Rick West will be the guest speaker at our next meeting on Thursday, November 17th, to address questions relevant to our community. The following Saturday, November 19th, we'll hold an Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road.

And mark your calendars .... Thursday, December 15th is our, not to be missed, Annual Holiday Party. This is our end of year celebration to recognize volunteers and accomplishments, and socialize. Please bring a desert to share and join the festivities. We'll have a silent auction, so you can finish some Christmas shopping too.

Sincerely,
Rogard Ross
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

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Indian River Park Nature Trail Guided Walk

Date: Saturday, October 29th, 8:30 am to 10:00 am
Location: Indian River Park, 2001 Rokeby Avenue

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.

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Field Trip: Tour of New Earth Farm
Date: Saturday, November 5th
Duration: 9 am to about 2 pm including travel time.

Located at the Pungo end of Indian River Road, New Earth Farm is a working, sustainable and educational farm started by “Farmer John” Wilson in 1995 to grow and provide all-natural, chemical-free produce and products for the health of you and the environment!  The tour includes their educational gardens to talk about sustainable agriculture, viewing sustainable building and energy use techniques, learning about their farm animals, and visiting other areas of the 21 acre working farm.     We'll meet to carpool at 9 am; the tour is from 10 am to 12:30 pm and we should be back by around 2 pm.  There is an optional hands-on activity, so wear sturdy shoes and comfortable clothing.  Free for our members, this tour is limited to 30 persons.  Contact us at info@friendsofindianriver.org to RSVP.

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Monthly Meeting: Guest Speaker Vice Mayor Rick West
Date: Thursday, November 17th, 7 pm
Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Dr.

Vice-Mayor Rick West will present at our next meeting and address questions relevant to our community. There will be light refreshments and door prizes afterwards. Please also consider bringing a donation of non-perishable food items for the Oaklette United Methodist Church food pantry to the meeting this evening.

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Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road
Date: Saturday, November 19th, 9:30 am to Noon


Meet at side parking lot of Indian River Post Office, 3810 Indian River Road, Chesapeake, for our next quarterly cleanup along Indian River 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.

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Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Work Day
Date: Saturday, December 10th, 9:30 am to Noon
Location: Indian River Park, 2001 Rokeby Avenue

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. We'll be focusing on removal of invasive species, primarily English Ivy. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. 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.

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Annual Holiday Party
Date: Thursday, December 15th, 7 pm
Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Dr.

This will be our end of year celebration to recognize our many accomplishments, recognize our volunteers, and socialize. Please bring a desert to share and join the festivities. We'll have a silent auction, so you can finish some Christmas shopping too. 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.

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Other News

• 2016 RiverFest is rescheduled for Sunday, November 20th 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.
• In a very brief hearing on October 18th, the City Council voted to DENY the Eastwyck Crossing Apartments proposal, located on 18 acres adjacent to Indian River Park, by an 8-0 vote. The existing zoning for condos, approved in 2008, is still in place but immediate development plans appear to be on hold. http://www.cityofchesapeake.net/Assets/supporting_docs/actions_council/2016/10-18-16/Marked+Agenda.pdf
• We had a great turnout for the Adopt-A-Park volunteer day at Indian River Park in October. Between the Friends of Indian River, the Eastern Virginia Mountainbike Association, and the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club, we had 27 volunteers come out. The ATC gave an excellent trail maintenance primer to the group. The EVMA crew focused on clearing the trails of storm debris, fixing some storm damaged bridges, and other trail work. The Friends focused on the Rokeby trail entrance, weeding the native plant garden, cleaning up storm debris and putting down mulch . A lot was accomplished and we give a big thank you to all the volunteers! See pictures at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofIndianRiver/posts/1235640959834586
• Congratulations to Wickers Crab Pot for receiving an Honorable Mention in the Chesapeake Business Beautification Award.

October Newsletter

Hope everyone is keeping dry with all this weather.  I guess we can say that at least everyone's gardens are getting plenty of rain.   And frogs, the subject of this month's talk, probably like the weather.

Our next meetings is on Thursday, October 20th, featuring Yohn Sutton speaking on FrogWatch.  

We really need volunteers on October 22nd for our Adopt-A-Park event at Indian River Park; we'll be doing work on the gardens at the entrance area and working with the Eastern Virginia Mountain Bike Association on trail maintenance.

The following week on October 29th we'll lead a guided walk at the Indian River Park - it's a great chance to discover the park in its fall colors.   And on November 5th we'll sponsor a tour of New Earth Farm.

The Eastwyck Crossing Apartment project was recommended for Approval by the Planning Commission and is heading for the City Council this month; despite some improvements there are still concerns about this 240-unit development adjacent to Indian River Park.

On the positive side, the Elizabeth River Project won a $700,000 grant for Eastern Branch Restoration projects including along our Indian River.   We will see a reinvigorated effort in our area including installation of living shorelines, lawn makeover, and evaluation of the impact of septic systems on our river.   Planning will kick into gear this fall and we will keep you informed about upcoming projects.

Sincerely,
Rogard Ross
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

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Monthly Meeting: Frog Watch
Date: Thursday, October 20th, 7 pm
Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Dr.

Yohn Sutton, coordinator for the Frog Watch chapter at the Virginia Zoo will tell us all about frogs and how you can participate in Frog Watch, a fun and educational program that has individuals, groups, and families learn about wetlands in their communities by reporting on the calls of local frogs and toads.  There will also be light refreshments and door prizes after the presentation.

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Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Work Day
Date: Saturday, October 22nd, 9:30 am to Noon
Location: Indian River Park, 2001 Rokeby Avenue

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. We'll be doing work around the park entrance, trailhead, and along the trails including 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 plan to have a brief pruning and trail maintenance workshop giving by the Tidewater Chapter of the Appalachian Trail Club. 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.

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Indian River Park Nature Trail Guided Walk


Date: Saturday, October 29th, 8:30 am to 10:00 am
Location: Indian River Park, 2001 Rokeby Avenue

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.

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Field Trip: Tour of New Earth Farm
Date: Saturday, November 5th
Duration: 9 am to about 2 pm including travel time.

Located at the Pungo end of Indian River Road, New Earth Farm is a working, sustainable and educational farm started by “Farmer John” Wilson in 1995 to grow and provide all-natural, chemical-free produce and products for the health of you and the environment!  The tour includes their educational gardens to talk about sustainable agriculture, viewing sustainable building and energy use techniques, learning about their farm animals, and visiting other areas of the 21 acre working farm.     We'll meet to carpool at 9 am; the tour is from 10 am to 12:30 pm and we should be back by around 2 pm.  There is an optional hands-on activity, so wear sturdy shoes and comfortable clothing.  Free for our members, this tour is limited to 30 persons.  Contact us at info@friendsofindianriver.org to RSVP.

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Other News

• The Eastwyck Crossing Apartment project was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission on September 14th.   It is scheduled to go to the City Council in October (probably 10/18) for final review.   There are continuing concerns around the developments impacts on the city and school budgets, the overcrowding at Indian River Middle School, and the need for mitigation related to the loss of 18 acres of mature woods adjacent to Indian River Park.   Citizen input is critical at this time - if you are interested in learning more about this development and how you can comment to City Council, contact us at info@friendsofindianriver.org for more info.
• Voter registration deadline in Virginia is October 17th.  You can register, update your address, or just double-check your registration online at http://www.elections.virginia.gov/voter-outreach/
• Work is progressing on the new Rokeby Senior Center at Indian River Park (at Rokeby and Providence).   The Parks Department is finishing up work on the brand new interior and the opening is expected in the next couple of months.
• The Friends of Indian River sponsored an International Coastal Cleanup at Plymouth Community Park on 9/17.   Thank you to the volunteers who came out and collected about 250 lbs. of trash including hundreds of beverage bottles, including glass bottles that probably haven't been manufactured in decades.   And a local business, Savior Martial Arts, held another cleanup at the mouth of the river on 9/18 removing another 100 lbs. of trash; kudos to them also!
• We are always looking for more volunteers, both for our scheduled events and for various on-going or proposed projects.   Find out ways you can help at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/volunteer.html

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