Today on the James

Bringing Her Up the Intercoastal Waterway

2012-05-31T10:17:00.001-07:00

by Gabe Silver, JRA Education and Outreach Manager

JRA's new education center at Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, the James River Ecology School, is getting a boat. A 38-passenger, 45-foot, USCG-inspected pontoon boat that was just days ago completed and certified in Hudson on Florida's Gulf Coast. To save on transportation costs and get to know the new vessel thoroughly, two captains and five brave crew volunteered to bring her to Virginia by water. Brought overland a short distance and launched off Amelia Island, FL, the temporarily-named "JRA," she had an 800-mile trip ahead of her to make it to Jordan Point Marina on the James. An overnight drive down I-95 on Friday put us in the position to officially take possession of the noble craft and head north.

On Monday the evening of Memorial Day, we headed through clear skies and a fair tide some 45 miles south of Beaufort, SC. I can say with certainty that she is a well-made ship, at home in many situations. She handled some rough seas in Charleston Harbor (see Mike Ostrander's Facebook page for a video of that) and has otherwise proven efficient, easily piloted, and comfortable.

I can also report that the southeastern coast of our great nation is a place of extraordinary beauty and diversity of scenery and ecosystems. The James sits a jewel in a long necklace of waterway gems which adorns this border with the Atlantic. In each anchorage and in many places in between, we remarked that this is surely our favorite spot thus far. As Ed Abbey wrote: "This is the most beautiful place on earth. There are many such places."

So for now I will sign off and attend to our progress north, just barely ahead of the tropical storm still swirling in our wake. More to come as we push home towards the James.

On Vauxhall Island

2012-05-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

The GBHs are not the first gray coated visitors to Vauxhall Island as this newspaper article explains:

Vauxhall's Island. “The Richmond Light Guard, Capt. Wallace, have selected the above delightful spot, located on James river, as a camp ground, till their equipment, &c., is fully completed and they start on active duty in the field. The company lacks a few men of the required number-100.” - The Daily Dispatch, Richmond Dispatch: July 22, 1861. (This would eventually become the Richmond Times-Dispatch!)

The Richmond Light Guard (later to be dubbed The Richmond Infantry Blues) eventually departed the delightful spot and were sent to fight along the Potomac River. In February of 1862 they were ordered to Nag’s Head and then to Roanoke Island where they were taken by General Ambrose E. Burnside during a “short but severe” battle.

The current siegeat Vauxhall also finds the spot to be quite convivial, and they will probably not be shipping out to the OBX anytime soon. River levels were high this week, though not nearly as high as in 1847 when Vauxhall was completely covered. (Newspapers from 1800s Richmond are insanely interesting!) The increase in water levels also caused a surge of what appear to be shad. While the herons couldn’t handle their normal wading grounds, they could easily stand on the banks and grab lunch by pretty much putting their beaks in the water at random. I’m going to be replacing “shooting fish in a barrel” with “stabbing fish with your beak in the James (pronounced “Gems” as we decided in my last entry!) when the water levels are at approximately 11 feet above normal.” It has a ring to it.

Another visitor to the Vauxhall area popped up again this week. Remember, snakes are cold blooded, so you can usually find them sunning themselves on the warm rocks in the sun like these Northern Watersnakes. Speaking of things on the rocks… until next time!

To Be Read With a British Accent…

2012-05-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

A scene taken rather later in the year shows the interior of The Richmond Heronry with a glade in the centre and gleaming silver birch stems, and on either side twin oaks, one dead and deserted, the other living and adorned with three herons’ nests. Above it soars one of the birds. By the first week in April the young are often hatched, but as a rule, it is not till the middle of the month that their chattering cry for food is heard.– Country Life Illustrated, Volume 5

One could easily think that this quote from a book from 1899 was referring to our heronry, but in fact it is referring to a heronry that is in Richmond, England (a town near London) on the Thames! (Rhymes with “stems.” I propose we start pronouncing James the same way.) Further proof that the founders of our fair city were both homesick and rather unoriginal in their naming practices. The Vauxhall in Vauxhall Island is also a suburb of London.

One thing that the British heronry doesn’t have is the Northern Water Snake (seen here investigating me from the bubbles of a raging river). I will allow you to decide whether this is a good thing or not, but keep in mind that they are non-venomous. (It’s always good to know that a snake is not going to kill you when it pops up two feet from your foot.)

Meanwhile, the GBHs seem to be getting a little sick of living so close to each other. This picture is just one of the turf wars that I witnessed. Pretty soon they are going to be slicking back their plumes and starting a rumble a la “West Side Story.”

I shall leave you with one last image that is practically guaranteed to make you say, “Awwwww!” These Canada geese goslings were hanging out with about 20 of their brothers and sisters. Their hissing parents were the only thing that stopped me from climbing down there and just hugging them! They’re so fluffy!

How I Fell in Love with an Urban Stream

2012-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

by Tim Thompson, JRA RiverRat, Henrico County / Richmond VA

From the edge of a faceless office complex parking lot in Richmond's near West End, I peered through the vine-entangled chain-link fence at the top of a ridge, and there, far down below the embankment in the distance, through the tree trunks and overgrowth, and under the high, bright green forest canopy – beneath and hard up against an I-64 off ramp and bustling Broad Street and Glenside Drive – the sun was glistening off the surface of a trickling stream nestled down in a creek bed. “Wow,” I said, “That looks like a secret little park down there.” My mind imagined it badly littered with trash. Then I thought of the red-tail hawks that live in these woods along with the multitudes of other precious wild critters. The feeling of spring stirred in my chest. Then I thought: “Maybe I could adopt it for a clean up.”

At that very moment, after a decade of caring for my stroke-affected, Iowa-strong mom, my heart sang like a line from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. I felt alive! I had found an adventure and a project to get me outside. I suddenly felt like a kid fascinated with a mysterious new journey into the urban wild filled (unknowingly) with a bigger, healing purpose. Today, after six weeks plus of relentless, periodic, often grueling clean-ups, I have fallen in love with my “private little stream.” What was once a heavily trashed ecosystem is now beginning to look like the way it was meant to be. In the process, after attending my JRA training session, I have become a volunteer with their new RiverRat program, and I am so excited to be a part of the team – and I wear my “Rat” hat proudly.

The stream is called Upham Brook, an ancient, beautiful and hardworking waterway that has

coursed through our historic county since before the time of our native Powhatan Indians.

Unfortunately, Upham is one of the most stressed streams in Henrico County as it winds its way

through the heart of heavily trafficked transportation corridors and commercial zones. This gentle stream actually handles an immense amount of water during even the lightest rains and acts as an invaluable buffer against the deluge of water during storms. In short, it is a huge natural resource for our neighborhoods. We should all be thankful for the work it does out of our sight and for free.

Unfortunately, as I had imagined, and as I found out, my “private little stream” was indeed very

badly littered and it faces a high level of fecal contamination. Upham could serve as a snapshot for how we have mistreated our urban natural areas and waterways.

Being an urban stream, Upham winds its way through a lot of inaccessible areas, under

overpasses, next to off-ramps and parking lots and behind high fences – and on private property. With Mother Nature as my guardian, and to thoroughly clean up such a stream, I first have to get fully dressed to get messed up, then supply myself with trash bags and some gear, including my trusty sword-like Grip 'N Grab trash picker. It is my pride and joy. Once I finally get down into the stream bed, which can be up to 30 feet below the street level and up to 100 yards from the road, all traffic sounds are muffled except for the sounds of birds. You find yourself immersed in the urban wild…and disoriented.

Then you hear the gurgling of the brook and see the tiny rapids. You wish you could just have a picnic, but there is trash to be removed! So you focus on your mission and are immediately confronted by a tangled mass of over-growth and fallen trees. The brush is typically thick and thorny, and the terrain is often steep, swampy and dangerous. Also, Upham is usually five feet below ground level with a sharp bank and deep water pools. All the better to handle the tons of water that barrel through it.

As you move through the jungle of woods, you have to keep figuring out how to get that one piece of trash stuck just out of reach, hanging just out over that stump over the creek. Because the trash is everywhere – in the brook, on the bank, and in the flood plain! Tires, shopping carts, a water heater, a rotting couch, junk food packaging, bottles, cans, oil filters, you name it. Plus you quickly learn that one piece of trash is often connected to more trash. Or, after picking up trash along a twisted stretch of twisted flood plain, banks and sand bars, you ask yourself: “Now, how do I get out of here with these two 60-pound bags of trash, a hubcap, a plastic gas can AND my gear?” Then you realize you have to fight through more brush and scale a steep hill just to get back to civilization (not the way you came in), and then drag your trash haul back to the trunk of the car – which is parked in a VDOT lot across the exit ramp with a Stream Clean Up sign on it. Phew! Sore, scratched, stained, sweating and with feet soaked and clothes torn, and with a swamp aroma about me, I smile at the HUGE haul of garbage that will never see this creek again! And then you feel so good and fulfilled.

Weirdest trash find so far: beer and soda cans from the 1980s! That should give you a sense of the time that trash has accumulated here.

Trash picking has been affectionately called “water monkey work.” Well, I can tell you firsthand folks that this is painfully yet flatteringly accurate. I take pride in my ability to get ALL the trash – short of endangering life or limb. What I have found most fascinating is that being a RiverRat requires that you use a complete range of mental, physical, tactical, geographic, logistical, technical and map reading skills. You also need to use heavy doses of improvisation in the field, and, of course, shear brute, grunt force. After multiple, intensive trash pick-ups, I am hooked on being a RiverRat, and I am committed to cleaning up and restoring our historic and precious Virginia waterways and urban wildlife areas to their intended state.

Being a RiverRat has been good for me on many different levels – I get outside in nature, it keeps me in shape, I am doing some honest good for the world and the planet (which is good for your soul), I’m teaching myself new skills, and collaborating with other people for real change. Best of all, perhaps, recent research shows that spending time in nature increases our attention span, gives us better memory, reduces stress, improves our mood and promotes greater creativity. From my own personal experience: I concur.

Most of all, perhaps, you see immediate results. Instant gratification, albeit with a measure of pain. You experience making real, lasting progress in the world. You are being the change you wish to see in the world (Gandhi). Over time, you start to take real “ownership” of the stream and patrol it.

You've been down in it and felt it and smelled it, and sensed its purpose and its timeless meaning. Now, you can stand up for it, with JRA and Mother Nature on your side. Finally, you get to build community relations and awareness with nonprofits, the county, VDOT, the state, as well as local business owners and neighbors – all designed to prevent more trash in the future. Best of all, I sleep a little bit better at night knowing that Upham Brook is trickling and flowing a little cleaner, and that makes the James River a little cleaner and the Chesapeake Bay a little healthier. And, hopefully, all those precious critters in our embattled ecosystems are living a little happier.

Next Time: Adventures of a Trash Fox, Making Measurable Progress, Calling on VDOT, and Where Does Trash Come From & How Do We Prevent It?

University Heights Cleanup

2012-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the University Heights neighborhood in Henrico for participating in our Self-Directed Trash Cleanup Program. This is the second year for this cleanup event along Long Creek and participation was tripled! 30 volunteers came out and collected 10 bags of trash.

“The neighborhood held our second-annual community creek cleanup on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Thanks to all who joined our cleanup day which fell on Earth Day weekend this year. We found lots of debris including plastic bags, broken glass, fiberglass insulation, and cans. Special thanks to the Maloney’s for providing lunch and the James River Association for the use of their grabbers. I am still hearing how much people enjoyed it. And how the kids now walk by the creek and gather the trash that has since accumulated. To me, that is a huge success!”

– University Heights Community Creek Cleanup Volunteer

For more information about our Self-Directed Trash Program contact Amber Ellis at aellis@jrava.orgor 804-788-8811 ext 205.

Envision the James

2012-05-11T15:25:00.003-07:00

The community meetings tour ends but the process is only beginning!

Envision the James is a multi-year, collaborative project that invites communities and individuals to get involved in creating a common vision for the river to benefit present and future generations. From March 28 though April 26, 2012, The James River Association (JRA) held meetings up and down the James River watershed hoping people from their area would take ownership of their communities and contribute a local vision to the riverfront planning. JRA joined forces with the National Geographic Society and the Chesapeake Conservancy for this unique visioning process. Overall, the community meetings were invaluable in the data we were able to collect using interactive survey tools. The data collected included local opinions regarding the use of the riverfront and the agencies that should oversee these uses. This data will be included in the Envision the James website that is currently being developed by National Geographic.

Each meeting began with an introduction to the Envision the James project and the Expedition program that Gabe Silver, Education Coordinator for JRA, began in summer 2011. Following the anonymous survey, an open forum was held for community discussion among the attendees regarding specific issues or concerns. During the open forums, it was interesting to hear about the different types of concerns in the different regions of the watershed. The Envision the James watershed tour began with two meetings in the Lower James, held in Hampton at Fort Monroe and in Williamsburg at the Kingsmill Resort Center. The issues discussed at these open forums included concerns about gaining additional public access to the James River. The National Park Service attended both of these meetings and openly discussed the challenges involved, but also the process for gaining more public access.

Community meeting in Hampton

Community meetings in Williamsburg

On April 4^th the Envision the James community meeting was held in Richmond at the Maymont Carriage House. The guest speaker at this meeting was Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau, who spoke of the importance of community planning to protect local resources. This meeting boasted the largest attendance throughout the Envision the James tour and we were able to collect quality data from a diverse audience, including those with a vested interest in the James River for tourism and business reasons and those that were interested in local conservation and planning. Visit Blue Legacy's Blog for another look at Richmond's Envision the James meeting.

Alexandra Cousteau and Bill Street, Director of JRA

The last three meetings of the watershed tour were located in the Upper James region in Scottsville, Lynchburg, and the Town of Buchanan. The meetings were all well attended with audiences from diverse sectors of society. As we reached areas closer to the headwaters of the James, it seemed more focus and discussion was on river outfitter concerns and always public access. Throughout the whole tour, water quality and pollution concerns remained top priorities for those living within the watershed.

Lynchburg Community Meeting

Town of Buchanan Community Meeting

If you were not able to attend a meeting, please visit www.EnvisionTheJames.organd sign up to get updates on the project and learn about National Geographic Maps tools as they are launched.

The Great Blue Heron Rises

2012-05-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

Perched high above the bustling metropolis I sit and wait. Armed with fancy electronic gear (where does he get these wonderful toys?) I watch. I am the hero that Richmond deserves…

Ok, maybe I’m not Batman; but it is fun to pretend. (The mask and cape might have been a little much, though.) I promised you some better pictures of the GBH nests, and I hope you will agree that I have delivered!

At about four weeks, mom and dad will start to leave the chicks alone in the nests while they go hunting. We seem to be at that point right about now. So counting back four weeks, it would appear that these chicks were born right around the beginning of April. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I rock!

So what do we have to look forward to? In about three weeks the chicks should first start leaving the nests to hop around in the surrounding trees. Give them another week and they should start taking to the air. At twelve weeks old the parents are going to start leaving the heronry to return to their regularly scheduled solitary lives. The babies will head out soon after to return next year and start this whole circle of life thing all over again. (I have images of a monkey holding up a baby GBH while Elton John is singing now.)

If my predictions hold true, we have about another eight weeks of heronry updates ahead of us. Also, flying cars… (Hey, I can hope.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN JRA’S “WHAT A HEALTHY RIVER MEANS TO ME” POSTER CONTEST

2012-04-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants a cleaner James River, but not everyone can put their wishes into images. But that’s exactly what JRA asked middle school students in the City of Richmond, City of Lynchburg/James City County and public middle schools in Henrico County and Chesterfield County that were situated within five miles of the James River to do for the JRA’s 2012 “What a Healthy River Means to Me” Poster Contest. Judging from the 381 entries that were received, it seems that a healthy river means happy wildlife, lots of fish, smiling faces and fun.

The winning students are: First place: Katie McCrum, Manchester Middle School , Chesterfield County; Second place: Aaron Burstein, Sandusky Middle School, Lynchburg; Third place: Courtney Doss, Elizabeth Davis Middle School, Chesterfield County; Fourth place: Kirsten Street , Midlothian Middle School, Chesterfield County; Fifth place: Gabriella Cao, Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield County.

The winning artists’ science teachers are Deborah Bodsford, Manchester Middle School (double winner); Erin Davis, Sandusky Middle School; Naomi Swyers, Elizabeth Davis Middle School; Karen Jaeger, Midlothian Middle School. Matching cash prizes were awarded to each of the top five students and their teachers.


Katie McCrum Manchester Middle School Chesterfield County

Aaron Burstein
Sandusky Middle School
Lynchburg

Courtney Doss
Elizabeth Davis Middle School
Chesterfield County

Kirsten Street
Midlothian Middle School
Chesterfield County

Gabriella Cao
Manchester Middle School
Chesterfield County

Honorable mentions in the contest were awarded to: Kaylee Rathbun, Robious Middle School, Chesterfield County; Rosa Patterson, Binford Middle School, Richmond; Delorise Charlton, Sandusky Middle School, Lynchburg; Jake Thomas, Robious Middle School, Chesterfield County; Victoria Huynh, Robious Middle School, Chesterfield County.

JRA would like to congratulate the winners and thank all the students and teachers who shared their vision with us. We couldn’t agree more!

Kaylee Rathbun
Robious Middle School
Chesterfield County

Rosa Patterson
Binford Middle School
Richmond

Delorise Charlton
Sandusky Middle School
Lynchburg

Jake Thomas
Robious Middle School
Chesterfield County

Victoria Huynh
Robious Middle School
Chesterfield County

The Poster Contest was made possible through a generous grant given by Technical Foundations, Inc., a Richmond-based contractor, and a long-standing member of the James River Association.

Happy Birthday!

2012-04-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

I have been thinking about how to see if there are GBH (Great Blue Heron, I’m starting a thing here) chicks at the heronry for quite some time. Do I get a bunch of balloons and strap them to a lawn chair and float from the Mayo Bridge? Do I go out and buy a $300 remote controlled plane and ask for permission to buzz the tower? Do I contact some people that I know and have NASA position a satellite in geosynchronous orbit above the heronry? Fortunately (for my well being, my wallet, and not getting questioned by the CIA), my wife vetoed all of these ideas. Instead, I decided to just pay three dollars and go to the top of the Troutman Sanders parking garage with my telescope, a camera, and a dream.

I’m not going to lie to you, taking pictures through a device designed to let me see the rings of Saturn and the Great Red Spot of Jupiter (it is actually fairly great) seemed a lot like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight. I also felt a little weird on a bright sunny day at the top of a parking garage (no one parks on the top) with a telescope, and the resulting pictures were not fantastic. However, I was able to snap this shot. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that if you look just to the right and down from the stooping back of the GBH you see… a small GBH! Houston, we have a chick! (Keeping with the astronomical theme.) I’d light up a cigar, but I don’t know if it should be an Itsaboy or an Itsagirl…

Meanwhile, at ground level, the GBHs continue to prowl the waters looking for food. We’ve already seen a GBH swallowing a whole fish, but GBHs have also been known to eat snakes, frogs, mice, and even rabbits. Pretty much whatever they can get their bills on.

If you head down to the heronry, make sure you take a look at some of the more human activities going on as well. Right next to the parking lot is an art walk with a bunch of murals (officially sanctioned murals, unlike some of the other works of art you might see) commissioned as part of the RVA Street Art Festival. Here’s a picture of one of my favorites. (For obvious reasons.)

Gone Fishing

2012-04-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

There’s more than one way to catch a fish. You could make like a human and buy a reel and some worms and sit for a few hours. You could pretend to be an eagle or osprey and fly above the river looking for the first sign of a fish and dive head first after it. Or you could be a Great Blue Heron (which lacks the keen eyesight of the raptors, and does not have opposable thumbs or an understanding of economics) and stand in the middle of the river waiting until something swims by. Egrets do the same thing, despite what watching this guy soar around made me think.

Herons are especially well adapted to these aquatic adventures. Like the beginning of a film noir movie, herons have legs that just won’t quit. Much as a giraffe’s neck gives them access to leaves that other animals can’t reach, a heron’s legs (now I have a ZZ Top song stuck in my head) allow them to wade into deeper areas than most birds can get to. This heron was so busy hunting that it let me get extremely close. Notice that she (I have no way of actually knowing, but she felt like a she) is making full use of those legs to keep the majority of her body out of the water.

If half of a heron is leg, a significant portion of the remaining half is neck. Herons use their long necks to deliver a quick dive into the water that will either spear an animal with their long, sharp bills or simply catch them to swallow whole. If you look along the neck and the back of the heron you will notice that some of their feathers are longer and thinner. These are powder down feathers and are designed to break apart during preening. (Of course there is a fancy term for when birds clean themselves, did you expect anything else?) This powder helps wipe of any slime or dirt that can occur when you routinely dunk your head into a river looking to catch a fish in your mouth.

Last but not least are their feet. Unlike a lot of birds that spend so much time in the water, they only have partially webbed feet. The webbing found between their front two toes help prevent them from sinking into the mud while wading, while the non-webbed feet allow them to grasp rocks and branches.

On my last visit there were at least ten herons in the water actively hunting at any given time. It is truly an interesting sight to watch these niche feeders patiently waiting/wading through the James.

Virginia LID Design Competition Winners Announced

2012-04-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

The competition was fierce, the efforts were strong, but decisions eventually had to be made. The winners of the Virginia Low Impact Design (LID) Competition were announced at the 23rd annual Environment Virginia Symposium held in Lexington, Virginia. And the winners are:

Green Roadway: William H. Gordon Associates, Chantilly, VA
Urban Infill: Williamsburg Environmental Group, Williamsburg, VA
Suburban Mixed Use: Hinchey & Baines, PLC. Culpeper, VA

The purpose of the Virginia Low Impact Development Design Competition was to challenge teams of development professionals to demonstrate cost-effective approaches to replicating the natural treatment of stormwater on development sites. This Virginia-wide competition was held to provide landscape site designers with a hands-on experience of working in LID to reduce stormwater runoff and protect local water quality. Each winner took home a $15,000 cash prize.

These talented consultants from the Virginia LID Competition have demonstrated that minimizing the impact of development on streams is not only possible, but cost-effective. We hope that developers and regulators alike will implement these types of natural approaches on all development plans in the future. At a time when the quality of the James and its tributaries is being measured against the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup goals and development is a growing issue affecting water quality, the need to increase protections and minimize impact with cost-effective methods is more important than ever.

For more information on the first ever Virginia-wide LID Competition, check out the Competition website: www.VirginiaLIDComp.org

Make Your River a Little Cleaner with a Self Directed Trash Clean-up

2012-04-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year when everyone is headed outside to soak in the sun and break out of the winter blahs. Unfortunately, an increase in outdoor activities often leads to an increase in trash. Every spring, without fail, the emails start…emails asking us to lead trash clean-ups. We’re thrilled that there are so many people that want to help keep the watershed clean! The problem is that we get more requests than we could ever possibly keep up with. This started us thinking…how can we help people lead their own trash clean-ups? The answer is JRA’s new Self-directed Trash Clean-up Program.

So how does it work? You figure out the who, when and where of your clean-up and then contact JRA. This gives you and your group the flexibility to hold an event when it is convenient for you. JRA will provide you with a kit that contains everything you need for your clean-up including trash grabbers, gloves, bags, safety vests, a first aid kit and a reporting sheet so that you can record all the information from your event. If you aren’t going to be somewhere where trash can be easily disposed of, we will also arrange to have your collected trash hauled away. It’s that easy. You do the clean-up at a time that is convenient for you and return the kit when you’re done. JRA and everyone who loves the James will thank you for it!

This program is available throughout the James River watershed, regardless of how near or far you live from the river. Because, any litter that’s on the ground will eventually end up in the nearest waterway.

JRA is currently creating a map that will show locations that we know are in need of some TLC. The map will also provide important details about safety and location such as, whether a location is road-side, if it requires water access and if it is safe for children.

For more information about the program, to reserve a kit or to tell us about an area that you think should be on our map, contact Amber Ellis at aellis@jrava.org.

Springtime at the Heronry

2012-04-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

Spring is in the air. Flowers are blooming, cars have turned that beautiful shade of pollen yellow, and the deciduous trees have started getting their leaves back. While I love spring, and anxiously await the return of the color green, it does not make for optimal heronry viewing.

So what IS going on in the heronry? We will have to do a little bit of educated guess work. Time for some CSI: Richmond!

Here’s what we know: The herons started showing up at the heronry sometime in late January. Early February showed stick bringing and beak locking courtships. Around late February and early March there were some definite signs of more “amorous” activities. An active nest can hold anywhere from three to six eggs, and they have an average incubation rate of twenty-eight days. That would mean that chick hatching should be starting… right about now!

This theory is substantiated by the huge number of the normally solitary hunters that I found wading through the river looking for dinner. Once a chick has been hatched both mom and dad will take turns hunting for food to regurgitate back to their young. During this time a heron will consume up to four times the amount of food that they normally would! I’ll keep my eyes on the few nests that are still partially visible and report back as soon as I see my first baby heron.

While not Capistrano, Richmond has its own swallows that return in the spring and summer. The Northern Rough-winged Swallow can be found on the banks of the James darting around and eating various bugs. They have also been known to use man-made holes for their nests, and I am pretty sure I found a nesting pair using one of the drainage holes for just such a purpose.

Another, more colorful, visitor that I found this week was the Red-winged Blackbird. With their bright red and yellow badges these birds love to hang out near aquatic plants looking for bugs. Yum!

Wildlife of the James - Juvenile Bald Eagle

2012-04-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Templeton, JRA's Ecology School Manager

Photo by John Bragg

A group of juvenile Bald Eagles have been putting on quite the show of airborne acrobatics this spring on the James River near Presquile National Wildlife Refuge. The past couple mornings groups of students visiting the Ecology School and JRA staff have witnessed these young bird’s antics inspiring many “ohhhs” and “ahhs” as the eagles swoop, soar and bomb through the sky like fighter pilots; turning on a dime and tumbling away from each other as they play “chase.” Between playful stints in the sky, we have also witnessed the five young eagles scavenging a large fish carcass (best guesses being a blue catfish or sturgeon) from the vantage of a large log that had been beached on a mud flat during a low tide. The term “juvenile” can be misleading when picturing the size of young Bald Eagles as even an immature eagle’s large wingspan and girth can be an awe inspiring sight. Bald Eagles are some of the larger birds found in the sky above the James River, with an average wingspan of about 6 to 8 feet, and weighing in at about 10 to 14 pounds.

Juveniles do not have the distinctive white head and tail that mark a mature Bald Eagle, but are covered in a mottled white and brown plumage from head to tail. It takes about four to five years for a Bald Eagle to fully mature into their white head and tail feathers. Other markings that distinguish a juvenile eagle are darker bills, and varying speckles of white feathers on their underwings, backs and bellies.

For more information on Bald Eagle identification tips: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3520id.html

To learn more about the impressive recovery of Bald Eagles populations on the James River please visit:

http://ccb-wm.org/virginiaeagles/james.html

Why is Everyone so Concerned About Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the James River?

2012-04-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

by Anna Salzberg, JRA's Outreach Intern

Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the James River can have negative effects on wildlife and the economy. Nitrogen and phosphorus are both nutrients that are used on land in fertilizers to help plants grow. When these compounds end up in the waterways they can cause aquatic plants, particularly algae, to grow in excess. The growth of algae reduces light penetration and dissolved oxygen in the water.

In short, an overload of nitrogen and phosphorus (nutrient loading) impacts wildlife by altering habitat, the quality of available food sources, and the availability of dissolved oxygen. Specifically:

An overload of nitrogen and phosphorus causes harmful algal blooms (HABs), which increase turbidity. Turbidity is the measure of the amount of material suspended in the water. Increasing the amount of turbidity of the water decreases the amount of light that penetrates the water column. When sunlight is blocked out, then the underwater grasses aren’t able to grow and the whole food chain is disturbed.
HABs can result in fish and invertebrate kills when the algae damages and/or clogs gills.
HABs result in the depletion of dissolved oxygen. The HABs take up a major portion of the oxygen in the water; once formally available to other aquatic life, and then further depletes the dissolved oxygen upon decomposition. This condition of impaired water quality due to an overall depletion in dissolved oxygen is called hypoxia. Once all the dissolved oxygen is depleted, then the condition escalates to anoxia, which is commonly referred to as a “dead zone,” in which only a very limited species can survive.
Some HABs form toxins that can cause illness or death for some animals. These toxins are not that serious when ingested in small amounts by small fish or shellfish. However, an accumulation of the toxins once ingested in large amounts by predators can result in health impairment or death.

In addition to having a negative impact on wildlife, HABs cost governments and citizens billions of dollars in monitoring costs, water treatment, reduced property values, commercial fishery losses, and lost revenue in the tourism industry. Consider this:

Monitoring and treatment of water is needed to catch indicators of affected resources,
Upgrades to wastewater treatment plants are needed to remove nitrogen and phosphorus,
Additional treatment of drinking water supplies is needed to remove algae,
Property values are reduced by HABs (unfavorable in neighborhood lakes, ponds, etc.),
The commercial fishery industry experiences losses due to increase in fish kills,
Tourism Industry experiences losses from reduction in recreational fishing and boating trips.

Becoming a River Hero Home is one way you can reduce your contribution of nitrogen and phosphorus to local waterways. Do an analysis of your home’s stormwater runoff on JRA’s online calculator, www.whatsinyourrunoff.com/, follow six simple steps to protect water quality and you are on your way to becoming a becoming a River Hero Home.

The results of nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) loading can look like this! Fortunately, this photo was not taken in the James River watershed.

Source: http://greenharvestgroup.com/feed-the-earth-blog/eutrophication-overview-results-excessive-nitrogen-amp-phosphorous-runoff-photos

On A Horse with No Name

2012-04-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

You can either: Drive two miles out of town, drive through a mile long tunnel carved into the bedrock, put on a hard hat, and be checked out by a Department of Homeland Security agent OR make the climb down one thousand and four-hundred feet of near sheer red sandstone in the near 90 degree heat with the sun beating down on you. These are your options if you live in the Grand Canyon area and want to see Great blue herons.

I’m in the desert southwest, and thought that my reader(s) might be interested in hearing of the lengths that others have to go through to see these amazing birds. (Can I write this off as a business expense?) My wife and I opted for the less adventurous bus ride through the tunnel and to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River.

The raft down this section of the river is nothing like the much more adventurous white water rafting through the Grand Canyon, but the relatively (we did get splashed with freezing cold water a few times) calm waters allowed us to really soak in (pun intended!) the scenery. We were surprised to find a familiar friend in a very unfamiliar landscape. A heron! The guide let us know that we were pretty lucky to have found them so early in the spring.

Richmond is extremely lucky to have the James, doubly so for having a heronry in such an easily accessible place. Being in the desert has given me an even greater appreciation for just having a body of water around. (And Chapstick. I never thought I would miss the Richmond humidity!) And while the land where the deer and the antelope play is beautiful in its own way, I’m looking forward to returning home to where the rapids shoot through downtown and checking up on OUR herons!

April Showers Mean This is the Perfect Time to Install a Rain Barrel!

2012-04-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

Rain barrels are becoming an increasingly popular method of collecting and re-using rainwater and are a simple, inexpensive way to help reduce water pollution in the James River. Using rain barrels reduces the amount of stormwater and nonpoint pollution (nutrients and sediment) leaving your property. To learn how much pollution and runoff leaves your property annually, visit www.whatsinyourrunoff.com.

If you’re trying to decide if a rain barrel is right for you, consider these facts:

Rainwater is free of the chemicals that are conventionally added to water at municipal water treatment plants. Rain barrel water is not safe for drinking, but it can be used for watering gardens, filling ponds and bird baths, washing cars and rinsing off muddy shoes and paws.
Using a rain barrel decreases your utility bills! Lawn and garden usage makes up nearly 40% to 50% of total household water usage during the summer.
Rain barrels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, can be easily purchased through many nonprofits organizations, localities, or individual retailers and can be customized to fit your aesthetic needs. The average 55 gallon barrel costs between $35 and $65.
Rain barrels are inexpensive to purchase and maintain. They don’t require pumps or moving parts that would require service. To winterize, you simply drain the barrel and move it out from under the gutter pipe.
Depending on where you live, your locality may offer an incentive or credit to homeowners who install rain barrels.
The James River Association wants to give YOU a FREE rain barrel!

Yes, free! As part of our new River Hero Homes program, JRA is sponsoring a rain barrel workshop contest. The rules are simple. All you need to do is identify a group of 12 to 20 homeowners who are interested in making their home certified River Hero Home and would like to install rain barrels as their project. Each workshop participant must complete a River Hero Homes application and submit it with the workshop contest entry form. Winning groups will be contacted by JRA to schedule their workshop. Each person listed on the entry form will receive one free rain barrel and will be able to purchase additional barrels at a reduce rate. For more information on River Hero Homes and the Rain Barrel Workshop Contest, visit www.jamesriverhero.org.

Meet JRA RiverRat L.E. Rhodes

2012-04-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

As one of JRA’s RiverRats, L.E. Rhodes of Scottsville is simply continuing a tradition he began 53 years ago. A lifetime friend of the James River, he can tell his story better than anyone else:

I grew up in Scottsville and decided that here is where I wanted to make my home and raise my family. Growing up in a small town with a river running through it, it was only natural to play and explore along its banks. I picked the section from Scottsville to Hardware to patrol, the reason being that’s the section I grew up on and have spent most of my life exploring. I patrol mostly by boat, but do foot patrol where I have gained permission.

When you begin your adventure from Scottsville you encounter mostly flat water the first couple of miles. There is a pipeline that goes across the river and from there down you will start into a chain of islands to the take out at Hardware. It’s a pretty easy float with shoals and ledges along with the numerous islands. You will see a wide variety of wildlife and the fishing is pretty good also. It’s about a six-mile float, which makes for a super float to introduce small children to the river.

I am a Forest Technician for the Virginia Department of Forestry. Besides playing with my 13 month-old granddaughter, I also run a fishing guide service (www.hatchmatcherguideservice.com) on both the James and Shenandoah Rivers. I am an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide and have been guiding since 1999. I’m also on the guide staff of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing (www.mossycreekflyfishing.com).

I became a RiverRat because the James has provided my family and me with so much enjoyment that I just want to do my part in helping protect it for the generations ahead. It’s a terrific resource that we all need to respect and protect. The best thing about being a RiverRat is being able to network with like-minded people who share a passion of the river. Also the support from JRA and the James Riverkeepers. If you love the river and want to help protect the wonderful resource, why not become a RiverRat?

Learn more about the RiverRat program at www.jrava.org/get-involved/volunteer/riverrats

Calling All RiverRats!

2012-04-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Do you love being out on the water and want to do your part to protect the James River?

JRA and its James Riverkeepers are recruiting the James River’s first line of citizen defense, the RiverRats. This program engages volunteers to patrol the James and its tributaries and to complete an action project in their community. By helping JRA keep watch over our waterways and inspiring their neighbors, RiverRats play a vital role in protecting and restoring the health of America’s Founding River.

Photo by Will Daniel

There are currently 66 RiverRats patrolling the James River and its tributaries! To see where they are patrolling and sections that are in need of coverage, click here.

Take the first step and join us for one of our next RiverRat Trainings. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Preregistration is required. Please contact Amber Ellis at (804)788-8811 ext 205 or volunteer@jrava.org to register.

2012 RiverRats Training Sessions:

April 28, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Goochland Public Library, Goochland

August 18, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Henricus Historical Park, Chester

November 10th, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Peninsula Metropolitcan YMCA, Newport News

James River a Bright Spot in Disappointing Year for Bay Grasses

2012-04-02T05:48:00.001-07:00

By Bill Street, Executive Director

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has just issued its latest report on submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV in the Chesapeake Bay region. This report is based on aerial photos and comparisons over time. The news for the Bay is fairly disappointing: the total area of grass is down 22 percent throughout the Chesapeake Bay. This marks the second consecutive year that grasses have declined. To put it in perspective, according to the report, more then a quarter of the 85,500 acres of submerged grasses tracked in a 2009 survey no longer exist.

However, there is also good news on our home river: grasses in the tidal portion of the James River are up 14 percent. This is the highest level since the annual surveys started in 1978 and represents 54 percent of the restoration goal for grasses in the James.

A couple factors are worth noting. First, the James did not receive as much torrential rain and flooding as the Chesapeake waters to the north. In fact, the annual average flow for the James was 14 percent below the long-term average. This means that the river did not receive the same level of polluted runoff as the other parts of the bay and tributaries. Also, the grasses on the James continue to be concentrated in the tidal creeks and tributaries to the river where the surrounding land use is largely forest, wetlands and agricultural lands where farmers are practicing continuous no-till farming.

We are encouraged to note that for the first time in the survey, grass beds were found on the main stem of the tidal James above Newport News. This appears to be an expansion of the beds in the adjacent tidal creeks and provides hope that if water quality on the main stem of the river can be improved that we can get more grasses growing throughout the river.

These underwater grasses are important for a number of reasons. Submerged grasses provide habitat and food for aquatic animals; trap sediment and nutrients; and add oxygen to the water. Therefore, underwater grasses represent one of the most critical elements of the Chesapeake’s diverse ecosystem. And, like any plant, aquatic grasses require sunlight to grow. Because grasses can only get sufficient sunlight if the water is relatively clear and free of sediment, the presence of grasses is a positive indicator of current river health.

The following graph shows that underwater grasses have made steady and significant progress over the past decade. Clean water = more grasses = more fish and crabs!

Start the spring off right by installing some river-friendly landscaping!

2012-03-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Are you still thinking about what to do with your landscaping this year? Consider installing a rain garden filled with native plants, a vegetated swale or installing rain barrels to re-use water. JRA’s new River Hero Homes program can help you learn how to use your landscaping to reduce the amount of runoff and pollution that leaves your property.

Through the program you will learn about the benefits of using native plants, rain gardens and rain barrels, how to determine the best project(s) for your yard and how to install them. We’ll also tell you how you may be able to use your rain barrels and rain gardens to qualify for a credit or rebate from your locality.

Want to learn more? Join JRA for a River-Friendly Landscaping Workshop at Glen Allen Nursery, 9107 Old Staples Mill Road, Richmond, on Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

If you’re more interested in rain barrels than landscaping, we have the perfect fit for you! Through its River Hero Home program, JRA is sponsoring a rain barrel workshop contest where you and a group of your friends and neighbors can win free rain barrels to install at home. Every month through July, JRA will be giving away a free workshop for up to 20 people. All you need to do is submit the contest application along with your River Hero Home application.

To find out more about the River Hero Homes program, attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, April 3 or Tuesday, May 22 in the Richmond area. Future meetings are also scheduled for Lynchburg and Hampton. Stay tuned for times, locations and more information about these and other upcoming River Hero Home meetings in your area. To learn more about the program and other upcoming events, visit the River Hero Homes website www.jamesriverhero.org. It’s going to be a busy spring!

Secrets of the James - Warm Winter Brings Shad Up the James Early

2012-03-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

by Gabe Silver, JRA's Education & Outreach Manager

Spring temperatures bring migratory fish like shad and herring up the James River to spawn. An extraordinarily warm start to 2012 meant soaring water temperatures and had us speculating that fish spawning activity would come early. It is as hard to overestimate the importance of the shad to early Americans as it is to exaggerate the excitement at the prospect of shad season among a certain sect of fishermen. (See John McPhee’s excellent book on the subject). So, in the last full weekend of March, we joined a growing contingent on the water and riverbanks to enact a spring rite that goes back thousands of years on the James, we went shad fishing! Here are some scenes from the James this spring ― just another season of loving America’s Founding River.

This Hickory Shad shows how beautiful these silvery travelers from the sea can be. Conservation of migratory fish species is critical, please see the Virginia Marine Resources Commission site for regulations.

Boats of all kinds can be seen on the James near the fall line during the shad run. The rain clouds in the background and many more like them upriver have since caused a flood that will shut down the shad fishing for a few days.

No, this is not a snag. Though very rarely exceeding 5 lbs., shad are incredibly strong fish. Their migrations of many thousands of miles take them as far north as the Bay of Fundy several times in their lifespan.

American Shad like this must be immediately released. More on this great fish in JRA’s archived article.

One of the busiest stretches of interstate in the country, I-95, is part of the scenery during the shad run.

My Favorite Things

2012-03-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

Herons and ospreys and raging white rivers,
big geese and small hawks set my heart aquiver.
Green-headed mallards that swim through the streams,
these are a few of my favorite things.

Another one of my favorite things (besides butchering classic musicals) is a very specific word. I’m talking words that you use when you want to sound like you really know what you’re talking about. Ornithology (the study of birds) is chock full of them!

When you’re at the heronry, what are you looking at? Is it a group of herons? Yes, but that’s too generic. Is it a flock of herons? Again, think more specific. A group of herons is a siege. Downtown Richmond is “besieged” by herons!

A gulp of cormorants in the James River.

Turns out that pretty much every bird that hangs out near Vauxhall Island has a name. Those black duck-like birds that have started popping up all over the river are cormorants. When they get together it’s called a gulp (#4). It’s fun watching them swim through the river with their heads held high. I almost immediately mistake them for snakes at first.

A group of Canada geese? In general they are a flock, if they’re flying they are a skein, and if they’re on the ground spreading their carbon-nitrogen-phosphorous “love” on every flat surface, they can be called a gaggle, a herd, or a corps, depending on your mood. I personally call them a “nuisance” of geese, but that doesn’t seem to be a generally accepted term.

Junior Workweek

2012-03-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

By Frank Dorman, JRA Intern

Today concludes my week-long internship with the James River Association. The Association has allowed me to understand nearly every role of each employee. From office work to heading out on the water, the JRA does everything possible to preserve America’s Founding River. I have been privileged with the opportunity to participate in many of the Association’s activities. Education, advocacy, interaction with the community, and direct work with the environment are the four main fields that I have gotten to experience and understand.

Monday - Rain Barrel Workshop

On Monday, I began my internship by stuffing donation envelopes into the State of The James booklets that are to be distributed to the people of the James River watershed. While it was a very simple task, it was something that needed to be done. Reaching out to the community is an important aspect of the James River Association’s mission and by placing donation envelopes in booklets; I was able to play a small role in this crucial interaction. Later in the day, Watershed Restoration Associate, Amber Ellis, and Watershed Restoration Project Manager, Michelle Kokolis, took me to the Steward School, where they were doing an educational program about rain barrels. The students will be installing new rain barrels at the school in order to eliminate harmful runoff. Education about the river and its pollutants is critical to the future state of the James, and the JRA is currently working for the future through trips to schools in the Richmond area.

Tuesday with the Upper James Riverkeeper

Tuesday was a very different day. Instead of heading to the association’s Shockoe Slip office, I drove to Watkins Landing, where I met Pat Calvert, The Upper James Riverkeeper. We headed out on his jon boat in order to find places where cows have access to the river. The waste left by cows introduces harmful ammonia and nitrates into the water and therefore poisons the water and increases fish kills. Algal blooms are also caused by the waste left from cows. Luckily, we only found two places in the area that showed signs of cattle in the river.

On Wednesday, I was back in the office helping Outreach Intern, Anna Salzberg, with the task of finding contact information for the directors of Planning and Zoning and the directors of Parks and Recreation in each of the localities that are within the James River watershed. It was a job that required time and patience, as it was difficult to locate the contact information from small towns in the state. Having this information will help the JRA to connect with the people of Virginia to make the process of saving the James River a group effort.

Thursday - Pesquisle Island

Thursday was an exciting day. Jessica Templeton, the Ecology School Manager, took me to the new school facilities on Pesquisle Island. We canoed and explored the diverse land on the island and saw eagles, hawks, a turkey, and a raccoon. Wildlife is always exciting to see and it was especially exciting to see animals thriving in a place where children will soon be learning and experiencing the thrill of nature. The island has open fields, forests, and wetlands. Each of these allows for a diverse plant and animal population. The new facilities are equipped with solar panels that allow the school to be environmentally friendly. Students will be able to take their work from the field back to a new lab where they can further their environmental exploration. I really enjoyed seeing the island and I was very excited to see the progress that has been made in the construction of the new school.

James River Ecology School

Today, I have been able to experience the advocacy efforts of the Association. I went to the General Assembly building where I sat in on two committee meetings with Policy Specialist, Adrienne Kotula. The trip gave me a better idea of what goes on in the General Assembly meetings and what Adrienne does as the Policy Specialist. Listening to the Senators speak and go through the procedure of the meetings was very interesting, as I am a member of the Model United Nations program at my school. This trip was the last activity of my internship and concluded my week of diverse activities. I am very thankful that I was given this great opportunity and I will leave with a new view of the James River.

Wildlife of the James - Northern scarletsnake

2012-03-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

by Anna Salzberg, JRA's Outreach Intern

While these spring months are swarming with biological activity and the weather proves excellent for hiking throughout the James River watershed, one might encounter certain species taking advantage by basking in the sun. We at JRA encourage you to keep an eye out for our reptile friends, as some species are dangerous and can inflict serious physical harm if encountered, but also to ensure that you don’t accidentally injure these animals living in our watershed’s natural world.

The photo above is an example of a James River watershed resident, the Northern scarletsnake. Cemophora coccinea is found throughout the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia. This snake is indeed a cold blooded reptile that relies on the sun to keep warm and supply energy. When they are not sunning, they often hide beneath logs, boards, bark and rocks. This scareletsnake is a burrower that is seldom found in daylight except in or under logs and other surface objects, so be sure to stay keen on where you place your hands when climbing over and under logs while hiking.

The adult Northern scarletsnake is small, only 14 to 20 inches in length and has red and yellow (or white) bands separated by narrower black bands. At first glance this fellow may appear dangerous or be mistaken for the poisonous coral snake, but think back to your early school years and the rhyme “red touch yellow, kill a fellow, red touch black friend to Jack”, which relies on the adjacent colors of the snake to determine its potential threat. As you can see, the red is touching the black areas of the snake, therefore you can be fairly certain this snake is not an immediate threat. Additionally, the bands of the scarletsnake are present only on the upper surface and do not extend across the belly as in the kingsnake. However, even nonpoisonous snakes can bite if threatened, so appreciate this colorful James River resident from a good distance, for his sake and yours.

Reference: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?s=030017