Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale…

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

“Make sure you take care of Woody Allen on the way out,” was not something that I thought I would hear when I went down to the heronry for a two-hour tour with Richmond legend Ralph White.

Mr. White has been the head of the James River Park System for the past 32 years and has announced his retirement effective January 2013. My brief experience showed a man who was passionate about the river and had a plethora (triple word score!) of information to share. I encourage you to take advantage of the heron tours now, while you still have the chance.

 
Back to Woody Allen and how he figured into the tour… You must remember that the thing that makes this particular heronry so unique is that it is located in the heart of downtown. These are urban birds; which means they occasionally wear their bills backwards (har) and they have to put up with things like graffiti. (So far I have seen no proof that the herons themselves are creating the graffiti, but I’m keeping my eye on them!) A large part of what Mr. White has been able to accomplish has been through coordinating and harnessing the power of volunteers. It speaks to Mr. White’s drive to make the James River Park System better that he took the opportunity to teach the eighteen of us on the tour, but also to bring in volunteers to help beautify the area.

I made another trip to the heronry right around dawn during the week. If you are familiar with the story of the birds and the bees (at least the birds part) you will have no trouble imagining what I came across as soon as stepped onto the beach. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at these things), they showed a modicum of decency and wrapped it up before I could get my camera out. However, I was able to spy a few herons in the river engaged in the more mundane act of hunting the numerous fish that have already started heading up the river!

Help Protect the James by Becoming a River Hero Home

Spring showers are just around the corner and to help homeowners reduce the amount of stormwater and pollution leaving their property, JRA will be launching a new certification program called River Hero Homes starting March 1.

Becoming a certified River Hero Home is a simple way to help protect the James River by reducing the amount of stormwater, chemicals and silt that flows into local waterways. Depending on where you live, certification may also help you qualify for stormwater rebates or credits offered by your locality. The program is open to everyone within the James River watershed. Even if you can’t see the river – or any body of water – from your house, your actions still impact the health of the James River and its tributaries.

You can become a River Hero Home by completing 6 simple steps, many of which you may be doing already. These steps, which include picking up after your pet, reducing lawn fertilizer use and installing rain barrels, may seem trivial, but they can all have significant impacts on water quality.

There’s more to being a River Hero Home than just being a good steward. Participants will receive a garden flag and window cling with the River Hero Homes logo. We’ve created a Google Group and newsletter where homeowners can share ideas and learn from others. And finally, as a certified River Hero, you’ll be invited to the annual River Hero Home Lawn Party where you’ll have the opportunity to mix and mingle with other “Heroes” who are proudly taking action at home to protect America’s Founding River!

Interested in becoming a River Hero Home but aren’t sure how to begin? Start by looking around your yard. Do you have downspouts that flow onto your driveway or sidewalk? Are there areas of your yard that tend to stay wet for a long time after it rains? If so, your yard is perfect for a River Hero Homes transformation! If you’re interested in learning more about the River Hero Home program, join us for an informational session on Thursday, March 15 from 6:30-7:30pm. The session will be held at the JRA office – 9 South 12th Street, 4th Floor, Richmond, 23219. JRA staff will explain the certification process and answer your questions about becoming a River Hero Home.

Hawk! Who Goes There?

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

I had a reminder this week to keep your eyes open for birds of the “non-stilted” variety as well! The area is teaming with wildlife such as this Red-tailed hawk. (It’s ok; they only occasionally eat other birds, so the herons should be ok. For now.) Even the common Canada goose looks stately as it shoots the rapids. Also be on the lookout for kayakers who enjoy shooting our Class IV rapids, though they seem less stately and a bit more crazy since the water temperature is hovering right around 40 degrees.

I have been following one of the few paired sets of herons (there’s still a lot of eligible bachelors out there ladies!) and it still amazes me that they have decided to make their home so close to the middle of downtown Richmond. It was interesting to get a different perspective and see them set against the skyscrapers. I’m also very glad they chose such a convenient location. February can be cold and there are at least five coffee shops within easy walking distance.

It’s mid-February and you probably think that the only thing left to celebrate this month is President’s Day. (Doesn’t everyone take the day off to dress as their favorite founding father?)The Marmota monax (ground hog) has seen his shadow and the cherub has spent all his arrows. (My wife loved the bundle of sticks I got her!) Well, I’m here to add something else to your busy social calendar. February 18th marks the return of The Great Blue Heron Rookery (heronry!) tour James River Park Manager, Ralph White. Mr. White announced that he will be retiring in 2013, so this is probably the last season you will be able to do this tour with him.

The tours start at the 14th Street boater’s takeout at 10:00 am every Saturday from now until March 31. Cost to join the tour is $5. To help identify yourself as a loyal reader of the James River Association blog join me in yelling, “Heronry!” every time the word “rookery” is used!

Wildlife of the James - James Spinymussel

by Anna Salzberg, JRA's Outreach Intern

Google Image

Since July 1988 the James spinymussel (Pleurobema collina) has been listed as a federally endangered species. This fresh water mussel is living in the upper regions of our very own James River!

The James’s spinymussel is slightly less than three inches in length. Adults have a dark brown shell with prominent growth rings and occasionally, short spines on each valve. Young mussels have a shiny yellow shell with or without spines.

The species has declined rapidly during the past two decades and now only exists in small, headwater tributaries of the upper James River basin in Virginia, the Dan River basin in Virginia and North Carolina and in only one county in West Virginia. The habitat for this spinymussel includes slow, free-flowing streams that are relatively free of sediment. A filter feeder, the James spinymussel feeds on plankton collected from water that passes over its gills. Too much silt or sediment in the water can clog the mussel’s siphon or feeding tube resulting in death.

Clean water is essential for the spinymussel throughout the stages of its life because the larvae, called glochidia, rely on a healthy population of native fish to survive. The larvae are released into the water and must attach to a fish host to survive. Once they grow out of the larval stage, the juvenile mussel releases itself from the fish host and settles in on the stream or river bottom.

Water pollutants, such as excess sediment and agricultural runoff, disrupt the natural flow regime and is a major factor in the reduction of the James spinymussel population. Another threat to this species is the invasion of the non-native Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea). Attempts are being made to reintroduce the endangered spinymussel back into its native waters.

References:
http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=F025
http://www.mendeley.com/research/life-history-endangered-james-spinymussel-pleurobema-collina-conrad-1837mollusca-unionidae/

Valentine’s Tips from the Heronry

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

Guys, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. If you’re anything like me you’re still struggling with what to get that special someone. Let’s take a tip from the male Great blue heron. Nothing says love quite like… a stick!

The male Great blue heron flies from the nest to find a present for his beau. After careful consideration and close examination of all available options, he finds that wooden piece of romance that best expresses his deep and abiding feelings of love. (Never mind that he did the same thing last year for a different female or that he will do the same thing next year for yet a different female.) He takes the stick gently in his bill and takes off to bring it back to his fine feathered female friend.

He alights in the tree next to his sweetheart. After some deliberation he places the stick in the perfect place. He looks over to his intended with a glint in his eye, expecting at any moment for the heron equivalent of Barry White music to take hold. The female looks at the sticky representation of heron love that has been so carefully sought out and placed just so. She looks at her intended and… picks up the stick and moves it to where it’s supposed to go with a look that seems to say, “Really? You were going to put that stick there?”

The male, not to be disheartened, comes to the only rational conclusion that one can come to in this situation. She wants MORE sticks! This ritual repeats itself until the female is finally satisfied, ensuring the continuation of the Great blue herons species.

So this year, instead of roses or diamonds, give her what you know she really wants: sticks!

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Richmond Heronry!

JRA RiverRats’ Top 5 Stretches for Beginner Paddlers

by Amber Ellis, Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Manager

Looking for some great spots along the James River or one of its tributaries to go paddling, but are still a beginner? Check out these stretches throughout the watershed. All of these spots have been tagged on JRA’s Interactive Map of the James River, just click on the links to go to the map.

1. Powhatan Creek near Jamestown. There is plenty of parking and easy access. The creek widens as you head downstream towards the James. Paddle upstream and you get into a cool swamp. (Recommended by RiverRat Steve Forrest)

Powhatan Creek Map Link

2. The foot of 7th Street at the James River in downtown Lynchburg. This is a public City of Lynchburg Park canoe/kayak ramp with 11 parking spaces. It is next to the Griffin Pipe plant. You will have a good float (and fishing) upriver for about ½ mile to the Scotts Mill dam or you can float downriver over the small riffles that contain the debris from the old 9th Street Bridge. (May be difficult to get back through the riffles to get back to the 7th Street Ramp). This ramp is great for just paddling around and getting back to your car at a put-in and a take-out all in one spot. (Recommended by RiverRat Joe Seiffert)

7th Street Ramp Map Link

3. Windsor Castle Park (Cypress Creek) near Smithfield, kayak launch and Jones Creek in Isle of Wight County, boat ramp (has a floating dock also). Both creeks are tidal tributaries of the Pagan River, which is a tidal tributary of the James River. Windsor Castle Park has other amenities, such as a nice walking trail, and a dog park. Jones Creek and Cypress Creek are both great for paddling because they are relatively protected from the wind (Recommended by RiverRat Tim Jones)

Cypress Creek Map Link

Jones Creek Map Link

4. Deep Bottom Park/Four Mile Creek area in Henrico County. Great tidal flat water for paddling. It is quiet, even though there's access for larger boats at the park. The mouth of Four Mile Creek at the James River lends itself to gorgeous sunsets and lots of wildlife can be heard and observed. This is just an all-around relaxing place to spend some time. (Recommended by RiverRat Tracy Warner)

Four Mile Creek Map Link

5. Morris Creek, Charles City County, is a tributary of the Chickahominy River, which is a tributary of the James River. This tidal creek is a good place for beginners and very scenic. There is a nice boat launch in the VDGIF's Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area. (Recommended by RiverRat Steve Forrest)

Morris Creek Map Link

For more information on JRA’s Interactive Map go to http://jrava.org/enjoy-the-james/interactive-map

Get thee to a heronry!

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

Hidden in the heart of Downtown Richmond is one of the few places where you can see Great blue herons come together to nest and breed. Some people (including the James River Park System) call it a “heron rookery,” but as it turns out there is a more precise term, “heronry.” I mean really, how often do you have the opportunity to use the word heronry in a sentence?

The heronry is located on a small island in the James River, just to the west of the 14th Street Bridge, accessible by climbing down to and walking along a rather large platform-covered pipe. Follow the signs for access to the Pipeline Walkway at the south end of 12th Street. Once you slide through the guard rails (no easy task with a camera bag strapped to your back!) you find yourself on a sandy beach facing an island that has already started to fill with Great blue herons.

In 2011 the herons began returning to the heronry around Valentine’s Day, so I really wasn’t expecting to see much on my first visit on January 31. Perhaps it’s all the warm weather that we have been having this winter, or maybe they’re just… uh… eager, but I was surprised to find quite a few of the 4-foot tall birds with 6-foot wingspans.

As you can see, the Great blue herons have already started to form pairs. For the next few months I will be visiting the heronry on at least a weekly basis, taking pictures and blogging more about the herons of Richmond here on the JRA site. If you head down to the heronry and see a guy with a camera who knows what a heronry is, that’s me! Feel free to say hi!

Tired of seeing trash? Now you can do something about it.

JRA has started a “do-it-yourself” trash cleanup program so you can participate in a trash cleanup even if you don’t see one on our calendar. There are sites throughout the watershed in need of some helping hands to clean up trash.

Through the new Self-Directed Trash Cleanup Program, JRA will provide your group with the location of a nearby site and a clean-up kit that includes grabbers, trash bags, a first aid kit, and gloves so your group can take action. JRA will even arrange for trash pick-up when you are finished!

Here’s an example of how one group made a difference: On Sunday, January 29, JRA supplied a group of 10 volunteers from the William & Mary Law School Environmental Law Society with a trash cleanup kit. They were to Huntington Beach in Newport News and collected 10 bags of trash! This is a site that one of JRA’s RiverRats, Chris Gwaltney, came across while on patrol and reported it as being in need of a trash cleanup. Thanks to this group for doing such an awesome job!

If you are interested in taking your group out for a trash cleanup, please contact volunteer@jrava.org.