What is a JRA RiverRat?

What is a RiverRat?

The James River Association (JRA) and its James Riverkeepers® are recruiting the James River’s first line of citizen defense, the RiverRats. Whether walking a neighborhood stream, kayaking a local river, or boating the wide reaches of the lower James, JRA RiverRats document potential pollution sources and effects while also reporting natural patterns in river hydrology and wildlife sightings. RiverRats are also proactive in protecting their river by committing to action projects in their communities. By helping JRA keep watch over our waterways and inspiring their neighbors to choose clean water, RiverRats play a vital role in protecting and restoring America’s Founding River.

How do you become a RiverRat?

River Rat Steve Forest

·         Attend one initial training session and select a river or stream section.

·         Patrol and report on the chosen section at least three times a year. This involves at least 4 hours per patrol of hiking, paddling, or boating and making observations and careful notes.

·         Complete one Action Project each year within one of the following categories: Policy, Enforcement, Education, Restoration, Reports, Membership, or Recreation.

·         Attend the RiverRat Raft-Up each year. This is an annual meeting and cook-out  where RiverRats can receive additional training.

What are RiverRat patrols?

You will provide an additional set of eyes and ears to JRA’s efforts to know and understand what is happening throughout our watershed.  You can be a valuable presence and educator to members of the public that you meet on the river.  Some of the areas you will report include:

·         Who else is using the river, for what purposes, when and how?

·          What are the weather conditions during your patrols?

·          What color is the water? 

·         What is the state of streamside areas throughout your adopted segment? 

·          Do you see cattle or other livestock in the stream or evidence that they have free access to the stream? 

·         How do tributaries to the river contrast with the river itself?

·         What wildlife do you see? 

·         Are there public access sites not shown in databases or are access sites difficult or dangerous to use?

Photo by Steve Willard

How does a RiverRat respond to pollution?

You will be able to identify pollution and habitat issues on the river, take the necessary action, and report your findings with local and state regulators.  Some things you may see and take action are:

·         Spills or illegal discharges: unusual smells or colors, oil sheen on water, and suspicious activity.

·         Sewage spills, sewer system leaks, or overflows: smell, floating waste, and sick or dead wildlife.

·         Stormwater runoff: mud flowing from construction sites, trash, unusual smells/colors in water, and high flows causing erosion.

·         Dumped waste, tires, litter, and construction debris: scattered debris and debris washed down during floods.

·         Damage to wildlife from unknown sources: sick or dead wildlife.

·         Habitat disturbance or improvements: dredging or clearing of shoreline, disturbance of wetlands, construction near shoreline, landowners that are replanting or stabilizing stream banks, and fencing livestock from streams.

What are RiverRat Action Projects?

Kevin Hansen Rrash Cleanup

We ask that each RiverRat organize and complete one Action Project each year.   The JRA staff will support you in your outreach efforts.  Projects could include:

·         EDUCATION: Staff a booth, give presentations to local groups, volunteer for a JRA education field trip, or label storm drains.

·         RESTORATION: Lead a trash cleanup, organize a buffer planting, install a rain garden, remove invasive species, or participate in fishing line recycling.

·         REPORTS: Research and/or write reports for JRA.

·         MEMBERSHIP: Recruit and educate the public about JRA and the RiverRats program.

·         RECREATION: Help with JRA a hiking or canoe trip, or research and improve public access and boat-in campsites.

·         POLICY: Organize a local effort to support JRA initiatives.

·         ENFORCEMENT: Document a series of incidents and the outcomes and report to local enforcement.

The next RiverRat training session will take place on Saturday August 18, 2012 at Henricus Historical Park, Chesterfield County.  For more information visit the RiverRat website, or contact Amber Ellis at volunteer@jrava.org or 804-788-8811 ext. 205 to register for the training.

Awkward Swimmer: An Unusual River Rescue Story

by Jamie Brunkow, Lower James Riverkeeper

On a steamy July afternoon in the James River, near its confluence with the Chickahominy River, we spotted an unusual scene. Wading through the water with wings outstretched, and only a soggy head poking through the surface, was an osprey.

In the summer these raptors are common in the Chesapeake Bay area – but I’ve never seen one swimming.

As we slowed the boat and approached for a closer look, the osprey began to feebly sweep its wings through the water inching slowly toward us. The osprey appeared to recognize our boat as the next best thing to dry land. It looked tired or possibly injured, and it was unable to take flight. And from our position in the middle of the 2.5 mile-wide James, the osprey’s chances of reaching shore seemed slim.

It was not at all wary of us, and when I extended a pole towards the osprey it latched on right away and I carefully pulled it in.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp… splash!” In no time the osprey lost its hold on the plastic pole and awkwardly teetered back into the River. When it emerged at the surface again, its red eyes appeared more animated and its wing motions more frantic. It was no longer interested in grabbing hold of the pole, and simply bobbed there like someone that had been prank-shoved into a pool.

I eased the boat closer to the osprey, pulled on a leather glove, and reached for the bird which immediately grasped my hand with its talons. JRA RiverRat, David Bernard, held a plastic tub under the bird as I coerced it off my hand. Nestled in the tub at the stern of the boat, the osprey shivered and peered at us suspiciously. Although out of the water at last, the osprey did not look pleased to be in our hands. A glance at the raptor’s talons was enough to convince us to keep our distance.

The osprey was soaking wet, somewhat mellow or probably just worn out, but we didn’t see any apparent injuries. Still, it was not trying to fly or move an inch from the back of the boat.  We set out toward Hopewell where we had begun the Riverkeeper patrol that morning, and contacted a local bird rescue for some help.

Within a few hours, the osprey was dry and getting a free meal at the Calmary Farms rescue.

Teresa Whipp, at the rescue said, “He was seen by a vet that said, just give him a couple days rest and you will know when he is ready to go.  He was very calm when he came in, but on Wednesday, I went to feed him and he was trying to kill me through the cage, so that was his way of telling me I am ready.” After just a few days, the bird flew off like a champ.

So how did this osprey end up swimming in the James? July and August is the time of year when young ospreys are learning to fly and leaving the nest. Perhaps inexperience led this one to plunge into the River, or maybe it got hold of a fish that was little too big to carry off. What do you think?

Who Gets What From Where in the James River Watershed

by Anna Salzburg, JRA Intern

When I first embarked on this journey to discover who got what water from where in the James River watershed, I had no idea that it would take a year of digging through watershed supply plans to discover what I still consider a “rough” estimate.  I have definitely been exposed to the complexities of water supply and the difficulties in comparing data collected from the watershed supply plans.  One of the most challenging aspects is that the data within a plan will contradict itself.  A second challenge is the unearthing of the “final final final” draft of the plan, and then lastly I will just note that there is no single template for these plans.  Every region has their own way of stating where and how they obtain their water.  However, after much detective work, I am pleased to reveal the numbers below in a summary chart. 

The most interesting thing to me was the number of people in our watershed who rely on groundwater wells as one approaches the mountain and more rural regions of the watershed.  The water supply in the coastal regions do sometimes use a mixture of groundwater and surface water, as the surface water turns brackish in these regions.  Many towns purchase their water from another city or region, which puts more pressure on that natural resource than you may initially suspect.  The real point here is that everyone uses fresh water that flows into the James River; whether it be retrieved from groundwater aquifers or surface water systems.  We need to be good stewards and protect all our freshwater natural resources!  

What supply plan includes your residence?

Water Supply Plan	Population	Population Using Surface Water	Population Using Wells	Primary Sources of Surface Water
Albemarle/ Charlottesville /Scottsville	204,408	162,367	42,041	Rivanna River
				James River
Appomattox River Water Authority:  Chesterfield County, City of Petersburg	426,157	367,701	58,456	Appomattox River
				James River
Region 2000:Amherst County, Appomattox County, Bedford County, City of Bedford, City of Lynchburg	244,061	137,858	106,203	Harris Creek
				James River
				Smith Mountain Lake
				Big Otter River
				Lake Monacan
Upper James:  Alleghany County, Bath County, Town of Iron Gate, Town of Glasgow	72,322	27,490	44,832	Smith Creek
				Jackson River
				Maury River
				Goshen Spring
Buckingham County/ Town of Dillwyn	15,645	755	14,890	James River
Greater Roanoke Valley:  Bedford County, Franklin County, City of Salem	358,976	147,979	210,997	Smith Mountain Lake
				Purchased from City of Lynchburg
City of Richmond	585,863	557,000	28,863	James River
Fluvanna County and Town	31,597	7,157	24,440	James River
				Rivanna River
Prince Edward County and Town	20,530	8,050	12,480	Appomattox River
Hampton Roads	1,558,495	1,390,260	168,235	Chickahominy River
				Lake Gaston
				Blackwater River
				Nottoway River
				Northwest River
				Lots of Lakes ;)
Powhatan County	27,964	318	26,267	Treated water from Chesterfield

Reference Used:  Watershed Supply Plans in the James River watershed as directed by DEQ

Making Our Voices Heard for Clean Water

by Adrienne Kotula, JRA's Policy Specialist

From left to right: Adrienne Kotula, JRA Policy Specialist; Jacob Powell, Virginia Conservation Network; Chip Rice, Friends of the Rappahannock; Peter Marx, Choose Clean Water Coalition; Pamela Goddard, National Parks Conservation Association; Kelly Simpson, Legislative Director & Counsel for Congressmen Hurt; Robbi Savage, Rivanna Conservation Society (Photo Credit: Robbi Savage, Rivanna Conservation Society)

Two weeks ago, I headed north - out of the James River watershed, through the Rappahannock River watershed and into the Potomac River watershed.

Why would I want to leave the ever-impressive James River watershed, you ask?  For some very important visits to Congress, of course.

With the help of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, fellow Coalition members and I visited five Virginia congressional offices to help protect funding for the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. This funding is critical to helping farmers and landowners throughout the six-state Chesapeake watershed play a key role in ensuring the health of local waters and the Bay. This funding benefits the over 17 million citizens of our region by providing cleaner water and healthier, more productive farms.

At a time when localities are just beginning to fully grasp the restoration that needs to take place and we have achieved half of the pollution reductions necessary to restoring the Bay, it is critical for federal funding to stay in place. As EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson recently told CNN, “Now is not the time to quit. We are so close to actually turning the corner, but it’s going to require all of us…to keep contributing our share.” Everyone will have to do more and critical federal funding will be needed if we are going to restore the James and the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. JRA remains committed to working with our elected representatives to ensure that all levels of government do their fair share to reduce pollution and restore our national treasures.

To contact your Congressmen and tell them how important clean water funding is to you, click here.

Upper James River Expedition Photos

James River Expedition, a set by chsenvisci on Flickr.

Check out this beautiful set of photos of the Upper James Expedition by teacher participant Rick Wellbeloved-Stone from Charlottesville High School. Thanks Rick!

Be safe this Fourth of July

We are concerned any time that raw sewage goes into the river.  We understand that a rare storm hit Lynchburg and knocked out primary and back-up sewer systems.  JRA is monitoring the situation  encourages everyone to take precautions in using the river until we are certain that everything is back to healthy levels.  

When people do choose to swim in the James River, there are a number of things they can do to limit any risk:

*Don’t enter the water for several days after a significant rainstorm. Storm flows spike bacteria levels, which decrease after several days.

*Don’t swallow water.

*Don’t enter the water if you have cuts or open sores. These are pathways for bacteria to enter your body.

*Wash after swimming.     
  
*People with immuno-suppressive diseases, or generally poor health should avoid contact with the river.

Top 10 reasons I’ll miss working for JRA

The name:  Anna Salzberg

The job:  Intern coordinating with JRA and NPS on implementing the CAJO trail

What the heck is CAJO:  Captain John Smith National Historic Water Trail

Other duties:  Managing social media outputs such as JRA’s Blog, Facebook, and Twitter portals; supporting the Envision the James project by going on tour for community meetings up and down the watershed and providing written content for the website; assisting with environmental education programs for school groups along the James; working at Presquile in support of the new Ecology School; watershed supply research in the James River watershed; representing JRA at events by speaking to people about JRA and all that we do as the guardian organization of the river

It has been my pleasure and privilege to work for almost a year at JRA.  I have worked in the environmental field for many years, at a nonprofit and state protection agency in Georgia, and a private consulting firm in Asheville, North Carolina.  I have a B.S. Environmental Studies degree from UVM in Vermont and a MPA from Georgia State University in Atlanta.  I, therefore, feel experienced enough to say that JRA has it together. 

This nonprofit organization not only raises enough money to feed everyone’s mouth and stay afloat, but also manages to constantly expand the reach and capabilities as an organization by enlisting and training people in remote places to monitor the watershed in its entirety.  I haven’t seen any waste of resources; only efficient methods of walking the talk ― from conducting stream cleanups to attending meetings at the Virginia General Assembly, this organization gets it done and gets it done right.  It is amazing to me that there are only 15 people on staff, yet JRA manages to say ‘yes’ when our presence is requested at schools, conferences, meetings, stream clean-ups, interviews, etc.  This is a YES organization. 

JRA feels it can and does make a difference.  This is a DO organization.  JRA does improve the water quality of the James; it does sit down and speaks to people about waterfront priorities and it does include these priorities in project implementation.  I have never seen a staff so educated, motivated, and organized.  I attribute much of this to the Executive Director, Bill Street, yet the entire staff moves as one organization.  There are no attitudes, no selfishness, and no egos.  All projects and programs are supported by the entire staff with positive attitudes. 

I have had the privilege to work closely with the environmental education staff and I can truly say they are going to have a profound positive effect on the next generation and the ways in which our children view the world.  Working with children is not an easy job, but the environmental education staff energetically takes it head on with a smile and some shine.  I have seen how other agencies, organizations and private companies look a little happier, feel a little bit better, and are motivated a little bit more when JRA is in the house.  I feel this is because this is an organization that truly believes in its mission and inspires everyone around them.  Yes, the future is bright for JRA and I am thankful to have been a part of it as a staff member for the past year.  I certainly plan to stay involved with the organization and lend a hand whenever I can.  I am certain the relationships I made and the skills I acquired will prove invaluable as I move on to the PhD Public Policy and Administrative program at VCU.  I will truly miss JRA and the staff and appreciate all time and patience awarded me during the past year.

In closing I leave you with the top 10 reasons I will miss JRA:

1. The candy dish on the office front desk, 
2. Wearing nice jeans to work and it being considered business casual, 
3. Seeing how much children still, after all this time and technology, are exhilarated by bubbles and fish painting, 
4. Seeing the beauty of the James―from the upper small rocky reaches to the wide tidal reaches as part of my work and research, 
5. Meeting with those from other agencies, such as the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that have dedicated their lives to the health and protection of the river and wildlife, 
6. Keeping up with all the latest environmental news to share with our watershed residents through social media, 
7. Seeing the excitement on our Events Assistant Coordinator’s face when she has figured out the latest website code, 
8. Hearing my coworker sneeze 30 times a day since she moved to Richmond from Nevada and has had allergies for over a year, 
9. Witnessing public speaking at its finest by the Executive Director and program managers, which only comes after years of talking to people and raising awareness at any possible moment, 
10. The magical coffee that I still believe is truly responsible for all of JRA’s amazing accomplishments.

Sincerely,

Anna Salzberg