Thanks to Everyone Who Helped Out During the 14th Annual James River Regional Cleanup

By Michelle Kokolis, JRA Watershed Restoration Project Manager

The 14^th Annual James River Regional Cleanup was held on Saturday, September 14, 20013. This event included nearly 1,000 volunteers working at 15 sites throughout the watershed, stretching from Lynchburg to Newport News.  Each registration site is run by a dedicated member of the James River Advisory Council (JRAC), including representatives from localities and non-profit organizations.  Through generous donations from sponsors, the Council is able to provide supplies such as trash grabbers, gloves and bags for each site as well as food and drinks for some of the sites that don’t have independent sponsorship. 

As members of the Council, JRA coordinates all of the sites in the City of Richmond.  We also sponsor and run the Reedy Creek site. From Reedy Creek (the second largest of the 15 cleanup locations) volunteers are sent throughout the entire James River Park system.  As a way of saying thanks, we provide lunch for all the volunteers at the end of the cleanup. 

As we were staring at the mound of supplies for this year’s event and trying to decide how many cars it was going to take to move everything to Reedy Creek, we were struck with a thought…this sure is a lot of stuff for a trash cleanup!

If you’ve ever volunteered for any type of event you’ve probably noticed things like the t-shirt you were given or what you had for lunch, but unless you have experience running events, you probably haven’t given much thought to the amount of organization and supplies it takes. 

Let me give you a glimpse into the mountain of supplies that were hauled from the JRA office to Reedy Creek for the cleanup…

There are 11 people, a combination of JRA staff and volunteers, who run registration, serve lunch and sort the trash and recycling.  We are assisted by 5 members of the James River Park staff that spend the day collecting trash from the satellite sites and assisting with recycling.  These dedicated folks also help unload and set up all of the supplies including: 2 tents, 4 tables, 200 trash grabbers, 200 pairs of gloves, hundreds of trash bags, 10 nets and 15 burlap sacks for boaters picking up trash in the river. We also have 4 grills and use at least 2 bags of charcoal.  Then comes the food. 

We have 6 coolers that are packed with 96 hamburgers, 92 hotdogs, 60 veggie burgers and 120 slices of cheese.  The weather was cooler this year so we had fewer beverages than usual, but we still served 48 bottles of Powerade, 100 cans of soda and 20 gallons of water.  All of the food and drink was packed in 20 bags (that’s 210 pounds) of ice!  We also served 20 pounds of grapes, 15 pounds of watermelon, 156 bags of chips, 180 cookies, 192 buns, a 1-gallon jar of pickles and 5 bottles of condiments.  You may be wondering how many cars it took to move all of these supplies.  The answer is 4 SUVs.  All packed to the very top!

Now imagine this happening at 15 sites throughout the watershed on the same day at the same time.  Granted, not all sites are as large as Reedy Creek, but they are all moving mountains of supplies to achieve one common goal – a cleaner James River.

The end result for the 2014 James River Cleanup was nearly 1,000 volunteers collecting over 490 bags of trash and 220 bags of recycling.  Of this, 150 of those volunteers were at Reedy Creek, where we collected 100 bags of recycling and 56 bags of trash.

Whether you were picking up trash or helping run a site, we want to say thank you for all that you do to help make this event a huge success, and we hope to see you again next year!

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: WATERSHED RESTORATION

by Amber Ellis, JRA's Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

The People

JRA’s Watershed Restoration “team” is made up of only two people who cover the entire watershed!

Michelle Kokolis is the Watershed Restoration Program Manager and has been with JRA since 2008. She grew up just north of Pittsburgh near the Allegheny River and if you have ever met her, you will know she is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan! Michelle received a Masters of Science in Biology with a concentration in Wetland Sciences from Old Dominion University. One reason our staff love her? She can make one mean cupcake!

Amber Ellis splits her time between Watershed Restoration and Volunteer Coordination for all programs and has been with JRA since May 2010. Amber grew up in Powhatan County and has a healthy obsession with gardening. She may be the only person that actually enjoys weeding! Amber received a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech and is a licensed Landscape Architect in Virginia.

The Work

People may think that we are outside every day planting trees., but about 75% of our time is spent in the office. While our projects evolve constantly, there are a few things that remain constant: engaging the public through hands-on projects and educating the public on watershed health.

Our volunteer events include cleanups, rain garden maintenance, and planting. The Self-Directed Trash Program allows groups to direct their own cleanup with site ideas and supplies provided by us. Extreme Stream Makeover is a major project that we do every couple years within the James River watershed. This is a weeklong restoration project that targets an impacted urban stream. During that intensive week volunteers remove trash, build rain barrels, plant buffers and install rain gardens in the targeted area. 

Corporate partner often want to conduct a team building or community service event and with their support, we are able to provide an event catered toward their needs. Some examples have included an invasive species removal and bluebell planting at Pony Pasture with the employees of Tredegar and a tree planting at Bryan Park with Altria staff.

Our education efforts include rain barrel workshops, presentations to groups, and the River Hero Homes certification program. This program recognizes homeowners who are taking steps to improve water quality on their property.  Some steps they can take include installing a rain barrel, cleaning up after their pet, or planting natives.

There are many ways for you to become involved with JRA’s Watershed Restoration efforts. Sign up to volunteer today for one of our upcoming events, rain barrel workshops, or become a River Hero Home!

In Service to the Environment

On a sunny, chilly January 21, volunteers led by JRA RiverRats from the Lynchburg region and your Upper James Riverkeeper celebrated the MLK Day of Service doing exactly that – service. RiverRat Billy Taylor of Amherst County received notice of an illegal dumping of tires into a beautiful and historic James River tributary historically known as Stovall’s Creek, now called Beck Creek. One can find paintings and photos representing these once vibrant resources of James River industry and community. The historically registered Galt’s Mill and headrace, still intact hand-laid stone bridge pilings and gorgeous waterfalls are eye-catchingly on display to the fortunate public who drive beside this rural and otherwise unspoiled feeder stream. Well, that and dozens of tires and piles of trash discarded by passersby.

It simply did not seem appropriate. Alarmed folks who saw it were caught speechless. But thanks to multiple volunteers, including students from Lynchburg’s E.C. Glass High School, the stream was restored to its previous splendor. Fifty-two tires and a truckload of rubbish were removed and properly disposed. Bridgestone Americas, Inc. graciously covered all costs of hauling the tires to a local tire re-use/recycle facility. Local television and newspaper sources spotlighted these generous efforts. The issue was noticed and conscientious people responded with timely and appropriate action, bringing to light the pride and responsibility that we each share in the protection of our shared public waters. Clean water is not a privilege -- it is a right. And that right must be defended.

Dr. King challenged Americans to act collaboratively to defeat the ills of society. Tires are a blight to James River’s rich history, ecological importance and legacy. This group of individuals made a choice: To rise above the unthinking acts of a few individuals in order to show pride and stewardship for the resource that connects each of us – water.

Pat Calvert, Your Upper James RIVERKEEPER



Volunteers Not Afraid to Get TheirHands Dirty on MLK Day
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Volunteers remove tires fromAmherst County creek
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RiverRats Gather to Clean Up Deep Creek at Belmead

by Amber Ellis, JRA's Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

 On the morning of November 15^th, 7 RiverRats and 3 other volunteers gathered out at Belmead in Powhatan to help the Sisters at Francis Emma clean up Deep Creek, a tributary of the James River. The RiverRats included, Sister Elena Henderson, Sister Jean Ryan, Cris Pond, Bill Pawelski, Mike Schlosser, Rich Marino, and Joey Klingman. Other volunteers included Tarvis Henley from Goochland, Winfred Taylor from Powhatan, and Betty McCraken with the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District.

They put in a lot of back breaking work in the morning and filled a truck and trailer with about 800 pounds of metal trash including old lockers, culverts, and other scrap metal.  They also collected 18 large tires that were picked up and recycled by Bridgestone Tires as part of their One Team One Planet program. http://www.oneteamoneplanet.com/americas/spent-tire-program/.

To reward themselves they did what any RiverRat would do and took a canoe/kayak trip along the James River!

Students Put Conservation Lessons Into Action

By Gabe Silver, JRA Education and Outreach Manager

Those whose work involves email will be familiar with the sense of dread held by the “inbox” upon one’s return from a vacation. So it was for me, coming back in October after taking some time off, and facing my inbox for the first time. Amongst the many electronic missives chronicling things to be done, fixed, or responded to, was a simple message from Botetourt County teacher Sharon Keith that warmed my heart, and that’s what I’d like to share today.

 

Sharon Keith is one of nine teachers who, along with students from her school, participated in this past summer’s James River Expedition. The group from James River High School in Botetourt County came halfway across the state one overcast Saturday this past July to begin paddling in Richmond. Eight days of hard work and learning later, they paddled around the point at Fort Monroe and into the Chesapeake Bay. The students had a chance to connect with the river, living in and around it each day and learning from their experience about the beauty, importance, and health of the river.

We say goodbye at the end of these amazing journeys and hope that the inspiration about conservation and the environment lasts with each participant. So an email like Sharon’s really makes my day!

She simply reported that she and her students had gotten involved in the Upper James River Volunteer Clean-Up Day. She reported that these energized young river rats not only decided to help with a day of pulling tires and other trash out of the river, but had recruited fellow students to help out as well. And furthermore, they don’t want to stop there; they want to take on other river conservation projects in the future.

So thanks Sharon, for connecting your students to the James River, and especially for taking the time to send us a few pictures. Seeing kids take on cleaning up their world (most often a mess they didn’t create), helps everyone stay inspired to keep working for a better future.

Volunteers Clean Up Trash in Bryan Park

On Saturday, September 22, the first day of fall, JRA and a group of 18 volunteers started the season off with a cleanup at Bryan Park in Richmond. One volunteer showed up with an amazing invention! He built a bag holder that has a side for trash and a side for recycling!

With inside knowledge from the Friends of Bryan Park, the group focused on some really trashy areas that needed attention. Some headed knee deep into Jordan’s Branch, others cleaned up along the flood plain, and a few went to the dam and lower ponds. They collected roughly 35 bags of trash including “tons” of plastic bottles, Styrofoam, and several tires.

Thanks to everyone who did their part for a cleaner park and a cleaner James. If you’d like to be part of a future JRA volunteer project visit http://jrava.org/news/calendar  for more information.

13th Annual James River Regional Cleanup

On Saturday, June 9, 957 volunteers, including 82 boaters, braved the heat and humidity to help clean up the James River.  This year’s cleanup had 13 sites in 10 different localities throughout the James River Watershed including new sites at Bryan Park in Richmond, Sandusky Park in Lynchburg and a float from Hatton Ferry to Scottsville.  Volunteers collected 348 bags of trash, 191 bags of recycling and 82 tires!  While the amount of trash collected this year is down from years past, the enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers is greater than ever!  In lieu of picking up trash, many volunteers worked on special projects including trail maintenance, painting over graffiti and removing invasive species.

JRA sponsors the cleanup site at Reedy Creek.  From this location, volunteers disperse throughout the James River Park system.  In addition to the usual cleanup locations at Belle Isle and the rocks at 22^nd Street, special effort was put into locations people don’t usually think of cleaning up including Gillies Creek Park and under the Boulevard Bridge.  The 170 volunteers at Reedy Creek picked up 70 bags of recycling and 50 bags of trash including a chain link fence and 4 tires!  Many of the Reedy Creek volunteers come back year after year.  It’s encouraging and rewarding to see your dedication to this event.  Thank you for all your hard work!

JRA would also like to thank the James River Park System Staff.  We couldn’t make this site work without your help and support.  We would also like to give special thanks to Ralph White for his many years of supporting not only the Regional Cleanup, but for all of his work and dedication to the James River.  Ralph, we know you are retiring, but we hope to see you at the cleanup next year!

For more information on upcoming cleanups or for information on how you can hold your own cleanup through JRA’s self-directed trash cleanup program, contact Amber Ellis at aellis@jrava.org.   

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.

Brown's Island Trash Cleanup

by Amber Ellis, JRA's Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

A big thank you to all the volunteers who came out to JRA's Brown’s Island Trash Cleanup on September 17^th! Thanks also to our partners Clean VA Waterways for cleaning up Belle Isle on the same day! This event was part of the 26^th Annual International Coastal Cleanup.   The chilly and overcast weather did not deter our volunteers from coming out to help clean up the James River. We had 33 volunteers, kids and adults, that collected 8 FULL bags of trash and 8 FULL bags of recycling! There were also a few interesting finds like a bicycle wheel, patio chair cushion, fireworks, and an anchor. At first glance the island looked trash free, but as we moved to the east end of the island and along the Pipeline Trail we found plenty of trash. We even had two dedicated volunteers who waded through the water to get to one of the beach islands at the popular swimming spot in front of Tredegar.