Conservation Tips: Stay Cool this Summer with Less Energy

by Amber Ellis, Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

As things heat up this summer you don’t have to choose between being cool and saving energy.  Here are some suggestions for keeping your home cooler without impacting our natural resources. 

Be a Friend of the River…Make simple steps in the home

During the day keep the shades or curtains closed to stop the heat from the sun from getting in. This is especially important for the windows on the south side or your home. Another easy way to save a lot of energy is to raise the thermostat to 78 degrees, even if it is only for the hours that you are at work. By turning on the ceiling fans you can make the room feel 5 degrees cooler, so turn up the thermostat and let the breeze cool you down!

Be a Guardian of the River….Enhance your landscape to cool your home

There are lots of things you can do outdoors to help it stay cool indoors. Large shade trees planted about 15 to 20 feet from the south and west side of the house can create much needed shade during the hot summer months, but will let the warmth of the sun come through during the winter months. They also can help when planted over patios, driveways, and air conditioning units. Shrubs can be used to shade walls, which is particularly important along brick walls that can heat up in direct sunlight. Just make sure to leave enough space in your yard to allow for that nice breeze to come through.


And in general, just plant more plants! Whether it’s a shrub or a perennial, they will help keep you cool through transpiration, which is when the water vapor is transpired from the plant to the atmosphere. This process cools the air around it, making you feel a little bit cooler during these hot summer days.


Learn More:

Dominion Summer Energy Saving Tips

Summer Conservation Tips Video

Conserving Energy with Landscaping

by Amber Ellis, JRA Watershed Restoration Project Associate/Volunteer Coordinator


As you head out for vacation this summer, there are a few simple ways that you can tread a little lighter on the earth, conserve energy, and protect the health of our waterways.

Be a Friend of the River…travel smart.

Turn off and unplug: Before you leave home make sure to unplug household appliances, such as entertainment systems, microwaves, and computers. Do a walk through and make sure to turn off all the lights. After you are in your hotel room, turn down the air and turn off the lights when you leave the room.

Bring your own snacks and water bottle: Whether you are flying or going on a car trip, packing your own snacks and water bottle can reduce waste and be cost effective. Buy snacks in bulk and then break them into smaller reusable containers for each member of the family. Bring along your reusable water bottle to fill up for free along the way. If you are going on a car trip, fill up a large water cooler or buy a large jug of water that everyone can use to fill up their personal bottle.

Hang up the ‘Do not Disturb’ sign: To reduce water and detergent usage by hotels, most of them now offer guests the option of reusing their towels and linens more than once. They will have door hangers, pillow cards, or towel door rack hangers that allow you to communicate with the housekeeping staff that you wish to reuse your linens.

Be a Guardian of the River…choose a ‘green’ destination.

Reduce flying time or go carbon neutral: Some say the journey is more important than the destination, and flying is one of the most energy consuming means of travel. The best thing is to avoid air travel if you can. If you must fly, try to limit the distance or go carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets based on the tons of CO2 created by your flight. The donations are used to fund projects that reduce carbon emissions, like tree planting or investment in green energy.

Take part in ecotourism: When deciding where you want to go, either choose somewhere close by or select an ecodestination. Ecotourism is an alternative responsible form of travel that takes you to natural areas that conserve the environment and supports the health and well-being of the local people. This could include a trip that takes you to a new new,inspiring environment, somewhere to volunteer, and to places that are completely off the energy grid.

For more information on conservation travel tips and ecotourism destinations, go to:
The International Ecotourism Society
Go Green Travel Green Travel Tips
Independent Traveler: Green Travel Tips

For more information on carbon offsets go to:
Carbon Offset Companies
The Conservation Fund: Go Zero

Wildlife of the James - Ick…The Tick!

By Judith Warrington, JRA Communications Coordinator
Outdoor activities make us keenly aware of one of the least favorite residents of the James River watershed, the tick. For its size, no other creature inspires such disproportionate fear and loathing! While the thought of ticks may bug you, they are not insects! Ticks are arthropods and a member of the class Arachnid, which includes such other eight-legged creepy crawlies as scorpions, daddy longlegs, spiders and mites.

Three of the most common ticks in the James River Watershed are the Lone Star tick (a potential carrier of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), the Brown dog tick (not known to carry any diseases in Virginia) and the tiny Blacklegged or Deer tick, which is found primarily in northern and eastern sections of Virginia. This tick is a potential vector for Lyme disease. Is your skin crawling yet?

Ticks pass through three developmental stages: the larval stage (sometimes called a “seed tick,” which has six legs at this stage), nymph, and adult. Each stage prefers a different host. While you might think you’re the intended victim of this tiny blood-sucker, humans are merely accidental hosts. Your lack of fur means the tick is more likely to be found and is therefore less likely to get a good meal off you. Ticks may feed for several days until they are engorged with blood, then drop off. Fortunately for us, ticks tend to wander round for several hours before they find a cozy, protected spot to feed by inserting their mouthpart into the skin. And finding a traveling tick is always much better than having to remove one that is embedded.

Here’s one comforting fact about ticks…they can neither jump nor fly. The little opportunists simply wait for a preferred host – or you – to brush by them in tall grasses or bushes. But don’t let this tiny creature keep you indoors. Learn how to avoid them. It’s your best protection against ticks. The Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech offers these recommendations:

• Do a “tick check” immediately after being outdoors or every four hours.
• Stay out of tick infested areas such as tall grass and dense vegetation.
• Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be easily spotted and removed.
• Wear a long sleeve shirt.
• Use an insect repellent that contains at least 30% DEET.
• Check your dog for ticks.
• Learn the proper way to remove a tick. How you remove it can increase or decrease your chances of infection!


For more information about ticks, visit http://www.ext.vt.edu/
For more information about tick-borne diseases, visit the VDH website at http://www.vdh.state.va.us/

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Top 5 Fly Fishing Spots

by Amber Ellis, JRA Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

We are in the thick of the best time for fly fishing in Virginia because of the perfect water temperature, amount of insects, and great water flow.  No matter where you live, there are great spots for fly fishing across the James River watershed.

1. The Jackson River: This headwater river of the James offers great spots including upriver of Lake Moomaw, accessed at Hidden Valley Campground, and downriver of Lake Moomaw, accessed by boat at a river access point in Bath County.

2. St. Mary’s River: A tributary of the James, this beautiful river meanders through St. Mary’s Wilderness Area, which is open to the public. This is a great place to catch native brook trout.

3. Back Creek: A tributary of the Jackson River, this stream is located in a rugged mountain setting in Bath County. Access is off Route 600.

4. Falls of the James: This seven-mile stretch of the James drops 105’ in elevation and runs through the metro Richmond area. It offers a unique fishing area that includes a mix of rapids, flatwater, and deep pools. It can be accessed at several points within the James River Park.

5. Rivanna River: This tributary of the James meanders through Charlottesville and joins the James near Columbia. It offers plenty of fish and easy wading. There are several access points, one of best is on Randolph Mill Lane near Shadwell.


Resources:

Fly Fishers of Virginia
Federation of Fly Fishers
Fishing the Falls of the James by Ralph White
Fly Fishing Virginia: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters by Beau Beasley

Waste Not! The Frugal Value of “Free.”

by Judith Warrington, JRA Communications Coordinator
Here’s a resource worth conserving: your money. Consider these suggestions for conserving water, enriching your garden and saving money.

Create a compost pile. Why put vegetable peelings and rinds down the garbage disposal when they could be a source of nutrients for your garden? Fine Gardening offers this equation: Every pound of “garbage” down the disposal = 8 gallons of water and vegetable matter. Most garbage disposals use approximately 4 gallons of water per minute. Instead of using extra water to flush fruit and vegetable waste down the drain, create a compost pile or purchase an enclosed composter. You’ll have free organic material to enrich your garden soil.

Mulch. Mulching plant beds helps retain moisture in the soil, meaning less watering is needed. If your locality offers free mulch for pick up, take advantage of it. Rake up your pine needles and use them as mulch around your acid-loving shrubs. Whenever possible, leave grass clippings on your lawn to decompose instead of bagging them. You’ll be adding nutrients for your lawn. If you do bag your grass clippings, add them as green matter to your composter or compost pile.

Collect coffee grounds. Save the grounds from your morning pot of Joe or ask your favorite coffeehouse to save their grounds for you. Many shops already bag up their used grounds for gardeners! Check for them by the door. Used coffee grounds are great for your garden, make a good addition to your compost pile and earthworms love them.

Install a rain barrel. Using a rain barrel means “free” water if you pay utilities. If you have a well, this type of rainwater harvesting will help conserve water in case of a drought later. Either way, using a rain barrel helps lessen the amount of polluted runoff coming off your property.

Start a plant exchange. Spring and fall are good times to divide overgrown plants to give them renewed vigor. Set aside a Saturday afternoon when gardeners in your neighborhood can bring their extra plants on one location. Swap plants and offer growing advice. While you’re at it, set a date for next fall’s exchange! It’s also a good way to recycle your black plastic pots. Check with your local nursery or hardware store to see if they if they accept used pots for recycling.

The Founding of James Fort, May 14, 1607

By Judith Warrington, JRA Communications Coordinator

After more than a three-month sea voyage, with stops in the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico for provisions, 103 men and boys and 39 crew members , representatives of the entrepreneurial Virginia Company of London, made landfall on the shore of what would become Virginia. They named their landing site Cape Henry, in honor of their king’s eldest son, Henry, Prince of Wales. It was April 26, 1607. But this was only their first stop for the weary Company. The windswept shore gave little protection from the elements or the native inhabitants.

Sealed orders from the Virginia Company were opened and read, and the group was directed to find an island for their settlement site, a location that was both secure and defensible. After exploring the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and not finding a suitable location, the group’s three ships, Discovery, Susan Constant and Godspeed, sailed up river. About 60 miles inland from the mouth of the Bay, a swampy island on the river’s north shore offered the best location for the construction of a fort that could be easily defended against attacks by enemy ships. (The possibility of an attack by either the Dutch, the French, or the especially the Spanish, was perceived to be as great a threat as an attack from the indigenous population.) As it turned out, attacks by mosquitoes were to take the biggest toll on the settlers.

On May 14, 1607, on this swampy island, James Fort was founded. The settlement and the river were named for King James I of England. James Fort became Jamestown and served as the capital of the new colony until 1699 when the colonial capital was relocated to Williamsburg. Today, 404 years after the Virginia Company decided to build a fort on the James River, America’s Founding River continues to spark the imagination and admiration of those of us who live along its banks.

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A Plant Well-Suited to May’s Spring Showers

by Judith Warrington, JRA Communications Coordinator

On my way to a weekend camping trip at James River State Park in Gladstone, I spied one of my favorite signs of spring growing along the roadside, the mayapple. If you’ve never stopped to examine this charming native perennial plant, start looking for them in mixed deciduous forests or along shaded roadsides and stream banks. Its downward curving multi-lobed leaves form a perfect little parasol, hence the mayapple’s more common name, umbrella plant.

The mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, also called American mandrake (but no relation to the true European mandrake plant), devil’s apple or hog apple, forms bright green drifts along shady roadsides. Native to much of the Eastern and Central U.S., the plants form large colonies connected by rhizomes in moist, humus-rich soils. Springtime mushroom hunters consider the mayapple to be an indicator of the presence of tasty morels.

Plants can grow to 18 inches in height and a mature plant bears a single white flower that appears in early May, followed by a yellow-green fruit in summer. The apple name is probably due to the apple blossom-like appearance of the flower that grows under the leaves. The oblong berry itself looks more like a lime than an apple and has a lemony taste.

Mayapples have been used by the Native Americas and in folk medicine for their medicinal properties, and while the ripe fruit is not considered toxic in limited amounts, be on the safe side and don’t eat it. All other parts of the plant -- foliage, rhizomes and roots -- are highly poisonous. Even deer tend to leave this plant alone! So, if you are looking for a deer-resistant spring ground cover for naturalizing a shady, un-mowed area, this charming native could be the answer. Just be advised that the plant can be invasive and may go dormant in summer.

Although not endangered, leave plants in the wild. You can often find mayapple plants for sale at nurseries that carry native plants. Several ornamental Asian varieties of this herbaceous perennial may also be available. Plant one mayapple and you could soon have your own colony.

Whether you call them mayapples, umbrella plants or devil’s apples, these native plants are one of the welcome sights of warm weather on the James.