Our 5th

Annual Fish Fry!

Take a few minutes to look ahead on your calendar and make sure you Save the Date of October 17th, 2009 for an afternoon of local food, fun, music and our special fundraising auction to help YOUR river.

We are having another Rainbarrel workshop

if you need a rain barrel..

Join Friends for our next "Make and Take" rain barrel workshop. We are proud to be partnering with Fort Valley Nursery in Woodstock to bring you another rain barrel workshop and hope you will join us to learn how save money and conserve water!

Our March Rain Barrel workshop was a blast! Fifty people learned how to make a rain barrel and install it at their homes.

Rain Barrel Workshop II
July 15, 2009 from 6:30-8:30pm

You MUST REGISTER for this workshop by calling Leslie or Cindy at 540-459-8550.

Why Rain Barrels?
Rain Barrels can be attached to down spouts to capture roof runoff. The water stored in the rain barrel can be used to water gardens or lawns. Rain barrels can also help control storm water runoff, which causes erosion and degrades our streams.

Benefits.
Although rain barrels are available at garden stores, they are not cheap! During the workshop, you will convert a heavy plastic pickle barrel into a functional rain barrel. In addition to learning how to install and maintain your rain barrels, you will learn about your role in water conservation and water quality protection.

Learn how your actions can affect the North Fork of the Shenandoah and even the Chesapeake Bay. A recycled barrel, tools and supplies will be provided.

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED
The cost of the workshop is: $45 for Friends' members and $49.00 for non-members (includes free 2009 membership) [ONE BARREL PER REGISTRATION]

To register, call:
Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River at 540-459-8550 or email: friends@shentel.net

New E. coli & benthic Monitoring project 2009-2011

Friends, along with our sister organization Friends of the Shenandoah River and Shenandoah University, are embarking on a new monitoring effort focused on the main impairments affecting streams in the North Fork watershed- bacteria and sediment pollution - sediment makes it difficult for the critters on the stream and river bottom to breath. We are looking for volunteers for the benthic portion of the project. If you like to be outdoors and in the water, please give Leslie Watson a call or email 459-8550 or leslie.watson@fnfsr.org

Andy Thayer’s Journey Down the North Fork of the Shenandoah River is COMPLETE!!

Andy Thayer has completed his 2 week long journey from source to mouth of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. Lots of rain, a couple of spills and lots of great wildlife sightings made Andy's trip an exciting one. He has posted a number of his photos and you can read his journal entries at this website: http://andrewthayer.blogspot.com or http://www.athayer.com/shenandoah_river.html. Andy is a nature photographer and his goals were to photograph their journey from source to mouth and ultimately publish a book that features his pictures of the river’s beauty as well as the challenges that are facing the river. Andy has been a long-time supporter of Friends of the North Fork and we hope that has great success with plans for publishing a book.

North Fork Notes

Friends of the North Fork and the conservation community experienced a great loss this past March. Jack Lorenz, long time Friends’ Board Member and former Exec Director of the Izaak Walton League of America, passed away leaving his wife and Friends Board member Margaret, their two sons and his beloved grandson Finn. Jack was a force for conservation and a strong supporter of outdoor ethics with a highlight of his career being the creation of IWLA’s outdoor ethics program that is based upon Jack’s principle “We must leave our woods, waters and wildlife better than we found them, and we must dedicate ourselves to inspiring others to do the same”

To read Jack’s obituary in the Washington Post click here

Bobby Zirkle

The entire Agriculture and Natural Resource community in Virginia was saddened to learn that Bobby Zirkle (John Robert Zirkle) passed away this Spring.  Bobby spent countless hours  contributing to his community, to Agriculture and to efforts to protect our Natural Resources.  Bobby served on many different boards including the Virginia Farm Bureau State Board of Directors, former president of the Shenandoah County Farm Bureau, the American Farm Bureau Poultry Advisory Committee, the Virginia Growers Poultry Cooperative Board, the Shenandoah County Easement Authority, the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District and the Shenandoah County Sliding Scale Committee.  Bobby also was the Farm Bureau liaison to the Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River .  He was a member of Woods Chapel Independent Bible Church in New Market.  Friends of the North Fork sends its sincere condolences to Bobby's Family and encourages our membership to contribute to a memorial fund that has been created to honor Bobby and thank his family for their support of his efforts

An account has been established at Farmers and Merchants Bank in Timberville Virginia .  If anyone wishes to provide a gift; checks should be made payable to the “Zirkle Children Fund.”  Gifts to this Fund are not tax deductible.  Denise Zirkle, Bobby Zirkle’s Wife and mother of their four children will oversee the account.  The funds will be managed at the discretion of Denise Zirkle.

If you wish to make a gift please make checks payable to the “Zirkle Children Fund” and mail them to

            Farmers and Merchants Bank

            PO Box 1111

            Timberville VA 22853

Thank you

Board of Directors

Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River

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