Friends Focuses 2010 Monitoring, Education, Advocacy, & Cleanup Efforts on Caring for Our River!

Caring for Our River

Thanks to generous support from our membership and backing from foundations, projects for 2010 are moving full steam ahead, as Friends confronts the challenges facing the river.  Friends is caring for the North Fork and the humans, wildlife, fish, livestock, plants, trees and crops depending on this resource on four fronts:  monitoring, Education & Outreach, Advocacy and Cleanups. 

Our plans for 2010:                

Monitoring

Friends' volunteers are gathering three different types of water quality information as well as tracking ground water depth in 2010.  

Nutrients and Chemicals

Monitoring efforts include an ongoing partnership with Friends of the Shenandoah River (FOSR) to collect nutrient and chemical data from more than 30 sites in the North Fork watershed.  These samples provide a snapshot of the levels of phosphorous, nitrogen, ammonia, pH, turbidity and temperature at a particular location.  We have more than 10 years of data for sites in the North Fork, which we are using to identify trends and sources of pollution in the watershed.  

E. coli  Monitoring

Parts of the North Fork and almost every major tributary are polluted by bacteria and/or impaired by too much sediment (this kills critters that live on stream bottoms).  Friends is partnering with FOSR to collect E. coli (bacteria) data at sites on Cedar Creek, Smith Creek, Stoney Creek, from Lake Laura (near Bryce Resort), and other points of interest in the North Fork watershed.   E. coli is associated with both human and animal waste and is a good indicator of the presence of feces in waterways.  We are using this data to identify bacterial problems and also to track the results of agricultural best management practices that exclude livestock from the river and streams.        

Sediment monitoring

Macroinvertebrate (stream bottom critters) volunteer monitors will earn their final certification in March.  Then teams of 2 will begin to monitor the health of these critters throughout the watershed and specifically in Smith Creek.  Friends will work with several partner organizations to track the results of livestock stream exclusion efforts involving farmers participating in cost-share efforts available through state, federal and private funding sources. 

Our education efforts continue to broaden under the leadership of our Board co-chairs, our education coordinator and a cadre of volunteers eager to instill a river stewardship ethic in students and residents throughout the watershed. 

Dedicated Friends' volunteers collected more than a ton of trash from the North Fork and its tributaries in 2009.  Cleanups are an excellent way for students, civic groups, and others to get involved.  We have four cleanups scheduled for this year - March 20, April 17, October 9, and November 6.  Please give us a call at 540-459-8550 if you want to volunteer on a cleanup!  WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

Advocacy

Friends serves as a "voice" for the North Fork, we speak up and advocate at the local, state and sometimes Federal government levels for decisions that protect the health of the river, watershed AND us.  Locally, we are fighting the spread of biosolids in environmentally sensitive areas in Shenandoah County - learn more about Friends' support of Del. Gilbert's House Bill 1340 to allow localities in karst regions to prohibit sludge application, as well as our support for Federal legislation encouraging endocrine disruptor research and Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts at www.fnfsr.org.  We are working with Shenandoah County's comprehensive planning and ordinance efforts to protect water resources in the County and we are acting to serve as a water information resource to municipalities within the watershed.  Additionally, VA was poised to implement progressive stormwater regulations in 2009, however, this effort is stalled and Friends is working closely with fellow watershed partners to move these regulations forward, as well. 

Mark Your Calendars for Friends Annual Meeting

"Down by the River" on  May 22, 2010

We're planning a family oriented afternoon of food and fun along the river.  There will be water quality monitoring and fly fishing demonstrations, fish and macroinvertebrate (critters on the river bottom) collection and identification, kayaking and canoeing demonstrations and door prizes.

We hope you'll join us Down by the River on May 22!

North Fork News

Friends recently partnered with the LFSWCD to recognize Joe Beckenstrater, of Mt. Jackson and Keith Richards, of Woodstock for their work to help protect the North Fork from agricultural runoff and pollution by fencing livestock out of the streams that run through their farms.  Signs bearing their achievements along with the Friends' and the District's logos have been posted at these farms. Mr. Beckenstrater also won the 2009 Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award from the VA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation in recognition of outstanding management practices that help conserve our natural resources.  This is a yearly award presented to only one farmer in the entire LFSWCD.  Congratulations to these farmers and thanks to all the farmers in the watershed doing their part to help keep our streams and river clean!

Friends Volunteers and Central High School Students Clean Up!

Central High AP Biology students joined Friends in November and December of 2009 to help clean up several sites along the North Fork.  These students spent two Saturday mornings lugging 1740 lbs. of refrigerators, microwaves, bottles and cans, not to mention the occasional deer carcass. 

Thanks to you all and especially to their fearless leader and teacher, Meredith Bauserman!

2010 Calendar of Events

• Feb. 18 -      Education presentation to Master Gardeners
• March 20 -   Friends' River Cleanup
• April 1 -        Rain GARDEN Workshop @ Natural Art Garden Center
• April 8 -        Friends' Board Meeting
• April 17 -      Friends' River Cleanup
• April 24 -      Big Give at Peter Muhlenburg Middle School
• May 20 -      Rain Barrel Workshop @ Mt. Jackson Town Center
• May 22 -      **Friends' Annual Membership Meeting - Down by the River!**
• May 26 -      Rain BARREL Workshop @ Natural Art Garden Center