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Get to Know a Volunteer: Ruth Harp |
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Ruth is an events, water monitoring, and cleanup volunteer here at FOMR! Ruth Harp was born in Washington D.C. and grew up playing on pavement. Later, she attended Madison College (now JMU) and fell in love with the beautiful nature of the Shenandoah Valley. Ruth then worked with children at the Commonwealth Center for Children & Adolescents for thirty years. Ruth believes that people should be one with nature and all living things. As a part of her daily life, she enjoys maintaining a pollinator-friendly native garden at her two-acre home. Ruth became connected to FOMR when co-founder Joe McCue recruited her and her partner to do water testing at Christians Creek (a tributary of the Middle River). Ruth has also participated in Middle River cleanups and found herself appalled by the surprising number of tires she saw in the river. As a result, Ruth is eagerly anticipating our second annual tire collection day in the hopes that it will mean less tires end up directly in our waters. |
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Catch us at Earth Day Staunton! |
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Friends of the Middle River will be one of many local organizations tabling at Earth Day Staunton at the Gypsy Hill Park Bandstand on Saturday, April 26th from 11 AM to 3 PM. This year's theme is focused on renewable energy - "We've got the Power to Protect the Planet." We hope to see you there! |
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Catch us at Riverfest Waynesboro! |
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​2024 is the Year of the Eastern Box Turtle! Programs and activities start at 10am and continue throughout the day. This FREE annual event takes place river-side at Constitution Park South in Waynesboro, VA. Activities include Reptile World shows, presentations by the Wildlife Center of Virginia, Stream Safari exploration, Fish and Fun Rodeo, canoe rides, kids arts & crafts, interactive exhibits, and more. The day ends with the Great South River Duck Race! We hope to see you there! |
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FOMR Float Trip Season is Nearly Here! |
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Please mark your calendars now for the first 2025 float trip on the morning of May 10th! This first float trip will have a birding/wildflower theme and will be led by FOMR board member Don Kain. There is no better way to see and enjoy the Middle River’s beauty than a float down the river. Sign up for this trip by emailing info@friendsofthemiddleriver.org with the subject "May 10th Float Trip." |
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SURF and TURF, a Chesapeake Bay Watershed Story |
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Join Bobby Whitescarver & Jeanne Hoffman and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday, June 11th for a fundraising event from 5:00 to 6:30 at the Visulite Theatre in Staunton. The event includes an 11-minute film, "SURF and TURF - A Chesapeake Bay Watershed Story," and a happy hour with local food and beverage. The film is about how what we do in the Shenandoah Valley affects the waters of the Bay. The happy hour will include wine from Swoope’s own Oxeye vineyard, local beer, and beef from Whiskey Creek Farm (Bobby & Jeanne's farm). |
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April 29, 2025 at 7 PM - Revitalizing an EPA Brownfield: South River Preserve and Rockfish Run. In this public talk Jessica Slagle, Stormwater Engineer at Timmons Group, will discuss how the former Dupont plant parking lot in downtown Waynesboro was transformed into an eco-friendly meadow. |
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A New Way to Support FOMR |
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In case you missed it -- last week, we rolled out a brand-new way to support Friends of the Middle River in 2025! Like you, we’d rather be paddling than putting stamps on envelopes and pestering you for money, so we’re excited to create an easier way for you to show your support. With YOUR help, our river-themed membership - ranging from our Riffle tier at $30 to our Watershed tier at $240 - will help us continue and even expand our work. Our local community has always played an essential part in our organization’s ability to be the voice of Middle River - YOU are Friends of the Middle River. We’re looking forward to the ways in which this new membership program will help us to continue to connect and grow locally. Please check out our FAQs on our "Join FOMR" landing page to learn more about how our new model works and become a Supporter. And we hope to see you on the water!! Find the Join FOMR landing page by clicking the "support" button below! |
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