|
Photo above featuring Moffett Creek meeting Middle River, taken by Bruce Dorries. |
Do you have a pretty picture (or several) of the Middle River or its tributaries on your camera roll? Please send us your photos! We'd love to celebrate the Middle River and its beauty with you and our other Friends of the Middle River. Winners will receive a feature in our next newsletter and 5 free raffle tickets for our 2026 Kayak & Standup Paddle Board Raffle. |
|
|
If you're interested in sponsoring FOMR's 2026 Summer Programs, you can purchase a sponsorship (and raffle tickets) at this link here or send a $100 check to Friends of the Middle River, P.O. Box 131, Verona, VA 24482. |
|
Families, Mark Your Calendars! |
|
Photo from last year's River Discovery event with Staunton Parks & Rec. |
Save the Date for July 18th for our 2nd Annual River Discovery Day! We are collaborating with the Parks & Rec Departments of both Staunton City and Augusta County to bring a fun, educational event to you in July. Spend a few hours on a Saturday along the Middle River learning about the aquatic environment and its inhabitants. We’ll get our feet wet as we check out the critters that live in the river and learn about this unique environment and water safety! There will be an art project and plenty of splash time. Bring a bag lunch and enjoy one of Augusta County’s best kept secrets: the Middle River. Location will be disclosed upon registration. |
|
Meet a Friend of the Middle River: Dr. Dana Moseley |
|
Recently, FOMR Board Member Bruce Dorries had the opportunity to participate in a bird walk led by Dr. Dana Moseley, Associate Professor of Biology at James Madison University. Bruce asked Dr. Moseley what riverfront property owners could do to protect disappearing natural environments. “I like to say ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Planting vegetation native to Virginia is the key thing that will support a lot of levels of life from the ground up. [For example,] planting certain trees that support caterpillars will also support migratory birds -- whether they’re going to stay and breed in Virginia or whether they’re using a local stream as a crucial stop-over habitat to feed before they make the journey to Vermont, Maine, or Canada. Certain plants are great for specific areas. A little ways from a stream [you could plant] white oak or cherries. A little closer to the riverbank, you’d want to plant a beautyberry or serviceberry, or really any shrub that provides berries or supports native bugs. No matter what size space you’re working with, any dedicated native wildlife-friendly space is worth cultivating.” |
|
Save the Dates: 2026 Middle River Float Trips |
|
Our next float trip of 2026 will occur on Saturday, July 11th. Sign up for the July paddle trip by emailing info@friendsofthemiddleriver.org with the subject "July 11th Float Trip." If you can't make it to this next float, save the following Saturdays in your calendar: August 8th & September 12th. |
|
The Slow Leaching of Toxins from Tires |
|
From Shenandoah Valley Conservancy's recent article "Rollin' (tires) on the river": "Tires are complex chemical compounds. When submerged underwater, they act as slow-release capsules. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are the longest-lasting environmental contaminants from tires. POPs linger in ecosystems for decades to centuries and naturally resist degradation and slowly accumulate in the food chain. The most dangerous aspect of these different POPs is their ability to bioaccumulate. Microscopic algae and bacteria absorb the POPs leaching from tire pollution into the water. Small invertebrates eat that algae. These chemicals are fat-soluble, so they do not exit the invertebrate in its waste; instead, they are stored in fatty tissue. Larger creatures, like trout, then eat the invertebrates, which concentrate the toxins. This process continues to the top of the food chain, where the concentration of POPs can be thousands to millions of times higher than it was in the water directly surrounding the tire. As tires degrade, the rubber breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually forming microplastics. Tire particles are a distinct type of microplastic called thermoset microplastics. Unlike other microplastics, these tire particles are composed of synthetic rubbers, carbon black oils, and many chemical additives that help provide the elasticity and long-term endurance required in a tire. TWPs (tire wear particles) are one of the most abundant sources of microplastic pollution in our waterways." |
|
See you at the Augusta County Fair! |
|
Friends of the Middle River will have a table in the exhibit hall at the Augusta County Fair from July 21st through July 25th! We hope to see you there! We could use volunteers for this event, please reply to this email to let us know if you're available and on which days of the Fair. |
|
Donate Your “Retired” Boat to FOMR |
|
|
|
Do you have a perfectly good canoe or kayak that has not been out on the water for a couple of years? Would you like to see it given a new life while bringing joy to river lovers who do not FOMR is seeking donations of used but still serviceable, boats, paddles, and other gear to allow us to acquire a small fleet of boats and open our float trips, river cleanups, and educational programs to a much wider audience. Please consider helping your fellow FOMR members by sharing your old boat and creating many future river trips for your neighbors. Reply to this email if you are interested! FOMR is a subcommittee of the Friends of the Shenandoah River, and your contribution is tax-deductible. |
