We have developed a pandemically inspired plan for raffling off the kayak and other prizes at a physically distanced Online FriendsFest! A link of the video will be emailed to you on Sunday, September 20 at 6pm! This will NOT be a live-stream, but a pre-recorded announcement of raffle winners. We hope you will join us for our short, 20-minute video with music, info and prizes. We thank all our great Sponsors and all of you who have bought raffle tickets this year. Raffle ticket sales will close on Thursday, September 10th at midnight! Raffle tickets can be purchased until Sept. 10 via the "Donate Now" button at our website HERE! | |
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September's Paddle Trip Offer Date: Saturday, September 19, 2020 Length of trip: 3.3 miles, about 1.5 - 2 hours River: Middle River, Verona bridge down to a private property at MM 26.2 Cost: No charge (Backup Rain Date: Sunday, September 20, 2020) We had to cancel our trip last month due to high water, but we are trying the exact same trip again! This is a short paddle trip... good for families with kids, folks who want to fish, or folks who are a little short on time. FOMR will secure landowner permissions, provide driving directions, and be at the put-in to help you get started. There is no fee for this activity, however, we will not be providing any insurance. FOMR will NOT be leading the actual trip, you will be paddling on your own. However, we will scout the river in the days before the trip to look for hazards and conditions… Hazards and conditions of which we will make you aware. This is a relatively easy-going stretch of water under normal conditions and would be good for beginner river paddlers. The trip is designed to follow Virginia COVID-19 safety guidelines. 1) We are scheduling up to 10 parties to arrive at the put-in between 8-9:30am pm. We ask that you be off the river by 2:00 pm. 2) We encourage float parties to consist of persons who have been staying at home with each other for the past recent months. 3) Use of face masks while in the vicinity of persons not in your household is strongly recommended as per the Governor's guidance, especially at the put-in and take-out where it is more likely you could be in groups of people not in your party. We are asking all persons to bring masks and practice physical distancing. 4) Paddlers must be able to load, unload and shuttle their own boats and vehicles without assistance. Questions? Contact Kate at 540-609-8267 or fomr.guenther@gmail.com Signup HERE! |
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Seeking Volunteers for a Weather Team for FOMR Have you ever gone on a float trip and wondered why the Middle River is so muddy when you did not get any rain at your house? CoCoRaHS can give you the answer. Wouldn't it be great if we had information on how much rain any part of the Middle River received? That is our goal. We need volunteers to get involved. It is easy and takes less than one minute daily to do. Recent heavy rainfall localized to Staunton but not other parts of the county illustrated clearly how “rain doesn’t fall the same on all.” Set your inner citizen scientist free! Collect precipitation data daily with a group called CoCoRaHS. Though it is not the catchiest name, it stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. Started by a group of citizens living on a river in Colorado, it now has more than 20,000 volunteers nationwide. One thing we all like to do is talk about the weather. Now, you can brag about how much rain you got down to the hundredth of an inch! You can also find out how much your neighbor 5 miles away got. Watch the following videos: CoCoRaHS and Middle River (1 minute) The Story of CoCoRaHS (4 minutes) Visit the website at www.CoCoRaHS.org. Neil Tucker has rain gauges available to you at a discount for FOMR members. He will even come and help you set it up! Contact him at neilatmdlrvr@gmail or 540-810-8053 to get started! |
Multiple rains and a swollen river delayed our cleanup plans twice in recent weeks, but since trash doesn't clean itself up, it will all be there waiting for us, whenever we can get to it. Thank you to those of you willing and eager to cleanup our River! We'll consider one more attempt after Labor Day. |
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A Look Back: Cleanup in 1999 In May1999, Jill Dorsch was on the staff of the now-closed Staunton office of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. I suggested that she check out the wonderful little rivers of Augusta County. I planned an easy initial trip on Middle River from the second bridge above Route 11 down to Route 11. With some companions along for a shuttle we launched at the class V poison ivy patch at the put-in below the bridge. As we floated downstream, I cast my flies along the shady bank to catch some smallmouth and red-breasted sunfish—just to show her that the Middle had more recreational features than just scenery and mild rapids. Along the way, Jill noted, “This is a nice, remote river, but there is a lot of trash, junk and even rusty cars along the way. What can we do about it?” .....Continue Reading | How to Take Great Fish Pictures
Yes, there are tricks to make your catch look like a whale. Or to at least look good! Check out the article from 50 Campfires HERE! | | Water Quality Monitoring Training From Trout Unlimited, Wild Virginia, and West Virginia Rivers Coalition: Here's a webinar to learn to identify water pollution incidents and how to hold polluters accountable.
The webinar will "train volunteer monitors to make visual assessments of potential water pollution incidents and construction site problems in Virginia. Learn how to identify, document, and report pollution problems caused by work on the Mountain Valley Pipeline and from tree cutting that had been done on the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline." "This webinar will instruct volunteers about erosion control best management practices used in pipeline development and other land-disturbing projects, specific examples of pollution to look for, and how to best document those problems. Sites not related to pipeline construction but where development projects may affect streams and water quality may also be chosen for monitoring. After the webinar, volunteer observers will be able to report pollution incidents so that they can be referred to the responsible enforcement agencies and followed up." Register HERE! | Virginia Water Monitoring Council Conference Here's a learning opportunity that might be of particular interest to those of you involved in water quality monitoring projects. This year’s Virginia Water Monitoring Council Conference will be held using a virtual format through GoToWebinar. Topics include coastal resilience, plastic pollution, Winter Salt Watch, and more. The program runs from 9:30 to 11:30 am each day, September 21st and 22nd. Registration is $30/person. For more agenda, information, registration, and contacts, see the conference webpage. | |
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Friends of the Middle River Web: www.friendsofthemiddleriver.org Email: info@friendsofthemiddleriver.org
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