Call for Middle River Cleanup Volunteers
You may know this man, Dave Mangun, as the person who has "herded cats" for the past three years to coordinate FOMR's August River Cleanup. Well, he's at it again.
If you want to be a part of this year's river cleanup, the deadline to indicate your interest to volunteer is August 1 via the questionnaire HERE.
The actual cleanup will be held on various dates between Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 29 by different teams. We need volunteers for on land and on river; to pickup, transfer and haul, and to inventory trash. | | | Dog Days of Summer Paddle Trip
Maybe working and sweating to clean up trash isn't your thing. Maybe you need a short, restorative relaxing paddle down the river! Well, we've got that for you too!
Date: Saturday, August 7, 2021 Time: Between 8:30am and 12:30pm Length: 2.2 miles (about 1-1.5 hours on the river unless you stop to fish or swim or lounge about) Section: Approximately mile 16 to mile 14 on lower Middle River Cost: Free! Signup and more info: HERE! | | | Visit FOMR at the Wine Festival July 24!
If you come, be sure to stop by and say "hi" to us at the indoor FOMR table. Maybe buy a few raffle tickets, or just talk wine, rivers and the nice things in life! Wine Festival details HERE!
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We're smack dab in the midst of our annual raffle fundraiser! You can buy YOUR raffle tickets online HERE!
Prizes include: 10' Yellowfin Vibe Wildfire 100 Kayak with seat & paddle Fly Fishing Trip with guide Justin Fischbach $50 Gift Certificate to Wilderness Adventure $50 Gift Certificate to The Fisherman’s Attic . . . . . . . and more! Winning tickets will be drawn at the FRIENDS FEST Barbecue Picnic along Middle River on September 12. You do not have to be present at the picnic to win, but of course we hope you will come! 1 ticket for $5 3 tickets for $10 (extra value) 6 tickets for $20 9 tickets for $30 12 tickets for $40 15 tickets for $50 24 tickets for $75 40 tickets for $100 Sponsorship Level (extra value)
Sponsors receive additional business logo or name display at our FriendsFest picnic and also on our website.
Raffle tickets for sale online HERE! | | Final Results Lewis Creek PCB Study Meeting
Nesha McRae (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) invites all to a community meeting on the results of the Lewis Creek Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 18th from 6:00-7:30pm at the Montgomery Hall Park Rotary Pavilion (1000 Montgomery Hall Avenue, Staunton VA). There is limited seating available at the pavilion, so it is suggested that attendees bring a chair to the meeting. In the case of inclement weather, the meeting will be held at the same time and location on Wednesday, September 1st.
Nesha McRae is "excited to share the results of this study with Staunton's Lewis Creek watershed community. We’ve been so pleased with the support that we have had from local partners in helping us better understand the watershed, its history and potential sources of PCBs in Lewis Creek. The intent of this final community meeting is to continue this state-local partnership by sharing the final results of this effort and collecting additional feedback on the draft report."
Please feel free to reach out to Mark Richards (mark.richards@deq.virginia.gov) or Nesha McRae, TMDL Coordinator VA DEQ Valley Regional Office (nesha.mcrae@deq.virginia.gov). Phone: 540-574-7850.
Extra: Read the Epidemiology Fact Sheet about PCBs from the Virginia Department of Health HERE.
| | | Sketch of the proposed lake, Courtesy of The Staunton Leader, Feb 2, 1968. | History: The Verona Dam Lake Project
In the Staunton News Leader in 2017, Dale M. Brumfield wrote an article about the history of the proposed Verona Dam Lake Project that was under consideration in the 1960s and 1970s.
Had the project gone through, Brumfield wrote, we would now have a "97-ft tall [dam] on Middle River just southwest of New Hope that would flood almost the entire area bounded by New Hope, Fort Defiance, Verona and Barren Ridge with a 6,150-acre reservoir. The scope of the proposed Verona Dam Lake was mind-boggling: after filling, the community of Laurel Hill would be an isolated peninsula..."
The project was considered and pursued from the early 1960s until 1977. Read the full article HERE!
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The June E. coli levels in Christians Creek were measured at 11 of our 12 sites. One site could not be evaluated due to road work being done at the sampling site. All sites had significantly elevated E. coli levels with 10 of these being extremely elevated, reading 1000 CFUs or above. For context, readings over 235 CFU indicate that the water is not safe for recreational use. The significant rainfall in the previous 24 hours prior to sampling contributed to these elevated readings due to runoff into the river and demonstrates the problems we have with poor riparian buffer management in this watershed. This was our last monitoring on Christians Creek and brings to a close this 2-year project. On behalf of Friends of the Middle River, E. coli Monitoring Coordinator Tom Shapcott thanks each and every one of our volunteers for your hard work over all this time. The world is a better place because of people like you!
See data HERE!
| | Picture of Chesapeake Microplastics Grows Clearer
We share with you an excellent article by Whitney Pipkin, staff writer for the Bay Journal. Her article outlines the dangers of plastics in waters as well as some of the legislative changes that are occurring in Virginia that will help reduce single-use plastics. Read the article HERE!
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About Harmful Algal Blooms in Water
Algae development in rivers, lakes, and on beaches is increasing in frequency and is often a product of too many nutrients running off the land and into water. Combine nutrients with warm temperatures and rapid-growth algal “blooms” can occur. Many algal blooms are non-toxic, but some are quite harmful to humans, pets and wildlife. Familiarize yourself with this summer hazard at some of these links:
For Swimmers, from the Swim Guide: https://www.theswimguide.org/2014/08/07/5-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-blue-green-algae/
FAQ’s, from the VA Department of Health: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/harmful-algal-blooms/cyanobacteria/
Dogs and Harmful Algal Blooms, from the ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/news/pet-safety-alert-rising-dangers-blue-green-algae
A real-time map of reported Harmful Algal Blooms, VA Department of Health. This map is updated regularly during the months of May – October. The Harmful Algal Blooms Task Force responds to complaints regarding blooms. The map does not reflect all possible blooms in the state, only those reported and under investigation. View the map: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/algal-bloom-surveillance-map/
To report an algal bloom of concern, VA Department of Health: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/harmful-algal-bloom-online-report-form/
| | Current River Access Program Booklet Version 6/22/21 | | July 24 Augusta County Fair Wine Festival 27 FOMR Board Meeting (open to all members, just contact us for info)
August 7 Dog Days of Summer Paddle Trip 18 PCB Study Result Meeting, Department of Environmental Quality, 6pm 21-29 FOMR Middle River Cleanup Week 24 FOMR Board Meeting (open to all members, just contact us for info)
September 4 FOMR Paddle Trip (Hold the Date!) 12 FriendsFest!
| Friends of the Middle River Web: www.friendsofthemiddleriver.org Email: info@friendsofthemiddleriver.org |
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