| | | | Make sure to stop by and say “hi” to FOMR folks at Earth Day
Staunton, (Apr. 21) and Kites & Critters (Apr. 22)! FOMR volunteers will be
playing with kids and talking to folks about the Middle River and what we do,
educating folks about the importance of a healthy river and trying to develop
interest among potential new members. There will be a tank and display trays
with river bugs, a pool with wooden fish that little kids can catch, T-shirts
for sale and, of course, we’ll be selling raffle tickets for a sweet kayak
(drawing in August). The highlight will be the live fish show provided by DGIF.
Kids love it, it’s fun and you will probably get wet! Earth Day Staunton and
Kites & Critters are great ways to meet new folks and spread the word.
Plus, at Kites & Critters, you can see a demo tree planting and hear about quail and riparian buffers. Come on out!
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| Earth Day Staunton
Saturday, Apr. 21, 10 am- 2 pm
Gypsy Hill Park Bandstand
(Rain location: Gypsy Hill Park Gym)
http://www.earthdaystaunton.org/
Kites & Critters
Sunday, April 22, 1-5 pm
272 Bells Lane, Staunton
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| Spring Benthic Monitoring Schedule
A new group of folks has trained for benthic monitoring just in time to help out with the spring monitoring season!
Benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring takes an inventory of different species of insect larvae living in the river--insects like mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and beetles as well as clams, crayfish, aquatic worms and others. Each tells its own story of how well it can tolerate pollution, just by its presence or lack thereof in the river.
It is not too late for you to join in, even if you have never participated before! This is a great way to become much more deeply acquainted with the river, while helping to provide critical science data. We have a variety of dates and times listed in the calendar at the end.
For a few quick FAQs about our monitoring program, click HERE.
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| New Event!
FOMR Open House
Drop in to our first annual Open House at our new Middle River access site!
Sunday, May 20
2-5 pm, drop in and get a bite to eat
NW Corner of Bald Rock Rd. and U.S. 11 (Lee Hwy), Verona
- Pick up an Authorized User River Access Permit, that facilitates parking for put-ins and take-outs
- Tour the access site
- Meet our new board chair--Dave-- and new watershed administrator--Kate
- Eat and hang out, or just drop in for a quick visit
- We look forward to meeting you!
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| Join FOMR's Riparian Buffer Crew
Saturday Apr. 7 from 10 am-2 pm will be a workday (weather permitting) to remove and recycle treeshelters from a riparian buffer along the Middle River. Interested in helping? Email us at fomr.mccue@gmail.com!
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Enviro Film Festival
FOMR
proudly sponsors this wonderful annual film festival, which is sure to
inspire and motivate you to continue working to protect our
irreplaceable lands and waters.
Mark your calendar to attend one of the 3 dates:
Staunton.............April 22
Charlottesville....April 25
Harrisonburg......May 4
They sell out, so get tickets now at: |
| | | Fish School
Steve Moore, FOMR friend and property owner along the Middle River, caught this sucker in February 2018 near Frank’s Mill. Nice photo, Steve!
From what I gathered from Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware by Rohde, Arndt, Lindquist and Parnell, there are at least 3 different genera of fish that fall under the family, Catostomidae and are referred to as “suckers” in the Augusta County area:
· Northern hog sucker, Hypentelium nigricans
· Torrent sucker, Thoburnia rhothoeca
· White sucker, Catostomus commersonii
Suckers
have big lips— their most ....Click HERE to read more....
About Fish School:
Watershed Administrator Kate here! I am certainly no angler, but want to know
what is under my kayak. I figure there may be other Friends who would benefit
from some beginner fish introductions, too. So I plan to share my learning
journey regularly in FOMR newsletters and Facebook. I may (am likely) to make
mistakes or silly statements about fish along the way so, anglers, feel free to
gently inform me when my scholarship goes astray! Or, if you have a good
picture of a fish you caught in the Middle River—even better if you
are in the picture— send it on to me and I’ll either use it as a basis for a
Fish School article down the line, or I’ll post your picture on our Facebook
page! Send pictures to info@friendsofthemiddleriver@gmail.com
with Fish School in the subject line. |
| Fishing Tournaments
at Gypsy Hill Park, Lake Tams
Kids’ Fishing Tournament 5-15 yrs. old Sat., May 5, 8 am-11 am On-site registration starts at 7:30 am Prizes! Seniors’ Fishing Tournament 50+ yrs. old Sat., May 19, 8 am-11 am On-site registration starts at 7:30 am
Prizes!
More info at 540-332-3945.
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Mark your Calendars!
April
April 2 Benthic Monitoring: 1 pm River Ridge
April 7 Benthic Monitoring: 10 am Summerdean
April 7 Benthic Monitoring: 10 am
Dogback
April 7 Riparian Treeshelter Work: 10 am
April 8 Benthic Monitoring: 1 pm Damtown
April 8 Benthic Monitoring: 1:30 pm
Eastwood
April 8 Benthic Monitoring: 2 pm Wheatlands
April 12 Benthic Monitoring: 1 pm
Honeysuckle Hill
April 14 Benthic Monitoring: 10 am Bald
Rock Rd.
April 15 Benthic Monitoring: 1 pm Green
Hills
May
May 4 Pure Water Forum Mtg., 12 pm
May 5 Kids' Fishing Tournament
May 15 Headwaters
SWCD meeting
May 19 Seniors' Fishing Tournament
May 20 FOMR Open House, 2-5 pm
May 21 E.
coli water monitoring
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| Read more about Friends of the Middle River at our website HERE.
And follow us on Facebook!
P.O. Box 131, Verona VA, 24482
FOMR is a 501(c)(3) organization.
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