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Critters Don’t Need Litter
FOMR members Dave Mangun and Kate Guenther are pleased to be cameo
guests in an episode of the televised series Untamed: Life is Wild, which is in its second season.This
13-episode television series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the
work of the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. Each 30-minute
episode of the second season explores a variety of challenging wildlife issues from the perspective of a wildlife hospital.
The episode with FOMR staff, Critters Don't Need Litter, will air Thursday, June 25 at 8pm on
Virginia Public Media public television stations in Charlottesville,
Harrisonburg, and Richmond. The new episodes will also be streamed via Facebook
Live on Wildlife
Center of Virginia, VPM, and Science
Matters Facebook pages. Read the synopsis of this episode written by the Wildlife Center of Virginia HERE.
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Electrofishing with Jason Hallacher
Jason Hallacher from the Virginia Department of
Game and Inland Fisheries (also an FOMR member and float trip
leader) is hosting a "live, virtual, online ride along on one of VDGIF's
electrofishing boats. [VDGIF] uses
electrofishing to sample the fish populations that reside in their
public
fishing reservoirs. They will be sampling Lake Newman on the James
Madison
University Campus and explain how electrofishing works, talk about what
they do
throughout the year, and take questions. After they identify the fish
they
catch, Jason will talk a little bit about each species' life history and
a few
other projects VDGIF works on and how the public can support the
conservation
and management of wildlife in Virginia!" You can find it HERE!
(Photo by Darrin R. Doss.) |
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Pulling Garlic Mustard in Verona
Long time FOMR member and retired forester Charlie Huppuch helps us keep an eye on our leased property in Verona which is an access site in our River Access Program. On May 15th, a few folks-- including Charlie-- did a socially-distanced garlic mustard clearing of the property along the river. Here's Charlie's truck--filled with the invasive, non-native weed--and here's Charlie, posing with the plant. And speaking of ecologically damaging plants...read on to the next section! |
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Dame's Rocket: Feedback from Readers
Kate is grateful to readers who took the time to give feedback and raise concern about the Dame's Rocket wildflowers written about in the previous FOMR newsletter. Robert Jennings wrote: "Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) [is]a
known invasive exotic plant from Europe. Although pretty, and resembling
our native phlox wildflower, Dame’s rocket has 4 petals on each flower (D-A-M-E
= 4) while phlox has 5 petals (P-H-L-O-X=5)."
Similar feedback was sent in by FOMR member Henri Bowman who also wrote: "Dames
Rocket is beautiful, but not good for the environment."
To learn more about the invasive, negative consequences this pretty flower has on our ecosystem read HERE and HERE.
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Summer Reading Topic: Microplastics
Augusta County Library plans to utilize the FOMR video "Measuring
Microplastics" on Facebook on Wednesday, June 3rd as part of their summer reading program schedule for all ages. As of this writing, we do not have all the details but more info may become available HERE.
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Online Wild Virginia Mini-Festival
While in-person film festivals are on hold, Wild Virginia is offering
you an online, night of inspiring music,
film, and entertainment.
Friday, June 5, 2020 from 6-7pm. You do need to register in advance (suggested $10 donation).
Register HERE!
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3-Question Survey
Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge
According to their website, "since its founding in 1992, the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge (CFCBR) has partnered with hundreds of local
donors to invest over ten million dollars in charitable giving into the
cities of Staunton, Waynesboro, and the counties of Augusta, Nelson and
Highland." CFCBR "wants to know what matters most to YOU, particularly during these difficult
times. One way your Community Foundation serves you is by getting
financial resources to the organizations that can help you. CfCBR hears from [nonprofit organizations] regularly, but it is important [to] also hear directly from
YOU" about your needs.
Please take a moment to complete CFCBR's confidential survey HERE.
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Webinar Library: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers a series of "timely, science-based virtual events that delight and inform" through upcoming and previously recorded webinars of varying lengths on a variety of educational topics such as:
- Blue Crabs: Claw and Order
- Clean Water Grows on Trees
- Discover the Secrets of Freshwater Mussels
- Forests on the Water
- Oyster Farming on the Bay
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Middle River May E. coli Report
FOMR volunteers are managing to keep our E. coli monitoring program safely up and running despite the COVID-19 interference. Take a look at the May 2020 data HERE!
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Upcoming
June 2020
5-7 Free Fishing Days, no fishing license
required
15 E. coli
monitoring
25 Premier of Critters Don’t Need
Litter, televised and online, 8pm 30 FOMR Board Meeting |
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FOMR is a Paddle America Club member
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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 540-609-8267
FOMR is a 501(c)(3) organization.
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