There was a great article by Rex Springston in today’s Times-Dispatch about the often overlooked connection between neighborhood streams and the larger rivers we all value so much (or should). Springston, photographer P. Kevin Morley, and two Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientists followed Jordan’s Branch from its modest headwaters near St. Christopher’s School, through the Willow Lawn area, to Bryan Park, where it joins with Upham Brook and enters Upper Young’s Pond. From there it’s on to the Chickahominy River and then the James.

As Springston wrote:

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Summer is around the corner and throngs of visitors are expected to visit Virginia’s parks and natural areas this year. The flora of the Commonwealth is renowned for its beauty and diversity, attracting tourists from around the world. A plethora of colors and shapes await photographers, hikers and families that flock to Virginia’s rivers, mountains and beaches. Hidden among the abundance of harmless, pretty sprouts are some that merit caution and a little extra respect. Virginia also has quite a number of poisonous species. Before you plan your next adventure, be sure to read the following. It might save you some unpleasant ailments – even your life.

This list is not comprehensive. It highlights some of the most common and some of the most dangerous plants found in the state. For the sake of convenience the plants are ranked in three general levels of toxicity: annoying, sickening and deadly.

Annoying

Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac

These three plants are prolific party poopers. Poison sumac is almost exclusively a wetland plant and tends to be mostly east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Poison ivy is by far the most common. Each plant contains the oil urushiol which causes an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals. Only a lucky 15 percent of the population is resistant to its effects. Poison ivy is frequently found along the edges of woodlands, disturbed areas and basically everywhere you want to hike. It is recognized easily by it compound leaf made of three leaflets and its main stem covered with many hairy roots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WebMD has a good slide show of poison ivy, oak and sumac.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/itch-relief-11/slideshow-poison-plants

People effected by poison ivy, oak and sumac will develop an itchy rash of numerous blisters. In extreme cases people may experience difficulty breathing and a rash spreading over most of the body. Breathing the smoke of burning plants can cause lung irritation and diarrhea.

Treatment: If exposed to urushiol, immediately wash the affected area with warm, soapy water. Antihistamine creams and lotions will relieve itching if a rash develops. Severe rashes or rashes on the face or genitals should be treated by a doctor. Call 911 or go to an emergency room if someone has difficulty breathing, severe swelling or has inhaled the smoke of burning plants.

Stinging Nettle – Urtica dioica

It is not technically poisonous but it can be downright irritating. The stalks on stinging varieties of this plant are covered with sharp hairs that inject a cocktail of chemicals that cause a burning, bumpy rash. Stinging nettle does not discriminate. Unlike poison ivy which only affects some people, nettles can ruin everyone’s day. The rash can last up to twelve hours.

Nettles are ubiquitous. They can be found in shady areas, woodlands are especially prominent along the floodplains of creeks and rivers. Look for serrated, dark green heart-shaped, opposite leaves and tiny white hairs on the stems and underside of the leaves. Nettles can be found in large thickets along the trails of the Huguenot Flatwater section of the James River Park System in Richmond.

Treatment: Clean the affected area with cold, soapy water and apply an antihistamine cream or lotion. Baking soda also does a good job of neutralizing the acetic acid in nettle juice. Native plants such as jewel weed also have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Sickening

Mistletoe – Phoradendron leucarpum

This delightful holiday decoration can kill your pets. To be fair, there is a lot of debate about whether it is dangerous. It is widely recognized that American Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) can be dangerous to animals and cause illness in people. The European variety (Viscum album) is more toxic but both are generally not life threatening. Pets and children seem to be at the greatest risk for illness. A few berries of either species may be enough to cause a stomach ache. Ingesting a large number of berries can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Deaths in pets have been documented.

Mistletoe is a regular sight in trees across North America. It is a parasitic plant that draws its mineral and water needs from other plants. The genus name, Phoradendron, literally means “tree thief.” There are more than 200 different species but leucarpum is the one most commercially harvested for Christmas kissing in the United States. There are several types native to Virginia. It is easily recognized by its rounded alternate leaves and red, spiky flowers that become clusters of white berries.

Treatment: Animals should be taken to a veterinarian immediately. Children and adults should be watched closely and if symptoms worsen call 911.

Spreading Dogbane – Apocynum androsaemifolium

This plant is very common in transition areas like the edges of woodlands, and disturbed areas with full to partial sun. It contains cymarin, a chemical that causes arrhythmia, irritates skin and causes severe nausea. It has been known the kill small animals, livestock and pets – hence the name. The potential for human poisoning is real though no deaths have been reported.

Its milky sap can cause a severe rash in people with sensitive skin and it is especially troublesome as a respiratory irritant. Landscapers and gardeners regularly complain of painful irritation in the nose and throat when breathing in airborne fluids after cutting it. Traditionally it was used to treat headaches, colds, dizziness and insanity. It was also used as a contraceptive. Today it is strongly recommended to just leave it alone because of its powerful effects on the heart.

It is recognized by its thick red stem, opposite simple leaves and tight bunches of whitish pink flowers. It has earned the nickname Fly Trap Dogbane because flies are attracted by its sweet fragrance but become stuck and die and die of starvation. Larger insects can feed on its nectar without perishing.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately

Pokeberry – Phytolacca americana

This plant narrowly missed being put on the deadly list. It has been known to kill in the past, though deaths appear to be rare today – but still possible. Hospitalizations are common in people who attempt to eat parts of the plant. Children often mistake its fruit for grapes. The stems and leaves are often eaten as a springtime delicacy known as “poke salad”. Traditional preparation calls for repeatedly boiling the shoots and leaves and changing the water each time. This method supposedly removes the poisonous compound phytolaccatoxin. The root is the most poisonous part of the plant, followed by the leaves, stems and fruit. Its toxicity increase as it ages.

It is a very familiar plant. It is recognized by its thick stem that gets red as it ages, large alternate, simple leaves and its cone of whitish pink flowers that become deep purple berries. It can grow quite large. Eight foot plants are not uncommon while others can reach fifteen feet or more. Its red juice was commonly used as a dye and ink by Native Americans and colonists.

Symptoms of pokeberry poisoning include: vomiting, convulsions, nausea, weakness, rapid pulse and death in children with untreated cases.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately.

Deadly

Jimsonweed – Datura stramonium

This plant has perhaps the best documented history of fatal misuse in Virginia. Native Americans used it in sacred ceremonies for its powerful, hallucinogenic effects. Recreational users have died more recently trying to replicate the euphoric visions created by LSD. Like many plants on the deadly list, it is a common killer of livestock that are attracted to its hollow, juicy stem.

Jimsonweed begs to be noticed. Its spiky fruit gives is it the nickname “thorn apple.” Its long pink to purple flower gives it another nickname, “devil’s trumpet.” It is the most easily recognized killer in Virginia. Its violet stalk lifts the saw-tooth leaves, distinctive flower and prickly fruit to a height of four feet or more. The plant is named after Jamestown, where it was famously documented during Bacon’s Rebellion after British soldiers accidentally consumed it. They spent eleven days in an altered state.

All parts of the plant contain toxic tropane alkaloids but the amounts vary plant by plant and even vary within a single specimen. The unpredictable amount of the poison makes dosing a game of Russian Roulette. It is generally acknowledged that the seeds are the most toxic. Just a few can be enough to kill teenagers foolhardy enough to ingest them to get high. Symptoms of poisoning include: hallucination, bizarre behavior, increased heart rate, hyperthermia and death.

I have first-hand, accidental experience with Jimsonweed. I got a little too close to it while trimming grass when I worked for the James River Park System. My trimmer line nicked a Jimsonweed plant near the Pump House and I inhaled some of the mist before I could back away. Electrical pulses coursed through my face hours later and I had visions of fairies dancing on the ceiling. It’s a good thing I didn’t get a seed tossed in my mouth.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately.

Wild Cherry – Prunus serotina

This plant is a conundrum. The internet is full of conflicting information about it. Most sources include the fact that the plant contains high amounts of cyanide yet list it as edible. The cyanide is in the woody parts of the plant: leaves, twigs and seeds. Most sources say that the fruit can be eaten safely if the seeds are removed. Err on the side of caution; if you are not sure don’t eat it!

It is identified by its alternate, elongated leaves and many cylinders of small white flowers which develop into dark red and purple berries in the summer. The berries of wild cherry are attached to their stems with by a fleshy disc.

Reports of livestock dying after eating the toxic parts of the plant are common yet dear can eat it unharmed. Symptoms of wild cherry poisoning include respiratory distress and dark red venous blood.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately.

Bitter Nightshade – Solanum dulcamara

This plant is both legendary and real. It’s not just found in fairy tales and witches’ cauldrons. It is native to Africa, Europe and Asia but its seeds are quickly spreading across the globe in the bowels of migratory birds. It is widely naturalized in North America and is becoming a common sight in Virginia.

It is recognized by its alternating simple leaves, star-shaped purple flowers that have petals that reach backward and clusters of red and purple berries. Some of the larger leaves will have a pair of lobes near the stem. Nightshade has been spotted on the North Bank Trail in the James River Park System.

Nightshade favors shady areas (of course) and grows as a climbing vine or spreading shrub that will overtake other plants. All parts of the plant are poisonous but children are attracted to its berries which is sometimes a fatal mistake. Some people ingest the stem to treat skin ailments and rheumatism but he right dosage is unknown. The symptoms of nightshade poisoning include: headache, dizziness, nausea and stomach bleeding and occasionally death. Some patients develop photosensitivity. The skin of effected people will erupt into a bubbly rash when exposed to light.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately.

Death Camases

These plants get my vote for coolest name. Death Camas is a general term used to identify a group of poisonous plants that resemble members of the wild onion family. There are several types native to Virginia, though they are fairly rare. As you might expect, it is a bad idea to eat anything with the word “death” in its name. The “white,” “pine barren” and “sand bog” varieties have been found in the Commonwealth.

These plants have been known to kill livestock and occasionally people. It is so problematic for farm animals that the USDA website lists “most often just found dead” as the top symptom of animals that have eaten it. Unsuspecting humans who mistake it for wild onion are also vulnerable to its deadly effects. Its most recognizable feature is its beautiful white flower with six petals.

The variety found in central Virginia is the Sang Bog Death Camas. It is occasionally found in sandy, wetland environments from Chesterfield southward and is known to grow in the Cherry Orchard Bog Natural Area Preserve in Prince George and Sussex counties and the Blackwater Ecological Preserve in Isle of Wight. Symptoms of camas poisoning include: involuntary muscle movements, nausea, vomiting and sometimes death in cases that go untreated.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately.

Water Hemlock – Cicuta maculata

The title of Most Poisonous Plant in Virginia goes to this native beauty. Simply put, this plant kills. It is considered to be the most toxic plant in North America and one of the most dangerous known to man. Native Americans simply called it “suicide root”.

Handling it with one’s bare skin can cause severe nausea in adults and death in children. Ingesting just a small amount can kill healthy adults and livestock – hence the nickname “cowbane.” Poisoning occurs in people who mistake it for Queen Anne’s Lace (wild carrot) or parsnip and try to eat its root. Symptoms can occur less than fifteen minutes after ingestion and quickly escalate into a painful inferno of destruction that racks the central nervous system. Symptoms include: nausea, convulsions, hallucinations, swelling of the brain and death. It is recognized by its red, succulent main stem, opposite compound leaves and symmetrically arranged clusters of white blossoms. If you see it, do yourself a favor and just leave it alone.

 

 

 

It is found alongside creeks, wetlands, rivers, and ponds throughout North America. It is easy to find along the wetland boardwalk at R. Garland Dodd Park at Point of Rock in Chesterfield. Park signs warn visitors to not disturb or collect plants.

All parts of the plant contain the dangerous cicutoxin throughout the year and are especially potent in the spring. There have been reports of death and illness in children and would-be survivalists who use its succulent stem as a snorkel or straw. Even if you casually rub against it while swimming or hiking, wash with plenty of soap and water immediately, just to be safe – no joke.

Treatment: Call 911 immediately and start praying. There is no antidote. Medical responders try to make patients comfortable while they slowly recover (possible) or die (likely). People “lucky” enough to survive the 24 to 96 hours of convulsions may suffer permanent neurological damage including: amnesia, weakness, twitching and anxiety.

 

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Naturally, I was interested when I got the news that my daughter’s 7th grade class was going on a field trip. Not to a museum, this time. Or to a national monument, or a place where nature’s creatures are partitioned into cages and fed by humans. This was to be a true field trip into the the wild nature surrounding Richmond where creatures only eat if they feed themselves. I imagine the original “field trips” were of this ilk. They were trips away from the schoolhouses and the population centers and into places where children observe the land or refresh themselves in places where water gathers after pouring from the sky. Places where we remember our deepest roots as living organisms, and we read from the green and wet pages of the original text.

Kyle Burnette and Georgia Busch, educators for the James River Association, met our group of teenagers and chaperones at the Deep Bottom Boat Landing 28 or so river miles east of Richmond on the northern bank of the James.  They were to be our guides for a canoe paddle through the mouth and into the throat of Four-Mile creek.

Before launching, Kyle gathered us into a circle to make sure we were all facing each other. He had us each introduce ourselves and mention one original expectation for today’s adventure. I might have been mentally prepared at this point to criticize the pre-packaged learning experience. I was mildly skeptical.  But then it was Kyle’s turn to speak. He said that he was especially interested in this day because most of the educational trips he runs launch in the morning.  He was interested because today’s afternoon paddle offered him the chance of a fresh perspective.  Anyway, he reminded us, it is commonly said that a person can never step into the same river twice.

It was in this manner that Kyle first found my ear. I can only respect a man who recognizes and appreciates the subtle but significant differences that are often the only distinctions between today’s experience and the experience of the day before.

Georgia paddled the lead boat, but I had not learned to appreciate her yet. She hadn’t spoken much, and when she had it was mostly with the intent of young person crowd control. The kids had just finished their last exam, and the intoxicating brightness of summer vacation shined full in their faces. Georgia seemed to recognize that for this trip to become a positive learning experience law and order must be maintained. Using her experience and training, she kept us in ranks and on task as we offloaded the canoes from the trailer and launched ourselves onto the glimmering surface of the James. I would have never guessed at this point that just beneath the outer shell of educator and tactician was poised an unruly and playful child just waiting her turn.

A few hundred yards into the creek Georgia instructed us to “gunnel up,” which is the boater’s equivalent of “huddle up” or “cuddle up.” Our canoes were gathered to become a strange floating barge fastened together by human hands.  Kyle stood up to speak.  He taught us wonderful facts about the river, its history, and its connection to our lives.  There were mumbles and giggles at times from the young floating congregation, but after telling us about the small, yellow Caribbean migrant known as the Yellow Warbler, Kyle called for a 15 second moment of silence that was properly honored. While the dense noise of 7th grade socialization has its own experiential merit, this here was an old-fashioned field trip, and Kyle silenced us to hear the healthy sounds of feathered life. He knew the sound of the Yellow Warbler by its four high-pitched chirps. “There! That’s the warbler!” he exclaimed, teaching our ears to recognize the shrill signature of this migratory bird’s existence. This Kyle was really growing on me.

He sat meekly in the “Princess” seat of a 3 person canoe, and I saw little of him except when he stood up in his canoe like a preacher to share with his small flock the facts of the creation. Kyle is a “fact-preacher” to be sure. I heard little of politics or religion in his voice. Only “creation-lover,” “Yellow Warbler-lover,” etc.

The tide was dropping steadily, and we followed the creek to where it narrowed to allow only single file canoe passage, and the boats floated inches from the bottom. We gunneled up, and Kyle stood one more time to caution us that the river and its tributaries are not as healthy as they might be, but since people began taking an active interest in their welfare in the 70’s, they are much healthier than they were and otherwise might still be.

Some of the boys were still goofing off a bit, but I could tell they were more engaged than they probably are on field trips to indoor spaces. They were enjoying what all the children would later acknowledge as their “best field trip ever!” Even the class clowns answered questions and helped to hypothesize the future of the river. This natural museum captured their interest in a way that a Van Gogh or a Matise never will.

Georgia watched silently as Kyle showed us how to sample the oxygen content of the water. He made a strong argument for the importance of oxygenated water for subsurface life of many varieties. After displaying the respectable oxygen-content result presently obtained, he shared his optimism that people who care for the river really can make a difference. Even little people like us, if we care, can nurture a healthy river. He encouraged us to dip our heads in the water, and showed us how to do it, and how good the water felt on a hot day under the sun.  The lesson had become interactive, and our relationship with the river and its tributary more intimate.

Georgia led us back down the Four-Mile creek towards its meeting with James, but before we reached the end of our field trip she called us to gunnel up one more time against the bank of a wetland.  For the first time, at least in any measurable or preacher-like fashion, Georgia took to the pulpit.  She explained how this mushy place can absorb the energy of hurricanes, how it provides abundant habitat and relatively safe harbor for the small producers of the food chain, and how it filters the water flowing into the James.  Thick, nutrient rich muck.  “Pick some up,” she said.  The boys had only been waiting for an excuse to dig in, but the young ladies were more hesitant.

Georgia said the marsh mud was a great skin rejuvenator.  “Here,” she said, pointing to a place on her chin.  “I have a blemish right here.”  She picked up a handful of brown slime from the base of the creek and rubbed it first on the blemish, and then smeared it over the rest of her face.  Now she had the attention of the young girls, and the entire group of children squeezed the mush through their fingers and smeared it on their faces.  “Go ahead!  Play in it!” said mud-faced Georgia, and the children did.  They bailed out of the canoes and an epic mud fight ensued, where one might only recognize his own child if he has a good knowledge of the structure and appearance of her teeth.  All of the rest was muddied out. All blemishes, all fashion, all reservations, all muddied out. Then, especially then, the beginning of a healthy, intimate relationship with earth. The greatest reason of all to protect the wetlands, culminated the sermon on the creek — “fun!”

Kyle and Georgia gathered us into a circle when our feet were set firmly again on the solid bank of Deep Bottom Boat Landing. We were told to each sum up our experience in one word, and everyone must use a new word.  “Awesome!” “So Cool!” “Amazing” from the kids.  “Blessed,” “Peaceful,” “Grateful,” from the adults.

Though nobody signed anything or made public professions of faith, I am sure that converts were quietly enlisted. Small, deeply-centered professions of faith were being made in the 7th grade hearts. Not faith in religion, or faith in government, but a simple faith in the pure goodness of the creation. A faith that can save mountains if not move them. A faith that can save rivers.

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The James River Association has received $90,000 in funding from Altria to install a stormwater management and beautification project at the 21^st Street Tower entrance to Belle Isle, which is part of the UCI 2015 Road World Championship course.

This site is one of the main access points to the James River Park and will also be prominently used as a time trial race route for the 2015 event. With over 107,000 visitors on foot and bike annually, the 21^st Street entrance suffers from severe erosion and degradation.

I took the pictures included in this post a couple of days ago when I was coming through on my mountain bike. They give you a sense of how eroded the landscape is.

According to the Friends of the James River Park: Improvements include the removal of the defunct shelter next to the street, defined stepping-stone pathways, a bike repair station, and bike parking. In addition, the site plan includes rain gardens filled with native plant species to reduce maintenance while beautifying the area. Work is scheduled to start [soon] and should be completed by May 1st. During the construction period, access to the tower will be restricted to the easternmost path that connects to the head of the tower from Riverside Drive.

In addition to the renovations made possible through Altria and the James River Association, the Public Works Traffic Engineering Department will improve pedestrian access with the installation of curb cuts, cross walks, and pedestrian crossing signs.

“The James River Association is proud to partner with the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities and the dedicated employees of Altria to restore one of Richmond’s most popular outdoor spaces in James River Park,” said Bill Street, CEO for the James River Association. “By making improvements to the 21^st Street entrance, we can continue our work to improve the health of the James for generations to come.”

“This project brings a variety of like minded organizations to provide an enhanced and “green” conversation project that will improve access to a very important asset to the James River Park,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, Director of the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.

The project will be completed this spring.

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This time of year there are lots of volunteer opportunities in the area, but I wanted to highlight this one because it comes from one of our partners and it serves a really magical place.

Through a Virginia Department of Forestry grant, the James River Association is partnering with the Chesapeake Conservancy and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to enhance and restore the riverfront along the James River at St. Francis/St. Emma, also known as Belmead, in Powhatan, County.

Belmead was originally built as a plantation home along the banks of the James River. In the late 1800s, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament transformed the property into two private schools for African American and Native American Indian students. Unfortunately, financial setbacks caused the schools to close in the 1970s, and most of the historic buildings to be demolished. In 2011, this historic 2,265-acre property was listed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

The James River Association and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation both hold a conservation easement on 1,000 acres of land along the riverbank and throughout the years have worked closely with the Sisters to protect and enhance this historic property’s riverfront. Over the course of two workdays, April 4, 2015 and April 18, 2015, volunteers will plant more than 900 native Virginia trees along a half-mile of James River-front. Planting native trees will enhance the health of the river by reducing river bank erosion, filtering polluted runoff from nearby farmland, and improving wildlife habitat.

This project is a part of Envision the James, an initiative led by the Chesapeake Conservancy, the James River Association, and National Geographic Maps. Through this program, the groups work with local partners and communities to conserve important landscapes in the James River basin, improve wildlife habitat, restore river banks, protect important viewsheds, and promote the heritage, history, and use of the river. This planting project not only compliments the goals of Envision the James, but also enhances the organizations’ collective goals of improving the health of the James and ultimately the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

For more information or to find out how you can volunteer, visit www.jamesriverassociation.org or contact Amber Ellis, Watershed Restoration Associate, at (804) 788-8811, ext. 205 or aellis@jrava.org. And learn more about Envision the James and how you can get involved at
www.EnvisiontheJames.org.

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EDITORS NOTE: Due to the inclement weather forecast for Thursday evening, this event has been postponed. Check back for a makeup date.

 

Green Life Adventure Sports and Peak Experiences Indoor Rock Climbing are teaming up this Thursday to offer a really cool-sounding lecture that I want to highlight. At 6:30 p.m. (March 5), Lester Zook, owner of WILD GUYde Adventures near Harrisonburg, will give a talk entitled Stupidity Explored: Why Do Some People Get Hurt in the Outdoors?

Zook is a Single Pitch Instructor with the American Mountain Guides Association, and is a member of the Professional Climbing Instructors’ Association, the National Speleological Society, and the Access Fund.  He teaches and presents frequently on outdoor leadership and risk management issues. This should be a fascinating lecture — great thinking starter for anyone interested in outdoor safety or leadership issues — and the timing couldn’t be better, with spring right around the corner.

Green Life is located at 9691 W.Broad St. in Glen Allen. And since everyone likes free stuff, there will be door prize drawings and free shwag for attendees.

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It may still be snow-covered and cold here in the RVA, but this announcement got me thinking of spring. Hopefully, it’ll do the same for you.

The opening day of camping season in Virginia State Parks is changing. Campgrounds will open Friday, March 6.

“In years past, we opened campgrounds on March 1, regardless of the day of the week,” said State Parks Director Craig Seaver. “To better serve our visitors, we will open on the first Friday in March this year and in the future.”

Virginia State Parks offers more than 1,800 campsites, ranging from primitive camping to RV sites with electric and water hookups. But Richmond-area campers take note: Exceptions to the new schedule include Lake Anna, Pocahontas, Smith Mountain Lake, and Staunton River state parks, where camping will open on March 1 this year.

Campgrounds at Fairy Stone and Twin Lakes state parks are scheduled to reopen May 1 after bathhouse renovations in those parks.

Because of elevations of more than 5,000 feet, Grayson Highlands State Park opens primitive camping March 6 and full service camping May 1.

Full-service camping is available year-round at Douthat, Shenandoah River and Hungry Mother state parks.

Also new this year, site-specific reservations are available for some sites in six campgrounds. Campsites are normally available on a first-come basis. For more information about the pilot reservation program, visit www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/site-specific.shtml.

Reservations are recommended and can be made 11 months in advance and until 2 p.m. on the day of arrival at nearly all locations by booking online at www.virginiastateparks.gov.

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Here’s a cool opportunity from at friends at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The CBF is seeking volunteers to grow underwater Bay grasses in their homes, schools, or businesses as part of CBF’s Grasses for the Masses restoration program. The program enlists volunteers to help restore underwater grasses, submerged plants vital to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem but seriously depleted over the years.

Volunteers will attend one of several upcoming workshops in the Richmond, Northern Virginia, and Hampton Roads areas to receive a self-contained kit, seeds, and instruction. They then will nurture their grass sprouts until they are mature enough to be transplanted to permitted sites in the James and Potomac rivers in late spring.

Workshops will be held:

·       In the Richmond area, on Jan. 31 at the REI store in Glen Allen; and on Feb. 7 at CBF’s downtown Richmond office.

·       In Northern Virginia, on Jan. 21 and 24 at the FairlingtonCommunity Center in Arlington; on Jan. 26 at the Bull Run Regional Library in Manassas; on Feb. 7 at the Central Community Library in Manassas; on Jan. 31 at the Patriot Scuba Club in Occoquan; and on Feb. 7 at Burke Center Library in Burke.

·       In Hampton Roads, on Feb. 22 at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach.

 There is a $40 fee per grass growing kit, which includes a one-year CBF membership. Volunteers can find more information, register, and pay the program fee online at www.cbf.org/grasses.

 “Recent improvements in the health of the Chesapeake Bay demonstrate what can be done when governments, businesses, and individuals work together,” said Blair Blanchette, CBF Virginia grassroots coordinator. “Grasses for the Masses is a great opportunity for volunteers to help make a difference.”

Underwater grasses are among the most critical natural resources in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams. Just as people rely on their immune system to help fight off illness, the Bay relies on a system of underwater grasses to help fight the harmful effects of pollution washed into the Bay’s tributaries. The grasses also provide food and shelter for important Bay species, such as blue crabs, fish, and waterfowl.

Unfortunately the Bay’s underwater grasses have been severely depleted by pollution and cloudy water. Volunteers can help restore and heal the Bay by participating in CBF’s Grasses for the Masses program, growing the grasses from seed and later planting them in tributaries of the Bay.

 For more information, contact Blair Blanchette at 804-780-1392 or bblanchette@cbf.org.

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