Who we are ...

With 25,000 residents, the Indian River neighborhoods encompass five square miles in the northeast corner of Chesapeake, Virginia.    A mature suburban community mostly built out in the 40's through the 70's, it has quiet    streets lined with mature trees and established gardens.   The 92 acre Indian River Park offers over 7 miles of trails, while the tidal Indian River, a tributary of the Elizabeth River, has significant acreage of surviving salt marsh and natural shoreline.   The river is a destination for fishing and crabbing and a year round habitat for wide variety of birds.

While a great place to live, our quality of life faces various threats including haphazard development, aging infrastructure, excess nutrient and bacterial run-off into the river, and invasive species.   We also face economic challenges for local businesses, lack of information for our citizens, and often lack of attention from the local and regional officials

The purpose for the Friends of Indian River is to improve our quality of life.   Opportunities include: enhancing streetscapes with trees and healthy yards and removing invasive plants;   supporting action to see that development follows zoning and permitting rules and that hints of blight are banished; encouraging the use of trails in Indian River Park and protecting and enjoying the Indian River.   We also seek to support local businesses.   The ultimate goal is cleaner air, cleaner water, more tranquil streets, a healthier community and even improved property values.

The Friends of Indian River is a brand new group, just in its early stages of getting organized.    Our first meeting will be at the Indian River Library on Thursday, February 9th, 7 PM.   To learn more and to get involved, please join us at the meeting or drop us a note at rogard@yahoo.com.