- Upcoming Events
- 9/14/2024 - Saturday - Second Saturday Hike @ Indian River Park
- 9/19/2024 - Thursday - Bi-Monthly Meeting - Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes
- 9/21/2024 - Saturday - International Coastal Cleanup
- 10/3/2024 - Thursday - Field Trip - Tour of Ryan Resilience Lab in Norfolk
- More fall dates
- News
- Blue Heron Landing Park Update
- Indian River Road Safety
- Eco-District
- Get Ready to Vote!
- Summer Recap
- Cuffee Pool Information Meeting
- Connecting Chesapeake
- Surveys and More
Upcoming Events
Saturday, September 14: Second Saturday Hike @ Indian River Park
- Time: 8:30 am-10:30 am
- Location: Indian River Park trailhead at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2003 Rokeby Ave.)
- Learn about the history of the park, the native trees and plants in this century old forest on the Indian River flood plain, and its value to maintaining the health of local butterfly, bird, and wildlife populations. We'll look for ripe paw paw fruit. Note: the forest trail has uneven surfaces and minor elevation changes.
- Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/KcBvosBQu32JvXbm7 (suggested but not required)
Thursday, September 19: Bi-Monthly Meeting - Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes
- 7 pm to 8:30 pm
- Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive
- Our guest speaker will be Amy Weber, Chair of the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council. She will tell us about the new Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes program that will recognize healthy and beautiful yards that support wildlife and promote a healthier environment in Chesapeake.
- All are welcome. We'll also have the latest community news and updates! There will be light refreshments after the meeting.
Saturday, September 21, 2024: International Coastal Cleanup
- 9 am to Noon
- Location: Meet at Lilac Avenue and Indian River Road. Park along Lilac Avenue by the Norfolk Highlands Primary School. It is a No Parking zone along Oleander Avenue (parallel to Indian River Road).
- As part of the International Coastal Cleanup, we will be cleaning up around and underneath the Indian River - Oaklette Bridge and along Indian River Road.
- The city will provide garbage bags and orange safety vests. We encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful. We also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles. Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.
- Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/wXXPxj96D2bArEsn6 (suggested but not required)
- If have access to the Indian River and are interested in "paddling up" to this cleanup with your own canoe or kayak, please reach out to us in advance at info@friendsofindianriver.org
Thursday, October 3, 2024: Field Trip - Tour of Ryan Resilience Lab in Norfolk
- 4 pm
- Location: Ryan Resilience Lab, 4610 Colley Ave, Norfolk, VA 23508
- Our field trip this year will be to the Elizabeth River Project's Ryan Resilience Lab. This is a great opportunity to tour this remarkable new facility and have an eye-opening exploration of how sea level rise will affect us all. We'll learn about their cutting-edge green building practices and systems – floating docks, green roofs, solar arrays, rainwater capture, and much more. We'll also learn about their living shoreline and native plant garden. Learn about sustainability best practices in action and hear about the “planned retreat” that will allow the river to retake the site as sea levels continue to rise. Tour takes about 1 hour.
- Afterward we will have an optional outing to a local restaurant for dinner. (dutch treat - each participant pays for their own bill)
- Space is limited. Registration required at https://forms.gle/CqEzZhfzhT2ML8nf7
Save these dates for the fall
- Saturday, October 19, 2024: Adopt-A-Park at Indian River Park - Native Plant Garden
- Saturday, October 26, 2024: History Walk
- Thursday, November 21, 2024: Bi-Monthly Meeting with State Delegate Bonita Anthony
- Saturday, November 23, 2024: Adopt-A-Park at Indian River Park - Remove Invasives
News
Blue Heron Landing Park Update
Indian River Road Safety
The opening of Blue Heron Landing Park in the next few months brings a new urgency to implementing road safety improvements along Indian River Road. Blue Heron Landing Park will primarily be a walk-in park with only six parking spaces on the property. Most park users will need to cross Indian River Park to reach the park. Redesigning Indian River Road to improve safety, reduce speeding, and add bike lanes was approved as part of the Indian River Small Area Plan and funding was approved by the City Council in 2022, but no significant action has yet been taken.
Rehabilitation work on the Indian River Road Oaklette Bridge is expected to start in the coming months and will result in the temporary closure of two lanes on the bridge to enable the construction work on the bridge. We are urging the City to use this as an opportunity to put the planned Indian River Road safety improvements in place immediately after the end of the bridge work.
Indian River "Eco-District"
Inspired by the Elizabeth River Project efforts to establish an "Eco-District" around their new headquarters at the Ryan Resilience Lab on Knitting Mill Creek in Norfolk, we will be ramping up a campaign this fall to encourage more local residents and property owners to become River Stars here in the Indian River area. Today in our watershed, we have over 200 River Star Homes, two River Star Schools, and several River Star Business and Organizations. But our goals include significantly increasing participation in these programs. At our monthly meeting on September 19th, we will learn about the new Chesapeake Health Landscapes Program and we'll look have we can leverage that effort to recruit more River Stars. And we are preparing to revamp our business outreach to get more local businesses involved in our efforts to improve the quality of life in our community. Want to take a first step to help now? Take our tree pledge at https://forms.gle/xNCG9XMuBWPExmWt6
Get Ready to Vote!
It's another big election year. On the ballot will be
- President and Vice President of the United States
- U.S. Senator
- U.S. Representative
- Mayor of Chesapeake
- Chesapeake City Council (3 members at large)
- Chesapeake School Board (4 members at large)
- Referendum on Curbside Recycling in Chesapeake
The first day of in-person early voting will be Friday, September 20, 2024. The deadline to register to vote, or update an existing registration is October 15, 2024. (Voters may register after this date, through Election Day, and vote using a provisional ballot). Election day - the last day to vote - will be Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Make your plan on how you will vote now. Need to register to vote, check your status, or update your voter registration? Visit https://vote.virginia.gov/ today.
Summer Recap
It's been a rather busy summer. As mentioned above, we met with City staff regarding Indian River Road safety and also submitted comments on the City's draft Trails and Connectivity Plan urging action on improving bicycle and pedestrian safety in the City now. We were involved in a planning meeting Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) and other stakeholders regarding Indian River Park, addressing topics such as trail signage and other amenities. PRT is also doing a survey for work on their new park's Master Plan that you can take at https://chesapeakeparksurvey.org/
Hampton Roads Transit has been looking at options to bring high-capacity transit in Chesapeake. Two of the four routes on their short list go down Indian River Road. Check out the potential routes, learn more about the study, and take a survey about
these options at https://www.connectingchesapeake.com/
these options at https://www.connectingchesapeake.com/
