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3 Free Events 3 ways to volunteer
3 fun celebrations of local waters
Earth Day Staunton Saturday April 13 10am-2pm
Kites & Critters Sunday April 14 1-5pm
Riverfest Saturday May 4 10am-4:30pm
FOMR is seeking volunteers to help at our station any of these spring events. Help us educate the public by talking and answering questions about the river, working with kids and families, handing out our schedules, assisting with live fish and insect displays, or selling raffle tickets and T-shirts. These events offer us a great opportunity to share our important work with the public. There are still a lot of local folks who do not know FOMR and do not know much about Middle River. We can change that! To volunteer, shoot an email to Kate at info@friendsoftemiddleriver.org or call 540-609-8267 and she will link you with the correct event coordinator so you can get involved. These events are a lot of fun and a great way to connect with the many people working to protect our natural resources locally.
Earth Day Staunton: Gypsy Hill Park Bandstand. This year’s theme is, “SOS--Save
Our Species.” Enjoy kid-oriented activities, see a beehive, look
through a solar telescope, take home some native plants and trees, and learn
how to save our species. Kids receive a passport to fill out and redeem a prize at the recycled treasure
shop. Adults can learn about local environmental issues from the dozens of
organizations represented. Free! In the event of rain, Earth Day Staunton will be in the
Gypsy Hill Park Gym. And...food trucks! http://www.earthdaystaunton.org
Kites & Critters: Free! Kite Flying-- Fish Touch Tank--Farm Animals--Local Conservation--Brook Trout Release--Habitat Walks--Stream Restoration. Join us for a day on the farm. www.valleyconservation.org
Riverfest: This free annual event takes place river-side at Constitution Park in Waynesboro. Activities include Reptile World shows, Stream Safari, a presentation by the Wildlife Center of Virginia, Fish and Fun Rodeo, canoe rides, kids arts & crafts, a fish presentation with the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries and is capped off by the Great South River Duck Race! Rain or Shine – No Pets Allowed.
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| | Bug Class and
the Spring Monitoring Season |
| Whit Morriss, who has expertly, enthusiastically & patiently guided
our benthic program since its inception 8 or 9 years ago, is stepping
down. His leadership and his expertise will be sorely missed. Pete Cooper, with some help from Joe Thompson, will be taking over. (It will take at least two people to fill Whit's waders.)
We will have a Benthic Training Class (Bug School) on:
Sunday, March 24, 2019,
from 3-6 pm at the Churchville Library.
3714 Churchville
Ave, Churchville, VA 24421
For those without benthic monitoring experience, Darrell Schwalm will offer a streamside training from 3-4 pm. The inside lecture will start at 4 pm and will be finished by 6 pm.
Whether you are a newbie, would just like a refresher class, or would like to become a certified monitor, we'd love to have you. Benthic monitoring is fun--you get to play in the river, catch bugs and hang out with a great group of people.
We were hoping to do the spring monitoring sessions during the first two weeks of April but we will have problems if there is continued high water
or more rain. It will be fun to eventually actually see the bottom of the river again and to see what has happened to all those aquatic critters after the floods of last year!
Thanks,
Pete Cooper, FOMR Benthic Program Coordinator |
| Aqua Bugs ID App
The Izaak Walton League of America has a free app for your smartphone for benthic monitors to use in the field.
Especially helpful for new stream monitors, the Aqua Bugs App is a great tool. This app uses a dichotomous key – a tool that provides a series of
choices that will lead to correct identification of each
macroinvertebrate.
It’s simple to use. Once you open the Aqua Bugs app,
you can start the identification process based on the insect's
legs, tails, or overall body shape, using illustrations to guide you
through the choices. Check it out!
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Fishing Licenses Don’t forget, buying a fishing license not only keeps you
legal out there fishing, but it supports a great cause! The Virginia Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries gets 47% of their income from boating, hunting and fishing
licenses, so buying a license directly funds the agency! Buy them on-line!
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| Upcoming
March
24
Benthic Stream Monitoring Class, Churchville, 3-6pm
April
May
4 Riverfest,
Constitution Park, Waynesboro, 10am-4:30pm
June
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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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