Successful stewardship projects
DEQ's South Central Regional Office helps clean up Blackwater Creek
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On April 21, 2006 South Central Regional Office volunteers helped remove approximately one ton of trash and tires from Blackwater Creek, a large urban stream in Lynchburg bordered by hiking trails, bike paths, and a nature preserve. SCRO adopted a 2.8 mile section of the creek in 2004 and holds an annual cleanup event for Earth Day. Rain was in the forecast so we held the cleanup three hours early, allowing us to narrowly escape a deluge! Two canoes manned by Tom Berkeley, Craig Nicol, Kirk Batsel, and Mark Coppage, and a kayak manned by Alan Ball, were used to clean deeper sections of the stream that included trash-laden logjams that were an eyesore to hikers and joggers on the adjacent trails. Volunteers were Regional Director Tom Henderson, Joey Daniel and son Michael, James Puckett, Carrie Thomas, Leah Reedy, Adrienne Averett, Stephanie Bowman, Kevin Crider and son Matthew, Rebecca Cobb, Blake Apo, Tim Fletcher, Allen Armistead and son Trey, Kelly Wills, Kirk Batsel, Mark Coppage, Tom Berkeley, Craig Nicol, Alan Ball, and Chad Davis.
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The Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs has committed over 270 volunteer hours valued at over $4700 towards environmental efforts in Chesterfield County. Some of the projects the Muslim Coalition have been involved in include a riparian buffer planting and annual buffer monitoring program at Pocahontas State Park, stream cleanups at Pocoshock Creek, the James River Regional Cleanup at Robious Landing Park and Falling Creek. Janit Llewellyn Potter, the executive director for the Friends of Chesterfield’s Riverfront says, “The community spirit, hard work and faith based initiative taken by the Virginia Muslim Coalition is a model to others in our community. We call on this group to help us with some of our most difficult volunteer initiatives. They are dedicated, fun and always do a terrific job.”
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Luck Stone has partnered with Friends in Chesterfield County for many years. Luck Stone annually provides and prepares lunch for volunteers at Robious Landing Park during the James River Regional Cleanup sponsored by the James River Advisory Council. They also send volunteers to assist with the cleanup making the James River Cleanup volunteer initiative valued at over $3000 for the past two years. Beginning in 2004, Luck Stone expanded their partnership and commitment to assist with the creation of outdoor classroom BayScape gardens at 18 of Chesterfield’s public elementary schools. Luck Stone donated and delivered over 200 yards of mulch and 75 tons of rock valued at approximately $6,000 to these schools. This donation was used to match a grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ’s NOAA B-WET program. Luck Stone is continuing this partnership in the 2005-2006 academic year by providing mulch and stone dust to an additional 18 schools in Chesterfield County. This corporate partnership and volunteer effort is exemplary and extends the community resources available for education It also helps to meet the Chesapeake Bay goal of having each student participate in a meaningful watershed experience on their own school ground.