MJRT Executive Committee Elections Results
The Roundtable Steering Committee elected its new Executive Committee officers at the quarterly meeting held on Thursday, June 26, 2014 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Congratulations to the new Executive Committee:
- Chairperson: Kip Mumauw - Ecosystem Services, LLC
- Vice Chairperson: Paul Davis - Citizen
- Treasurer: Nancy Drumheller - Central Virginia Waste Management Authority
- Secretary: Erin Hawkins - City of Lynchburg Department of Water Resources
- Chair-Elect: Hallie (Boisseau) Stephenson - Keep Henrico Beautiful
Thank you to the outgoing Executive Committee:
- Chairperson: Erin Hawkins - City of Lynchburg Department of Water Resources
- Vice Chairperson/Chair-Elect: Kip Mumauw - Ecosystem Services, LLC
- Treasurer: Anna Mathis - Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
- Secretary: Nancy Drumheller - Central Virginia Waste Management Authority
MJRT 2014 Annual Meeting Wrap-Up
The Middle James Roundtable held its annual meeting on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. There were approximately 75 attendees at the event representing nonprofit, private sector, local/state government, and citizen groups from throughout the watershed. During the Roundtable business meeting portion of the event, Erin Hawkins (Chairperson), Kip Mumaw (Vice-Chairperson/Chair Elect) and Megan Sommers Bascone (Project Manager) welcomed attendees and gave a brief overview of Roundtable history as well as past and current projects. Chairperson Hawkins conducted the Steering Committee elections and the following six Steering Committee members were elected to serve for the 2014-2017 term:
- Anna Mathis - Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
- David Taylor - Chesterfield County Department of Environmental Engineering
- Olivia Hall - Henrico County Department of Public Works
- Paul Davis - Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District
- Sarah Stewart - Richmond Regional Planning District Commission
- Wood Hudson - Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
Please join us in thanking the following Steering Committees for their service as they step down from the committee:
- Bret Schardein - Citizen
- Lisa Hardy - Citizen
- Margaret Smigo - Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
The morning session included two panel discussions. The first panel discussion focused on financing municipal stormwater and was comprised of locality representatives from Charlottesville, Chesterfield Lynchburg, and Petersburg. The second panel covered homeowner BMP initiatives implemented by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, James River Association, and Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District.
The afternoon session included two breakout sessions. Attendees had three topics to chose from per session. Topics included technical assistance for homeowners, addressing water quality at the state level, environmental education, invasive species and litter control, small scale agriculture, and stormwater retrofit implementation.
The meeting concluded with a panel discussion of stormwater management with representatives from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Town of Ashland, Campbell County, and City of Richmond.
Click here to download presentations from the meeting.
This event could not have occurred without assistance from MJRT Executive & Steering Committee members, Planning Committee volunteers, session moderators, Henricopolis SWCD staff, VCU Life Sciences staff, Lorne Field and Michelle Kokolis (who donated rain barrels for the raffle), and meeting attendees.
We look forward to seeing you all at the MJRT 2015 Annual Meeting!
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Check out the page to receive coupons from our sponsors and updates on the campaign!
 What is the P.U.P. Club? P.U.P. stands for Pick Up Poop. The P.U.P. Club was formed by the Richmond Regional Pet Waste Committee as a way to recognize pet owners that are doing their part by picking up after pets and properly disposing of the waste.
The goal of the Richmond Regional Pet Waste Committee is to educate the public about the environmental impacts of pet waste and the importance of picking up after pets. The committee also aims to create uniformity in the information on pet waste that is being spread by the localities in the Richmond area. Committee representatives include state and local government, non-profits and other constituent groups in the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. The committee was formed in response to many of the area's rivers and streams being impaired by bacteria, including bacteria from pet waste.
Watershed Announcements & Events
2014 Green Spaces Competition:
RE:MARKET | Richmond Landmark Reimagined
(Submissions Due: July 21, 2014)
The 2014 James River Green Building Council (JRGBC) Green Spaces Design Competition kicked off on Thursday, March 6, 2014. This year's challenge will give new life to one of Richmond's iconic structures, the 17th Street Farmer's Market.
JRGBC is asking participants to propose a design solution that re-purposes the salvaged market building materials into one of three unique new structures: a Market Pavilion, Trailhead Pavilion, and Garden Pavilion. Each structure will have a different scale, site context, and degree of modularity as outlined in the challenge details.
Find out more about the competition on the JRGBC website.
The deadline for design submissions is 5:00 pm, Monday, July 21, 2014.
Webinars to Assist Virginia Local Government Staffers Reduce Stormwater Runoff in Compliance with Federal Clean Water Act Permits
(July 10, 2014, noon - 1:30 p.m. and July 18, noon - 1:30 p.m.)
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will host two free webinars in July to assist Virginia local government staffers reduce stormwater runoff in compliance with federal Clean Water Act permits.
Virginia's larger cities and institutions must have approved federal permits called municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits that regulate the polluted runoff washing off urban buildings, streets, parking lots, and lawns. The permits are intended to better protect local streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. Reducing urban and suburban runoff is among the key strategies of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, the state-federal plan to restore the Bay by 2025.
The first CBF webinar will be July 10 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. and will focus on public education and outreach, tracking nutrient and habitat management, coordinating local best management practices with Clean Water Blueprint requirements, and developing nutrient management plans for public facilities. To register for the July 10 webinar, visit http://cwp.adobeconnect.com/vacbf1/event/event_info.html.
The second webinar will be July 18 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. and will feature a step-by-step process for creating a public outreach plan, including identifying target audiences and priority water quality issues, crafting messages to engage the public, and evaluating outreach plan effectiveness. To register for the July 18 webinar, go to http://cwp.adobeconnect.com/vacbf2/event/event_info.html.
Spaces in the webinars are limited, and registration is required. For more information, contact Ann Jurczyk at 804/780-1392 or email ajurczyk@cbf.org.
Recorded versions of both webinars will be available at cbf.org/ms4 shortly after the webinars conclude.
James River Regional Cleanup - Registration Now Open
(September 13, 2014, various sites)
Join the James River Advisory Council (JRAC) as they come together as a community to clean up the James River watershed. The 15th Annual James River Regional Cleanup will be Saturday, September 13. Each year, hundreds of volunteers make the cleanup a success. They collect hundreds of bags of trash and recyclable materials. JRAC invites you to be a part of this tremendous regional effort! Registration is easy. Select from a list of official James River Regional Cleanup sites, complete the online registration (Spanish registration also available) and show up Saturday, September 13. Sign-in will begin at 8:30 a.m., and refreshments will be provided between noon and 1 p.m. This annual event is open to individuals, families, groups, boaters and paddlers! Bring water and gloves and wear closed-toe shoes.
CLEANUP REGISTRATION
SPANISH REGISTRATION
JRAC looks forward to seeing you Saturday, September 13!
Rivanna River Sojourn
(October 18, 2014)
The Rivanna Conservation Society, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and their partners are hosting a professionally guided, family friendly paddle along the beautiful Rivanna River.
Fall Float - Saturday, October 18th:
Palmyra to Columbia (the confluence of the James river, with lunch at Hell's Bend Farm (16 miles)
Visit www.rivannariver.org for more information.
Watershed Educational Activity Sheets & MJRT Beverage Coasters are available!
The Roundtable has a limited number of James River Watershed Educational Activity Sheets available at no charge. The activity sheets educate children and adults about watersheds and pollution prevention. They display a watershed illustration that can be colored by kids and a variety of puzzles and activities. We have distributed tens of thousands of sheets to organizations throughout the James River watershed. One of the main goals of this project is to reach a diverse audience. If you are interested in distributing the sheets in your community please consider a variety of venues! In order to obtain activity sheets please contact info@mjrt.org. To view the activity sheet, please click here.
The same Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund Grant used to design our activity sheets also supported to the reprinting of our popular beverage coasters. The beverage coasters contain 5 ways to help the James River. To view the beverage coaster and its contents, please click here.
More information about the James River Watershed Educational Activity Sheets and Beverage Coasters can be found on our featured projects page. |