Northumberland Association for Progressive StewardshipBrainardRita Johnson202003-03-25T22:02:00Z2007-02-10T17:47:00Z2007-02-10T17:47:00Z1312117792148412087211.5604Northumberland Association for Progressive StewardshipNorthumberland is going to grow. Let’s help it grow with order and beauty.NAPS NEWSSummer 2003 Volume 12, Issue 3Important Subjects for People of the CountyBy Lynton LandPhragmitesPhragmites is a tall, invasive wetland plant that is very common in the headwaters of most of our creeks. It has very little wildlife value in comparison with other marsh plants. Last fall NAPS held a public informational meeting and then subsequently sprayed 16 sites with Rodeo, a chemical approved for use in wetlands. Several of the sites have been re-visited and the spraying was more than 95% effective in killing the Phragmites. We will re-visit all 16 sites again this fall and spray as necessary. At several of the sites we are in the process of planting more desirable marsh plants. Our goal is not just to try and eliminate the Phragmites, but to return the marsh flora to a healthy, diverse condition. Marshes are important as sources of habitat and protection for a variety of marine organisms. They form a buffer between the land and the water that purifies the groundwater entering our creeks and rivers and helps retard erosion. Healthy marshes foster healthy waterways. We already have a list of new sites to spray this coming fall. If you think you have a Phragmites problem, please contact Lynton Land (JandL@rivnet.net or 453-6605) so someone can come and survey the site. For more information about Phragmites, see the Stewardship Tip on our web site, which contains links to several other informative web sites.PreservesNorthumberland County is blessed with three Preserves. Managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Bush Mill Stream, Hughlett Point, and most recently Dameron Marsh, these areas are provided with legal protection against activities that might harm the natural communities or rare plants and animals. Sib and Jane Towner spearheaded a group of volunteer monitors at Hughlett Point last year, and Mary and Porter Kier and Tom and Jeanne Stevens are doing the same thing at Bush Mill Stream. After Dameron Marsh opened this spring, a group of volunteers started to develop a “walking guide” to the Preserve. Audrey Brainard has taken over this aspect of the Dameron Marsh effort from the Towners, who will continue to organize volunteer monitors. We hope to produce a source of information about the history, geology and biology of the Preserve for monitors, volunteer guides and anyone else interested. Guides will be available two Saturdays each month beginning in September to help the public become familiar with the Preserve. We also hope to assist the schools in using the Preserve for educational purposes at several grade levels. If you want to help as a volunteer monitor at any of the three sites, as a guide at Dameron Marsh, or in helping develop the Preserve for school field trips, in accord with DCR’s mandate and SOL requirements, please contact the Towners (jtowner@rivnet.net) the Kiers (marykier@crosslink.net) or Audrey Brainard (brainard@rivnet.net).SAIF WaterSAIF water (www.saifwater.org) has a long history of helping people ensure a safe domestic water supply. Nearly a quarter of the citizens in Northumberland County use shallow wells that tap the water table aquifer for their domestic supply. Many wells are contaminated with bacteria or have high concentrations of nitrate. As the result of a grant from the Jessie Ball DuPont Foundation, water samples from 40 wells were taken in June and will be analyzed for a variety of dissolved species. The Health Department has very strict monitoring requirements for public water supplies, but not for individual wells. After the data are compiled, the group plans to re-sample some of the wells for agricultural chemicals and/or lead as appropriate. Wells in need of repair will be identified and repairs arranged. In order to inspect the wells, NAPS helped support the purchase of a submersible video camera that can image potential problems such as leaks in the well curbs and undesirable material in the bottom of the well. If you want to get involved in this effort, contact Rev. Gayl Fowler (saif@crosslink.net).Hot Issues for Northumberland CountyChanges are coming; even Northumberland County is not immune. Bureaucratic processes that could transform the dream of a trans-Chesapeake ferry into physical reality are chugging along.. It is not the role of NAPS to either support or oppose the concept of a ferry between the Northumberland County and Crisfield. This initiative could promote economic development, contribute to tourism, benefit our farmers and provide increased access to the Eastern Shore and it has the potential to offer great benefits to our community. However, at a recent meeting of the NAPS Board of Directors a presentation by a concerned citizen analyzed the feasibility plan, outlining causes for concern and raising issues that merit further consideration.It appears that the Northern Neck is seen as a conduit for trans-Bay passage, not a destination. The financial viability of the project will depend largely upon commercial traffic, but exactly what products will be transported across the Bay, other than seasonal grain crops, is uncertain. We need a clear vision of the benefits our region can expect to garner from this new communications link. Right now, such benefits seem ephemeral compared to the tangible drawbacks. Little thought or analysis has been directed at the impact of increased traffic on our rural roads. We need detailed information on plans for access roads and the elimination of bottlenecks. So far Northumberland County has escaped the necessity for traffic lights: that is going to change. How many new lights are envisaged and in which locations? Which road intersections will require structural improvement to ensure safe and equitable flow of traffic from all direction? Imagine the scene as 18-wheelers off the ferry crawl along behind the 3:15 school bus convoy on Route 360, or jostle to overtake the combine harvesters, sprayers and other heavy agricultural vehicles, which need to use our major thoroughfares. Share the road – but first find a way to balance conflicting uses and needs. The initial premise offered a transportation system wholly funded from private financial sources. The county is already having to allocate matching funds for the next phase of studies. What will be the final cost to the taxpayer and how will these costs, direct and ancillary, be met? Before large sums of the taxpayer’s money are allocated to this project, it would behoove us to consider the degree to which a ferry is likely to contribute to the overall economic development of the Northern Neck. The number of jobs directly created appears to be 10 – 20. Related service jobs might impact service stations and fast food facilities. However, the current reality of economic development depends increasingly upon the retirement community – buying land, building houses and sustaining a growing network of support services. One factor that lures people to the Northern Neck is the ease of communications. While it may be necessary to drive considerable distances to facilities, the up-side of distance is ease of transit – no traffic lights, no bottlenecks, no heavy traffic. If this situation changes, the dynamics of the appeal of the Northern Neck also changes – radically. What will be the impact of the ferry upon those who are likely to provide the greatest contributions to the Northern Neck economy?Other issues are facing various bodies of our local government. The Comprehensive Plan, which seeks to provide a blueprint for the future development of the county, is due for review and revision. Issues related to zoning and land use are being considered by the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission. Their decisions could have significant impact upon the way our communities respond to the inevitable demands of change and growth. It is time for us all to be aware that decisions are being made, to ensure that opinions are expressed and voices heard, and to remember the NAPS commitment that our county should grow “with order and beauty”,NAPS Marshgrass Planting Nears Completion This year in the Northern Neck we have seen a remarkable community emphasis on protecting our unique waterway resources. NAPS, Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, Master Gardeners of the Northern Neck, VIMS and various other organizations and individuals have all been working to reinforce community attitudes and actions toward waterway stewardship.The Chesapeake Bay and our numerous rivers generate a Northumberland shoreline extending nearly 500 miles – the longest shoreline of any county in Virginia.  Hopefully during the year you have heard at least one of us talk about building a filter between where we live and work and our waterways -- a 500 mile long riparian buffer.  Our relationship with the Bay and its tributaries is more than casual.Last April NAPS and the Master Gardeners of the Northern Neck hosted a coordinated program to learn about Bayscaping and get some hands-on experience with planting a Marshgrass buffer.  The NAPS segment of the program involved a seminar by VIMS and hands-on experience with planting marshgrass at a nearby Demonstration Site.  Of the 100 plus people who turned out for the overall program, more than 50 attended the Marshgrass Planting Demonstration.  The Program was held at Lancaster Middle School in Kilmarnock, and was followed by grass planting at low-tide in Barnes Creek at the end of Bluff Point -- a remote and park-like setting. Boots and trowels were the armor and weapons for the event.  A cookout capped a perfect day for those attending.As a second part of the NAPS Marshgrass project, more than a dozen waterfront property owners have volunteered as Marshgrass Pioneers.  Those applying as Pioneers had their sites reviewed by NAPS in terms of their suitability for Marshgrass restoration.  Sites with good sun, moderate slope and modest wave action were favored. Selected sites were provided with coconut logs, planting materials and NAPS oversight and assistance. Pioneer activities are about 90% complete at this time.  Support for much of this year’s activity came from FishAmerica with funding from NOAAOur community is alive and working together to improve our environment! The residents of Northumberland County are the ones who make these events possible through your interest and involvement.   NAPS Northumberland Comprehensive Plan PositionVillage Concept: NAPS strongly supports the Village Concept and the Corridor Protection Plan as proposed in the Comprehensive Plan. It is essential that the County protect the unspoiled and rural character of Northumberland County by insuring that all new commercial establishments be located in the allowed zones around the named villages. Route 360 and Route 200 must be protected from becoming ugly strip developments. This can only be accomplished by strict and effective zoning changes that are enforced. The priority for this land use policy (Strategies A-1, A-2 and A-3, Page 5:16) should be raised from "Longer term priority" to "Immediate priority".DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITYNOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING AND PUBLIC COMMENTBy Lynton LandThe Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) seeks written and oral comments from interested persons on the development of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for fecal coliform bacteria on an approximate six segments of the Coan River and three segments of the Little Wicomico River in Northumberland County. The Coan River and Little Wicomico River impaired segments are located wholly within Northumberland County. These areas are identified in the Virginia Department of Health, Notice and Description of Shellfish Area Condemnation Number 145, Coan River and the Glebe as; Area D. Long Cove; Area E; Killneck Creek; Area F. Stevens Point; and, Areas G, H, and I of the Coan River. The Little Wicomico River impaired segments are identified in the Virginia Department of Health, Notice and Description of Shellfish Area Condemnation Number 105, Little Wicomico River, as Areas A and B and in Virginia Department of Health, Notice and Description of Shellfish Area Condemnation Number 180. Both the Coan River Segments and the Little Wicomico River segments are identified in Virginia’s 1998 303(d) TMDL Priority List and Report as impaired due to violations of the State’s water quality standard for fecal coliform bacteria. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and '62.1-44.19:7.C of the Code of Virginia, require DEQ to develop TMDLs for pollutants responsible for each impaired water contained in Virginia’s 303(d) TMDL Priority List and Report. The first public meeting on the development of the Coan and Little Wicomico fecal coliform TMDL’s will be held on Tuesday, July 22, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. "New" Northumberland County Courts Building, 39 Judicial Place, Heathsville, Virginia. The physical location of the new facility is behind the "Old" Courthouse. Final water quality modeling results, fecal coliform bacteria source identification, and load allocations will be presented.The public comment period will begin on March July 22, 2003, and end on August 20, 2003. Draft reports for the Coan River Watershed and the Little Wicomico River Watershed are available upon request from the Department of Environmental Quality website. Questions or information requests should be addressed to Chester Bigelow and should include the name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the comments. Requests should be sent to Chester Bigelow, Department of Environmental Quality, 629 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23240, telephone (804) 698-4554, Fax (804) 698-4116, or e-mail ccbigelow@deq.state.va.us.PreservesNorthumberland County is blessed with three Preserves. Managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Bush Mill Stream, Hughlett Point, and most recently Dameron Marsh, these areas are provided with legal protection against activities that might harm the natural communities or rare plants and animals. Sib and Jane Towner spearheaded a group of volunteer monitors at Hughlett Point last year, and Mary and Porter Kier and Tom and Jeanne Stevens are doing the same thing at Bush Mill Stream. After Dameron Marsh opened this spring, a group of volunteers started to develop a “walking guide” to the Preserve. Audrey Brainard has taken over this aspect of the Dameron Marsh effort from the Towners, who will continue to organize volunteer monitors. We hope to produce a source of information about the history, geology and biology of the Preserve for monitors, volunteer guides and anyone else interested. Guides will be available two Saturdays each month beginning in September to help the public become familiar with the Preserve. We also hope to assist the schools in using the Preserve for educational purposes at several grade levels. If you want to help as a volunteer monitor at any of the three sites, as a guide at Dameron Marsh, or in helping develop the Preserve for school field trips, in accord with DCR’s mandate and SOL requirements, please contact the Towners (jtowner@rivnet.net) the Kiers (marykier@crosslink.net) or Audrey Brainard (brainard@rivnet.net).NAPS ScholarshipsBy Don PumroyThe Northumberland Association for Progressive Stewardship (NAPS) awards Scholarships each year to deserving and talented seniors from the Northumberland High School. Susan Stubbs, a member of the NAPS Education Committee, announced the winners for this year at the Senior Chapel on May 30. They were: Andrea Blair Cralle, Kenda Palmer, Matthew D. Rowe and Carly Breeze Smith. Each student will receive a check from NAPS for $500 to help defray their academic expenses. The High School was given six copies of Dr. Roger McIntire’s book titled “College Aims” earlier this year. This book was written for the beginning college student and it presented the four big mistakes that students make and how to cope with them. NAPS hopes that the book and material in it will help our students survive and excel in the academic world. NAPS also wishes the Scholarship winners and all the graduating seniors the very best in their future.Appreciation is expressed to Myrtle Phillips and Susan Stubbs for their interviewing effort and wise decisions. Appreciation is also due to Krista Hundley and Mary Ellen Thomas at the high school for their help.2003 FALL SOCIAL“Up the Rivah”You and your friends are invited to join the Board of Directors of the Northumberland Association for Progressive Stewardship (NAPS) at the 2003 Fall Social to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the organization. The Social is a way of saying “Thank You” to all members of the community who have supported the projects of the organization.The Social will be held at the home of Dr. Sherri Hummel and Michael Burch on Saturday, September 13, 2003, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. This will be an opportunity to meet other NAPS members and to welcome new members in a relaxed setting. There will be punch, wine, beer and finger foods available. Dress is casual. A highlight of the Social will be the presentation of the NAPS Distinguished Citizen Award for 2003. Previous recipients are Meade Hinton, Sr., Col. Mickey Cochran, Miriam Williams Haynie, Mary Lou Butler, Mary and Porter Kier, the Rev. Thomas Wright Morris, Al Fisher, Jr., Warren Stansbury, Martha and Bob Robinson, The Reedville Fisherman’s Museum, Isabel and Ralph Rose, Adele and Mike Harwood, and the Hughlett’s Tavern/Rice’s Hotel Foundation, which includes the Tavern Rangers and Tavern Quilt Guild.For questions about the event, phone Martha Tallent at 453-6832. Tickets are $12.50 per person. Deadline for reservations is September 5, 2003. Directions to the Hummel/Burch home will be mailed with tickets. Extra funds raised help finance NAPS-sponsored community projects such as environmental education efforts in the schools and the general public, marsh grass planting to stem eroding shorelines, phragmites eradication, Adopt-A-Highway, scholarships for Northumberland High School seniors and continuing citizen oversight of environmental concerns.Please Complete Form Below and Mail With Your CheckPAYABLE TO: NAPSMAIL TO: NAPS, PO Box 567, Heathsville, VA 22473- - - - - - - cut here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - cut here - - - - Ticket Request Form for NAPS Fall Social Deadline: September 5, 2003Your Name(s) _____________________________________________________(for nametags)Mailing Address ___________________________________ ZIP ____________Telephone ______________email __________________FAX _______________NO. of TICKETS _________ x $12.50 = _____________________ enclosedPlease send this completed form and your check made out to NAPS toNAPS, PO Box 567, Heathsville, VA 22473Upcoming County IssuesMost citizens of the county agree that our zoning and subdivision ordinances are out-of-date and need to be revised. Do you want to help? NAPS is forming a committee to study our ordinances and ordinances of adjoining counties in order to make recommendations on needed revisions. $85,000 had been allocated in the proposed county budget for the hiring of a consultant to assist in the revising and rewriting of the zoning and subdivision ordinances. The money was removed by a 3-2 vote, with Mr. Long and Mr. Tomlin opposing the deletion. If you want to help, contact Mary Kier or Lynton Land. We have already identified two NAPS members who have expertise in zoning, planning and real estate law. Whether or not you have professional expertise in this area, we need your help! This is a great time to try and formalize zoning in keeping with the “Village” plan.Also, don’t forget that the county Comprehensive Plan is undergoing revision. The Planning Commission was hoping to discuss changes, chapter-by-chapter at their monthly meetings the third Thursday of each month in the county court house. They are already behind schedule, so Chapter 1 is still open for discussion. If you are concerned about the future direction of the county now is your time for action! Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and a copy of the current Comprehensive Plan is available for in-house use at the Northumberland Public Library. The Planning Commission is especially interested in written comments, which should be directed to Luttrell Tadlock, County Planner, PO Box 129, Heathsville VA 22473.