Northumberland is going to
grow. Let’s help it grow with order and
beauty.
The ‘Campus’ and NAPS Annual Meeting
By
This year, the NAPS Annual Meeting will be held at the St. Stephens
Church Parish House, Sat. Feb. 4, beginning at 9:30 with coffee and cookies. At
10:00, Superintendent of Schools Clint Stables will address the ‘Campus Plan’
which includes replacing both the Middle and High Schools, perhaps with a
single energy-efficient building, and establishing secure outdoor sports
facilities for the students and the community. Mr. Stables' comments will be
followed by a business meeting.
The
‘Campus Plan’ is still under development and the NAPS Meeting seeks to improve
it with discussion and more citizen input. The Board of Supervisors and the
YMCA are considering entering into an agreement to establish indoor YMCA
facilities, eventually including an indoor swimming pool, on the site. The
’Plan’ would allow for future growth, eventually including facilities like an
outdoor track/stadium and an acoustically satisfactory auditorium. But the
primary focus is to replace the two old, maintenance-intensive schools and
establish secure outdoor sports facilities. As an aid to thinking, NAPS has
prepared a Brochure outlining the evolving NAPS position. It is incorporated in this Newsletter so that
you can take it out, fold it, and think about it.
Two
objections to this plan have been voiced:
1) The first objection is that this plan is too
expensive. It would be the largest outlay of money in the history of
2) The second objection is that ‘my kids’ aren’t
in school, why should I pay to educate other kids? This objection violates the social contract
that exists in
NAPS strongly urges everyone to think long
and hard about this issue, as it is absolutely critical to the future of the
County. The decisions we make now will impact
Katharine Cochran Passes Away
By
Michael S. Harwood
Katharine Cochran, a NAPS founder, passed
away on January 1, 2006. Katharine will
long be remembered for her major contributions to NAPS. She and a few other concerned citizens acted
following a series of extremely
arbitrary and questionable decisions by the Board of Supervisors during the 1988-1989 time frame.
Her husband Mickey served as the first NAPS president. Following Mickey's
passing, Katharine served two full terms on the Naps Board of Directors. At its January 11, 2006 meeting,
the NAPS Board approved a $100 contribution to the Mid-County Rescue Squad, one
of Katharine's favorite organizations,
in her memory.
The GBBC is held February 17
–20 this year. Observe for as little as
30 minutes, record the most of a species you see at one time, and send
information for one or all four days to www.birdsource.org/GBBC. For
additional information contact Audrey Brainard at 580-5519 or Brainard@rivnet.net.
First Monday of the month at Grace Episcopal in
The birding
series consists of the following:
February
6 Sandy Spencer – Value of
Birds/Overview of topics
March
6 Audrey Brainard – Birds at
home, where to find them, habitats and plants
April 3 Bob Adriance – Bird Classification
May
1 Rae Hinch and Barbara
Groff – Bird Songs
June
5 BJ Norris - NN Birding
Areas, Bird Behavioral Clues to ID
Comprehensive Plan
By
An
approved draft of the new Comprehensive Plan was presented to the Board of
Supervisors by the Planning Commission at the Board of Supervisors meeting
January 12. A draft, and not a final
document, is being presented in order to give the Board of Supervisors time to
understand the changes that have been incorporated. The changes will be summarized at Board of
Supervisors meetings over the next five months. Time is being allotted to
complete the Comprehensive Plan process because it is likely that other issues
the Board must address may be time-consuming. Property assessments have
increased dramatically, and BOS must fund new school construction and
contribute additional County revenue to the school budget. Determining a new
tax rate will be an important task for the Board in the next few months. The
goal for the Comprehensive Plan is to incorporate additional changes as
suggested by the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and the public, and
to have the Plan approved by mid-summer. Public input is still being sought,
and the new Plan is available at the Northumberland Library and on-line at the
All
citizens should recognize the service that Greg Haugan has provided in
administering the changes suggested by
Water Quality Meeting
By
The
Department of Environmental Quality announced a water quality meeting in
Please
take note that Christopher French, Department of Environmental Quality, will be
in the Northern Neck to get citizen input about water quality issues on January
12 7-9 pm at the Northumberland Public Library, Heathsville. Water quality
issues in Mill Creek, Cloverdale Creek, Dividing Creek, Prentiss Creek and the
I
complained that the meeting date conflicted with the previously announced Board
of Supervisors meeting (again!) and received the following response:
You
will be pleased to know that we have moved the meeting on Jan. 12th so that we
may address your concern. I have
rescheduled the meeting for January 26th with a snow date of Jan.
30th. I will send you a copy of the
notice when it is completed. We look
forward to seeing you in the near future.
I
suspect all they will address is the restrictions on the harvesting of oysters
because of high bacterial levels. EPA has formally ‘impaired’ the waterways
because of the shellfish closings despite the fact that the waterways are
really impaired for the same reason the open Bay is impaired, nitrate and
phosphate pollution, mostly from agricultural practices. In my opinion, neither
EPA nor DEQ wants to address the real problem because of effective lobbying by
the powerful agricultural lobby. This has already been pointed out to DEQ and
EPA, as has the inadequacy of the science they are using to try and determine the
source of the bacteria. But if you are concerned about water quality in these
creeks (and by extension all other
creeks) plan to attend.
Sludge and CBF
By
Dr. Lynton S. Land,
The Echo and Rappahannock Record reported
a new web site promoting the land application of sewage sludge,
www.virginiabiosolids.com. This is yet
another attempt by the disposal industry and agricultural lobby to misinform
the public to keep the profits flowing (see www.sludgefacts.org). Among other
things, they claim that sewage sludge is good for the Bay. You be the judge.
Setting aside the effects of the disposal of municipal sewage sludge on
citizens’ health, and the fate of the toxic substances and pharmaceuticals
applied along with the organic material, the land application of sewage sludge
and all other forms of animal waste (manure, poultry litter) cause similar,
massive nutrient pollution, compared to conventional fertilizers. As a specific
example, I observed the most recent land application of sewage sludge in
Based
on the submitted Nutrient Management Plan, 24,770 pounds of nitrogen were
spread on 72.4 acres in accordance with Table 9-1 in the Virginia Department of
Conservation and Recreation’s “2005 Nutrient Management Standards and Criteria”
or “Standards.” If, chemical fertilizer
had been used, 7,431 pounds of nitrogen would have been applied.
Lime-stabilized sewage sludge is applied on the basis that 30% of the nitrogen
is presumed to be crop-available the first year (24,770 * 0.3 = 7,431), 10% the
second and third years, and 5 % the fourth year. This means that 55% of the nitrogen
is presumed to be crop-available over four years and the remaining 45% is
pollution. If the nitrogen is not removed from the field with the crop, it is
ultimately released to the environment. This specific application caused at
least 11,000 pounds of nitrogen pollution.
In the case of
phosphorus, 5 fields encompassing 55.9 acres tested “Very High” in phosphorus.
This acreage should have received no phosphorus according to Virginia Statute
12VAC5-585-550.A. “The applied nitrogen
and phosphorous content of biosolids shall be limited to amounts established to
support crop growth” and “Standards.” According to “Standards” the remaining
16.5 acres, based on soil tests, should have received no more than 1151 pounds
of phosphorus. In fact, 10,912 pounds of
phosphorus were disposed on the 72.4 acres.
Sadly, even the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) signs on to this
practice. In “Assessing the State of
Civility, Competition, and Progress -- 2006
By Lee Allain
Chairman – Vision 2048 --
Northumberland Partnership
In 2006 we share the promise of a
new day, a new year, a new century to build and enhance the Northern Neck as a
place to live. This is a place where
good neighbors respect each other. This
mutual respect results in a tone of civility, or courteous behavior, among
all. It is no accident that civility is
right next to civilization in the dictionary.
Civilization is “an advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and
material development.” It is marked by
progress in “the arts and sciences, communications, and social, political and
economic relationships.” Civilization is
an advanced state marked by progress.
How are we doing? Civilization is in place where people are
recognized for their contribution to progress.
We all share, and make both contribution and concession to, a unified
peaceful and productive strength of purpose.
Our capitalistic concept of “enlightened self-interest” coupled with a
primarily Christian ethic, is closely aligned with our notion of a democratic
civilization. Our country has shown that
civilization thrives in a democratic, capitalistic environment that rewards
both businesses and their workers for value provided. Government by the people coupled with a
competitive supply-and-demand system works well, as long as a few simple rules
of conduct are in place.
For example, when coming to an
intersection with a major road, one must yield to traffic. Although we must pause, alter our normally
straight-ahead behavior, and concede to rules-of-the-road, it is to our mutual
advantage to be civil to other drivers.
Simple rules, rules of civility, permeate our civilization and make it
work. Still, we all know that capitalism
and democracy are concepts that can be perverted – that final results can be
anything but appropriate. There will
always be a few power driven and greedy renegades and companies that need to be
caught and “re-aligned.” That said, at
this writing, it is the best system civilized men have devised and used
successfully.
When
students from competing schools shake hands before or after a sports event,
that prescribed act is a lesson and practice in civility – in recognizing that
in a civilized world each of us must concede to occasional loss and setback –
without violence. Most competitive
events result in “winners” and “losers.”
Each of us must learn to deal constructively with this reality of
life. Learning to both win and lose
gracefully is part of being a civilized adult – being a “class act.” The ability to concede that “today the other
team whipped us” should only result in personal and team resolution to prepare
and perform better at the next event. We
must control emotions of the moment. We
must all learn to manage ourselves.
Self-control is important to each of us, and to the stability of the
communities we live in. In fact, we must
move a step beyond self-control to consideration for our neighbors. Good neighbors look after each other. These lessons of self-management and
consideration for others are of critical importance. Self-control, consideration for others, and
enlightened self-interest are guides for living a civilized life.
Life
quickly moves beyond sports events to real day-to-day competition where we work
to make a living. The concept of
“enlightened self-interest” is sometimes hard to internalize. It draws the fine line between having
consideration for each other as civilized people, or just being me-oriented. Working as part of a project team requires
consideration of the other team members as well as broader concern for the
community. The turning point where a
team disintegrates into a “gang” occurs when community values and laws are
subverted. Teams (sports, businesses,
all organized groups), as well as individuals, must accede to community values
or we have a basic breakdown in civilization.
Without simple rules, rules of civility, all competitions and our
socio-economic systems, are reduced to chaos.
It is to
our enlightened self-interest to develop existing villages to support residents
with a safe and attractive infrastructure providing products and services. As our community develops, turning Rt. 360
into a rag-tag strip of mini-malls is not to our mutual interest. Although we need to guard against
undercutting the rights of property owners, the county must segregate
properties into “zones” (simple rules) in accordance with a coherent land use
plan. Proper land use must encourage
growth in designated economic development areas while preserving community
cultural values and maximizing economic value for all county citizens. This zoning process involves a tender balance
that demands civility and consensus.
Without simple rules of civility, land use becomes chaotic, and
community land value drops.
With the
new version of the County Comprehensive Plan, our county leadership is laying
the cornerstones for the
Wetlands
By
Tidal
wetlands or marshes are critical to the health of local waterways and the Bay.
Not only do dense stands of marsh grasses provide food and sanctuary for a
large number of organisms, they trap sediment and purify the groundwater of
nitrate and phosphate pollution caused by fertilization practices and septic
systems. Riparian buffers of mature trees with an overlapping leaf canopy at
least 100 feet wide bordered by marsh grass should be the goal for as much of
our shoreline as possible. Although there has been a ‘no net loss of wetlands’
policy in place for 33 years, VMRC has concluded that the policy needs to be
improved and enforced because wetlands are being nibbled away. The new policy
as of July 1, 2005, requires ‘no net loss’ of wetlands without exception (see
the VIMS Wetland Report for Fall 2005 (Vol. 20, No. 2) available from VIMS,
(www.vims.edu).
The
first step to ‘avoid wetland loss,’ is to change plans for shoreline
modification as necessary. The site must be carefully evaluated to determine
whether or not a structure (bulkhead or rip-rap) is actually necessary, or
whether natural stabilization can be employed. The practice of grading the
shoreline on a 2 to 1 slope (clear cutting the trees at the same time), and
destroying any marsh grass which might exist in order to install rip-rap, will
not be permitted. An alternative that should always be considered at low energy
sites is a ‘stone sill’ in shallow water just in front of the shoreline to
break the waves, with the space between the shoreline and the stone sill filled
and planted with marsh grass. This is sometimes called marsh toe stabilization’
and is one way to reduce the natural erosion of marshes caused by rising sea
level and boat wakes. A demonstration
stone sill has been installed in Reedville on
If
destruction of marsh grass is absolutely unavoidable, a wetland must be
re-established on the same site with a minimum of 1 for 1 replacement (VIMS
recommends 1.5 to 1 replacement with monitoring for 10 years.) If a wetland
cannot be expanded or established on the same site, then wetland credits must
be purchased from an approved tidal wetland bank (none exist locally) or a fee
paid to an account set up by the local wetlands board to pay for wetland
compensation. The rate, according to VIMS, should be about $11.50 per square
foot of wetland lost. The money can be used to establish wetlands nearby.
Since
2002, NAPS has sponsored a program of wetland preservation and improvement. In
spring we purchase marsh grasses and help people plant them. In fall we spray
invasive Phragmites with an approved herbicide to allow diverse marshes to
become re-established. We have been notified by the Chesapeake Bay License
Plate Fund that we will receive $3000 in 2006 to continue both these efforts,
meaning we can defray the cost of purchasing marsh grass plants (at a cost of
about $0.70 per plant) for people who want to improve their shorelines. Two
‘success stories’ of shoreline stabilization using grass are posted on the NAPS
web site www.napsva.org where previously published Stewardship Tips on these
and related issues can also be found. We will contact property owners who have
already been involved in this program to continue to improve their marshes.
Last spring we had some bad luck. A period of anomalously high tides followed
our grass planting, drowning many of the plants. We can’t control Mother
Nature, but we can persevere. This spring we will also undertake stabilizing a
site consisting of an eroding cliff, by planting vegetation on the cliff and
marsh grass out in front.
One
of the lessons we have learned is that ‘plant it and forget it’ is rarely a
successful strategy. Boat wakes tend to wash plants out before they can become
established, so the property owner must be willing to replant plugs that are
disturbed. Once the plants begin to spread, they should be lightly fertilized a
few times until a lush stand of grass has become established. And of course,
overhanging limbs and shrubs that shade marshes should always be continually
pruned back. Given a good jump-start, plenty of sunlight, and a little
fertilizer, the marsh will flourish. The small amount of fertilizer involved is
inconsequential relative to the amount of fertilizer being used by agriculture
and homeowners, and will pay dividends in the long run because of the efficient
nutrient removal capability of the mature marsh. If you want to participate in
this coming spring, take time now to assess your site. There must be substrate
exposed at mid-tide, direct sunlight at least half the day (north-facing
shorelines can be challenging!) and not too much wave action. If you want an
independent assessment, or believe your site is suitable, contact NAPS (Lynton
Land at 453-6605) before March when we must place the order for plants
(Northumberland County only, please.)
NAPS Publications
By
In
2006 NAPS plans to release two publications, a ‘Stewardship Brochure’ and
revision of the 1992 ‘NAPS Map’ of
The
‘Stewardship Brochure’ is almost ready to go to press, and will be a 10-page,
spiral-bound brochure stressing environmental issues. We want to make it as
useful as possible for citizens, and plan to distribute it to new
property-owners, among others. It will consist of a simple
·
Why our waterways are impaired,
·
How to maintain septic systems,
·
Best landscaping practices,
·
Shoreline maintenance,
·
The importance of marshes,
·
How to enjoy the water responsibly,
·
Where our domestic water is derived, and
·
Links to important County, State and
Federal agencies concerned with the
If
anyone has ideas about what we might add or include that would make the
publication as useful as possible, please contact
The
1992 NAPS Map, spearheaded by Mary Lou Butler, is a treasure-trove of historical
information. The map was produced in the
pre-digital era, so we have decided not simply to reprint it, but to update and
reformat it in hopes of making it more useful to citizens of the County. Rather
than using a large fold-out format, which can be difficult to use in a vehicle,
we are thinking of printing the road grid in sections in a spiral-bound format
which would be easy to fold and use for navigation. The historical information will be updated
and some of the Stewardship Tips for wise environmental practices will be
inserted. Again, if anyone has detected
errors in the old map or has ideas about what should be included in the new
map, please contact
Both these projects have been advanced and greatly
improved through the efforts of Mike Ahart, a new come-here and NAPS
member. Mike’s graphics and publishing
skills are very important additions to NAPS expertise. And to top it off, Mike and Sloane Kane will take over the
Newsletter from Ralph Brainard, beginning with the Spring Edition. We all thank
Ralph for his hard work on the membership and Newsletter for many years, and
hope he will continue to contribute to the Newsletter and help out with
photography at NAPS events. Thanks Ralph!!!
The ‘Campus’ and the
NAPS Annual Meeting
By
This year, the NAPS
Annual Meeting will be held at the St. Stephens Church Parish House, Sat. Feb.
4, beginning at 09:30 with coffee and cookies. At 10:00, Superintendent of
Schools Clint Stables will address the ‘Campus Plan’ which includes replacing
both the Middle and High Schools, perhaps with a single energy-efficient
building, and establishing secure outdoor sports facilities for the =20students
and the community. Mr. Stables' comments will be followed by a business
meeting.
The ‘Campus
Plan’ is still under development and the NAPS Meeting seeks to improve it with
discussion and more citizen input. The Board of Supervisors and the YMCA are
considering entering into an agreement to establish indoor YMCA facilities,
eventually including an indoor swimming pool, on the site. The ’Plan’ would
allow for future growth, eventually including facilities like an outdoor
track/stadium and an acoustically satisfactory auditorium. But the primary
focus is to replace the two old, maintenance-intensive schools and establish
secure outdoor sports facilities. As an aid to thinking, NAPS has prepared a
Brochure outlining the evolving NAPS position.
It is incorporated in this Newsletter so that you can take it out, fold
it, and think about it.
Two objections to this
plan have been voiced:
1) The first objection is that this plan is too expensive. It
would be the largest outlay of money in the history of
2) The second objection
is that ‘my kids’ aren’t in school, why should I pay to educate other
kids? This objection violates the social
contract that exists in
NAPS strongly urges everyone to think long and hard about this
issue, as it is absolutely critical to the future of the County. The decisions
we make now will impact