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NOAA Restoration Day: 2007 Virginia Event

2006 Event
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sturgeon releaseAgenda

  • Date:  Tuesday, June 12, 2007
  • Location: VCU Rice Environmental Center in Charles City, VA -- 90 minutes outside Norfolk, VA.
  • Participants: 40 VA NOAA staff and 40 external partners.
  • Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • What: Second Virginia initiative, expanding upon Maryland's on-going event.
  • Coordinated by: the Virginia NOAA Chesapeake Bay office in partnership with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the US Fish and Wildlife, Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery.

 

10:00AM

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Welcome and Event Kick-off

  • Host, Dr. Len Smock, Director of the Rice Center and Chair of VCU’s Biology Department
  • Dr. Thomas Huff, Vice-Provost of Life Sciences for VCU
  • Dr. James Balsiger, Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor.
  • The Honorable L. Preston Bryant, Secretary of Natural Resources for Virginia

10:30 AM –
12:00 PM

 

Restoration Activities: Morning

  • debris removalGlass and Debris Removal from Impoundment Area - Cleared glass from old bottles thrown into pond, and other debris, from the impoundment area to prep for afternoon plantings.
  • Pre-restoration Archival Data Collection - Collected data on existing (pre-restoration) conditions for soil condition, nutrient status, seed bank and microbial communities. Set up permanent plots for vegetation sampling to record change in conditions over time. Record sampling locations with GPS.
  • James River Shoreline Cleanup - Removed trash and other debris from James River frontage adjacent to Research Pier. Trash will be taken to a central area and weighed for final reporting.
  • Sturgeon Educational Session - Albert Spells (Fish and Wildlife Service), Chris Hager (Virginia Sea Grant) and Greg Garman (VCU) provided an information session on Atlantic sturgeon populations, monitoring, and stocking programs in the James River. Explanation of satellite tagging of released sturgeon. Albert will have sturgeon contained on-site for close-up viewing prior to the actual sturgeon release at the end of this session.

12:30 – 1:30 PM

Lunch

  • Lunch presentation by Rice Center board member and President Tyler’s grandson, Mr. Harrison Tyler

1:30 – 3:30 PM

sturgeonRestoration Activities: Afternoon

  • Wetland Restoration Planting - Planted native shrubs and grasses along ~400 feet of impoundment shoreline to kick-off transition of this area to tidal wetland. Digital cameras were used to document existing conditions and immediate post-planting conditions for VCU’s record. GPS points of plantings will also be registered.
  • Paddle to Nearby Cypress Swamp and Tree Census - Paddled to adjacent Cypress Swamp that is the control site for Rice Center wetland restoration.
  • Fish Community Sampling in James River - Boat electro-fishing demonstration by VCU fisheries biologist. Volunteers rode on USFWS pontoon boat. VCU biologists on a research vesseldemonstrated electro-fishing techniques for collecting fish population and community data for long-term study of James River fish assemblage.

3:30 - 4:00 PM
Clean-up & Closing Remarks

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