Geography of the James (Earth Lodge)

So in thinking about what to write my blog on for this week I kept coming back to the recent scientific papers we have read in class about the effects of urbanization on the health of streams and riparian areas. In my musing I wondered about the status of our very own river and the subject of this course, the James. So I decided to do some research and looked up the most recent news articles I could find about the James River, and was surprised to find conflicting results. Below is my response letter to one of the first articles I found, which highlights the recent “revival” of the James:

Dear Ms. Sarah Wheaton,

I recently read your article “Signs of an Urban River’s Revival in Virginia” in the June edition of The New York Times, and must admit that I am not convinced of such a resurrection of the James River.¹ I came across your article in a literature search I performed as part of a class I am taking entitled “Geography of the James River Watershed” at the University of Richmond, where I am currently a sophomore biology major. There are a handful of reasons why I took exception to your article, the most blatant being more recent literature concerning evaluations of the health of the James River.

In fact, I found a more recent article right next to the link to yours from the local news station WTVR CBS 6, that focused on the recent downgrade of the heath of the James River from a “C+” to a “C” by the James River Association.² This article explored this rating from the association’s biennial “State of the James” report and explained how the river’s scores for pollution, key fish and wildlife, and overall health have decreased since 2009. This brings me back to your article. It seems to me as though you regard the presence of blue herons, shad, and people along the river as the signs of the river’s revival that you mention in your title.¹ However, while reading this more recent article I could not help but wonder- what about the recent increases in nutrient pollution? Or how about the decreases in the numbers of oysters, brook trout, rock fish, and small mouth bass?²

As a science major I am interested in the more quantitative measures of evaluating water quality and stream health. As part of the class at UR that I mentioned earlier we have read recent scientific articles focused on the effects of urbanization on stream and riparian zones. One article described what is now known as the “urban stream syndrome”, which includes side effects such as, “a flashier hydrograph, elevated concentrations of nutrients and contaminants, altered channel morphology and stability, reduced biotic richness, and increased dominance of tolerant species”.³ Looking right off-shore, another article claimed that urbanization causes “hydrologic drought” in riparian zones, which in turn “alters soil, vegetation, and microbial processes.”⁴ So my question to you is- Why leave out all of these variables when determining the health of our river? Why base it on the presence of herons, artists, and kayakers?¹

I must admit that in the second half of your article you did begin to turn towards a more realistic view, especially with your mention of my fellow spider Sadie Runge.¹ However, you then seemed to dismiss any signs of the river’s poor health by highlighting a few that turned out to be VCU experiments.¹ Also, due to your quick reference to and lack of explanation of the pollution in the river and Sadie’s “James River UFO” project I had to do some digging myself, and found a quite different story. The image you sculpt in your article is one of locals still having their doubts about the river’s apparent “revival”¹, but when I researched Sadie’s project⁵, it was actually an effort to raise awareness about the EPA’s recent establishment of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, a response to President Barack Obama’s Executive Order to restore and protect the Bay.

From a review of the legislation posted by the EPA, I learned that the TMDL is essentially a “pollution diet” and this one is the largest ever developed by the EPA, with the goal of addressing the “poor water quality, degraded habitats and low populations of many species of fish and shellfish” in the Chesapeake Bay area.⁶ The fact sheet goes on to say that “the Bay and its rivers are overweight with nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment from agricultural operations, urban and suburban runoff, wastewater, airborne contaminants and other sources.”⁶ So I once again come back to your article. Now knowing all of this, do you still stand by your claim of a recent “revival” of the James River?

I know I may seem harsh and cynical in my objections to your article, but after reading it I have become concerned about the way the James River is portrayed to the public. I cannot help but think about the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands or millions of people who read The New York Times, and how many of them may have come across this inaccurate assessment of the river. I am concerned about the public awareness of the state of our river and, as Sadie phrases it on her website, our “sense of place.”⁴ If the general public is told that the river has been revived and well on its way to a brighter future, they will be much less likely to support legislation calling for billions of dollars to be put towards the restoration of the Bay area. In conclusion, I implore that you realize the enormous impact that your articles can have on the greater public and do your research before making claims on issues as important as the health of the James River.

Sincerely,

Mark Massaro

University of Richmond 2014

Works Cited

1.            Wheaton, Sarah. “Signs of an Urban River’s Revival in Virginia.” The New York Times. 4 June 2011. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/us/05richmond.html

2.            “James River Health Downgraded to a “C” – Wtvr.” CBS 6 News WTVR, Richmond News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | WTVR.com | Richmond News | CBS 6 WTVR TV – Wtvr. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-james-river-health-downgraded-to-a-c-20111130,0,1643025.story

3.            Walsh, Christopher J., Allison H. Roy, Jack W. Feminella, Peter D. Cottingham, Peter M. Groffman, and Raymond P. Morgan. “The Urban Stream Syndrome: Current Knowledge and the Search for a Cure.” Journal of the North American Benthological Society 24.3 (2005): 706. Print.

4.            Groffman, Peter M., Daniel J. Bain, Lawrence E. Band, Kenneth T. Belt, Grace S. Brush, J. Morgan Grove, Richard V. Pouyat, Ian C. Yesilonis, and Wayne C. Zipperer. “Down by the Riverside: Urban Riparian Ecology.” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 1.6 (2003): 315. Print.

5.            James River UFO. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. http://jamesriverufo.wordpress.com

6.            Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Driving Actions to Clean Local Waters and the Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 29 Dec. 2010. Web. http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/pdf/pdf_chesbay/BayTMDLFactSheet8_6.pdf

I’ve been skiing since I was about six. We used to live in Washington DC and Maine was our “vacation spot” if you will. Just like everyone else who lives south of…Maine. Anyways, I got thrown out onto the bunny slopes most likely with some 22 year kid searching for direction in life who was to be my ‘teacher’ while mommy and daddy went and skied at the TOP of the mountain. It was awesome, until I realized that I wanted to get off the seemingly petty bunny slopes and ski with the big boys. It took a few years, but I made it up there. It was even better when my father left his position in the Navy and we actually could call Maine our permanent home. I spent a few years skiing at Sugarloaf- just like I did as a little kid. But then, we turned our sites westward. That’s when it really began.

See, my father had to attend a conference every year at some point to keep his medical license. I was in the third grade during our first trip. It was a whole new world for me. I had never seen such HUGE mountains and such amounts of snow. You’d think that, being from Maine, I’d have seen a lot of snow in my day, but NOOOOOO it was like nothing I could have ever imagined. Just feet and feet of white fluff. It was incredible being in the Rockies for the first time. The feeling I got cannot be replicated on this page, it’s just simply indescribable. Sometimes my favorite part of the day was riding up the chairlift because I could turn around almost 180 degrees (depending on where I was sitting- I had a much better view from the outside seats) and take in the beauty. For the first time in my life, I felt small. Not just small in the sense of being a tiny organism in an incomprehensibly HUGE universe, but rather, I can almost say that I was humbled by the majesty of mother nature. Anyways, I had a point I was getting to.

The first time I skied in the powder I completely tanked it. I just went head over heels; fell for maybe 40 yards. I hadn’t been going fast at ALL but it was very steep (at the top of Snowbird, UT) and I had no idea how to position my weight in the powder. It’s a completely different style of skiing, one must lean back and keep the tips from sinking too much into the snow.

Snow. That’s an interesting topic. Usually when I’m bored in class my first instinct is to check out the nightly snowfall for my favorite ski resorts out west (or at least those I’d like to travel to one day). Big Sky, Alta, Snowbird, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Vail, Beaver Creek, A Basin, Wolf Creek. Where is the snow? THERE IS NO SNOW THIS YEAR!! It pains me to see this. Those poor ski bums. Those poor fathers bringing their sons and daughters out west for the first time. It’s all gone to hell. Actually, from what reading I’ve done- it’s gone to the Arctic. Apparently, the northern Arctic has been been “bottling” a high pressure system and refusing to let it come south as it usually does. Parts of Europe are suffering from incredibly low temperatures and snowfall numbers practically unheard of prior to this winter. These parts of the world- Ukraine, Croatia, and even Alaska- are seeing record numbers and even deaths due to frostbite and hypothermia. It’s not cool at all.

Let’s hope the snow comes back next year. That’s all for now.

Article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j_U6hx6Zk3CU7LM_Ul5Q31Pe6hXQ?docId=3bfd5cadb64b453e9eb16f90ced14ced

When I am lucky enough to have some free time on a marvelous day like today I find myself compelled to spend some time outside.  Things like throwing the frisbee around or walking along the water just seem to the logical things to do.  One wouldn’t know it was February 1^st by the weather outside.  Although this unseasonable weather is a bit strange, I’ve got to say it’s incredibly enjoyable.  I do not know if I should be concerned that the weather is so warm when it is suppose to be a lot colder or just enjoy it while I have the chance.    

I did not go to the river once last year.  I did not even know of its location until the Earth Lodge initiation at the end of the year.   I find myself wanting to go down to the river.  I could go to Pony Pasture where I could enjoy a bonfire or go sit by the water at Bell Isle. 

I have a friend who lives here in Richmond who says he gets tired of going down to the river.  I do not believe this would ever be the case with me.  I could ever get tired of being outside by such stunning scenery.   If I could, I would escape into the breathtaking wilderness every day where I would spend time with friends but also slip away for some time by myself.  Sadly, I do have priorities and do not have as much free time as I would like. 

Even if it was cold out right now, as long as I had the proper attire on of course, I would be doing activities outside.  I’d be content taking a nap in the middle of the fields, whether there was snow covering the ground or grass to lie on.

As a preface to next week’s reflection on volunteering, I am going to talk about my experiences with service-learning. My introduction to service-learning was on a spring break trip with The SEEDS Project (Students Engaging and Enacting a Dialogue on Service) to southern Louisiana. During the trip I enjoyed engaging in discussions with other members and locals on various intertwined social justice issues. I met a former chief of the United Houma Nation, a Native American tribe fighting for federal recognition after hundreds of years of systematic oppression. I talked to a doctor who treated patients afflicted with health issues associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I worked with leaders of Our School at Blair Grocery (http://schoolatblairgrocery.blogspot.com/), an alternative school and urban farm in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans that aims to help struggling youth while combating local food shortages.

It was hard not to feel overwhelmed and helpless after being immersed in such complicated issues. I was left with a sense of longing for greater purpose and searching for the meaning of service-learning. I realized that service-learning goes beyond helping people in need. It involves an openness of heart and mind that allows us to form a relationship with and be changed by those we serve. There are several aspects to service learning. Building relationships with the communities we serve is just as important as building a new house or weeding a garden. A service-learning perspective will help us navigate our continued quest for knowledge about the physical and human geography of the James River watershed. If we see the environment as a community in need, we can better see how forming a relationship with the land around us will allow us to serve it better.

I recently learned some startling facts about water and energy: It takes 150 gallons of water to produce one newspaper; 1,000 gallons for one quart of orange juice, 2,500 gallons for one pound of beef, and 40,000 gallons of water to produce 1 new car. It has been estimated that current annual world energy consumption is equal to what it took about 1 million years to produce naturally. Yikes! I am motivated by both these facts and by the simple beauty around me to be a steward to my community and the environment through service-learning.

Everyone on campus is spending as much time as possible outdoors on this first day of February. I held my Spider Stretch class outside in the gym courtyard, my guitar lessons were hosted on the Westhampton Green, and tour groups are sitting around campus taking in this premature, beautiful weather. Even the plants and animals seem to think it is spring already–the bulbs in the dhall lot circle are already emerging as thick, forest green sprouts and the birds around the lake are more energetic than usual.

Since the strange weather is a widespread topic of conversation, I decided to do a bit of research as to why we are experiencing this high-pressure system, and if it is related to climate change. A very interesting article I stumbled upon came from the journal Tellas A, and was discussed by Science Daily.

The article describes how, though we are currently experiencing a mild winter, decreased levels of Arctic sea ice cover will lead to much colder winters in central Europe. The past two summers, we have observed increased rain fall and warmer temperatures which have melted the Arctic ice. Without this cover the heat from sunlight is maintained in the sea (due to its darker color), instead of reflecting off the ice. These warmer sea temperatures could explain why we are experiencing warmer fall and winter seasons, but the article warns that this may not be long lasting or beneficial.

In fact, the authors of the article predict that the warmer temperatures are disturbing pressure patterns in the winds which can cause the colder Arctic air to be directed to Europe. Ralf Jaiser says of his work, “Many other factors naturally play a role in the complex climate system of our Earth which overlap in part. Our results explain the mechanisms of how regional changes in the Arctic sea ice cover have a global impact and their effects over a period from late summer to winter.”

It amazes me how interconnected the world climate is, and days like this are perfect opportunities to learn more about it.  For more information, visit: (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm)

Most people these days find it a necessity to be able to read a road map, but few (besides those geography majors and earth lodgers) would find it useful to navigate through a topographic map. However in my 45-day trekking trip above the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Mountain Range, navigation was a crucial part to survival in the Alaskan Wilderness. Six other women and I had been thrown together, never having known each other, or even spoken to one another before our trip began. Soon we became our own family. Our food came from our re-supplies every 13 days or so, and the plane that re-supplied us could only land in certain parts of the mountains. If we or the plane did not make our way to the designated re-supply spot as scheduled, for any reason, we would have to endure food stress for a period of time and, worst case scenario, have to be airlifted out. This made it essential to be able to decipher a topographic map, with no trails, no roads, nothing but lines that mark the rivers, drainages, valleys and peaks we would be immersed in.

One night, while we were planning one of our hardest mountain passes that we would be hiking the next day, we studied the tiny lines of elevation we were about to climb. There were 25 lines in between the valley and the pass: about 2,500 feet of elevation to gain in a day. This is a challenge by itself with a 74-pound pack; not to mention going back down on the other side that same afternoon. I thought over and over again, “Is that even possible? Can my body physically carry a 74-pound pack that fast up a 2,500 foot elevation gain, and then back down?” I could question myself all I wanted, but I knew that no matter what, I would be on those tiny lines of elevation that next day. Regardless of how much we planned it out and anticipated the trek through the details of the map, the next day I would still have to carry my enormous pack of our shared food and equipment up that slope. The next day we would be feeling the soft tundra moss under our feet doubling the effort of each step, we would be swatting the mosquitoes away from our knees and wiping the sweat from our faces as we climb higher into the sky.

The map we are gathered around is nothing special. It is like any topographic map: a picture, a type of representation of a landscape. But it is not the landscape itself. This difference may seem obvious, but it is easy to overlook. Today we live with symbols and pictures—movies, words, numbers, cell phones, internet—all mapping out life’s landscape of experiences. But they are not the experiences themselves. People watch life in front of them, through movies or on facebook, or texting their friends instead of talking to them in person. Our lives have seemed to turn into watching and reading “life’s maps” but not always experiencing life first-hand. Our trip map alone has no real meaning, no value except to empower us to experience that terrain first-hand, face the real world. It is the experience we are after, the adventure of something seemingly impossible that we must achieve in order to be able to understand ourselves.

It is not enough for all of us to merely study the maps we look at in class in order to get a good grade. I have a bad habit of doing this for my other classes, but in this class especially we must make sure that we are not merely memorizing facts, but instead we are actually taking in what TLB is teaching us. If we study the facts and then promptly forget them after the semester is over, those maps will remain maps until we add our own value to them by using them as a means of enhancing the world around us. TLB can only take us so far, but my fellow earth lodgers, it is up to us to get out there on the land those maps represent and pursue our earth lodge adventures.

Here are some pictures from that particular pass I was talking about:

a glimpse of the steep incline at the start

almost to the top

breathing in mosquitos was a regular thing

at the top, bug shirt poses are rad

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