Interesting Tidbits about Charles Glen

-The community was originally developed during WWII, but was recently 'regentified'
- Many residents voiced concerns about recycling; namely that you need to call Waste Management to get a bin, the service only comes every other week, and that all types of items (paper, plastic, aluminum) are placed together.
- Most citizens are unaware of the watershed being a part of their community. I was informed that part of the hospital is actually affecting parts of a stream past the Crestview Elementary School in a recent expansion project. However, citizens have expressed strong willingness to take part in conservation/cleaning purposes if they were aware of a program, problem, or a community commitment.
- The community appears to be relatively young, comprised of young families or individuals who recently moved into the town.
- The survey's ethnic makeup is predominately Caucasian, as of right now, with surveyed individuals of color thus far totaling near 30%

Message to Residents of Charles Glen

I just would like to thanks the community of Charles Glen for their hospitable responses to my survey over the past week and a half. Tonight I got 13 surveys done, doubling the amount done last week and achieving my goal of completing 25 total surveys this week. I have many interesting facts to post and will do so tomorrow morning. I will be back to Charles Glen and do another round of surveys tomorrow evening.

Again, thanks to all who participated tonight!

General Update

Work today is just getting underway. My first task was to take the 13 surveys done thus far and input them into SPSS. I have just finished doing this and have gained unique preliminary perspective into many areas of my survey. I will not be checking often, because this may slant my expectations and translate into human error later into the project.

Interestingly enough the manipulations are generating results. Individuals with an activated regional identity, as opposed to neighborhood identity, are generating stronger correlations to increased connectivity to those in their neighborhood and region. Only more surveys will result in better understanding of this relationship.

I will be attempting to do surveys later in the day (from 5pm-7pm) in order to see if this cuts the amount of unanswered doors *which is a lot* and increases the amount of surveys collected. I'm hoping to get 25 surveys done before going home for the July 4th holiday. Well, time to get moving and hopefully I'll get the update about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation later tonight.

Westhampton Lake Update

Well, I didn't believe it when I heard it, but it turns out the Westhampton Lake gets drained every summer. What surprises me the most is that the lake appeared healthy by all accounts; it didn't have a lot of algae and it had numerous plant and animals who's existence depends on the lake. Also, the drained lake reveals little to no trash at the bottom despite student speculation.
While a large portion of lake is still intact I will continue monitoring and reveal any new observations in later posts.

1st day of Surveying

Today I was out and about doing survey work. The area chosen for today was Charles Glen, north of the UR campus. Survey work is no easy feat, for numerous reasons like weather and the time of the survey occurring during the workday. I got 7 surveys done today, and learned seven unique perspectives. I will continue survey work tomorrow.

In other news, the Westhampton Lake is being drained. I will upload photos, impressions, and local impact later.

Overdue James River Update

Here are some pics taken at the James River. I had a blast and the water felt great. Not only did the Pony Pasture area have little trash, but community organizations were also doing a river cleanup.

Tomorrow I will do another physical survey with Dr. Forsyth and also scope areas which I will be running my survey.

SPSS

Today I set up the SPSS with all of the survey questions. SPSS is an awesome program which is very useful, especially in the field of statistics. I have never been one interested in mathematics, but this program makes everything very simple and easily obtained. Once I finish some surveys all I have to do is enter the number choices for each question and *POOF* instant results, correlations, and graphs.

I still have to call WM (which I'll do now) to inquire about recycling bins and the rest of the day will spent on practice surveys.

Update

Today Dr. Forsyth and I went over our revised survey. The survey itself is almost done, and practice surveys will be administered later this week followed by the actual study. I also learned the in and outs of SPSS (a computer program which correlates and manages data). I will input all the survey questions etc. into this service tomorrow. Later today I will call WM (Waste Management) to inquire about obtaining recycling bins to be handed out during the survey.

In other news, I went to the James River for some recreational time on Friday with friends and will update impressions and photos later today.

Emails

Today I sent out a letter Dr. Forsyth and I created to gather additional materials to give survey participants. These organizations include the Chesapeake Bay Program, The Chesapeake Bay Organization, Waste Management, the James River Association, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and numerous others. I'm currently awaiting response and will post as they come in. Here is the letter;

Dear ________:
My name is Garrett Schlein and I'm currently a rising junior at the University of Richmond. I am working with Don Forsyth in the Jepson School of Leadership on a research project titled, "Individual and Collective Environmentalism: An Application to Watershed Conservation". The goal of this research is to extend some intriguing initial findings about who is more likely express a willingness to get involved in protecting and enhancing the local watershed. Dr. Forsyth, in his earlier work, focused on the Upham Brook subwatershed, but in this project we are expanding our focus to consider the Richmond region. We are contacting you at this time for two reasons. First, as an organization that is extremely active in this area, we wanted to alert you to our project and its goals. Second, we are also seeking any information or public service materials you might have to distribute to the individuals we interview. We are conducting a small-scale door-to-door survey, asking residents 10-15 questions about their (a) knowledge of the watershed; (b) their behavioral intentions with regards to protecting the watershed; and (c) their sense of community identity. At the conclusion of the interview we would like to leave educational materials with the interviewees, and so are seeking any such materials you might have available.
Thank you for considering this request. I will contact you again in a week to answer any questions you might have. If it easier for you to contact me before then my contact information follows:
Garrett Schlein
UR 1838
28 Westhampton Way
University of Richmond, VA 23173
Also, if our project can in anyway be made more useful to you and your organization, please let us know.
Thank you for your assistance in my studies.
Garrett Schlein

Draft Survey 2

****Note; this is a draft survey. Questions and prompts have not been finalized.****
________________________________
Individual and Collective Environmentalism:
An Emphasis on the James River Watershed
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R1: Thank you for helping us. We are talking to people who are members of the Richmond Metropolitan community--people who live, work, and play in the Richmond Metropolitan area here in Virginia. In this survey, you represent your community. You are single individual, but you are also a part of this entire region here within the state ofVirgina. We'll take your ideas and comments and from them learn about the whole region.


N1: Thank you for helping us. We are talking to people who are members of this neighborhood, [insert name, xx]--people who live, work, and play in this neighborhood. In this survey, you represent your neighborhood. You are single individual, but you are also a part of this neighborhood here within the Richmond area. We'll take your ideas and comments and from them learn about the whole neighborhood.



R2: How long have you lived in the Richmond Region? Thinking about you and this region, how would you describe your connection to the Richmond? If one circle represents you, the individual, and the other represents the Richmond Region, how much do they overlap?



N2: How long have you lived in this neighborhood. Thinking about you and your neighborhood, how would you describe your connection to xxx? If one circle represents you, the individual, and the other represents the neighborhood, how much do they overlap?
-----------------------------------------
Circle the picture that best describes your relationship with the community at large.
(S= Self; C=Community at Large)



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RN3: We are studying the land and water where you live. Before people built communities in this area of Virginia many streams, creeks, and brooks, crisscrossed the land. Some of these streams are still here, but builders replaced other waterways with drainage ditches and underground pipes. We want to know your opinion of the natural & manmade waterways that make up the watershed where you live

#1: When you think about your community how often do you think in terms of your neighborhood?

Very often Often Not Often Never Don’t Know

#2: When you think about your community how often do you think in terms of the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Region?

Very often Often Not Often Never Don’t Know

#3: Do you personally think its important to keep streams, ditches, and waterways in your area clean and unpolluted?

Very Important Somewhat Important Not Important

#4: Would you be willing to get involved in helping clean up the creeks and streams where you live?

Definitely Probably Maybe Probably Not Definitely Not

#5: In the last 12 months did you participate or volunteer with any local organization or group?

Yes No Don’t Know

#6: In the last 12 months did you work with or did a child living there participate in a youth/recreational sports league?

Yes No Don’t Know

#7: How well did you think people are working together to improve the Greater Richmond Region?

Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t Know

#8: In what year did you move to this [city/county]? __________________


#9: How likely is it that you will move from your current residence, and if so when do you think you might move?

Very Likely Likely Unlikely Very Unlikely Don’t Know

Date:_______________________

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RN4: Please tell us what you think about the waterways, creeks, drainage ditches, rivers and so
on in the JRW (James River Watershed) by circling the letters to indicate your agreement or disagreement with each statement. If you wish to answer ‘Don’t Know’, then mark an X through the item
----------------------------------------------
Sd = Strongly Disagree SA=Strongly Agree
D=Disagree N=Neutral A=Agree
---------------------------------------------

#10: I am satisfied with the quality of the water in the James River Watershed

Sd D N A Sa

#11: Protecting the James River Watershed will make my community a better place to live

Sd D N A Sa

#12: I would be proud to get involved in cleaning the James River Watershed

Sd D N A Sa

#13: Most of the people in my community feel the same way I do on JRW issues

Sd D N A Sa


#14: It isn’t my responsibility to protect the JRW

Sd D N A Sa


#15: Cities and counties are responsible for protecting the JRW

Sd D N A Sa

#16: Much of the pollution in the JRW is being done by people who live in communities other than mine

Sd D N A Sa

#17: I would feel that I let down my community if I polluted the JRW

Sd D N A Sa


#18: Other members of the community are NOT doing their fair share in protecting the JRW

Sd D N A Sa

#19: I would be willing to get involved in preserving the JRW

Sd D N A Sa

Great Website!

Check out this site!
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil_&_water/index.shtml
Here's a sample of what you can find there...
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Ever heard of a "watershed"?
Although everyone lives in a watershed, most people don't know the actual meaning of the word. Put simply, a watershed is all the land that drains into a given body of water. This body of water can be a creek, pond, river or ocean. Generally speaking, the larger the body of water, the larger its watershed. The Chesapeake Bay watershed, for example, covers 64,000 square miles and drains from six states including 60 percent of Virginia.
This map depicts the major rivers' watersheds in the Old Dominion. One thing all of these watersheds have in common is people, and where you have people, you have land-disturbance. When people alter land - to farm, to build, to landscape, for transportation, etc. - they must ensure that changes don't cause runoff pollution for other people or plants and animals downstream that depend on clean, usable water.
The technical term for this type of pollution is nonpoint source pollution (NPS), and it's a thread you'll find common to nearly every page in the soil and water conservation section of DCR's website. Regardless of the watershed in which you live - and each watershed has unique NPS pollution problems - there are many ways all of us, from farmers to elementary school children, can prevent such pollution to keep Virginia's creeks, rivers and bays clean and productive. Click here to learn simple ways to reduce the threat of NPS pollution and make Virginia an even better place to live.
If you'd like to learn more about Virginia's watersheds, there's plenty of material available from DCR to help you promote watershed awareness. A 10-minute video, Watershed Connections, brochure, large poster of the state's watersheds, kids' conservation activities booklet, bumper stickers and watershed yellow pages for the major river basins are yours for the asking. Just call toll-free 1-877-42WATER or your local DCR watershed office. Click here to download a copy of Watershed Connections, a brochure that details ways you can help your watershed (PDF, 500K). To learn about the more technical aspects of hydrologic unit delineation and notation, please click here.
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Also look into the adopt a stream program (link at the bottom of the page) among others for ways in which you can help the James River Watershed!

Physical Survey #2

During my 2nd Physical Survey, I looked at a part of the watershed that extended beyond the boundaries of the University of Richmond. Dr. Forsyth accompanied me to see where the water from the Westhampton Lake entered the James River.
^--- In this map the yellow dot represents our starting point, the blue line is either the path taken through or near the body of water, and the green represents the final area of observation.
^--- This photo takes place on UR Drive(the bridge). This is directly past the coal plant. Numerous types of fish were seen in pools before the bridge and the blue heron was seen past the bridge. The water was still relatively clear and the ground was rocky.


^---This photo depicts the watershed directly beyond the bridge. To the left of the RP Zone seen here is the Country Club of Virgina and to the right is University Facilities. The ground beneath the water was still rocky, but the areas without rocks were surprisingly sandy. Beyond the large rock near the center of the picture the water level increases dramatically (between 8-15 feet). This really hampered my desire to walk the stream since the banks were 15+ feet steep (and higher still further along)
^--- Dr. Forsyth near a storm drain. These dump plenty of runoff tainted waters into the stream, further impairing its health and adding to the seemingly unnatural depth and erosion taking place in the stream.

^--- This photo demonstrates the growing width of the stream and the sharp incline of the banks. One theory is that erosion has caused the banks to slide into the river, thus accounting for the smooth/ sandy texture of the soil and also the lack of old tree growth near the water's edge. Noticeably absent is any aquatic plant life or fish (which were seen before the bridge).

<--This is one example of how the University of Richmond is harming the watershed. This picture takes place near the auxiliary parking lot near the 1600 block of apartments. This photo doesn't do justice to the black shinny silt that lined the edge of the parking lot. Runoff would move the silt down this drainage sieve into the stream (such as the night before due to heavy rain). Dr. Forsyth suggested that much of the soil is highly combined with oil thus resulting in its shinny color.
^-- This photo shows how the Country Club impacts the stream as well. Super rich nutrients are carried by runoff from this and many other drains and sieve into the stream. Golf courses are notoriously a strong cause of nitrates entering water systems (due to fertilizers on greens)

^--This photo references where the stream exits the Country Club/UR campus and moves closer to the James River.


^--- Dr. Forsyth near where the stream exits the UR campus along the edge of Henrico County. The river gets noticeably thinner here as rocks diverts the water under the road. Past the tree in the photo the river is near 25-30 feet across. To the right of this photo is a dead RP zone (old dead tress, lack of diversity in plant life other than a few types of tall grasses). Why this must be is any one's guess, but we think it may be an old development site which was abandoned.

<- This photo shows what happens when the stream reaches the other side of the road (near the Starbucks across from the River Road Shopping Center). Unlike previous assessments that the stream would deposit straight into the James, we believe this may be the James River/Kahawha Canal, (still part of the James River which runs parallel to the main river) which rejoins the larger part of the river near William's Island. The RP Zone here is better than near the streams (evident by the lack of erosion from the banks to the river, large trees, and apparent life within the river suggested by lots of bubbles in the water).




^-- These two photos show two sides of the River on a bridge near private residences. While the RP Zone is great and the 1st picture seems picturesque, the 2nd photo suggests the truth about fast moving rivers, which isn't evident to the naked eye. A felled tree acts as a stopping point, collecting trash, algae, and other objects. This shows that pollution does exist in the river, and that it gets caught in places where it cannot keep being moved by the river.

____________________
Mis: The importance of proper footware and apparel cannot be stressed enough for doing these surveys!I made the mistake of travesing the watershed with shorts and sandles. While I thought this would be ideal for wading in the water, the depth of the water surprised me and this course of action was made impossible. Thus, I had two options; one being walking around the Riparian Zone and the other being to traverse through the posion ivy infected RP. Needless to say I did a little of both. After my survey I made sure to not only apply generous amounts of soap to prevent poision ivy, but also do tick searches. While physical surveys are not necessarily part of my research, understanding the watershed is. Next time I do another physical survey jeans and water proof boots are a must.
***and I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'm not going to be buying calmine lotion anytime soon haha***

Week 2 Update

Today Dr. Forsyth and I focused our efforts on editing the draft survey. The number of questions has increased to around 20 and the wording is being worked upon. Each survey will have to be presented in a precise and consistent manner so enunciation and presentation is key. This will be practiced before actual survey work commences.

In other news, on Friday I spent the day reviewing literature related to the survey and will be working to create 1pg summaries of each. This will be useful not only to individuals viewing this site, but also in application to creating a publishable scientific work. This too will occur later into the research process.

In about twenty mins. , Dr. Forsyth and I will begin what will be my second (and his first) physical survey. This will occur from the end of the Westhampton Lake to a creek (unidentifiable on my large map) to the James River. We will examine the stream I have dubbed "Orange Stink"(see Thursday's post) and the coal plant onwards, which leads South or away from campus.