Walkers Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

A little rain didn't dampen the spirits of walkers participating in this month's Tuesday Morning Stroll. Several participants joined Jeannie Frisco of Activate M-HC as she led them on an informative walk down the Uptown Spur Tail and spoke about the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, which means "fifth of May" in Spanish.

While on the walk the participants were challenged to trivia questions and also suprised with festive balloons in the colors of the Mexican Flag so that they could celebrate.

DRBA Visits "The Cove"

On Monday of this week, Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) staff had the opportunity to speak to 7th graders from Halifax County as part of 'Field Days at The Cove', a program sponsored by the Ward Burton Foundation. During the day, 100 youth visited Ward Burton's 2,000 acre property known as The Cove and were able to meet environmental professionals from DRBA, Va Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries, Va Dept. of Forestry, Ferrum College, and Va Natural Resources Commission.

Ward Burton greeting the students

DRBA's station focused on stewardship of rivers and water quality monitoring. The students learned to read pH levels, test for turbidity, and disolved oxygen.

They also learned about the macroinvertebrates that live in streams such as crayfish. The photo below shows a female crayfish carrying eggs.

Bike Basics 101

Pull out your bikes and have fun as you learn the rules of the road & bike basics. Open to adults & children 16 years & older.

What: Bike Basics 101
When: May 16th at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Jack Dalton Park
Cost: FREE

Have fun with other cyclists as we celebrate May is “National Bike Month”. After completing the instruction, participants will enjoy a leisurely bike ride at Jack Dalton Park. Bring your own bicycle and helmet. If you do not have a bike or helmet contact Activate MHC at 403-5087 or 403-5031. Sponsored by: Activate and Henry County Parks and Recreation

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Kyle Dowley, Recreation Programmer, Henry County Parks & Recreation at 276-634-4645.

Article contributed by Kyle Dowley
Edited/Posted by Vicky Thomas

Bicycle Safety Rodeo.....Returns!

The “Bicycle Safety Rodeo and Child Safety Seat Inspection” returns as part of “May is National Bike Month.” The first rodeo was held in 1995 through the collaboration of the Martinsville Police Department and Chip Wyatt, State Farm Insurance Company. This year, Activate Martinsville Henry County (Activate), Henry County Parks and Recreation, Martinsville Leisure Services, Martinsville Police Department, and several State Farm Insurance Companies (Chip Wyatt, Jason Dove, and Kelly Witt) will host the event. “Over the years the rodeo has turned into an event that kids love to participate in. In past years, there have been over 150 kids participating in the event and many look forward to returning to see how they have improved over the year.” said Chip Wyatt, with State Farm Insurance.

The rodeo will be held Saturday, May 9th at Liberty Fair Mall Parking Lot on Commonwealth Blvd. There will be two sessions, 9:00-10:30 a.m. and 11:00-12:30 p.m. The rodeo consists of eight courses starting with a bike inspection station; mounting and dismounting; circling and changing direction; straight line control; weaving and maneuvering; stopping ability; short radius turning; and slow speed control. “Data has shown that many local children are not wearing helmets so our focus this year is helmet safety. Children will receive literature on helmet safety and local trainers certified in Bike Smart Basics, a curriculum created by the Virginia Department of Education, Health, Motor Vehicles and BikeWalk Virginia, will teach children how to properly fit their helmets,” according to Jeannie Frisco, Program Manager for Activate.

After kids complete the eight-course rodeo they can enjoy decorating and personalizing their helmet at the “sticker art” table. Kids will then have a chance to proudly display their helmet while they ride their bike and practice their new skills in the rodeo’s riding rink. Registered participants will also receive a goodie bag, a free meal coupon to Chick-Fil-A, a bicycle license with their picture and a certificate. Registered participants will also take part in a drawing where they could win a Nintendo Wii game system or a bike. Two bikes and a Wii will be raffled off at each session.

Through a Virginia Department of Health Grant, Activate was able to provide bicycle safety helmets for bike rodeo participants. According to Melissa Gravely, Education/Outreach Coordinator for Activate, “We want all children to have and wear their safety helmets. We are asking those children that have helmets to bring them to the rodeo. If their helmet is safe, in good shape and fits properly they will receive a free skating pass to the Roll-A-Bout Skating Center instead of receiving a new helmet. If a child’s helmet is unsafe, in bad shape, does not fit or if a child does not have a helmet, they will receive a new one while supplies last.”

To help parents better protect their children, State Farm is sponsoring a Child Safety Seat Inspection. While kids are busy with the rodeo, parents will be able to get a free car seat inspection from a certified seat inspector. With the new booster seat laws in effect, this is a good opportunity for parents.

Activate, which is funded through The Harvest Foundation, has a mission to make Martinsville and Henry County a more fun, healthy and desirable place to live by promoting walking, biking and increased physical activity as a part of everyday life. For more information on biking activities, contact Activate at 638-2523 x204 or 331.

For more information or if you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Tara Martin at 276-638-2523 x314 or email at tmartin@healthycommunitymhc.org.

Article contributed by Jeannie Frisco

Edited/Posted by Vicky Thomas

Adopt-A-Trail Volunteers Enhance Area Trails

Take a walk along one of our area trails and you just might see a group volunteers working to improve recreational opportunities along the Smith River- and having fun while at it! Tommy Wyatt and Tracy Kennett are shown above installing the new permanent sign for the Fieldale Trail. This is just one of the many tasks that their trail team "Friends of the Fieldale Trail" is doing to help support the trail system.

The Adopt-A-Trail program, which kicked off this month is quickly becoming a success. More than ten volunteers have signed up so far to care for three sections of the Smith River Trail System. The program is a partnership between the Dan River Basin Assocaiton, Henry County Parks & Recreation, and the City of Eden. To learn more about the Adopt-A-Trail Program see this previous post.

To adpot a section of trail, please contact the Adopt-A-Trail Coordinator, Jennifer Doss at 276-634-2545 or jdoss@danriver.org.

Beginner Kayak Lessons Held

Shown above (L-R) are: (front row) Brian Purdy, Debbie Taylor, Mary Kay Washington, Susan Cart, Pam Pruitt, (back row) Eric Juday, Susan Grogan, Richard Margrave, Cliff Taylor, Jamie Minish, and Donnie Meadows. Not pictured: Zachary Margrave.

Eleven adventurous people tried out a new hobby this weekend and had a great time! This was all part of an ACA Beginner Kayak Class sponsored by the Dan River Basin Association, Henry County Parks & Recreation, and Martinsville Leisure Services.

The paddlers, most of whom had never been in a kayak before, tried out various styles of kayaks as instructor Eric Juday taught them basic paddling skills in Martinsville's Beaver Creek Reservoir.

Check out the slideshow below to see more photos from the event.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Trout Release Schedule for 2009

It's that time again! The fourth season of Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is drawing to a close as students and teachers prepare to release their fingerlings into the Smith River.

The season begins in late fall, with eggs hatching in mid December and the TIC students and teachers spending the next 6 months making sure the trout in their care grow to healthy fingerlings ready to be released into the wild.

The Smith River in Basset, VA, is the site of all trout releases for the Southern VA TIC Program as the students and teachers bid goodbye to their trout during a series of releases in May and June. Thousands of trout have been released into the river as a result of this program with area students participating in the school wide programs that were responsible for the care of the trout from eggs to fingerlings.

This program, developed by Trout Unlimited over 25 years ago, is a one of a kind hands on teaching experience. Creating excitement in the classroom while teaching the relevance of our watersheds, students learn environmental responsibility and the importance of good stewardship of our natural resources. The initiation of this project and its continuing financial support are due to the dedication and efforts of Dr. David Jones, Martinsville Orthodontist. Dr Jones began the first TIC program in Virginia in 2005. Today there are currently 26 tanks in this Southern VA program while TIC has grown statewide to 65 tanks. Utilizing a grant from the Harvest Foundation, the Dan River Basin Association provides support for this Southern Virginia program.

We appreciate the cooperation of the good folks at the Bassett Historical Center. Trout releases are held on the Smith River here in Bassett, VA.
http://www.bassetthistoricalcenter.com/
If attending a release, please park across the street in the lot of the Blue Ridge Regional Library. Students and teachers that are with the TIC program should come dressed in comfortable clothing with shoes that can get wet. We ask that other students, teachers or parents attending please allow the students and TIC volunteers direct access to the river. We will call each class or school to the river's edge when it is time to release their trout.

Trout Release Schedule 2009: Releases will occur between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

May 7, 2009:
Bassett High (3 groups), 200 students- 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 a.m.

May 8, 2009:
Campbell Court - 10:00 a.m.
Drewery Mason

May 14, 2009:
Stuart Elementary - 50 students- 9:30 am

May 15, 2009:
Axton Middle - 20 students - 10:00 a.m.
Mt Olivet - 40 students, time - 11:30 a.m.

May 18, 2009:
Woolwine Elementray - 80 students - 9:15 a.m.
Meadows of Dan - 20 students - 9:15 a.m.

May 21, 2009:
Open

May 22, 2009:
Carlisle - 10:00 a.m.

May 28, 2009:
Irisburg - 10:00 am
Rich Acres - 30 students - 11:00 a.m.

May 29, 2009
Sanville 9:30
Tunstall


June 1, 2009:
Laurel Park
Patrick Henry - 9:00
Martinsville Middle - 80 students, time - 10:00 a.m.
Fieldale Collinsville - (3 groups), 100 students

June 4, 2009:
Albert Harris 9:15

June 5, 2009: RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER to June 8th
Henry - 210 students 9:15
Snow Creek - 100 students 10:30



Release Site: Smith River at Bassett Historical Center River Front, Bassett, VA

Trout Release Coverage media links:

6/8/07 - Governor Tim Kaine attends Trout in the Classroom release:

http://martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=9381&back=archives

5/22/08 - Former Governor Mark Warner attends Trout in the Classroom release:

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=13947&back=archives

5/18/08 - Congressman Virgil Goode attends Trout in the Classroom release:

http://martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=13876&back=archives

For information or comments contact:
Brian Williams, Education Outreach and Conservation Coordinator
Dan River Basin Association
276-634-2592