Thank you for celebrating River Hero Home Month!
Stormwater runoff continues to be one of the largest threats facing the James River. Every time it rains, fertilizers, herbicides, bacteria from pet waste, and chemicals flow from our properties into local waterways. Every October, we bring awareness to these issues through River Hero Home month, and promote ways to stop pollution in your own backyard! If you missed our posts this past month, you can still view them below, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
Becoming a River Hero Home is an easy way to help protect the James River. Anyone living in the James River basin can join by signing a simple online pledge to protect the James through everyday river-friendly actions like picking up after your pet or reducing lawn fertilizer. While these actions may seem small, when adopted on a wide scale, they can have a significant impact on local water quality.
We are excited to share that 80 homeowners took the pledge this past month to make changes in their own home! You can too, incorporating simple changes will make a collective impact to the James! Take the pledge now.
Watch this cute video from JRA Environmental Educator, Genevieve, explain how scooping the poop can have a very positive impact on the #JamesRiver, and why you should become a #RiverHeroHome to make a big difference in your own backyard!
We’ve got a great #HeroHack today for #RiverHeroHome month all about composting and mulching! Join our community of stewards who realize that the first step to a healthier James starts in our own backyards, and take the pledge at jamesriverhero.org!
Join Nat Draper, our Senior Education Manager, for today’s #HeroHack all about the benefits of rain barrels as a sustainable watering source for your plants and yard! You can be a hero like Nat by taking the River Hero Home pledge today.
Justin Doyle, JRA’s Community Conservation Manager, puts the same kind of care into being a River Hero Homeowner that he does managing the program! Check out his #HeroHack on avoiding herbicides and pesticides in your yard, and pledge to be a hero today!
In addition to providing 20% off to #RiverHeroHome members TreeLab is also donating a native plant to accompany every #rainbarrel sold through our workshops this fall! Learn more about TreeLab at ow.ly/lYbH50BK5k2 Take the pledge & be a hero at: ow.ly/FdbR50BK5k3
Sneed’s is a proud supporter of our #RiverHeroHome program and a huge proponent & source of native plants. Thank you
@sneedsnursery helping keep the RVA community green! sneedsnursery.com
Our River Hero Home program is hosting #rainbarrel workshops for #RVA Residents this fall thanks to the help of our partners, @rvah2o, Coca-Cola, Enrichmond Tree Lab & Richmond Public Libraries. Richmond residents can register for the workshop here: ow.ly/jPAe50BWQvo
Our #RiverHeroHome members get discounts a local nurseries across the watershed. Thank you to all of those on our list for making it easier for our #JamesRiver watershed residents to plant natives and create gardens full of life! ow.ly/vSyo50C2HX9
Meet Our Heroes! Justin took the pledge to become a River Hero Home and make a BIG difference for the James, starting in his own backyard. Read his story and consider becoming a hero today! ow.ly/T2Xo50BLbNu
Meet Our Heroes! River Hero Homeowner, Daphne Cole, is making a big difference for our river in her town of Blackstone near the Appomattox River, a tributary to the James. You too can be a hero by taking the #RiverHeroHome pledge! thejamesriver.org/meet-our-heroe
Meet Our Heroes! River Hero Homeowner David Clark explains the positive impact of river-friendly behaviors like installing a rain barrel in his yard near Gillies Creek, a tributary to the James. Become a hero for the James today! #TributaryTuesday thejamesriver.org/meet-our-heroe
Meet River Hero Homeowner Drew Harrigan and learn about the many wonderful ways he’s making a real difference for the river, starting in his own backyard near Powhite Creek, a tributary to the James. Go to thejamesriver.org/meet-our-heroe to read all about it! #TributaryTuesday
If you are looking for a #nativeplant to add ‘wow’ to your garden in the winter months, Ilex verticillata or Winterberry is what you need! Are you ready to take the pledge? Help us reach our #RiverHeroHomeMonth goal of 60 new Heroes! JamesRiverHero.org
Does your yard have a fairly consistent moist or wet area? Then the Wax Myrtle is perfect for you. Plant in the fall to give them time to develop roots before they go dormant in the winter. #riverherohome
It’s our last #RiverHeroHomeMonth #WildlifeWednesday! What #nativeplants did you add to your garden this fall? Take our pledge to give back to your river: jamesriverhero.org
Invasive species pose serious threats to native species & can dramatically alter our ecosystems. #RiverHeroHome members have pledged to plant natives to reduce the strain on our waterways. We invite you to join our community & become a hero for river! ow.ly/1FsB50BHVud
Native plants are adapted to local conditions & have developed natural defenses to many insects & diseases. If you missed this week’s Hero Hack, check out Amber Ellis’ video as she talks about the importance of natives in her yard. youtu.be/2GUpKYjyWvk
#DYK Mulch can retain as much as 70% more water in the soil compared to unmulched soil? #Compost is full of life & improves drainage, reduces pest & disease problems, attracts good insects & worms, nourishes soil w/important nutrients. #FridayFastFacts #RiverHeroHomeMonth