Litter at Belle Isle: Harmful to More than the Environment

The litter at Belle Isle is bad for the park in many ways

By Jessica Porter

Most Richmond residents who visit Belle Isle have seen the large amounts of litter left on the ground. This litter can not only make a trip to the park less enjoyable, but harm the river itself.

The James River Park System includes 550 acres along the shore of the river in the Richmond area and employees of the JRPS work hard to keep the parks clean. However, with only two employees for Pony Pasture, Belle Isle and Ancarrows Landing (the three most popular parks), clean up is hard to manage.

“The impact of the litter on the river is negligible, but the impact of the litter on users of the river is large,” said Ralph White, manager of the James River Park. White said the primary type of trash left behind is beer bottles and cans.

White said the litter at Belle Isle is a case of “people affecting people” because tourists come to see the beauty of the river, but their trip is less enjoyable because of the trash left behind by others.

“Litter at Belle Isle affects my trip because people don't respect the land and barely use the trash cans. However, the trash cans tend to overflow quite easily,” said Ariel Maloof, a freshman at VCU who regularly goes to Belle Isle. “I try to focus on the river and not the litter, even though it makes me mad.”

The trash left on the ground is sometimes left by young people, but White said many young people are responsible enough to pick up their trash.

“If we put lots of trashcans, people tend to use them. Anyplace we find litter we put a trashcan,” said White, “If there is less stuff on the ground people tend to keep stuff off the ground.” The JRPS has also raised the bar by adding recycling bins.

With only two employees and 600,000 annual visitors, keeping the parks clean is a huge task only possible through volunteers. Volunteers put the trashcans in the parks and help clean up the litter on the ground.

The James River Outdoor Coalition was founded to help make improvements to the river possible in the Richmond area. They try to help the JRPS employees keep the parks clean and litter free.

“When visitors and tourists come to Belle Isle, we want them focusing on the beauty of their environment. We’d prefer that they concentrate on the Blue Heron and the school of American Shad, rather than a plastic bottle floating between them,” said Brian Mutchler, president of the JROC.

Volunteers come from all around Richmond. Many are from schools like VCU, University of Richmond and even high schools. They also come from church and civic organizations. White stressed the importance of these volunteers coming to keep the park clean.

Earth Day Festival a Success in Richmond

Richmond's Earth Day Festival occurred on Saturday, April 18 at the south end of the 14th Street bridge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival allowed organizations in the Richmond area to show their "green" ideas and products. The day provided an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about their affect on the environment and ways to preserve the Earth. Bill Conkle and John Zeugner were two of the event co-chairs and described why Earth Day is important and what they liked the most about the festival.

Review

A Show that Truly Razzles and Dazzles
By Jessica Porter

Chicago begins with blaring trumpets and trombones that foreshadow the powerful and sassy show to follow. The theater was full to capacity for a good reason; Chicago is not only loud, controversial and provocative, but absolutely fabulous.

Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times

VCUs Reaction to the Stimulus Bill

VCU students and staff are among those who will be hit hardest by the stimulus bill and their opinions are strong.
By Jessica Porter

The proposed stimulus bill is supposed to provide relief to Americans who have been hit hard by the world-wide economic depression. The VCU community will be strongly affected by the bill and students, faculty and staff want their voices heard.

The stimulus bill, which is now at about $789 billion, is supposed to get the economy out of a crisis and is currently being debated in Congress. The House and Senate are working to come to an agreement about a final bill that will be signed by President Obama. Congress expects the bill to be complete anytime between Wednesday and President’s Day.

“In such a circumstance, the government needs to step in,” said Douglas Davis, a professor of micro economics at VCU. “I think they are doing what they need to do, but it is costly and we will be paying for it for a long time.”

Many VCU students share the opinion that the government needs to intervene, but the way in which they think government should do so varies. Post baccalaureate VCU student Emily Harris, 26, said a big problem is that there are not enough regulations in regard to businesses and shareholders.

“If shareholders get a handout they should not be filling their pockets,” Harris said about the recent rejection of a limit to how much shareholders can receive. “The American people should be the shareholders,” not big corporations, Harris said.

Others, like 32-year-old John Emanuel, an IT Analyst at Student Affairs Tech Support, said a socialist approach to government would be beneficial, especially socialized healthcare.

The bill is “a necessary evil providing jobs to improve the infrastructure,” said Emanuel. He wants to see less military spending and more money going toward science.

Due to their questionable spending history, the role of Republicans has become controversial in deciding this bill.

Because tax cuts are going to the middle class “republicans have decided to take the position that this is a horrible mistake.” said Davis.

Emanuel was not encouraged by opinions of Republicans.

“Republicans don’t have room to speak up with criticisms; they put us in this mess,” said Emanuel.

The economic situation means a lot to a student. Philip Gray, 22, graduated in the summer with a degree in English. Like numerous other graduates, he has been unable to find a job and is working at the Virginia Book Company in the meantime. For many students, the stimulus bill could mean more job opportunity and security.

The bill “has an excellent chance in helping particularly if Congress follows the president’s lead in ensuring funds used in long term infrastructure,” said Will Sims, a VCU assistant professor for mass communications, who is optimistic about the plan.

Sigma Kappa Past and Present Sisters Reunited

During homecoming weekend and Sigma Kappa’s 20^th anniversary celebration new, current and past members are reunited.

By Jessica Porter

Homecoming weekend at Radford University means a lot of friends and fun for most students; but for sisters, new members and alumni of Sigma Kappa, it’s also the celebration of their 20^th anniversary and a family reunion that’s actually enjoyable.

On Saturday Feb. 8, about 150 prospective, current and alumni sisters gathered at the sorority house to kick off their homecoming weekend and anniversary celebration. That same day was the homecoming celebration for all Radford Greek life, but the anniversary made it even more special for Sigma Kappas.

To start off the weekend an event called Hospitality House occurred on Friday at 4 p.m. to welcome anyone who came out for the festivities. This is a way for sisters, new members and alumni to meet and mingle, tour the sorority house, buy anniversary pins and just have a good time.

“It’s surreal honestly … it’s bizarre, were all shaking and excited and nervous,” said Caryn Denny-McGarry, a Sigma Kappa alumnus who graduated in 1997. Denny-McGarry is one of many alumni who drove back to Radford to attend the anniversary and homecoming events.

The atmosphere was filled with excitement as more people arrived and families were introduced. As each new member period starts, girls are adopted into families with a big sister to guide them through the process. These families are continued each year.

“I’m so happy to meet everyone in my family. I think it’s great because it’s nice to see older sisters and a lot of us are excited about potential connections in our major,” said senior and vice-president of Sigma Kappa Elizabeth Grubb.

Grubb was also involved in planning the event, which began about a year ago and has become a 24-hour a day job the past week to make sure everything was ready. With 150 people expected to attend, it has been a long process.

There were 19 new members who are experiencing homecoming for the first time.

“I’m having so much fun right now; I’m in the middle of the pledging so I’m really excited to get initiated into this. I didn’t think that I would be a sorority type of person but I totally changed my mind when I rushed,” said freshman Dallas Deshazior.

Events like the 20^th anniversary celebration reinforces why sister and sophomore Ashley Burke joined the sorority.

“I really think we all consider ourselves to be sisters,” said Burke who has been a member for one year. Burke said she was hesitant at first because she heard Radford sororities are smaller than usual but is glad she picked Sigma Kappa during her rush last year.

“It was really fun it kind of felt like a day camp when your going through rush like, you go to all the different sororities and you feel what’s best for you” said Burke about how she picked Sigma Kappa.

River Activities are Safe in Richmond

With warm summer days approaching, it’s enjoyable and safe to swim in the James River.
By Jessica Porter

Now that it’s officially spring and the weather is warmer, many students are anticipating the first day they can throw on their bathing suits and head to Belle Isle, despite the James River’s poor reputation to many VCU students for being polluted.

“I feel like I'm getting out of the city for a bit and connecting with nature,” said senior Angel Quan who often goes to Belle Isle during the summer.

It should come as a relief that the water is actually cleaner than many other rivers on the east coast. The part of the river from the Belvidere Bridge to 13-miles upriver, where places like Belle Isle, Pony Pasture and Texas Beach are located, are now considered clean water. This is because the bacteria levels have dropped low enough for swimming.

“Among the 16 major rivers along the eastern seaboard if you were to go from Virginia all the way up to Maine … the James would be one of the top two or three best in terms of the nutrient load it carries,” said Dr. Paul Bukaveckas, a large-river ecologist at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The James is cleaner than some other rivers because about 70 percent of it goes through areas with heavy forest. Other rivers, like the Susquehanna, go through much larger cities than Richmond and agricultural areas which results in more pollution, said Bukaveckas.

But just because the James River may be healthier than some other rivers does not mean its problem free. The largest contributors to pollution in the James River are bacteria and nutrients which get into the river by runoff water.

Bacteria come from things like fecal matter from dogs and cows and faulty septic systems. Nutrients are things like manure and fertilizer from farmers and lawns or water runoff from waste water treatment plants. Every time it rains, all these pollutants from streets, farms, factories and homes enter the river.

“I have been to the river, but I don’t swim in it. With all the factories like Philip Morris around here it has to be dirty,” said senior Selma Bajramovic.

However, there are many organizations and people in this area who try to keep the levels of bacteria and nutrients in the river low.

David Sligh considers himself the “voice and advocate for the whole watershed” and helps protect the river. He is the upper James Riverkeeper and monitors the water itself and the areas around the river.

Some of the ways Sligh protects the river are by making sure construction sites have proper barriers along the river, checking oxygen levels, Ph levels, conductivity (how easily a current can pass through) and turbidity (how many particles there are that block sunlight).

Although there is no sure way to tell if water is polluted without the proper tools, Bukaveckas said there are signs that usually mean clean or polluted water.

“If there’s obvious life, that’s generally a good sign. If you see fish, insects, herons, fish and ospreys then that’s a good sign,” said Bukaveckas. “The simplest thing to look at is what you see happening on the land surrounding the river. If you’re canoeing and all you see is forest on either side of you, you know the banks of the river are well protected,” and the water is probably cleaner.

The general rule is to not swim within 24 hours of a rain event because all the pollutants from the streets enter the river through the water runoff. But besides that, swimming in this area of the James is safe and enjoyable, Bukaveckas said.

“I think enough people use it that I wouldn’t be scared going in there, but you don’t want to take a big gulp of water,” said Sligh about the water quality.