We welcome all members and non-members to join us on Monday as we welcome Andrew Bargy, Owner of Seven Cities Rickshaws discussing rickshaws and the environment in Hampton Roads and Susan French, Extension Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources Horticulture, Virginia Tech discussing Conservation in Belize.

We will meet at the Virginia Beach Central Library Parking Lot on Saturday, July 25th at 9:00 am near the Virginia Beach Blvd side of the parking lot. We will drive the hour to Newport News Park. The hike is about 7 total miles, however, there is also a 3 mile option for anyone who would like to come out for just a portion of the hike. For those wishing to remain for the entire 7 miles, we should return to the library by 2:00 p.m.

At 8,000 plus acres Newport News Park is the largest municipal park east of the Mississippi. With a unique combination of water and land habitats a wide variety of plants and animals may be seen, along with several civil war fortresses that remain in the park. We will have several good locations to stop for a light snack or lunch.

To sign up please visit: http://www.meetup.com/CbSierraClub/calendar/10576890/
If you have questions please email Chris at cbryan1101@aol.com

Sunday, June 14th @ 10:30 a.m. - Northwest River Park

We will meet at the Virginia Beach Central Library Parking Lot at 10:30 am near the Virginia Beach Blvd side of the parking lot. We will then drive 30 minutes to Northwest River Park in Chesapeake. We will enjoy a 4-5 mile hike and should return to the library by 2:00 p.m. (at the ABSOLUTE latest).

We will follow several different trails that wind through the park and pass by many different species of plants such as the bald cypress tree. We will observe several historical spots, such as old moon shining stills (although I’ve yet to find one, maybe on this trip?). We will stop at about the half way point where the trail meets the Northwest River. It’s a gorgeous spot for a picnic lunch (so don’t forget to pack some goodies).

**Please be aware, this park does have a tendency to be muddy, so boots are a good idea!**

Come support our fellow environmental organizations–The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.  All Sierrans are welcome to join our group on Saturday for the annual Clean the Bay Day! We will be meeting at the Trails Center at First Landing State Park on Saturday, June 6th at 8:45 a.m.  You will need to email ctbd@cbf.org to register.   For more information click on the link below.

cbf.org/clean

In addition, the Nature Conservancy is looking for snorkeling or scuba diving volunteers for the Worlds Largest Seagras Restoration!  They will be collecting seagrass through June 11, 2009.  For more information please email Jennifer Rich at jrich@tnc.org. or visit the link below:

www.nature.org/seagrassrestoration

The Chesapeake Bay group is very fortunate to have a new Outings Chairwoman, Chris Bryan!

And Chris has already lined up a number of hikes throughout the summer with the first being this Sunday, May 31st.

Truth be told, Chris moves faster in her outings planning than we can with our website updating!  Here’s info on the May 31st hike.  Check back here for more info on other summertime outings planned for both Southside and the Peninsula.

York River State Park

We will meet at the Virginia Beach Central Library Parking Lot at 1pm near the Virginia Beach Blvd side of the parking lot.  We will then drive one hour to York River State Park.  We will enjoy a 5-6 mile hike and we should be back at the Library by 6:00 pm, unless the group would like to stop for dinner on the way back.

York River State Park supplies an opportunity to experience the environment of a coastal estuary. This park is known for its rare and delicate environment, where freshwater and saltwater meet to create a habitat rich in marine and plant life. The main focus of the park is to preserve a portion of the York River frontage. York River State Park served as a role model for all of Virginia’s state parks in developing resource management plans. The park’s natural resources make it a significant place for environmental education at all levels.