When Lynnhaven River NOW was formed in 2002 to bring back the famed Lynnhaven oyster to Virginia Beach dinner tables, only one percent of the polluted river was open to shell fishing.

This year, Lynnhaven River NOW is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Almost 50 percent of the river is safe for harvesting oysters and LRNow has transitioned to preserving not only the Lynnhaven but also all Virginia Beach waterways.     

In honor of its 20th anniversary, LRNow has developed a special seal that will be added to correspondence, flyers, social media posts and other communication pieces. 

They are also sponsoring a contest for artists and others to come up with a design for a commemorative anniversary tee shirt.  

LRNow will feature highlights on Facebook, Instagram and in its newsletter of the group’s environmental work over the past two decades. Every month, the history and successes of each of LRNow‘s programs areas will be presented. 

LRNow is asking members of the public to email morgan@lrnow.org their memories and photos of the river and its oysters to be included in our posts. 

 

We look forward to celebrating with you all year!

The final design for our 20th Anniversary was chosen by the people! 

Designed by Summer Paradiso
– Click here to learn more about the artwork and where you can see a mural of this design!

“This artwork shows wildlife found in the local watersheds. The artwork is drawn with one line to illustrate the connection all animals within the watershed share.”
CLICK HERE to purchase a limited edition shirt or poster!

Any questions about the anniversary celebration contact Morgan Schmidtendorff at morgan@lrnow.org

 

January – Advocacy Highlight

Working with our elected officials and leaders at the local, state, and federal levels has been a part of our work at LRNow from the beginning. During the month of January, we will be celebrating some of our advocacy work during the past 20 years. Here are a few of the highlights:

• The No Discharge Zone designation for the Lynnhaven River
• The Green Ribbon review of our city codes and ordinances
• Our partnership with the City of Virginia Beach to protect and restore our waterways
• Preventing offshore drilling for gas and oil
• Working to prevent uranium mining in Virginia
• Progress on elimination of balloon releases, single use plastic bags, and Styrofoam food containers
• Increased awareness at both the state and federal level of the issues important to the Albemarle-Pamlico watershed which makes up 66% of our city.

And much more! The future of this program continues to grow with the rising of environmental issues that need advocators, like YOU! Contact Jim@LRNow.org to learn how you can get involved.

 

February – Donor Highlights

With your donations over the past year we have

• Removed over six tons of debris from our waterways and natural areas.
• Educated children throughout the city and given them opportunities to get outdoors and learn more about our incredible natural resources.
• Continued to grow all our programs that enrich our community: Pearl Homes, Pearl Businesses, Pearl Faith Communities and Pearl Neighborhoods.
• Brought interesting and engaging information to you every week through our Plant for the Future Emails, our E-News, on Social Media and our Nature Notes Blog
• Restored oyster reefs, living shorelines, underwater grasses, and vital wetland areas.
• Highlighted our Notable Trees throughout the city and planted trees in our low-lying neighborhoods.
• Collaborated with our elected officials and city leaders to promote good environmental policy.

This is just some of the work that your support has made possible, and we have so much planned for 2022.

 

March – Annual Report

Our special 20th anniversary annual report should be in the mail soon. Look for the cover photo of cute children wearing LRNow’s “Plant a Tree for me” tee shirts as they perch a live oak tree. Thank you to board member Jaketa Thompson for taking that fun cover shot.

So many thanks, also, to all our volunteer photographers for the many wonderful images, from critters to land and seascapes, inside all our annual reports. Your great lens on the environment helps us in so many ways to stress the importance of caring for it.

Reading through each of our annual reports, you can really see how much our organization continues to grow! We are so excited to share our special edition 20th Anniversary Report… Read more.

 

 

 

April – 20th Oyster Roast

Thank you to everyone that was able to participate in our 20th Anniversary Oyster Roast! Check out photos on our Facebook and CLICK HERE to read more. Interested in purchasing limited edition 20th Anniversary Glasses or t-shirts? Visit our SHOP and get yours today!

Featured in ALL THINGS LOCAL: Episode 1

 

May – Pearl Home

Pearl Homes are places where people care about our community and our environment and want to do what they can to live responsibly and help protect our resources.

So much of the progress we have made in restoring our waterways is a result of the great work our residents are doing to change their practices and adopt more sustainable behaviors. This program started in 2008 with the Dubios household as the first Pearl Home! 

The program has grown to well over 6,000 Pearl Homes all over Virginia Beach. You too can become a Pearl Home, CLICK HERE to apply.

We want to see your Pearl Home flag photos! Please send them to morgan@lrnow.org

 

 

 

June – Pearl School

The Pearl School program was our first Pearl Program. The first year was 2007 when we began teacher training programs and worked with a handful of Virginia Beach schools. We now work with all of the Virginia Beach public schools, elementary, middle and high school, and many of our private schools.

When many of us were in school, ecology was not a part of our curriculum and understanding watershed dynamics wasn’t taught. Today, as early as elementary school, students are mastering these concepts.

This is such an important part of our work at LRNow. It is our investment in the future. Many challenges lie ahead of us — climate change, sea level rise, and our transition to renewable energy. Our Virginia Beach students are prepared for the challenge. They are truly our source of hope for the future.

Thank you to our dedicated teachers who are working so hard with our Virginia Beach students and creating a brighter future for all of us.

 

July – Waterway Cleanups

Be a 20 for 20 Champion. Report your 20 (or more) pieces of trash here for 20 days and let’s see how much of an impact we can make. Simply pick up at least 20 pieces of trash and put them in a trash receptacle. No piece is too small. Do this for 20 days – they do not have to consecutive. Cleanups must be complete by November 30, 2022 to be a 20 for 20 Champion. LEARN MORE

 

August – Scoop the Poop

LRNow’s Scoop the Poop program has been around almost as long as LRNow has. We have had a zany garbage can sticker by artist John Koehler since the beginning. A wonderful succession of scoop the poop dogs and volunteers have helped over the years to spread the word to scoop the poop and keep the river clean! See how it all began in Nature Notes – CLICK HERE

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