SavePHP.org

Inspiration

2009-03-16T16:00:00.019-04:00

Inspiration:

Meeting Executive Order CHESAPEAKE BAY PROTECTION AND RESTORATION

Soul of the inspiration is protecting habitat for the known avian species that need PHP to survive.

Check out the links in the right column.

Reality - a vision

2009-03-16T15:00:00.002-04:00

The PhD, recently moved here from Palo Alto, rides her metallic pink road bike down Shore Drive heading home after working at the Research Center. A tom-boy ever since she can remember, inspite of being teased about it, pink has always been her favorite color. Especially the pink of a small song bird she saw with her grand father whom she dearly misses. She'd also love to see that song bird again so she could get the pink "right".

Talking on her iPhone in conference call mode, she explains to her 2 old room mates how great it is to have the opportunity to work so close to the Chesapeake Bay. Today she met a Scientist from New Orleans who's here to work with his team on the project they put together at the Research Center. His parents, who were stationed here in the 70's, were looking forward to their fishing trip here. They never did get to taste Lynnhaven Oysters before, & they're really looking forward to it now. Her room mates, one working for a Senator in DC, the other finishing her 2nd Grad Degree at Stanford, can't believe how inexpensive it is to live in Va Beach. They all chat about how much fun it'll be to reunite!

As she rides home she describes in detail, the birds she's studying that she never thought she'd have an opportunity to see, let alone save. Maybe she'll even find out what that pink song bird was that got her so interested in Ornithology.

They all chat about reuniting with another old friend from their undergrad days at Cornell's world reknowned Ornithology Lab.

The PhD is giving an indepth seminar to a few hundred of her colleagues traveling in from around the country to witness what "all the fuss is about". After all, since Va Beach has been gaining it's "green" reputation, Conventions around the "green theme" have been steadily increasing. This one revolves around sharing what's being learned so far in the creation & operation of the PHP Research Center. It's only been 7 months since the small footprint, off the grid building has been opened, but the video conferencing & flex offices has brought in a lot of people from around the country who've never seen anything like it.

Her girlfriends rib her about finding the right pink dress for the upcoming gatherings revolving around this Ornithology Convention. The PhD's husband, who's a VC working out of their home, hopes his brother has been able to finalize the plans for an Engineer coming in from Germany who's an expert in Wave Energy Technologies. Her brother-in-law hasn't been able to get him a hotel room which is ok. He's got a friend from Virginia Tech who can put him up.

The VT guy has been trying to pitch an idea to FIGG, builders of the new Signature Bridge, & the Engineer from Germany has offered to help with some suggestions. He has work with Stihl & has been here before & would love to bring his family to visit soon. The VT guy moved here a year ago to be closer to the Signature Bridge project. His calculations lead him to believe, his small startup had the perfect solution to testing various wind & wave technologies that could be incorporated into the bridge design. The more people he meets at the local coffee shop who are here energetically pitching ideas, the more it reminds him of home. Single, & in his mid-20's, he's seriously considering making Va Beach home. Even after the Bridge is completed. He's been impressed with all the green partnerships being worked out nearby and loves working at the cutting edge of technology. He's especially excited about his partnership with ODU & TCC.

The girls get off the phone when the PhD gets home from her ride. She hugs her kids, kisses her husband & they start chatting about looking forward to her sister driving down after her flight from Japan to DC. Her sister has never seen the east coast & thought it'd be cool to drive down the Eastern Shore since it's also the Atlantic Flyway.

She hopes the drive will help clear her mind so she can pull her ideas together for a video game she's the Lead Project Manager for. Her budget of $3M to develop the first version of the game was easy to get after she pitched the idea to Microsoft who saw the obvious long term benefits of jumping on the idea first. They felt very lucky that since she's also based in Seattle, that they were pitched the idea first. The Senator, who sat next to her on the flight from Japan, was glad he learned of her success too. There's no name for it yet, but it takes place around wetlands & the first version of the game is a pretty crazy idea that just might work.

Funds

2009-03-16T14:00:00.011-04:00

Sources of funding could include:

The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program
The Trust for Public Land
WERF
Fish America Foundation
Estuaries.org
Tax breaks on preserving the land from City, State, Federal Governments
Wetlands Mitigation Bank
Membership Fees
Donations & Sponsorships
Licensing of Research

Bridge loans such as what was done at Michaux State Forest, could provide assistance.

More ideas include what the PBS Foundation does by [p]lanned giving helps you make sure your personal and financial goals are met as part of your estate planning. It also supports those organizations that you care most about.

Threat

2009-03-16T13:00:00.004-04:00

Update 7.13.10:

City Announces Partnership to Acquire Pleasure House Point
To The Volunteers who protected 100% of Pleasure House Point

Losing this precious habitat forever by
the clear cutting of all trees, bushes, etc

dumping ~6-7ft of unknown fill on entire property

the filling of wetlands & buffer areas

the construction of 1,100 condos

incredible stress to Pleasure House Creek & the Lynnhaven

the loss of this precious habitat for birds & other wildlife forever

Latest news of the current threat at NoIndigoDunes.com.

Federal Duck Stamp Program

2007-12-17T03:35:00.000-05:00

Did you know:

For every dollar you spend on Federal Duck Stamps, ninety-eight cents go directly to purchase vital habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The Federal Duck Stamp Program.

The Hooded Merganser is in our Avian Species known to occur in PHC list.

Buy Duck Stamps to save wetlands.

Conservation tax incentives that reward landowners who donate conservation easements

2007-12-17T03:07:00.000-05:00

From Whitehouse.gov:

The President announced that the Administration will put forward next week an innovative policy called recovery credit trading, which will provide a new tool to help in habitat conservation. With this policy, landowners who improve habitat for birds and other species will earn recovery credits that they can sell. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service organized a pilot project using this approach to conserve warblers and vireos in Texas, and this new policy will formalize this practice for recovering species.

The President calls on Congress to pass his FY2008 Budget proposal to provide the conservation tax incentives that reward landowners who donate conservation easements. These easements are charitable contributions of valuable property rights to ensure the long-term preservation of habitat.

Fact Sheet: Improving Habitat for Our Nation's Migratory Birds.
President Bush Discusses Migratory Bird Conservation.

Saving Birds and Habitat through Cooperative Conservation.

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) similarly fosters wetland and
swamp-forest enhancement on private lands.

Be sure to follow the link to read original report.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

2007-12-17T02:57:00.000-05:00

From Cornell University's famed Ornithology program comes an excellent resource to learn more about birds.

Habitat Loss and Degradation

By far the largest threat to birds is loss and/or degradation of habitat due to human development and agriculture. In some regions the loss of habitat is extreme.

View more threats to native birds at All About Birds.

About Avian Species known to occur in PHC

2007-12-17T01:15:00.001-05:00

We're building a list of the avian species known to occur in PHC & PHP.

Links in list are to Wikipedia.org so you can use that as a starting point for your research.

Use the list to:

Learn about the birds who frequent the area.
Put together photo slideshows & movies to share.
Tell other birders about the eco-tourism opportunities in PHC & PHP.

PHC = Pleasure House Creek.

Northeast Region, Division of Migratory Birds

2007-12-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

According to the US Fish & Wildlife Service:

The Habitat Branch is focused on the conservation of habitats for migratory birds throughout the region and beyond. The planning, implementation and evaluation of habitat conservation takes place primarily through the regional partnership known as the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV).

Learn more about the Habitat Conservation Branch.

Learn more about the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants program.

You can see why habitat protection is so critical.
Look at the volume of migratory birds that converge near PHP.

Click image to enlarge.

Aerial photo from our home page

2007-12-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

Aerial photo located on our home page was taken in the early 20th Century.

Note how PHP is wetlands, Bayville Golf Course was farm land, beaches were wider, Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & dredge spoils site on Crab Creek didn't exist.

It was also way before the urbanization of the entire Lynnhaven Watershed which helped contribute to the demise of the famed Lynnhaven Oyster.

Click on image to enlarge.
Learn more about the Lynnhaven River by starting at Wikipedia.
Learn more about Lynnhaven River Now who is trying to "restore a legend".

Early 1970's, wetlands being filled in

2007-12-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

An area near 'the flats', was clearly, originally wetlands.
Photo shows wetlands being filled in the early 1970's.

Click image to enlarge.

Great Blue Heron

2007-12-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

The Great Blue Heron, pictured at the bottom of this blog, is a beautiful, majestic bird.
According to Wikipedia:

Great Blue Herons can be found in a range of habitats, in fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, or shorelines, but they always live near bodies of water. Generally, they nest in trees or bushes that stand near a body of water. In general, what is shared in common is that all must be near or on a site of water for a living area (nest.)

Learn more by starting at Wikipedia.org.

1939 Soil Survey

2007-12-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

The 1939 Princess Anne County Soil Survey clearly shows PHP as wetlands.

Click image to enlarge.

Diamondback terrapin

2007-05-29T22:26:00.000-04:00

One of the projects we'll be working on here is researching which species have been documented to have used PHP in the distant past, recent past & of course today.

An example is the Diamondback terrapin [Wikipedia link] which has been known to frequent PHP.

Our hope with this part of the project is to include:

data that could be used in the classroom
your stories & photos, even home movies, that could provide that "human context"

Stay tuned & we'll let ya know how to help.

Core goals of SavePHP.org

2007-05-27T17:09:00.000-04:00

A collaborative, virtual foundation dedicated to saving Pleasure House Point[PHP].

Our core goals are:

1. to document & permanently preserve 100% of the history of PHP

2. to inspire the permanent preservation of 100% of PHP

What the heck are you talking about you?

Core Goal 1: save all photos, movies, stories told by great-grand parents, maps, your stories, paintings,your prof's stories, wildlife sightings...basically the history of what's been happening on PHP since the beginning of time.

But why you ask?
More importantly....why not?!

Core Goal 2:
[rough draft]
Instead of a bunch of condos or even a park, a far better public use for what is one of the last remaining properties of significant size located in the Lynnhaven Watershed...here's an idea:

Imagine PHP being used for an internationally recognized research/teaching facility that would compliment the hard work of our local educational institutions including TCC, ODU, NSU, VT, VBC, VWC, WHRO, Public School Systems, CHCS, etc.

It could even include a unique eco-tourism opportunity at the Beach. Local Seniors beginning their second/third careers could be included to provide guidance, wisdom & leadership skills.

An incomparable Foundation managed by students whose purpose is to provide educational opportunities that would return the property to it’s original state, definition to be determined, that could study:

Computer Sciences
Oceanography
Astronomy
Database Creation
Environmental Sciences
The Arts
Social Sciences
Politics
History
Activism
Law
Finance
Economics
Leadership Skills
Journalism
Simulation Technologies
Gaming Software Creation
Photography
Film Making
Painting
"___________" [whatta you think?]

...based on the activities & results of working toward the long term goal of restoration & everything involved in creating the foundation it would take to preserve it.

Funding sources could come from various foundations, educational institutions, various levels of membership, fees/donations for use of the property, creation of a Wetlands Bank, tax breaks and other funding sources as they are negotiated and determined to fit with the goals of the umbrella operational foundation.

A small footprint, off the grid, high tech facility could provide flex-offices for local environmental organizations including classrooms with 21st Century high speed wireless internet access.

All accomplished by students working with the guidance of the best facilitators from around the area.