Lynnhaven River System EarthCache

Welcome to Lynnhaven River System (LRS).

Put the difficulty up to 2 due to having to drive to different locations within the LRS.

The Lynnhaven River System (LRS) is a tidal esuary located in Virginia Beach, Va. Its inlet is located just East of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and West of Cape Henry.

There are several components that you will come across while doing this EarthCache.

Sand - Small Granular material of finely divided rock and mineral particles;

Clay - A very fine particle that smears easily when pressed between the fingers. These are derived from parent rocks chemical weathering of the minerals;

Silt - Material that is smaller than sand and is easily placed in load in a slow stream or water system. One can still detect the grain between the fingers;

Loam - A mixture of sand, clay, silt, and decomposed matterials. Decomposed matterial if formed from carbon based life. Giving the soil a blackish appearance.

Lynnhaven Beach N 36° 54.35 W 076° 05.65

Great Neck Park N 36° 53.019 W 076° 03.707

North Landing State Park N 36° 53.930 W 076° 01.46

To claim this find you must:

1) Upload a picture of yourself with your GPS (or just your GPS) with the Lesner Bridge behind you. If you're using your phone as a camera and GPS we'll settle for a picture of the bridge.

2) Email the answers to the following questions:

a) What is another name for tidal wetlands?
b) Name the three key attributes of wetlands.
c) What did you notice about the water flow at Lynnhaven Inlet.
d) Did you notice any beach animals anywhere else; if so why do you think this is so?
e) How do marsh plants keep the bay clean?

3) At each location look at and examine a soil sample. Write a short description of what you think each soil is and how this soil type affects the local settings. Keep in mind that the soils will be easily recgonized by picking up a piece and running it through your fingers to feel the grains. The smoother the texture the more clay and loam you will find. * PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE RESTORATION AREA at site #2. If you are interested in learning more you can go to web soil survey

The LRS is the second largest watershed in Virginia Beach, covering 64 square miles. Once was famous for the native oysters, which declined through both human pollution and residential runoff. The species is now being restored by the Lynnhaven River Now restoration project.

1) hydrology ( the degree of flooding or soil saturation)
2) hydrophytes (wetland vegetation)
3) hydric soils (soil in which water has displaced the air)

Loss and Man’s manipulation of these water ways has occurred due, construction of drainage ditches, canals and hard shoreline stabilization projects. One major historic problem that has plagued the wetland of the world is the conversion of wetlands to agriculture fields and development into plush residential properties. The loss has led to a reduction in the sediments ability of buffering the environment.

Here is what the city of Virginia Beach has written about the LRS:

“Lynnhaven River Watershed

The rise in the population of coastal areas in recent years has lead to concerns about water quality in the bays and estuaries along the eastern seaboard. The quality of the Chesapeake Bay has declined over the years, and approximately 20 years ago, studies began to be commissioned to study the causes of decreased water quality in the bay, with three primary sources being singled out
• Increased nutrients from agricultural areas and lawns (fertilizers)
• Increased runoff from increased numbers of paved surfaces
• Presence of toxic chemicals.

While the adverse effects of toxic chemicals are obvious, the other two factors may require some explanation. Increased numbers of paved surfaces means that raindrops do not soak into the ground and ultimately the groundwater, but instead, run off driveways and streets, picking up oil and other contaminants along the way. This rainwater is carried into the sewers and eventually the waterways. Sand and silt picked up by the runoff clouds waterways, reducing their aesthetic value and choking marine plants and animals that need clear water and lots of sunlight to survive. Excess fertilizers that do not soak into the ground where they are applied will eventually promote excess algae growth in waterways, with similar results as with other forms of increased runoff.
Implementation of programs to improve the Chesapeake Bay has occurred, but oyster reefs, wetlands, and underwater grasses, are still only a fraction of what they once were. In 1991, in response to federal and state directives, the City of Virginia Beach adopted the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Ordinance. The ordinance is designed to protect existing high quality waterways, prevent pollution counts from increasing, and restore contaminated waters to high qualities that will both allow recreational use and promote healthy aquatic animal and plant life. This ordinance is carried out by strict limitations on construction within the Resource Protection Areas (RPA), which are areas at or near shorelines within the watershed, and encouraging natural vegetation buffers to control runoff.

The Lynnhaven River Watershed covers almost the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed area in Virginia Beach with the exception of the portion covered by the Elizabeth River watershed (See below map). The Lynnhaven River Watershed covers 51,000 acres, or approximately 1/4 of the area of Virginia Beach; of this area, 5,100 acres are open water. The Lynnhaven River has 150 miles of shoreline.
History:?The Lynnhaven Bay and the two branches of its river have a fascinating history. In the late 1600s pirates terrorized the waters of the Chesapeake Bay so much that merchant ships loaded with the abundant Virginia resources began to meet on Lynnhaven Bay to sail as a convoy under the protection of an armed guard ship. However, some of the guard ships were woefully outgunned by the pirates, and the outlaws became bolder, sailing into Lynnhaven Bay and plundering ships anchored there. One French ship, the La Paix, under the command of Louis Guittar, looted 19 ships before finally meeting defeat in an Englishman named William Passenger and his ship the Shorham. Guittar and 63 of his crewman were ultimately hanged in England for their crimes.
The Revolutionary War found Lynnhaven Bay as a crucial point for the anchorage of a French fleet under the command of French Admiral de Grasse. The British Navy hoped that it had the French trapped by the narrow Lynnhaven Inlet, but the French fought fiercely and soundly defeated the British, giving the American and French troops control of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. This left General Cornwallis, anchored at Yorktown, cut off from replenishment of supplies. It was only five weeks after this crucial naval battle that the British surrendered.
Land Use:?The primary land use in the Lynnhaven watershed is residential. By 1990, the population of the area had topped 250,000. This makes the population density of the area one person per 1/5 of an acre. This heavy development has lead to numerous adverse effects on the environment, including runoff of fertilizers and pesticides from lawns, increased animal waste, sediment runoff from construction sites, and increased rainwater runoff from paved surfaces such as driveways and sidewalks.

The waterways themselves are used for many recreational activities including boating, swimming, waterskiing and jetskiing. Unfortunately, the increased runoff into waterways has created large deposits of sediment in the channels used by boaters, leading to requests for dredging. The shallow waters, however, are ideal areas for oyster reefs and fish spawning, as well as for underwater grasses, also known as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), to grow. SAV not only provides feeding grounds for birds and fish, but filters pollutants and additional sediments flowing into the waterways. The main stands of these underwater grasses are found in Broad Bay, but recent years show promising signs for the vegetation, as it has begun to spread southward into Linkhorn Bay.

In years past, the shellfish of the Lynnhaven were enthusiastially harvested by area fisherman who made their livelihood from the river's bounty. However, an increase in the fecal coliform count, measuring the amount of human and animal waste in the water, has made the shellfish in the Lynnhaven unfit for raw human consumption.

Other land uses in the Lynnhaven watershed include numerous businesses along Virginia Beach Boulevard and I-264, military bases such as Little Creek Amphibious Base, Oceana Naval Air Station, and Fort Story. Many parks are also located in the watershed, including 62 city parks, four of which are located along shorelines, and First Landing State Park, a 2900 acre park located in the northeastern portion of the city and containing many wetlands, sand dunes, hiking trails, and a mile of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay.

Ecological Programs:?Residents of the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed are encouraged to participate in the BayScapes program, which tries to control runoff through natural vegetation buffers on private property. Additionally, residents are asked to use natural mulches and fertilizers and minimize the use of pesticides. The Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) and the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) now recycle yard waste products and sell these recycled materials as compost, mulches, and soil conditioner and plant food supplements. These organic products are called "Nature's Blend" and are available at area garden centers.

With a little work to maintain water quality and prevent degradation, we can restore the Lynnhaven to its former beauty and productivity.”