Category Archives: animal wildlife

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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Exciting news today as bees arrived. Pine Street neighbor Stephenie Harrington had this to say,

Thanks to the dedicated teachers and volunteers who assisted with beekeeping instruction since last fall. Today we watched a wonderful group of confident students handle bees! #OpenHighSchool
We established one hive today and will receive the second hive in a few weeks.
I will be documenting activities and later this year we will offer some public workshops with Parks and Rec Dept so folks can learn more about this urban pollinator project and more things coming this fall.
Thanks to OHHIC (Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council), OHNA (Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association) and neighbors for your support.

More details and publicity soon…

Spring Brings Invasives- Rare Snake Like Amphibian Discovered Off North Bank Trail

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A small team of visiting biologists, working along the wetter portions of North Bank Trail have made a surprising find during a warmer part of this past weekend – a rare, snake-like amphibian known as the Brazilian penis snake or Atretochoana eiselti.

Matthew Hooper, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, found the creature and had this to say:

It seemed to have been stirring while still coming out of hibernation. I was very shocked by its appearance. It is not clear how this sample came to be along the James River. Perhaps it was an exotic pet that was discarded. While it is doubtful that this salamander has mated, it is considered invasive, and the James River Park’s Invasive Plant Task Force has been tasked with following up on the matter. They have been quite busy ever since those perennial Thai pitcher plants were found on Belle Island.

James River Park Master Plan Meeting for 5th District This Thursday

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There is a meeting this Thursday to discuss a future master plan for the James River Park, sponsored by Friends of The James River and City Council representatives Parker Agelasto (Oregon Hill’s Council rep) and Kristen Larson. It’s being held at 6 pm at the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (3411 Semmes Avenue, across the river).

From the meeting notice:

We want to hear from you! Attend this community meeting to share your input on the future of the James River Park. Registration is not required.

The James River Park is a crown jewel of the region, providing a unique natural wilderness for park users. As the number of visitors to the park increases each year, a Master Plan is needed to preserve, protect, and properly maintain the park for years to come. The plan will influence the future of the park within the overall framework of the park’s conservation easement.

Your input is valuable. If you can’t attend a community meeting, please take the online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JamesRiverParkMasterPlan

As Oregon Hill pretty much borders the James River Park and is a popular conduit to it, neighbors will hopefully have a lot of input that will be taken seriously.

As a bit of editorial, citizens should take a broad view of things, including protection of wildlife (and corridors for it), threats of light pollution (such as proposed signage at the high-rise at 2000 Riverside Drive across the river), and commercialization of this heavily-used park system. Nothing against the new superintendent of James River Park, Bryce Wilk, but it seems like more citizens should have been involved earlier in the hiring process. Having these master plan sessions after the hiring allows the suspicion that an agenda is already in place with a new Superintendent. That’s not necessarily the case, but…. What happened with Monroe Park should be a warning to all Richmonders.

The Herd

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Laurel Street neighbor Nina Naruszewicz spotted these deer in Hollywood Cemetery.

Drove past six deer just inside the fence at the northwest corner of Hollywood Cemetery on my way home from work today. Sadly by the time I parked and walked back there they had moved further away, so my photos are not the best. I think four were bucks.

This is not the first time we have seen photos of deer in Hollywood…

Find Fester!

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Posted:

Hi guys my cat escaped late last night without me realizing and I couldn’t find him anywhere last night nor this morning. If you live in the Oregon Hill area please keep a lookout for him!!!! He’s very friendly and responds to kissing sounds and his name, Fester. If you see him, PLEASE CALL ME 703-475-6369. You most likely won’t be able to catch him or anything, he gets really freaked out when he’s outside.

North Trail Rabbit Sightings Raise Rabies Concerns

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While many people have been enjoying animal wildlife sightings in Hollywood Cemetery and along the Richmond riverfront, other neighbors have been expressing mounting alarm at a warren of rabbits living beneath the Robert Lee Bridge along the North Bank Trail. While no one has witnessed an actual attack, the rabbits have been seen acting strangely and somewhat threatening towards pedestrians and their pets walking along the park trail. Many neighbors remember the attack a few years ago by a rabid red fox in the same area.

VCU Professor Ann Wright urges residents not to panic, that although this rabbit behavior is somewhat novel, it should not necessarily be seen as dangerous. “These urbanized, European rabbits may just be protecting their eggs,” she explained. She further noted that in older times, people would try to steal the multi-colored eggs as quasi-religious icons, which may have lead to this species’ response. “The sad reality is that we may see many animal behaviors change as they desperately try to adapt to a diminishing natural environment. One in five species on Earth now faces extinction, and that will rise to 50% by the end of the century unless urgent action is taken to stabilize their environment.”

That said, James River Park management and VCU Life Sciences are moving their night vision cameras to see if they can observe these rabbits first-hand and will be looking for more signs of rabies in park animals.