River Star Industries Over 80 area corporations who have made a Lafayette River commitment to participate in projects that promote the health and vitality of the Elizabeth River. These Little Creek Road Treasure Hunt are the ones located in The Lafayette watershed. Use this map as you explore the Lafayette River and see how many answers to this quiz you can ★1 Hermitage Lochhaven Wards Corner Museum & Gardens find along the way. (Corresponds to orange numbers on map) 8 ★2 Norfolk Yacht ★1 ▲▲▲ 64 1 | What unusual statue faces the river here? & Country Club Riverfront ★6 2 | What famous novelist once lived on this creek?

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4 d Lafayette watershed. ★ crabbing in Knitting Mill Creek. 3) Lafayette Park dates to 1892 ▲▲▲ Lafayette Shores when it served as Norfolk’s first zoo. 4) Former Governor Colgate ★1 St Patrick’s Catholic School Darden Jr. lived in Algonquin Park. 5) Elaine Panneton of Lexan Riverview Crescent saw a grey seal on her dock, Feb. 7, 2010. 6) Birdsong 2 Larchmont Elementary Wetland became the first wetland restoration on the Elizabeth River ★ in 1997. 7) The Granby Street Bridge is a popular night-fishing spot 8 for striped bass. 8) Hermitage Museum and Gardens built a “living ★ 3 ★3 James Monroe Elementary shoreline” with education signage. 9) Talbot Hall was spared because of a seal over the fireplace. 10) Gloria Peek 4 Granby Elementary ▲▲▲ coaches at Barraud Park’s Boxing Center. 11) O’Sullivan’s Wharf is ★ ★7 worth the paddle for tasty oysters and brew. 12) Unlike in most of the Lafayette, freshwater plants like arrow arum thrive here. Lafayette/ 5 3 G ★9 Suburban Park Elementary r ★ ★ a Winona n b 1 y

6 Norfolk Collegiate Middle S t ★ r e & Upper School e yette Boule The Lafayette River Watershed t afa var L d e If you live anywhere in the green area, your land t Bridg 7 th Stree ★Norfolk Collegiate Lower School 26 drains to the Lafayette - and your help counts! ★ 6 8 Willard Elementary School ★ Lindenwood Legend ★9 Christ the King School ★5 ★10 LAFAYETTE RIVER Ghent Oyster Reefs 10 ★10 Lindenwood Elementary Barraud Park Rain Garden ★11 Jacox Elementary ★11 Lafayette River Star businesses & schools not shown on map Public Access for Norfolk Department of Utilities • Norfolk Stormwater Management Program Small Boats U.S. Maritime Administration, Division of Atlantic Operations • Virginia Port Authority Sherwood Forest Elementary • Rosemont Elementary • Tanner’s Creek Elementary 757/399-RIVR • www.ElizabethRiver.org ▲▲▲ Wetland Restoration Norview Elementary • Sherwood Forest Elementary • Crossroads Elementary A Cleaner River Starts With You 1 2 3 4 5 6 Top 2 things you can do to make a difference:

1) Reduce Fertilizer in Your MARSH LIFE of the Lafayette Ya r d . Save money and reduce 1 - Salt Marsh Snail, this cause of algae blooms that Melampus bidentatus can lead to fish kills. Only about a half-inch long, this snail lives in the "high marsh" or the salt marsh bushes along the highest areas of the wetland. Black ducks, among those in decline, love to eat these snails. Marsh and farmland until the first 2) Say “Boo” to Poo 2 - Periwinkle Snail, Littorina littorea street car crossed the 26th Street and Grease and This snail lives at lower elevations in the marsh. It can't live under water, so it moves up and down the grass stems with Feeding the Geese! the tides. Clapper rail birds prey on this snail. bridge in 1899, the Lafayette River respresents one of the last-developed Dog, human and goose poop 3 - Virginia Oyster, Crassostrea virginica wildernesses in urban Norfolk, Virginia. Today this tidal river promises make the river unsafe for Oysters in the Lafayette and the rest of the Elizabeth were once sold commercially as the famous "Norfolk oyster." Their to become the first branch of the Elizabeth River to return to health – with swimming. Everyone can help: Keep grease out of your kitchen harvest is now banned for health reasons, but multiple efforts are underway to bring back the native oyster. your help. The Elizabeth River Project, the Foundation, 4 - Fiddler Crab, Uca pugnax drain (causes sewer overflows), Males of this species feature one large claw, displayed when they are ready to mate. They live in burrows along the river. the City of Norfolk and dozens more partners are working toward a goal scoop dog poop, encourage geese 5 - Square-backed Marsh Crab, Armases cinereum to make the Lafayette safe again for swimming and eating the once famous to migrate by not feeding them, and pump out your boat sewage. Note the rich purple color of this crab. It lives in the salt bushes in the highest elevations of the marsh. You see it climbing “Norfolk oyster” – by 2014. Our plan depends on you, for easy things around on bulkheads. you can do at home, school and work that make a big difference. A cleaner Find out how these 6 - Ghost Crab, Ocypode quadrata river starts with you. actions and more This crab burrows into beach sands. Beach habitat has mostly disappeared on the Lafayette, but this "ghost" is still to be can make you a star! found in patches of beach. To help make the Lafayette swimmable and fishable 7 - Atlantic Ribbed Mussel, Geukensia demissa RiverStarHomes.Org • 399-RIVR by 2014, visit ElizabethRiver.org and CBF.org This species is eaten in restaurants in other regions but joins banned shellfish here. The rib mussel secretes a thread to at- tach to other mussels, forming dense clumps that help stabilize the marsh.

BIRDS of the Lafayette Population: 113,058 8 - Canvas-back Duck, Aythya valisineria Size: 21 square mile “watershed” or These striking ducks, with red heads and white backs, spend the winter in the Lafayette after migrating here from colder land draining into the Lafayette regions of Canada. Populations are declining. Named for: Marquis de Lafayette, “Boy General” 9 - Green Heron, Butorides virescens of the American Revolution One of the smaller herons that feeds in shallows along the Lafayette. Commercial harvest 10 - Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea. of blue crabs in 2009: 54,588 pounds This distinctive bird is plentiful throughout the Lafayette River, nesting in tall pines. Fiddler crabs are a favorite diet. Number of commercial watermen: 3 Open harvest of oysters banned since: 11- Clapper rail, Rallus longirostris About 1925 Reason for ban: You don't see it a lot, but it's fairly common on the Lafayette. You know it's there more from its call, a harsh sound like Harmful bacteria clapping a stick along a rail. The clapper rail weaves wetland grasses together to nest in the marsh and feeds on snails Number of waterfront homes: 1,134 and fiddler crabs. Reason for state advisory against swimming: Harmful bacteria Special thanks to scientist Walter Priest, NOAA, for identifying the Suspected sources of bacteria: Pet and wild animal waste in stormwater runoff, wildlife of the Lafayette. aging sewer systems, boats pumping sewage directly in the river, and naturally occuring bacteria. A potential cause in your kitchen: Grease down the sink can clog sewer lines and cause an overflow No. 1 cause of low dissolved oxygen for fish: Harmful algal blooms (“red tide”) Sources of algal blooms: Excess nutrients from lawn fertilizing are a major source 7 8 9 10 11 Percent storm drains leading directly Name That Critter to the Lafayette with no filtering: 100 percent Fast Facts