A Preface to “Protecting Our Waterways”

Our featured article, “Protecting our Waterways and Wetlands,” is written by Sean Seid of the James City County Stormwater and Resource Protection Division in partnership with the James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association. This preface is by Elizabeth McCoy, Master Gardener, Tree Steward, and JCCWMG Website Contributor.

It has been my pleasure to know and work with Michael Woolson, Senior Watershed Planner with James City County’s Office of Stormwater and Resource Protection (SRP), since late 2017 when he and Fran Geissler, who was Director of the office at that time, and Stormwater Specialist Pat Menichino, came to speak at a community meeting our neighborhood association organized titled, “Preserving Our Clean Water Heritage.” Master Gardener Bob Winters, who has worked with Turf Love for many years, also spoke at that program.

Neighbors learned how they could apply for a county grant to help pay for installing a rain garden. Representatives from the Virginia Native Plant Society and the James River Association joined us that evening as we talked with neighbors about practical things they could do to protect the watersheds and wetlands.

Since that evening, there have been many times when I’ve reached out to Mike, and the current Director of the SRP Office, Toni Small, for assistance with a variety of neighborhood concerns. Our Kingspoint community is bounded by College Creek, Halfway Creek, and the Colonial Parkway. We have two large lakes in the neighborhood.  Mike told me early in our relationship that the largest lake, fed by freshwater springs, is some of the cleanest water in the county.

We have found ways to work together to protect these waterways bordering Kingspoint. The SRP team has completed extensive work in parts of our neighborhood to improve drainage. As the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association President for the past eight years, I’ve learned that many neighbors don’t know about the Chesapeake Bay Acts and the importance of preserving the wetlands on their residential properties.

Removing vegetation in Resource Protection Areas can result in expensive fines and further expenses to replace native vegetation. After a particularly troubling instance of clear-cutting on the bank of a creek, I asked Mike and Toni for an article for our Master Gardener website that will help homeowners understand the importance of residential wetlands, and how they can work with county staff to protect their wetlands while maintaining and improving their properties.

The SRP staff have been working on this article for several months.  We are grateful for their contribution to helping our community understand how to protect our shared wetlands and waterways. Read the article and then share it with friends and family.

Go to the article, “Protecting Our Water Ways and Wetlands”…