Green Saves Green Member Meeting Minutes

Monday, August 14, 2023

5:30 p.m., Pasquotank County Library


Present: Karl Brandspigel, Sharon Burtner, Rosana Castilho, Krystina Cato, Nita Coleman, Phil Donahue, Jane Elfring, Marlene Greer, Jeanne Hopkins, Bobbi Hunsberger, Holly Hunsberger, Rodney Johnson, Charles Jordan, Bill Kruse, Sue Kruse, Cody Marks, Hunter Michael, Anna Montero, Bobby Plough, Jane Plough, Anne Radke, Sierra Rice, Jane Snyder, Cheryl Squire, Jared Tardiff, Maryann Walker-Jordan, Ruth Wells, Adam White, Holly White, Sheila Wrenn


Special Tribute

GSG founding member and friend Curtis Wrenn passed away in July. He worked on our projects from the beginning, was a dedicated member of the Watershed Watch team, helped kids pick up litter, and so much more. We were lucky to have him as a member of our group. He will be dearly missed. We hope to collaborate on a future project with the YMCA to honor Curtis.


Updates on Ongoing Projects

Grants: The What I Saw art project was a success. GSG awarded cash prizes and certificates to the first-, second-, and third-place winners. The exhibit moved from Arts of the Albemarle to College of the Albemarle. It will be on display in the lobby of Building A at COA through October. COA and AOA want to do another collaborative art project with GSG next year.

Gavin White has not yet finalized the improvements to the Pasquotank River Goat Island camping platform. He’s having trouble finding someone to do the educational plant/tree ID signage. It was suggested the COA art department might be interested in crafting signage for the camping platform. Our goal is to have a ribbon cutting ceremony this fall.

Fowler Alley: Port Discover dedicated a weeklong summer camp to Peace, Love, and Earth. The students learned about pollinators, did a butterfly release, and beautified Fowler Alley by planting black-eyed Susans and adding some painted rocks. A GSG member donated the plants.

Student Outreach: GSG members Julie Robinson and Marlene Greer helped organize and participated in a weeklong “Caring for each other and the Planet” reading, writing, science, and art summer camp for elementary school English Language Learners at First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City. The kids learned how we are all connected, what is and is not recyclable, and how litter harms wildlife and the environment. The kids also did a litter cleanup around the church.

RISE: GSG took Holly White of the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency on a boat ride on the Little River where we do our water sampling. Holly is organizing a conference on algal blooms and inviting stakeholders. The conference will be held November 3. The place is not yet set.


State of Our Rivers

Rodney gave an overview of the state of our local waterways. GSG’s Watershed Watch monitors local rivers and creeks all year round. The state of our waterways is pretty good right now. We have not had any major algal blooms this year like we did in 2017 and 2019. There is still some hot weather so there is a possibility we could see some. The Chowan River, however, has been having severe blooms for the past month. We have had quite of bit of oily sheen on the water from early leaf drop starting in mid-July. The salinity levels have been high for two years. In the Litter River, dolphins are spotted nearly every day, and we’re finding unusual species of salt water fish. Submerged aquatic vegetation is back in the Litter River and growing to about 6 feet deep. The cypress trees are turning brown. Whether this is due to the higher salt content in the water or drought we are not certain.

Steve VanGiesen has joined the Watershed Watch group and will collect samples from the upper Little River. Rodney is in the process of looking at and comparing the data from NCDA and the universities. Once he finishes, he will give a report at a future meeting.


Environmental Action Grants

Marlene provided a summary of GSG’s new Action Grants program for students, teachers, and youth group leaders and organizations, such as the Scouts, Boys & Girls Club, La Casa, and the YMCA. Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $500, but we will consider larger grants as we did with the repair of the Goat Island camping platform. There is no deadline. Grants will be awarded throughout the year. Proposals must align with GSG’s mission of Learn, Share, Protect, and Enjoy, and involve student engagement. The Action Grants page is already up on our website. Anna Montero is working on getting the grant applications online. Once that is done, we will be ready to promote the Action Grants program. We hope to be ready before school starts. 

Julie Robinson has reached out to ECPPS Superintendent Dr. Keith Parker, and Marlene will contact ECPPS instructional coaches and the district office. Jeanne suggested we contact the head of the early childhood development program at COA. Krystina advised ECSU had its first sustainable environment graduate this year. She said these grants would be great for students in the environmental program who have to do senior projects. She will get the word out to her ECSU professors.


Upcoming Events

  1. NEAAAT campus litter cleanup. August 25, 1pm. Marlene and Julie Robinson will bring the supplies and do a presentation on how litter harms wildlife and the environment. Nita mentioned GSG needs more members trained in how to do this and our water quality testing program. The more of us who can do this, the more programs we can offer.

  2. National Estuaries Week. September 16-23. Looking for ideas on how GSG can be involved.

  3. Camden Heritage Festival. Sept. 23, 10am-3pm. Jared, Jeanne, Anne, Bill, and Sue volunteered to staff a GSG booth at the event. Bill and Sue will bring their river-friendly home exhibit and rain barrel. Anne will bring some of her pelts and skulls. Anne and Jane Plough will check into giving away NC Wildlife Federation seeds. Marlene offered a rain barrel as a raffle giveaway.

  4. COA Agriculture Awareness Day. Sept. 29, 4-6pm. Marlene and Cheryl volunteered to represent GSG. Nita will also try to be there. Exhibit will focus on the importance of pollinators to agriculture, people, and the planet. One idea is to have dirt and seeds in little cups for kids to plant and take. 

  5. Kids Splash. Sept. 30, 8-10am, on Main Street outside AOA. There will be lots of people with hands-on art activities. Organizers want GSG to do something environmentally friendly. What we offer should take 3-5 minutes to complete. ECSU student Kayleigh Booker has volunteered to create and bring an art project, likely a make-and-take birdfeeder. Marlene and Jeanne volunteered. Cody will try to be there.


Other Business

Holly Hunsberger mentioned the idea of finding someone or a group interested in creating a little pollinator garden in the dirt area where the Boys & Girls Club Minion is in front of the new Sagos restaurant on Water Street.


Next GSG meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Monday, September 11 at the Pasquotank County Library.