A HUGE SUCCESS!!!   Extreme Stream Makeover Horsepen Branch came to a close on Saturday, October 25.  We are pleased to report that the project was a huge success and we would like to thank the 700+ volunteers that came out from local organizations, schools and businesses to help us with this worthwhile cause.  Below are some of the achievements that marked this extraordinary week-long project:

            ·         Engaged more than 700 volunteers

·         The project was truly a community wide event engaging 4 garden clubs, 25 businesses,  8 schools, 3 local government agencies, 1 church and 3 other nonprofit organizations

·         Completed 13 projects at 7 sites

·         Planted over 2,500 trees, shrubs and flowers

·         Restored 1.8 linear miles of streamside buffers

·         Cleaned up trash along 1 mile of stream

·         Installed 5 rain gardens and bioretention areas to filter stormwater pollution

·         Installed 972 square feet of permeable pavement

·         Educated 230 students on their connection to the James River

·         Trained and equipped 35 homeowners for installing rain barrels at their homes

·         Made over 640,000 impressions to people in the region through more than 20 media reports, announcements and newsletters

·         Invested over $150,000 in restoring a degraded neighborhood stream that will also benefit the Chickahominy River, James River and Chesapeake Bay