A trap for emerald ash borers.

which have decimated ash forests in part of the U.S. and are threatening Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Native to Asia,  the pest was first discovered in Detroit in 2003, and a year later on nursery stock in Fairfax County. Since then, a quarantine area was established that includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Clarke, Loudoun and Prince William, and the cities of Alexandria, Winchester, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. No ash trees, green ash lumber or ash wood products, or hardwood firewood, may be transported out of those areas. Last year, about 5,500 traps were placed around  Virginia.  They are baited with natural plant-oil attractant and covered with a nontoxic glue to catch the insects, which are  attracted to the color purple. For more information on the Virginia and national programs, click here,  here and here. Read Donnie Johnston’s most recent story here.

‘s river steward for the lower Rappahannock, says it became clear that the mature eagle could not fly. Local waterman  Andy Brooks, he said, named it “Popeye” because of the way it was hobbling along. “We met officer Justin Martin” with the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge “and joined forces to flush the bird out into the water where we could grasp [it] with net and towel.” Moncure said it wasn’t immediately apparent why the bird couldn’t fly, saying it may have had a collision with a vehicle on the  bridge linking Tappahannock and the Northern Neck.  Another possibility, biologists say:   eagles are territorial over feeding areas and mates and often have aerial battles that sometimes end badly, with one or both participants injured.   A boat maneuvered next to the eagle, which was brought aboard in a net. Vasa Clark, a Boy Scout volunteer,  snapped the picture of the rescue on this page. Moncure said  it was a combined effort involving FOR,  the  Rotary club, June Parker Marina, Scouts, the wildlife refuge and the Essex County animal control office. Once ashore, Moncure  said, the bird was taken to the Wildbunch Wildlife Rehabilitation Center  in Warsaw, for care.

Friends of the Rappahannock has been doing river cleanup since its founding in 1985.  One of its  partners is the Rappahannock Rotary Club, which  has provided volunteers for FOR’s annual cleanup around Fredericksburg, and the boost to extend the cleanup downriver, says member Dana Herlong. The Rappahannock chapter put out a challenge for other clubs in the Rotary’s 20-member district, to help out. Herlong, owner of Herlong Associates, Inc., said she was talking with John Tippett, FOR’s executive director, a few years back about the fact that the Rotary district 7610  “overlays the river” to the Chesapeake Bay. “We wanted to get a district [cleanup] going,” she said. Earlier this year, the club and two other benefactors presented a new boat to FOR to help Moncure  patrol  downriver. The Warsaw and Tappahannock clubs helped  with the the cleanup this year. “We’re very excited,” Herlong said. “We’re hoping this will grow each year.”

Rappahannock Rotary volunteers help with recent river cleanup.

Scott De Long's photo of the trees before they were cut.

Marlena, sent me an email about the cutting, saying  residents were given little notice, and that, when he inquired, he was told  removing the trees was part of the site’s landscaping plan. Sarah Smith, the apartment manager, told me she wasn’t authorized to talk about it, and referred me to the corporate office, Colonial Properties Trust, in Birmingham, Ala.  Jim Spahn, the company spokesman, said trees are an integral part of a property’s curb appeal, and that Colonial wouldn’t cut trees if it were not necessary. He says the area where the trees  were growing  had to be re-graded and that there is an erosion issue on the slope, and that water gets into the buildings. Some of the residents point out that trees and their root systems stem erosion and hold the soil in place. Spahn conceded that it was probably not a good idea to cut them on Arbor Day.  While any property owner has the right to landscape  and cut trees, how it is done makes a difference. While I was there on Monday, I talked to another couple, Matthew and Amber Potter,  who live in the same building and were also upset. Potter watched as the crew cut down one of the trees near his balcony.  Potter says one of the crew gave him the vague answer that the reason for cutting the trees was “complicated.” Potter says he and his wife moved to Fredericksburg partly because it is tree-friendly, and that the complex is one of the few in the area with lots of trees on site.

Here’s an excerpt from De Long’s email about the cutting: “Our apartment complex advertises in all the rental guides. `Live in a park-like setting’ is their main selling point (this paired with a misleading photo of Alum Springs Park). And then they cut down nearly all our trees! Every resident I have spoken to is really angry about this.  The management justifies it as a critical part of their `landscaping plans.’ But this is baloney.”

He says some big oaks were felled near the pool two years ago with no advance notice and little explanation. “They laid some sod in a few areas, scattered grass seed everywhere else–and it looks about as good as the National Mall in Washington DC. (and we all know how much work that needs). “

Look for my story in  Wednesday’s paper.

Fresh-cut maple stump at Colonial Village at Greenbrier in Fredericksburg.