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State Legislators to Speak at NAPS Annual Meeting - May 23

State Senator Ryan McDougle and Delegate Margaret Ransone will discuss the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay in a down economy at the annual meeting of the Northumberland Association for Progressive Stewardship (NAPS), Wednesday, May 23, in the new Northumberland School Auditorium starting at 6:30 p.m. Members and non-members from the Northern Neck are invited to attend this special presentation.
In addition to addressing “how to stay the course” for the Bay, the Senator and Delegate will say a few words about the 2012 session in Richmond. A short Q&A session with the audience will follow their remarks. There will be time for one-on-one discussions with the representatives over refreshments in the auditorium lobby.
According to NAPS President Mike Ahart, one of the objectives of the event was to get to know these elected officials, who are new to the district. Although Sen. McDougle is in his third term, he is new by way of re-districting and Del. Ransone is a freshman in the 99th district, he added.
“This will be a great opportunity to get acquainted and to understand their views, while providing them with an appreciation of our priorities,” said Ahart. “NAPS wants to make the road to Richmond a two-way street.”
Sen. McDougle represents all of Caroline, Essex, Lancaster, Middlesex, Northumberland, and Richmond counties and parts of Hanover, King George, Spotsylvania, and Westmoreland counties. He is currently Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and National Resources Committee, among others. He is a graduate of James Madison University and the College of William and Mary School of Law.
A life-long resident of Westmoreland County, Del. Ransone now represents Caroline (part), King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties. Her committee assignments include Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources. Among the legislation Ransone has supported is HB998, Farm Stores, which exempts stores owned and operated by farmers from state inspection.
The NAPS Annual Membership meeting will follow the special presentations. It will include a brief Annual Report, election of directors, and any membership discussions.
NAPS is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the environment and quality of life in Northumberland County and beyond through education, monitoring, and hands-on stewardship.

High School Team Demonstrates Solar Energy Project

Solar Grant Team When students at Northumberland High School turned on a common household fan out-doors recently, the sun supplied the power via a solar panel designed and built by seniors in the Capstone Math Class taught by Amy Lamb and Javornda Ashton. The project was the result of a $500 Solar Grant in support of the school’s alternative energy activities provide by the Northumberland Association for Progressive Stewardship (NAPS) last December.
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher Jenny Christman took on the task of organizing the solar energy-based project. Essentially, the project provided an opportunity to apply their high school math skills and they were up to the task.
“This project helped our students apply their math skills in a real-life application that creates a sustainable future,” said Amy Lamb at the demonstration, adding that NAPS provided the stimulus needed to get the project off the ground, including training sessions by NAPS member Lee Allain. (Due to illness, Christman was not able to attend the demo.)
But the math applications did not stop there. The students also had to learn how to build the solar array. After a couple of sessions with Allain to become familiar with the economics and basic electrical engineering applications, the group had to learn how to solder small wires to a copper test strip. Next, they had to solder interconnect tabs on to thin solar cells. All in all, nearly 200 perfect solder connections had to be made.
The cells were then sealed in place using a heat gun to melt a sheet of plastic sealant that covered and sealed in all of the cells. According to Allain, the solar panel should last more than 20 years.
Another group used its trigonometry knowledge to specify the math required to hold the panel at 38 degrees, the recommended angle for solar panel installation to receive the maximum solar energy. On March 6, with a simple frame built to the specified 38 degrees, the solar panel was ready for its debut in the sun. Tied to a regulator, storage battery, and a DC to AC inverter, the panel powered the fan. The students are now thinking about how to use their 120 watt collector for other applications. One suggestion is to power the school sign at the highway entrance.
Asked about their reaction to the project, most of the 15-member team said they were not really interested at first. Then as the project developed, they came around to appreciating that they were making a practical solar energy system. Most of the seniors liked soldering.
“When you consider how few solar energy systems are installed in Northumberland County, these students are pioneers,” said Allain. Lamb and Ashton stressed that all of the team members are going to college and this team-spirit experience will serve them well in the future.

Cockrells Creek Clean-up

Despite a soaking rain, NAPS held its creek clean-up event on Cockrells Creek, Saturday, September 17th, followed by a picnic for all participants at "The Stack." Several clean-up crews, ferried by captains with skiffs, combed the Northumberland County creek and its tributaries, wading along the shore to pick up containers, tires, and other trash, including 2 old refrigerators and a vintage washing machine – an estimated 4,800 pounds of garbage. Read more...

NAPS Annual Fall Social – Saturday, Oct, 15

NAPS cordially invites you to...celebrate! We will gather for our annual Fall Social on Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 4:30 to 7:00 PM; drinks 4:40-5:30, dinner to follow. Please note that we will be congregating at a new venue this fall: Mallard Bay’s Clubhouse located in its subdivision off of Rt. 642 near Bush Mill Stream Nature Preserve. Our Socials always feature great food and drink and this year will be no exception. During our program, we are proud to be honoring a long-time Northumberland County resident, school board member, experienced educator, community leader, military wife and mother, and a mean knitter, Myrtle Phillips.

Invitations will be sent to NAPS members by mail in September. Please plan to join us...it’s a great way to connect with your community in a really positive way. If there are any willing hands that can help – bring a dish to share, help set-up or clean-up – please contact Sue Haugan at 580-2166. But most importantly...save the date!

It’s Phragmites Season Again

With over 110 sites on the list this year, it's busy season for Phragmites control. Some sites are new and will be attacked with the power sprayer, but many of them are nearly cured and the invasive grass will be sprayed selectively with a backpack sprayer. I am still experimenting with various strategies to completely eliminate the pest, including switching to a different herbicide, adjusting herbicide concentration and simply skipping a year to allow the plants to recover a bit so the herbicide has more effect the next year. New sites may still being accepted for treatment, so if you know of one that is accessible, have the property owner contact me at JandL@nnwifi.com or 453-6605.

NAPS Awards Six Scholarships

As part of our educational programs, NAPS awards scholarships each year to deserving and talented, college-bound seniors from Northumberland High School to help defray their academic expenses. Although these scholarships are awarded primarily on the basis of academic achievement and extra-curricular activities, our one-on-one preparation and interview process plays an important role in our selection.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the following six scholars: Jordan Baughan, Morgan Lewis, Stacie Rest, Rebecca Tallent, Kathryn Taylor, and Jessica Weicht.

The $500 scholarships were presented by Myrtle Phillips and Mike Ahart during the Northumberland High School Senior Chapel Awards Ceremony on May 19.

NAPS "Jobs" Listings!

The 22 years of NAPS history tells a story – a story of how a community works to preserve its unique features as it grows and changes. NAPS volunteers have worked hard by monitoring, educating, and getting their hands dirty. We work with many other organizations sharing the same spirit. Together we can continue to make a difference, not just for our county, but for our country and world. How would you like to spend a few fun hours this year helping NAPS help your community? Read more...

NAPS Position Paper on the Proposed Bluff Point PUD

This position paper describes the two objections that NAPS has to the proposed Bluff Point development. Read more...

Blue Crabs and the Bay

We are being told that Chesapeake Bay blue crab harvests have declined to the point that watermen need Federal disaster relief to survive. But what about next year? How will bailing out watermen this year improve crab harvests in future years? Read more...

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