The Croatan Civic League News

The
Croatan Civic League
News
July 2013
By the Beach with Bill Garvey
Well, here we are in the middle of summer (hope it’s not going by too quickly) and
while the days are slowly getting shorter, the nights are getting hotter as the Dog
Days are almost upon us.
At our July meeting our guest speaker was Adjutant General of the
Virginia National Guard. Major General Daniel Long, Camp Pendleton
Commander Lt. Col. Elena Scarborough, Del. Barry Knight and VB
Councilman John Uhrin were also in attendance. General Long said
Camp Pendleton and the Virginia National Guard will continue to be
good neighbors with Croatan.
Sean and Lisa Forsyth once again threw a fantastic 4TH of July party. The weather
was great and there were more kids then I ever remember seeing. The fireworks to
end the night were spectacular as were the snow cones and cotton candy.
In upcoming events:
We have the annual National Night Out scheduled for Tuesday, August 6th from
6:00 to 8:00 PM at “The Point”. Bring the kids (both young and old) to come
out, have fun, refreshments, and show our neighborhood unity.
 On September 1st, the Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon works its way by our hood.
Dress for the beach and bring some frozen icy pops for the thirsty runners.
th
 The Annual Dinner will be held on Friday, October 18 at the Dam Neck Base
once again. Last year’s event was a great party with a large turnout,
dancing, mingling and fun for all. Get those babysitters lined up as you
do not want to miss it this year. More info to follow as it gets closer.
We will also be holding annual elections for Board Director positions. If
you have an interest in running for a board position, please contact me
at 439-2897.
That will take us up to the holidays (by God, the year is going by too quickly!)
CONTENTS:
By the Beach
1
From the Desk of
2
Nextdoor
3
Book Club
3
Wildlife in Croatan
4
Baby/Pet Sitters
5
Directory Update
6
CAC Report
9
National Night Out
11
Plant of the Month
11

Please remember to be safe while enjoying the summer and many, many thanks to
all who make this neighborhood an incredible place to live and raise a family.
See ya at the Beach…..
Bill Garvey
CCL President
COMING EVENTS:
7/18 Book Club
8/5 CCL Board Meeting
8/6 NNO
9/1 Rock ‘n Roll Race
9/9 Women’s Club
10/18 CCL Annual Dinner
Next Month’s
Newsletter
Deadline
8/16
2
From the Desk of Ken Jobe
CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH BEACHES AND WATERWAYS ADVISORY COMMISSION- Hurricane Sandy
raised concerns about CVB beach replenishment funding. Future Federal Beach replenishment
funding is uncertain and questionable. By resolution Council directed The Commission to conduct a
public input process regarding how to finance sand replenishment along the City beaches. A
Commission meeting was held 11 July. A staff briefing was featured. Included was an overview of the
Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean sand beaches, their need for replenishment, potential costs for
initial and maintenance replenishment and related legal issues. This included Croatan Beach Public Park’s beach.
Pertinent Croatan Beach bulleted points were:

Relatively stable owing to inlet

No current project

Replenishment project would require revisions to inlet infrastructure
The next meeting is 25 July. Future activities will include business and community stakeholder meetings and 5 to 7
public meetings.
The WETLANDS BOARD 15 July agenda has no Croatan applicants.
CAMP PENDLETON/LAKE CHRISTINE – MG Daniel Long, Adjutant General, Commonwealth of Virginia
visited with us at CCL's July meeting. MG Long is an avid fisherman, deeply interested in Lake Christine
and being a good neighbor to Croatan. He met with us, heard our concerns, briefed on the mission
and organization of the Commonwealth’s National Guard and Camp Pendleton, now and future.
Delegate Barry Knight and Councilman Uhrin attended the meeting and commented. The
Williamsburg Environmental Group [aided by Solitude Lake Management] continues conducting a Lake
Christine environmental study. Study completion date could be late Aug or early Sept. MG Long stated he would not
like to see the jointly owned Lake Christine turn into a messy bog. Neither would the Lake Christine Conservatory nor
any resident of Croatan with whom I have spoken. The expensive, time consuming study is expected to contain
recommendations for addressing the Lake’s issues. It is anticipated addressing the Lake’s ills will be expensive and
borne by the National Guard and Croatan residents, not the City.
CROATAN ROAD RADARSIGN – As mentioned in prior months the CCL BoD voted to acquire a solar powered radar unit
at an approximate cost of $4700. City staff has reviewed the CCL request to install and operate the device. An onsite
meeting has been held. An Operational Plan is being reviewed by the Publics Works Department.
The Croatan Beach Public Park Weir’s deteriorated Concrete Ramp – no change from the 6 May CCL
Meeting.
Twilight & Croatan Road/South Atlantic Walking Paths – Responding to residential complaints and
reports of near misses, we have requested yield-to-pedestrian signage installation and refreshing the
crosswalks. Also requested was remarking the center line and multi-use path in the 800-900 block of
South Vanderbilt.
Questions or comments on the preceding? Please send them to me @ [email protected]
………………………………………………See ya on the beach. Ken
3
Nextdoor Croatan by Marian Kitchin
As of publication time, 210 residents have joined us on Nextdoor Croatan. A new feature is now available—Nearby
Neighborhoods. You can view activities and alerts in Rudee Heights and Shadowlawn by clicking on Croatan + 2 Nearby
Neighbors. To view Croatan only, click on Croatan.. You also have to option to control which neighborhoods are
included in your Nearby Neighborhoods by clicking on Croatan + Nearby Neighbors, then clicking on
Nearby Neighbors and click OFF on Rudee Heights and/or Shadowlawn.
Thanks to Nextdoor during the past week one cat and one dog were returned to owners. You can post
directly to Nextdoor. No need to wait for a neighborhood email.
If you have questions about Nextdoor Croatan, contact one of the leads: Maria Kania, Marian Kitchin,
Katie Ripberger and Sylvia Vance.




Maria is the Citizens Advisory Committee representative for Croatan at the 2nd precinct and sends out
neighborhood alerts.
Marian is the Croatan Newsletter editor and web master. She posts the monthly newsletter, documents and
events. If you are the event chair, you can post the event yourself.
Katie is active with Lynnhaven River NOW and Rudee Inlet Foundation. These organizations strive to preserve the
natural beauty and habitat of Rudee Inlet /Owl’s Creek watershed and the Lynnhaven River basin. Croatan and
Nearby Neighborhoods Rudee Heights and Shadowlawn are within that watershed.
Sylvia sends out neighborhood emails. Sylvia posted this message on Nextdoor Croatan: “It's a good idea to post
items for sale, lost pets, fund-raisers, and recommendations here on Nextdoor. It's much faster than going through
me. I can only send three messages via email, then Cox cuts me off for three hours
because I'm over my quota. You can post photos here, too.”
We hope you will join us on Nextdoor Croatan. To join, visit: croatan.nextdoor.com/join.
Enter your code: CDPTFS.
The Croatan Book Club
Next Meeting
Date:
Thursday, July 18th
Time:
7:00 P.M.
Place:
Home of Miriam Petruschak, Leader—Sylvia Vance
Selection: The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery
All Neighbors are welcome. Just read the book (or maybe not), bring a beverage or snack, and e-mail the hostess
that you will be attending. *** We plan to watch the movie "The Hedgehog" in French for those wishing to stay after the book discussion.
Future Selections — Hosts and Leaders
August 15
"The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman—Hostess Jan Periello
September 26
October 17
Nov/Dec
Jan 2014
"Wild, From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" Cheryl Strayed—Hostess Sylvia Vance
"The Round House" by Louise Erdich
"The Lawyer's Lawyer" by James Sheehan
"The Dinner" by Herman Koch
4
Wildlife in Croatan by Susanna Hart Miller
This month, let’s look at some of the flora and fauna that grace our freshwater community. As we look at the
health of Lake Christine, it’s nice to appreciate the plants and animals that help make up a successful
ecosystem.
Lizard’s Tail, Saururus cernuus, is a native perennial which colonizes by rhizome a spreading, underground stem. The neat, drooping bloom is reminiscent of a
lizard’s tail, hence the name. Lizard’s Tail is an important plant for cover and
shelter of many species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, providing
egg laying sites in and around leaves for dragonflies, frogs and salamanders.
Insects and spiders use the plant above water, including bees and other nectardrinkers.
Speaking of egg-laying sites for frogs, have you heard the baritone notes of our
male American bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, courting the ladies? Their call is
suggestive of a bull’s roar (thus the
common name) and they aggressively
defend their territory during the
breeding season. These hefty frogs are
the largest in North America, capping
out at 8 inches and 1 ½ lbs! They are
voracious hunters that prey on almost anything they can
overcome and swallow. This has been known to include rodents,
small turtles, snakes, crayfish, frogs (including other bullfrogs),
birds, and even bats! In turn, bullfrogs are an important item of
prey to many birds, otters, fish, and other amphibians. The eggs
and larvae taste yucky to many fish and salamanders, but are
happily consumed by birds and snakes (although young bullfrogs are resistant to the venom of Copperheads
and Cottonmouths). While occasionally kept as pets, the bullfrog will still bite even when tamed, and can live
16 years or more in captivity! Of course it’s nicer to leave our froggy neighbors free in the wild.
Another interesting group of creatures using Lizard’s Tail for egg laying are the
dragonflies and damselflies. Dragonflies tend to be larger and perch with wings
extended to the sides. Damselflies are a bit smaller and slower and sit with
wings held above the body. These jet fliers of the insect world come in many
beautiful colors. Dragonflies are generalist feeders and often hunt in groups
where flying insects, such as termites, are swarming. They are also prey for
many other species including birds, fish, frogs and spiders, although their
agility and huge compound eyes give them an exceptional visual response to
threats. Each eye is composed of nearly 28,000 individual units and together
the eyes cover most of the head More than 80% of their brain is devoted to
analyzing visual information. The larval form is aquatic and stays underwater
for six to 15 molts…most of its life. Larval forms are quite carnivorous, eating
many small aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae.
There are so many plants and animals which interact to make a thriving aquatic ecosystem. Sometimes we
think we know what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for a habitat, but there are so many interconnecting layers beneath the
surface. I hope you enjoy peeking into the lives of these three species ‘working together’ in Croatan.
5
Neighborhood Contacts and Helpers
Welcome Wagon
BABYSITTERS IN CROATAN
Contact Katie Ripberger at
[email protected] or phone
434-6450 if you know of new Croatan
neighbors
Alexa Anderson
Preston Banta
Jordan Delaney
Devan Doss
Cindi Dunker
Mariah Dunlap
Skylar Faillia
Morgan Garber
Sofia Gerloff
Alex Goss
Alli Ingraham
Mariah Jonklaas
Emily Leonard
Brittani McLeskey
Cameron Reuss
Sidney Roeder
Christian Sims
Book Collection
Betty Rosignolo
Sentara Virginia Beach Hospital Auxiliary
760 Virginia Dare Drive
437-8662
[email protected]
Magazine Collection
Michele Speight, Teen Crisis Intervention
549 Bushnell Drive
428-7947
[email protected]
Who to Call
Dead or Stranded Marine Mammal (dolphin,
seal, whale) or Sea Turtle
Virginia Aquarium
Stranding Response Team
757-385-7575
Important Contacts
Police Fire & Rescue Emergencies
Non-Emergency Assistance
Miss Utility
Potholes, Street Signs and Repairs
Animal Control (Option #1)
City Landfill
Bulk Trash Pickup
Croatan Temporary Parking Permit
Wildlife Response , Inc.
VBSPCA Wildlife Referral Line
911
385-5000
811
385-1470
385-4444
385-1980
385-4650
385-4131
543-7000
263-4762
961-0423/330-519-1349 (Cell)
425-7463
491-2263
613-1525/565-7568 (Cell)
287-6725 or 425-7476
422-6050/412-8469 (Cell)
491-3001
422-1840
567-6727
491-7275
469-3892 (Cell)
491-4189/618-7016 (Cell)
439-6917
491-5800
491-1245/633-0928(Cell)
288-9577
437-1811
To make corrections or additions to this page, please contact
Marian Kitchin at 437-9554 or email to [email protected].
PET SITTERS IN CROATAN
Donald Black
965-3208/818-2330 (Cell)
Peri Bowman
425-9327
Austin Dunkler
425-7476 or 234-1157
Cindi Dunker
287-6725 or 425-7476
Skylar Faillia
491-3001
Morgan Garber
422-1840
Sofia Gerloff
567-6727
Karina Josh
284-8544
Nadia Kravstova
641-4256
Susan Leslie
437-9626
Molly Pocock
377-2126
Cameron Reuss
491-1245/633-0928 (Cell)
Sidney Roeder
288-9577
Annabelle Smith
641-0943
Emily Yoder
286-0159
For recommended pet sitting businesses, visit Nextdoor Croatan or
our website at www.croatanbeach.org and go to
Neighbortoneighbor/Recommended Services/PetSitters
SCOOP THE POOP!!!!! It’s the LAW!!! Please carry a plastic
bag with you when you walk your dog. Don’t let pet waste
become part of our waterways or our neighbor’s landscape.
6
Directory Supplement 2013-2014
Effective Date: July 1, 2013
Next Publication Date: May 2014
Only changes in member’s information are noted. If not listed, all other information is still correct. Please let
me know if any corrections need to be made. Martha Davenport, Membership Director.
Barnhart, Brad & Ginny (New)
524 Surfside Ave
410-967-5561
[email protected]
622 Coventry Place, Towson, MD 21286
Basilone, John & Patricia
528 Virginia Dare Drive
[email protected]
Batchelor, Daniel & Donna Bennett (New)
541 Vanderbilt Ave
679-9718 – Donna - Cell
[email protected]
Cahill, Vincent & Linda (New)
Conor, Megan, Carleigh, Colin, Reed
& Matthew
717 South Atlantic Ave
962-7620
301-873-3553
[email protected]
4924 Butterworth Place, NW Washington, DC 20016
Cartwright, Chris & Gina Hughes
Katrina
605 Croatan Court
418-1996 –Chris- Cell
553-4807 – Gina - Cell
Christian, Lang & Jane
828 South Atlantic Ave
[email protected]
Dale, Alex
509 South Atlantic Ave
[email protected]
Daniel, Deette
621 Vanderbilt Ave
[email protected]
Dunker, Bob & Lisa
901 Surfside Ave
[email protected]
Earman, Chess & Bari Grohler (New)
409 Croatan Road
715-5033
419-8953
[email protected]
[email protected]
Ellis, Tony & Karen (New)
711 Virginia Dare Drive
510-1585
536-7325
[email protected]
[email protected]
7
Fanney, Timothy & Linda
625 South Atlantic Ave
[email protected]
George, Rick & Christine
648 South Atlantic Ave
412-613-0628
[email protected]
[email protected]
219 Grandview Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15211
Gisbert, Taryn (New)
608 Bushnell Court
233-9475
631-553-7316
[email protected]
Goodman, Scot & Lila (New)
504 Surfside Ave
804-304-7080- Lila - Cell
804-306-4555- Scot - Cell
[email protected]
[email protected]
10901 Ashmont Court, Glen Allen, VA 23059
804-353-4654
Gorby, Chris & Kathy (New)
805 Vanderbilt Ave
492-8520- Chris – Work
374-0336 – Chris – Cell
317-1114 – Kathy – Cell
[email protected]
[email protected]
Gottwald, Floyd (New)
504 Kerry Lane
Henry, Ryan & Michelle (New)
Austin & Carson
510 Surfside Ave
333-7359
288-6600 – Ryan – Cell
288-2043 – Michelle - Cell
[email protected]
[email protected]
Kassir, Farouk (New)
724 Vanderbilt Ave
Miller, Susanna H. (New)
628 Fort Raleigh Drive
[email protected]
Martin, Milton & Susan
853 South Atlantic Ave
804-458-2170
804-926-4179 - Cell
[email protected]
301 Sherwood Drive, Hopewell, VA 23860
Maxwell, Don & Ginny
857 South Atlantic Ave
321-7201
McCutcheon, Joe
848 South Atlantic Ave
428-2728
McRee, Grif & Susan
525 Virginia Dare Drive
[email protected]
Melchor, Boyd (New)
712 South Atlantic Ave
Meyer, Victor & Sandra
735 Surfside Ave
540-371-2419 - Home
540-845-6448 – Cell
540-846-6447 – Cell
[email protected]
Murray, Dane & Lorna
413 Croatan Road
353-2655
540-421-9186
[email protected]
[email protected]
8
Nichols, Keith & Carolyn (New)
Ryan & Hannah
832 Vanderbilt Ave
729-0170 – Keith – Cell
729-0336 – Carolyn - Cell
[email protected]
[email protected]
Nickell, Kitti
845 South Atlantic Ave
675-9256 - Cell
Oneil, Keith & Karen
973-879-7131 – Cell
[email protected]
Overstreet, Dona & Alex
516 Bushnell Drive
943-1328 – Donna - Cell
[email protected]
Oxenham, Anna
539 South Atlantic Ave
804-282-3049
Potas, Dan & Marcia (New)
and Howard Potas
Lawson & Carolina
561 South Atlantic Ave
623-910-2955 – Dan
804-647-0393 – Marcia
757-751-2037 – Howard
[email protected]
106 Pickett Place, Yorktown, VA 23693
Reven, Mike & Norma Telthorst (New)
Marion Reven & Alex Reven
425 Croatan Road
314-495-4627 – Norma
[email protected]
Risku, Daniel & Cynthia (New)
501 Croatan Hills Dive
321-2286
[email protected]
Ross, David & Dana Crummer
Sam Crummer, Josh Crummer, & David Ross
616 South Atlantic Ave
703-760-9500
Swan, Ron & Allison
825 South Atlantic Ave
425-7708
450-7708 – Ron – Cell
581-2221 – Allison - Cell
[email protected]
[email protected]
Travis, Mike & Loretta
515 Vanderbilt Ave
[email protected]
Werner, Eric & Alice
413 Maryland Court
[email protected]
Williams, Bo & Julia
545 South Atlantic Ave
Williams, Perry & Gena
533 Vanderbilt Ave
[email protected]
Wohler, Stephen
624 South Atlantic Ave
[email protected]
Ziegler, Brian & Nicole (New)
Brinen
737 Surfside Ave
962-2217
858-220-1616 – Nicole
858-337-9511 - Brian
[email protected]
9
Citizen’s Advisory Committee by Maria Kania
757-343-5707
[email protected]
If you see something......say something!
We’ve had a little activity in our sleepy little community this month. Just this week, a homeless couple set up residency
in a tent on the beach. No one said much in the beginning. But, when the clothes line went up, attached to the
lifeguard station, to hang up the freshly, ocean washed laundry, it was time. Kindly Officer Esposito waited for them to
take down the laundry and their tent, and gave them a ride to a shelter. There is a law that you can’t sleep on the
beach after 8:00 p.m. There is a homeless lady named Sunshine that would sleep on the bench at Harris Teeter during
the day, but sit there all night. The police would try to get her to move to a shelter at night, but she would just say “I’m
not sleeping” and by law she could stay there.
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
Fourth of July was a sunny and fun filled day until guests in a rental house on South Atlantic thought it
was a good idea to launch several flaming Wishing Lanterns and float them over a few of our dried and
crispy cedar shake roofs. Needless to say someone had to notify them of the error of their ways.
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
OK, now on to the 20 young men in a rental house on Maryland. A rental house with a roof deck. Twenty guys........4th
of July..........fireworks..........roof deck.
Oh boy. Get the picture? Did any of them ever notice that fireworks displays are usually out in the
open, away from homes, trees, people. Obviously, these geniuses didn’t give that any thought. Wish
they could have walked down to the beach and at least tried to aim them out into the ocean. Maybe
they thought the fireworks would go up and not come down? Who knows? They all just scampered
up to the roof deck and had their fun while their poor neighbors watched burning embers land on
their cedar shake roof. Now there is some good news and bad news. The good news is that one of these firecrackers
flew completely over a house and thankfully missed the cedar roof. The bad news is that it landed, flaming, a foot
away from a child while he was on the back patio. The police were called, but with all that was going on at the jampacked oceanfront, we are not sure if they came out.
As the saying goes........you can’t fix stupid.
I mentioned all of this at the CAC meeting, but there’s not much anyone can do after the fact.
.
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
Every year I try to remind you not to take any valuables to the beach. I should have done it last month,
but forgot. Sorry! Let’s face it; you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where the goodies
are, when all you have is a towel, suntan lotion and some shoes. Unfortunately there are those people
that feel that your possessions should be their possessions and they love summer and going to the
beach, too. Hiding any valuables under the corner of a blanket or towel is about as big a secret as
hiding your front door key under the mat.
We’ve already had our first reported “light fingered lift”. While out surfing at the Croatan Beach access someone took
two towels, a hat and glasses and a phone, which was wrapped in one of the towels.
10
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
Every officer was working 4th of July weekend. In 23 years of Captain Gallagher’s career, he had never seen so many
people at the oceanfront. . No reason.......maybe the mild temps, following so much rain, made people come out.
Maybe, because there were less places to go to see the fireworks because Sequestering eliminated several fireworks
displays on some military installations.
The hotels were at full capacity. The oceanfront was at full capacity by 4:00 p.m. There were no
parking spaces available. There was complete gridlock on I-264 at First Colonial. Moving fire
engines and an ambulance anywhere would have been impossible. Also, imagine all 50,000
people trying to leave the oceanfront at the same time, after the fireworks.
So, they implemented the same traffic plan that they have used for the last several years. They
started shutting down streets and turning traffic west. As a result, the 2nd Precinct took a
beating in the press and from some citizens that felt they should have used Birdneck. The Police felt that if they had
used Birdneck, those cars would have worked their way back to the ocean front.
Despite all of this, it was a relatively peaceful weekend.
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
FACT: During the 4th of July, there were 150 children lost and 150 children found.
FACT: The parking lot at Little Island made $19,000 in 3 days over the weekend. Considering the $3 -$5 fees they
charge, it shows just how many cars were actually here over the 4th.
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
Has anyone forgotten Beach Bash Weekend? I am sure you have all heard the rumors of plans for Beach Bash 2? No
one is sure that it is for real. It was on Facebook and only received 12 “likes”. But, once the media picked it up, its
notoriety spread. So, who knows? But, rest assured, there will be 100 police officers on
duty that weekend.
These poor officers are exhausted. They have been running full tilt since the election in
November, when all the dignitaries came to Hampton Roads.
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
Colin Stolle of the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office told us about a the #1 Popular Scam that is going around. It
preys on seniors and is called the “Grandparent Scam”. Someone posing as a grandchild calls up Grandma and
Grandpa, sobbing, and tells them that they are in jail in some Caribbean island. They are sobbing, so you can’t really
tell if it is your grandchild, or not. They tell you that it is all a mistake, but they need $2,000
wired immediately to get out of jail. And.......please, please, don’t tell Mom & Dad!!! Grammy &
PaPa rush to the bank and send the money. Next day someone posing as a police officer calls
and tells the Grandparents that they never received the money and they cannot let the
grandchild out of jail. So, Nona and Opa send another $2,000. I know this sounds so farfetched,
but it is happening a lot more than we want to believe. In one case a bank teller, realizing that
the Seniors were withdrawing money two days in a row and at the risk of being intrusive, asked
what they were doing. When she found out, she made the Grandparents call their grandson and he was right here in
Virginia Beach.
I would like to think that if I was so willing to send this kid $2,000, I would have a close enough relationship with
him/her to know if he/she was out of the country, or not. Just sayin’!
385-5000--------------------385-5000-----------------------385-5000
11
NOW HEAR THIS...NOT ALL THIEVES ARE STUPID!!
A friend of a friend left their car in the long-term parking at San Jose while away, and someone broke into the car.
Using the information on the car's registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people's home in
Pebble Beach and robbed it. So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should not leave the
registration/insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener.
This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.
<<<>>>
By the time a woman realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.
National Night Out
Come on out to The Point on Tuesday, August 6th from 6-8 pm for National Night Out.
This is a time for us to come together as a neighborhood and as a city to heighten crime
and drug prevention awareness, generate support and participation in local anti-crime
efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community relations, and send a
message to criminals letting them know local communities are organized and are fighting
back. There will be hot dogs, watermelon and ice cream, pony rides and clowns making
animal balloons and painting faces for the kids, a treasure hunt on the beach, and
hopefully a fire truck, rescue vehicle, and police department representatives, maybe even McGruff the crime
dog. Save the date on your calendar!
Plant of the Month?... Poison Ivy by Susanna H. Miller
While “leaflets three, let it be” may be the mantra of half of the US
population (the overall percentage that breaks out in hives), poison ivy,
Toxicodendron radicans, has quite a few benefits you may not be aware of.
First, let’s look at the down side… Urushiol, the irritating oil that makes the
leaves shiny, is present in every part of the plant, so pulling roots in winter
and even contact with smoke from burning poison ivy can cause a rash.
Only the oil can spread the rash; the fluid within the blisters cannot. The
thinner the skin, the more quickly the rash develops. This makes it seem like
the rash is spreading, when it really just takes longer to appear on spots
with thicker skin. Sensitivity to poison ivy develops only after the first contact with urushiol. The human body does not
produce the reaction-causing antibodies against the oil until after first contact. At second contact, the antibodies are
available to cause the reaction. About 85% of people develop a reaction on second contact. Sensitivity to poison ivy
usually declines with age!
Now the rest of the story… Poison ivy grows best with shaded roots, but tolerates sunny areas. Plants may be selfsupporting shrubs, trailing vines, or hairy vines that climb trees and walls. But, poison ivy is not all bad. The toxins of
poison ivy do not generally affect animals and it is an important food source for wildlife. Mammals such as deer,
raccoons, rabbits and muskrat devour the nutritious leaves, stems and berries. Birds such as turkey, robins, crows,
woodpeckers and bluebirds eat the berries. Smaller species, such as toads, use poison ivy as a source of shelter. The
roots of poison ivy can also prevent erosion, especially on sandy soil where few other plants grow. The tough woody
roots hold sand dunes in place. Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and New Jersey considers it important
for anchoring critical dune systems. I suppose this would be quite a deterrent to playing on the dunes in Croatan
although I’m not sure we want to promote it!
12
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
NORFOLK, VA..
The People Make the Beach
PERMIT NO. 2135
President, Croatan Civic League
517 Croatan Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23451-7110
We are on the WEB!
Check us out at
www.croatanbeach.org or join
Nextdoor Croatan
Croatan Civic League Officers, Directors and Committee Chair Contacts
President, Events
Bill Garvey—Phone 471-5436
Email—[email protected]
Vice President, Neighborhood Security
George Horvath—Phone 233-0019
Email—[email protected]
Secretary
Jack Hurley—Phone 425-1912
Email—[email protected]
Treasurer
Thresa Joyce—Phone 376-1264
Email—[email protected]
Past President, CCO Contact
Ed Oswalt—Phone 422-2776
Email—[email protected]
Director, Membership/Directory
Martha Davenport—Phone 428-3348
Email—[email protected]
Director
Vince Donlon—Phone 450-7317
Email—[email protected]
Director
Wanda Iliff—Phone 437-0614
Email—[email protected]
Director, Citizens Advisory Committee/Alerts
Maria Kania—Phone 343-5707
Email—[email protected]
Director, Newsletter/Website
Marian Kitchin —Phone 437-9554
Email – [email protected]
Director, Rock ‘n Roll Cheering
Regina Oswalt—422-2776
[email protected]
Director
Tom Pritchard – Phone 422-4496
Email—[email protected]
Director, Welcome Wagon/Logo Wear/RIF
Katie Ripberger—Phone 434-6450
Email – [email protected]
Director
John Witte—Phone 425-1065
Email—[email protected]
Director, Spring Fling
Patricia Zuraw—Phone 373-8601
Email—[email protected]
Asst. Director, External Contacts
Ken Jobe—Phone 428-0328
Email—[email protected]
Asst. Director, Surfing
Wes Laine
[email protected]
Asst. Director, Landscaping/Data Base
Billy Moore —Phone 491-4253
Email – [email protected]
Asst. Director, National Night Out
Lynette Reuss—Phone 491-1285
Email—[email protected]
Asst. Director, Neighborhood Email
Sylvia Vance—Phone 425-9960
Email—[email protected]
Clubs
President, Women’s Club
Martha Davenport—Phone 428-3348
Email—[email protected]
President, Book Club
Bettie Cholewa—Phone 491-0907
Email—[email protected]