Paradise Creek Nature Park
Associated Projects |
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11-Acre Wetland
Restoration
 The Virginia Port
Authority in January 2012 began
construction on a $4 million, 11-acre
wetland restoration to bring back river
health on the site of Paradise Creek
Nature Park!
The
wetland restoration will be accessible
to the public for canoeing and kayaking
at the park.
Funded as
the premiere mitigation site for the Craney
Island expansion, this project brings
back a former finger of the creek that
had been filled in during the 1950s. The
new wetland is the dominant natural
feature of the park. |
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Nearby Navy
Sites Transformed
The US Navy
has created a 78-acre "wildlife mecca"
on the opposite shore of Paradise Creek
from the park--winning a White House
award for its success with cleaning up
old Navy landfills and revitalizing them
to create healthy habitat for wildlife. |
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Oyster Reefs
Forty thousand seed oysters were
placed on barged-in shell at the mouth of Paradise Creek. Residents of the
Craddock neighborhood, including Boy Scout Troop 222, grew
oysters in floats to be added later that summer. Two oyster workshops were held to further involve the community and other members of the
public. The project was funded with $75,000 from NOAA,
Fish America, the Chesapeake Bay Program and other sponsors.
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Wetlands
Rain Garden Creation
The
Elizabeth River Project also constructed
a "rain garden" to treat creek runoff at
Cradock Career and Technical Center on
George Washington Highway with $25,000
from a VA Dept. of Conservation and
Recreation Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Grant.
for a slide show. |
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River Stars
Do Their Part
Surrounding the
park are “River Star Busineses” who are
doing their park to reduce pollution and
restore wildlife habitat along Paradise
Creek. From the US Navy to the large
SPSA/Wheelabrator Refuse Derived Fuel
Plant, these facilities have documented
significant, voluntary results in our
River Star Business program. The new
Enviva transfer facility, whose storage
silos rise above the new park wetland,
is one of our newest River Stars on
Paradise Creek and is working to
incorporate environmental protection
throughout its site. On the other side
of the park, Beach Marine, a small
repair yard, has conducted several
projects including shoreline plantings
as a River Star with us. One of the
biggest improvements in creek
stewardship has occurred through the
participation of SPSA and Wheelabrator
at the fuel plant, where more than $60
million has recently been invested in
operations upgrades that reduce
pollution.
Find out more about our River Star
Businesses program here. |
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Click image
to view larger |
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Maersk
Line Limited Adopts Park
New River Star
Maersk Line Limited has
adopted Paradise Creek Nature Park. A
group of volunteers will perform
clean–ups, help with forestry
enhancements, post signs at the park
and other tasks.
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