Chesapeake Humane Society on WCTV

Chesapeake Humane Society’s Executive Director, Lacy Shirey, joins WCTV to talk about two dangerous diseases pet owners need to be aware of: heartworm disease and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Plus, she shares information about a fun new cat cafe in town! Special guests George and Carob also make an appearance.

Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast

Community Service Spotlight: Chesapeake Humane Society Giving Tree
Posted: 12-08-2020 

Girl Scouts love helping others and the holiday season is an especially busy time of year for Girl Scouts doing community service to help their community friends, including the four paw friends!

Girl Scout Brownie Troop 382 in Chesapeake, led by Carolyn Engler, decided to create a Giving Tree to support animals cared for by the Chesapeake Humane Society. The Brownies identified the need in the community to help animals. They took action to research what the animals most needed and then set about developing a plan. They contacted a nearby animal feed store in Chesapeake, Tractor Supply Co. located on Centerville Turnpike, and asked if they could place a holiday tree in the store with wish list ornaments. The answer, yes!

The girls then set about making ornaments. Each ornament is made of paper but unique in design, and each has a written item from the Chesapeake Humane Society’s wish list. The girls’ goal was to have customers and community friends pick up an ornament and then place the gifts they purchased or made under the tree.

Each week, the troop checks on the gifts and arranges a pick-up. To date, they have collected more than 100 pounds of food and items to donate!

Whether you’re out shopping or celebrating with friends and family, don’t forget your furry friends this holiday season! Check with your area animal shelters or animal services to see what they might be in need of and then take action!

Each ornament has a wish list item

Picking up donations from the tree

Loose Balloons Wreak Havoc on Environment

 

 

Animal Connections
Published by the Virginian Pilot on 12-07-2020
Written by Lacy Shirey, Chesapeake Humane Society Executive Director

The practice of releasing balloons is still considered an acceptable practice by many, but, as Sir Isaac Newton said, what goes up must come down, and the impact on the environment and wildlife can be detrimental.

Balloon releases are often done as a tribute to a loved one who has died or sometimes they’re part of a festive event or celebration, but no matter the reason, they all result in litter. This litter often ends up in our coastal areas and accumulates on shorelines. Even litter that originates far inland can make its way to the coastal region since stormwater lines and all waterways eventually lead to the coast.

A study conducted by Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University collected litter data from five remote beaches in Virginia from 2013 to 2017. The researchers found a total of 11,441 balloons or balloon fragments or pieces, including ribbons. Since the research areas were uninhabited and not open to the public, these findings illuminate how far litter can travel and the significant impact it has on our environment if left unchecked.

Any litter in our waterways and on our land has the potential to cause harm to wildlife; however, balloons are particularly dangerous because, in the water, they can resemble jellyfish or squid, which are food sources for marine wildlife such as sea turtles. Once ingested, balloons can cause fatal blockages, and the balloon ribbon can cause entanglement.

On land, balloons are a known problem for birds, wild horses, livestock and other species of terrestrial wildlife. In addition to ingesting balloons or balloon pieces and getting entangled in the ribbon, birds have been observed building their nests with balloon strings and balloon debris and other pieces of trash.

Virginia’s current law allows up to 49 balloons per hour to be intentionally released. But even one balloon released has the potential to harm wildlife. Strong efforts were made to change the law but ultimately were not successful in this year’s legislative session.

A bill introduced by Del. Nancy Guy (D-Virginia Beach) to ban all intentional balloon releases died in committee. Another bill by Sen. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach), which would have reduced the number of balloons that could be intentionally released from 49 to one per hour, was continued to 2021.

We expect a strong push again in next year’s legislative session to change the law, with many organizations right here in Hampton Roads providing support. You can provide your support by contacting your local and state legislators and encouraging them to support a balloon ban.

In the meantime, choose responsible alternatives to honor a loved one or celebrate an event without doing a balloon release. Some ideas include blowing bubbles, planting a native tree or making a charitable gift in honor of your loved one.

Alternative resources and ideas can be found at joyfulsendoff.org, a campaign created by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University to reduce helium balloon releases and balloon litter.

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Lacy Shirey is executive director of the Chesapeake Humane Society. She can be reached at director@chesapeakehumane.org.