The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities invites residents, commuters, and visitors who utilize areas around Byrd Park to attend a public meeting to learn more about the new phase of the Byrd Park Reservoir Roof Replacement Project. The meeting is from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, at the Byrd Park Roundhouse at 621 Westover Road.

The Byrd Park Reservoir was built in 1876 and has been serving the City of Richmond residents and surrounding counties continuously since then. The Reservoir operates as two finished water tanks. Upgrades and maintenance have occurred over the years to ensure peak operating capacity. DPU is in the process of additional upgrades to improve the distribution system reliability and increase the operational flexibility of facilities associated with the reservoir. The concrete roofs are reaching the end of their useful life and will be replaced by two new aluminum roofs.

Construction will be sequenced to maintain the use of the park and will take place within a fenced area, with boundaries shifting as the work progresses. Access to the rest of the park and its trails will be open to the public.

Attendees of the public meeting can expect to learn more about the scope and review project plans.

For more details about this project, visit the project page here.

What has two eyes, eight legs, and a lot to teach us? Find out on Friday, March 17, when Maymont welcomes an octopus (Octopus vulgaris) to The Robins Nature Center to enhance environmental education for youth programs and local schools, as well as to delight all guests who stop by. The live octopus arrives along with a collection of preserved specimens of native species collected in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast on loan from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at William and Mary for use in Maymont’s education programs through May 2023.

The octopus will remain on view for up to a year in The Robins Nature Center, the largest facility of its kind in central Virginia, with close to 30,000 gallons of aquaria showcasing many different species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and even mammals that inhabit the James River and Chesapeake Bay.

“We are so excited to expand Maymont’s aquatic collection with such a fascinating creature,” said Krista Weatherford, Director of Programming and Community Engagement. “It will help our educators teach about the differences between vertebrate and invertebrate species, animal adaptations, both physical and behavioral, and human impacts on their habitats.”

Senior Manager of Zoology Joe Neel explained, “Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures on the planet. They have been observed solving puzzles and mazes and opening jars to get food. Even keeping one in a tank is extremely difficult, as they are known to be escape artists. To avoid predators, they can mimic inanimate objects with physical adaptations to match the color and patterns of their surroundings for camouflage.”

Octopuses are enjoying a moment in the spotlight due to the Academy Award-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher (2020), in which filmmaker Craig Foster takes viewers into the fragile underwater world of a wild octopus in the Great African Seaforest off the coast of South Africa.

The documentary will be screened for free at Maymont on Friday, March 17, as part of the 13th Annual RVA Environmental Film Festival. Doors open at 5:00 pm, and the film will be shown at 6:30 pm, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A facilitated by Aimee Bushman, Manager of Environmental Education at Maymont, and Jenny Dreyer, Research Manager and Curator of the VIMS Invertebrate Collection at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester Point, Virginia. Dreyer works on benthic ecology projects in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as deep sea biology and environmental impacts on benthic communities. She has journeyed to the bottom of the ocean on two dives in the submersible Alvin to study hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise. The VIMS specimens will be on display to the public on the 17^th for the film screening and discussion.

Advance reservations are recommended. For more information on the RVA Environmental Film Festival and to reserve a seat at this special event, visit Maymont.org/RVAEFF. Free parking is available by The Robins Nature Center, 2201 Shields Lake Drive, as well as the Hampton Street lot and on-street parking.

The Robins Nature Center, which was renovated and expanded in 2020, is open to the public year-round on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 10:00 am–5:00 pm. During Spring Break Week of April 3-7, the facility will be open on weekdays. Advance reservations are $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 3–12 and adults 65+, and free for Maymont members and participants in the Museums for All program (with EBT card, including up to three guests). For details and reservations, visit Maymont.org.

Spring is in bloom, and Maymont, Richmond’s 100-acre victorian estate and gardens, has a full schedule of events for the month of March and beyond.

On March 17, Maymont will host a free screening of the Academy Award-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher, as part of the RVA Environmental Film Festival. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Jenny Dreyer, a researcher, and curator from the Virginia Institute for Marine Science at William & Mary.

In addition to the film festival event, Maymont is offering a number of educational programs this month. Homeschool students in grades K to 7 can take classes in environmental science and history on Mondays throughout March. There will also be a Citizen Science: FrogWatch Workshop on March 7 and 9, as well as on March 28 and 30. Participants can learn to identify frogs by their sounds.

For the youngest visitors, Maymont is offering a toddler program called Down on the Farm. This popular weekly series explores the Maymont Farm and runs every Monday in March from 10 am to 11 am.

Maymont has also announced several upcoming events. During Spring Break Week, from April 3 to 7, the Robins Nature Center and Maymont Mansion will be open for four extra days. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for children, and members and Museums for All participants can enter for free with an EBT card. The grounds will be open daily with no general admission, including the Maymont Farm and wildlife habitats.

On April 8, Maymont will host the Dominion Energy Family Easter, a community event celebrating the arrival of spring. The event will run from 9 am to 3 pm. Finally, on April 29, Richmond’s favorite giant plant and garden accessories sale will take place during Herbs Galore. The event will run from 8 am to 3 pm.

To learn more about these events or purchase tickets, click here.