News from the Little Falls Watershed Alliance

10 Trash Resolutions for the New Year

2012-01-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Neighbors,

Two thousand and eleven has been a very busy year for our trash removal volunteers, spending hundreds of hours picking up a thousand pounds of trash from the curbs, sidewalks, and parking lots along the streets in Friendship Heights and on Little Falls Parkway and River Road. We also have been contacting local merchants to encourage them to keep the areas around their business premises clean, and have been lobbying state and county officials to strengthen the enforcement and scope of solid waste laws.

Trash left on the ground creates a host of ills, including blighting the neighborhood, lowering property values, and damaging the environment. Rainwater washes it into storm drains that empty into the Little Falls Creek, and eventually farther downstream into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

We hope for a better year in 2012. You can help. Please consider making and keeping one or more of the following resolutions for the new year:

1. I will dispose of trash and pet waste in a proper receptacle.

2. I will educate my children to do the same.

3. I will pick up at least 5 pieces of trash each day that I walk in the neighborhood.

4. I and members of my household will "adopt" a street block near my home and strive to keep it trash free.

5. I will educate myself about which materials are recyclable and deposit them in the appropriate blue recycling can (for mixed paper/cardboard) or bin (for mixed metals/plastic/glass) provided to me by the county. Please see: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/dep/solidwaste/collectionservices/curbside.asp

6. I will bind or contain loose papers before I put them in the blue recycling can, and bag garbage before placing it in my trash can, so as to minimize the chance of spillage upon collection by sanitation workers. I will clean up any spillage that does occur.

7. I will pick up from in front of my home any newspapers delivered there, and I will contact the circulation department of any newspaper that I do not wish to receive to cancel delivery. For:

The Gazette, please see: http://www.gazette.net/article/20110118/MISC01/110119990&template=gazette

The Examiner, please see: http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-stop-delivery-request

The Washington Post, please see: https://subscription.washingtonpost.com/subscriberservices/subscriber.portal;jsessionid=7GRmT43LdD1JBsf1hpJJsbny0kQ3j8PsrGSzJpYYQ2yFyTRFLkB0!-1166501001?state=faqs

8. I will volunteer to participate in organized trash pick-ups conducted by the Little Falls Watershed Alliance. Please see: http://www.lfwa.org/pick-up

9. I will call 311 to report violations of the Montgomery County Code provisions that require businesses to keep their parking lots and other grounds free of trash. Please see: http://www3.montgomerycountymd.gov/311/

10. I will instruct any lawn mowing services that I employ to pick up any trash before mowing, and to not mow over it.

We wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012. Thank you.

Richard Yates
Vice President for Government Relations & Trash Abatement Committee Coordinator
Little Falls Watershed Alliance, Inc.

Mow, Don't Rake!

2011-11-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Mow Your Leaves for a Better Environment!

Big piles of leaves by the curb, a certain sign of autumn and lots of fun for kids to jump in. What could be wrong with that? Not to be the Grinch Who Stole Leaf Pile Jumping, but everything. Leaves in the gutter make their way to the creek where they decompose and cause nutrient bloom. Leaves in the gutter mean no leaves around the base of your trees where they provide an organic blanket for the trees during the winter. Leaves in the gutter mean you are wasting valuable nutrients for your lawn.

So, this year, take a tip from Winterthur, the spectacular DuPont gardens in Delaware and mow your leaves right on the lawn. From a Washington Post article

For more than 20 years, the gardeners at this expansive and famously leafy estate have been mowing leaves with (..) lawn mowers. The machines inhale the leaves, chop them into shreds and deposit them as the mower moves along. Engine noise is confined to the muted chug of the mower, not the incessant high-pitch whine of the leaf blower.
And there are no bags to unhook and drag anywhere, just a confetti-like litter left on the grass. Ripped into morsel-size pieces, the flakes melt away in two or three weeks as microbes and worms do their work of enriching the soil.

This process is endorsed by none other than the Scotts Fertilizer Company. On their website, they recommend you

Take the grass catcher off your mower and mow over the leaves on your lawn. You want to reduce your leaf clutter to dime-size pieces. You'll know you're done when about half an inch of grass can be seen through the mulched leaf layer. Once the leaf bits settle in, microbes and worms get to work recycling them. Any kind of rotary-action mower will do the job, and any kind of leaves can be chopped up. With several passes of your mower, you can mulch up to 18 inches of leaf clutter.

So, give your rake a rest, save the local government some money and help the environment all by mowing your leaves. It works for the Winterthur Estates and it will work for you. When spring arrives, you'll see great results. The leaf litter you mowed this fall will have disappeared. And your grass will look greener than ever.

And if your children need a pile to jump it, rake them one and when they are jumped out, put those leaves under your trees and around your shrubs. Free and beautiful mulch!

Norwood Park Day, 2011

2011-10-23T18:27:00.001-07:00

Check out these photos from David Kathan of Norwood Park Day. Little Falls Ramblers were there to entertain as we removed vines from the trees and tackled the bush honeysuckle. Big thanks to everyone who came out for this annual event. We'll see you next year.

AU First Years Help Watershed

2011-08-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

On August 24 and 25, Little Falls Watershed Alliance was honored to work with 14 new students from American University as part of their Freshman Service Experience. The students are all taking a Sustainable Earth class and, as part of the class, elected to spend two days volunteering in the watershed. On day one, they spent the morning labeling over 120 stormdrains around AU and passed out over 500 door hangers to the neighbors. The afternoon was spent in the Little Falls Stream Valley Park removing invasive porcelain berry vines from trees. The morning of day two was spent (in the rain) doing meadow restoration work near Westbrook Elementary School. A creek clean-up was scheduled for the afternoon, but severe thunderstorms ended the day early.

Thank you to Kayla Ma, AU student, resident adviser and TA for the group for organizing the work days. And thank you to the AU students for their hard work. It's amazing how much a group of people can get done in just a few hours. The trees in the park are grateful for the efforts. For pictures of students in action, visit our Flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfwa/. Look for the Freshman Service Experience set.

Please contact us at info@LFWA.org if your group is interested in doing a special project. We have lots of places that need work.

Westbrook Meadow in Full Bloom

2011-07-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't gotten a chance to visit the beautiful restored meadow at Westbrook ES, take some time and go down there. It is in full bloom and some thing to see. I have never seen so many butterflies, bees and other pollinators in one place.

The meadow is the brainchild LFWA Vice President Lynnwood Andrews. She and her team of volunteers worked much of last summer and fall to remove the lawn that was along a tributary to the Little Falls Branch and replace it with native flowers, grasses and trees. Only Phase One is completed. In the fall, we will work on Phase Two, where we will plant trees and shrubs in the area close to the stream and also expand the planted area further down the stream.

Thank you to Westbrook ES school children, their parents and AU students who were among the many volunteers who worked on the project. A special and belated thank you to Becca Dozier and Sam Konig who interned for us last summer and did a lot of work on the project. The project was funded in part by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Also in the works at Westbrook Elementary School is an outdoor classroom. We have already finished the first phase - labeling the native trees. The project is on hold until the Westbrook renovation is completed, but you can wander the campus and discover the names of the native trees. Look for the labels on Hackberries, Catalpa, Oaks and more!

Online Searchable Native Plant Database!

2011-06-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

In the works of a fellow environmental steward -
"This is what we've all been waiting for!"
www.nativeplantcenter.net

From the press release:

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, in partnership with and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Image Matters LLC, unveils the online Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Bay Region. The online guide allows for the identification and selection of native plant species for habitat restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, an effective method for reducing pollution in the Bay. Replacing portions of lawn areas and typical landscapes with native plants that suit local conditions reduces or eliminates the need for fertilizers and pesticides which wash into our streams, rivers and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. Once in our waterways, these pollutants fuel the growth of excess algae, which clouds the water and threatens the health of fish, crabs and the entire Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Users to the portal, www.nativeplantcenter.net, can search for native plants by name, plant type, sun exposure, soil texture and moisture, and even find native plants with the same shape, color, size or other characteristics as some of their favorite non-native plants. The portal also includes a geo-locator feature to identify plants suited to a user’s specific location. An online network for interacting with other Chesapeake Bay stewards is planned.

I have nothing more to add, except use it!
Sarah Morse

You Can be a Watershed Hero: Youth Summit

2011-06-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

If you were at Sandy Point State Park on June 3, you would have seen 3,700 k-12 kids all engaged in learning about environmental issues. And at one of the environmental learning stations, you would have found four LFWA representatives deep in conversation with students about how they can be a watershed hero.

The students were there for a Youth Summit hosted by Maryland Green Schools, a MAEOE program that has certified over 190 schools in Maryland as "Green" for their commitment to environmental education at all levels of the curriculum and to changing their school environment to be a model of environmentally responsible behavior.

We focused on three areas at the LFWA learning booth. Toby and Abby Kathan had plant samples and talked about conquering alien and invasive plants. (Toby also designed two very cool watershed hero action figures for our display boards.) Greta Swanson had a hands-on trash sorting demonstration. Just by recycling, composting and donating used clothing, kids were able to reduce the bag of household trash from a huge bag to very small box full. And I presented a demonstration on how bay friendly landscaping controls stormwater run off. We made it rain on a impervious surface and then added sponges to simulate landscaping. We then made it rain again and squeezed the water out of the sponges. We were able to contain 75 percent of the run-off on the property.

btw, we have three Green Schools in our watershed - Westland Middle School and Westbrook and Bethesda Elementary Schools. Learn about the program at the MAEOE website - www.maeoe.org/greenschools/overview/index.php

I just got trained to be a Green School Leader so LFWA can mentor other schools in the watershed through the process. We're hoping that Somerset Elementary School will complete the application process next year. If you know of a school that is interested in applying, please have them contact me - stormwater@LFWA.org and I can help them get started.

Thank you to Toby, Abby and Greta for coming out and to Maryland Green Schools for inviting us.

Sarah Morse
Co-President

LFWA Member Fights for Creek-side Signage on Fecal Count

2011-06-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Just in from the Gazette:
Thank you to June Humbolt for lobbying hard to get signage at the Little Falls Branch with fecal bacteria contamination warnings.

Click here to read the Gazette Article (June 8, 2011).

Town Houses Proposed for BETCO Site

2011-05-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

The BETCO or Hoyt property is under consideration for a town house development. This is the 1.8 acre parcel occupied by the Brick and Block Company located at the end of Butler Road across the creek paralleling the Little Falls Parkway. The property is currently zoned Light Industrial.

EYA (www.eya.com), a local urban-infill townhouse developer, proposes to redevelop this property with 28 to 32 LEED certified million dollar plus town homes. The developer has also agreed to provide public access to the Capital Crescent Trail. The community will not be gated.

LFWA has been aware of the project from the beginning as EYA has met with representatives from neighborhood and community groups. We have not opposed the proposal as we believe it will be a significant improvement to the watershed compared to current conditions, which are 99 percent pavement. Any new development will be regulated by the new County stormwater permit standards.The new project will also reduce local truck traffic and the associated noise from those trucks.

Assuming the project is approved, LFWA intends on working with Park and Planning to see that the project is as environmentally friendly as possible and conforms to the new stormwater regulations.

LFWA will try to keep everyone up to date about the status of the project by posting information on this web site.

Bridge Over Creek to Parkway

One of the controversial aspects of the EYA proposal is to build a bridge to provide access to the project over the channelized portion of the Little Falls Branch about where the wide turnout spot is located on Little Falls Parkway mid-way between River Road and Massachusetts Avenue. To construct the bridge the developer needs permission (an easement) from the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission (Park and Planning) because the Little Falls Parkway is Park and Planning property.

Easement Agreement

Park and Planning has agreed to provide an easement; in return EYA has agreed to pay Park and Planning $500,000 for public amenity and watershed improvement projects such as stream restoration; invasive species management program within the Little Falls Stream Valley Park and the Capital Crescent Trail; trail restoration projects along the Capital Crescent Trail; and possibly other projects. Park and Planning has indicated that they will solicit public and neighborhood input on these projects.

Traffic Impact

Many people are concerned about the impact on traffic from this development. The developer and Park and Planning have said that the number of cars and trips that will be associated with the project, compared to the current traffic on Little Falls Parkway, will be very small. They have also pointed out that the project will eliminate the truck traffic going into and out of the BETCO property.

Rezoning
The developer has also petitioned to have the site rezoned from Light Industrial to allow for residential townhouses.

LFWA Day at the Bay Soxs

2011-05-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

June 24, 7:00 - Come out for a Night at the Ball Game and support your favorite Bay stewardship group!

We are excited that the Bay Soxs have chosen to support Bay stewardship groups this year by donating a portion of the gate to watershed groups. A fun way to support LFWA and to join neighbors at the ball game. The Bay Soxs will be facing theBinghamton Mets and there will fireworks after the game. And a boy scout camp out. And, as always, kids under 12 get to run the bases!

The Bowie Bay Soxs play at the Prince George's Stadium at 4101 Crain Highway in Bowie.

Visit www.lfwa.org/event/lfwa-day-baysox for instructions on how to order special tickets to benefit LFWA. Don't forget to use the special code FALLS to insure that the proceeds go to LFWA.

Bag Bill Passes!

2011-05-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

We did it! Montgomery County Council pass a bag bill today by 8 to 1 vote. Click here for more information. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to get this important piece of legislation for Montgomery County. Once again, Montco is leading the country in environmental measures. (Maybe we'll get a bottle bill passed one day!)

Sarah Morse

Celebrate Earth Day; Support the Bag Bill

2011-04-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today is Earth Day. What a better way to celebrate than by supporting the Montgomery County Bag Bill? Go to Surfrider.com and send a letter in support of the bill. Never has a five cent fee done so much for the environment!

To put this in perspective....
At the beginning of the month, many of us spent the morning pulling trash out of the creek - over 4 dozen 50-gallon bags worth. A large percentage of the trash was bags - cheap plastic bags that grocery stores and other businesses pass out with every transaction. We found bags from Safeway, Giant, CVS as well as generic "have a nice day" bags. They were stuck in the rocks, festooning the bushes, scattered on the banks.

DC instituted a 5 cent bag fee last year and found that plastic bags litter in the Anacostia River was reduced by over 60 percent. Merchants reported passing out 220 million fewer bags (a savings for them too.) People didn't go broke buying bags as some predicted; instead they adjusted and started bringing their own bags, or sticking the items in their purses, briefcases or pockets. It was amazing how a small fee could change a behavior. Some business simply stopped carrying bags all together. There just wasn't a demand for them any more.

This bill will work in Montgomery County too. Like in DC, this little charge can have a big impact. It will reduce the amount of litter in the environment, thus lowering cleanup costs incurred by the County. Businesses will save money because they don't have to purchase as many bags. Any revenues from the fee will be dedicated to the Water Quality Protection Fund, used for stormwater projects and watershed protection.

So please celebrate Earth Day by sending a letter to the Montgomery County Council members. The Alice Ferguson Foundation has a lot of good information if you need talking points. Surfrider.com has set-up a letter page and Council member email addresses can be found on the Montgomery County Council website.

The letters do not have to be long or persuasive. A simple "I support the bag fee. Please vote for this." is fine.

Happy Earth Day to Everyone,
Sarah Morse

Creek Cleaned; Thank You Everyone!

2011-04-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry, we have no pictures (need to remember to find volunteer photographer), but we had a quality turn out on Saturday for the Annual Creek Sweep. Over 50 bags of trash and recyclables were pulled from the creek as well as a ladder, a shovel, plastic flower pots, various clothing, four cell phones and more! Visit the Alice Ferguson website to get a report on how the other sites did.

Thank you especially to Jackie's Girl Scout troop, the Cub Scout Bears from Wood Acres ES and the group from Stone Ridge. These kids were enthusiastic cleaners!

We won't have another big clean-up until next year, but if you are interested in cleaning the creek, send us an email at stormwater@LFWA.org and we can direct you to the worst spots and arrange for bags, gloves and pick-up. We also have a once a month creek clean-up between Mass Ave and River Road on Little Falls Parkway. Visit our website at www.LFWA.org/events for details.

And if you are reading this and have any pictures that we could post, please let me know! A picture tells a thousand words.

Thanks for thinking about the environment,
Sarah Morse

Bullis LAX Defeats Trash: 27 - 0

2011-03-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

25 members of the Bullis Lacrosse team tackled the Little Falls Stream Valley park behind the Sumner Shopping Plaza and came out with 27 bags of trash and recycling! The trash put up a good fight, but the Bullis boys proved tougher. In a rigorous match in which the boys had to scale the steep slopes of the creek valley, wrestle tires and fencing from the stream and fight vines and branches, the team emerged 90 muddy minutes later with 27 bags of discarded plastic bags, cups, carry-out containers, cans and bottles. 8 bags were dedicated just to recyclables! For bonus points, they also retrieved two tires, one piece of fencing, one wooden table, one wooden palette and miscellaneous scrap metal.

The trash pick-up was Coach Bobby Pollicino's annual team service project. Good job boys and thank you to Coach Pollicino for thinking of the environment.

LFWA is Available to Lead Group Service Projects
If you would like to organize a service project for your team, office group, civic associate, let us know. We can do trash pick-ups or invasive weed removals. We also have storm drains that need labeling. We supply all the materials; you just need to bring the people.

Together we can make a difference.
Sarah Morse

MD Bag Bill Needs Your Help Today

2011-03-15T12:23:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, 16 volunteers cleaned up Little Falls Parkway. Along with 6 bags of plastic bottles, they picked up hundreds of bags blow out of garbage trucks or just thrown out of car windows. The problem is not as great in DC as they have a bag tax. When you buy something a District grocery store or any store, they are required to ask if you want a bag. If you do, it cost 5 cents. Just this little tax has reduced the number of bags found in the Anacostia by 40 percent.

In Maryland, we have a Bag fee bill in Annapolis now. If you are a MD resident, please contact your representative TODAY (click on representative) and ask them to support the Clean the Streams and Beautify the Bay Act of 2011. This important bill will reduce the number of bags we find in our cleanups AND the money collected will go to Chesapeake Bay Trust to support environmental education and restoration.

If the link above doesn't work, go to http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2257
There is a form ready for you to send.

Sarah Morse
Co-President, Little Falls Watershed Alliance

Volunteers Remove 10 Bags of Trash From Little Falls Parkway

2011-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful day Saturday while we were out cleaning up the Little Falls Stream Valley Park. Sixteen volunteers collected enough to fill ten extra large bags with recyclable and regular trash. Several large metal items, including a large highway guardrail, were also found and dragged out.

LFWA wants to especially thank the sixth graders, from Westland Middle School and North Chevy Chase, and their moms, who worked so diligently to bring the Parkway and park back to a cleaner state. Their enthusiasm and efforts are very much appreciated. And we can't forget our regular volunteers, Patty and Pat Garvey.

When you all walk in the park or drive along Little Falls Parkway, please take a minute (or second when driving) to notice how much cleaner the area is.

Thank to everyone,
Suzanne Richman

LFWA Heroes

2011-02-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

I was watching one of those action movies the other night and thinking about what it takes to be a hero. Since I don't quite have the body type for jumping fences and scaling buildings and I'm never going to rescue people from the deep jungle, what could I do? The answer came from my kids - "keep doing what you're doing. You are a hero." A tree saved, a creek cleaned - this is also the work of heroes.

At LFWA, we see heroes every day. Saturday, we had a crew out on Little Falls Parkway, cleaning the creek and the roadway between River Road and Mass ave. Thank you Dan Dozier and volunteers for coming out. Little by little, we are keeping trash out of the creek, the Potomac and the Bay.

And we also had a group at Norwood Park saving trees from strangling honey suckle and porcelain berry vines. They also removed a lot of bush honey suckle and multi-flora rose. The trees are happy. Thank you so much to Doug Jimenez and the Interested Gentlemen of Lamda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity Inc at the University of Maryland for setting this up. Doug and his fraternity brothers brought a group of high school students connected with I.D.E.N.T.I.T.Y. They worked hard and got a lot done. Check out our pictures on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfwa/sets/. Select the 2011 Vine Removal in Norwood Park set.

Thank you to all our volunteer heroes. Together we are making a difference, one tree, one creek at a time.

Save the Date for Community Clean Water Summit

2011-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Join us for the Community Clean Water Summit

February 26, 8:00 am to 1:30 pm
Silver Spring Civic Building, Great Hall, room 1

Pre-register at http://clean-water-summit.eventbrite.com

What is this event? A Community Clean Water Summit for citizens to attend and learn about the impacts streams are facing; what environmental groups are doing to prevent these impacts and how they can get involved in the Clean Streams Movement.

Who should attend? All members of watershed groups, general public and anyone interested in the health of the streams in Montgomery County.

What Will You Learn? By joining us at the Community Clean Water Summit, citizens can:

See firsthand what issues streams in the County face and how they can be a part of the solution. Eric Eckl, from Water Words that Work, LLC, will be the keynote speaker and will provide input on how Montgomery County residents can have a “Vision for a Cleaner, Healthier Community.”
Hear stories from local residents who decided they had the power to improve the water quality in their neighborhood.
Meet and get to know these fellow citizens who have formed together to improve their community and local streams.
Find out how you can make a difference - discuss various volunteer efforts, inquire about memberships, and other ways individuals can help to make a difference.
Learn from local vendors how to make your your home more water conservation-friendly.

Why: Streams in Montgomery County are impacted by a host of factors. Pollution comes from various sources, however, pollution from stormwater is the only source of pollution that is increasing in the streams of Montgomery County and the Chesapeake Bay. This pollution can come from each and every one of us through the actions and decisions we make on a daily basis. The solution to this trend is in the hands of the local citizens. By getting involved in the community and being aware of the environmental programs, projects, and groups available in the County, citizens can make a significant difference in the amount of pollution that reaches streams by changing simple habits and behaviors. Many of these actions are commonplace and often residents are unaware that their actions can have a negative effect on stream health.

There is a federal program that sets limits for the amount of stormwater pollution in certain areas. Montgomery county is one of the areas that must participate in this program. In order for the County to meet the requirements of this program and reduce the impacts of pollution to their streams, the County needs all citizens to make conscience choices about how their daily activities affect the streams where they live, work, and play.

To register for the event please visit: http://clean-water-summit.eventbrite.com

This event is made possible with the generous support of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Montgomery County and Sea Grant of Maryland.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, please contact:

Ryan Zerbe
Watershed Outreach Planner
Montgomery County DEP
255 Rockville Pike, Ste. 120
Rockville, MD 20850
ph: 240-777-7744
fax:240-777-7765

email:Ryan.Zerbe@montgomerycountymd.gov

Parkway Cleaned!

2011-01-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

Volunteers Matt Oxley and family were so disappointed that the Parkway Pick-up Saturday was canceled due to the snow that they took some bags and gloves and did a parkway clean-up this morning. They collected 3 big bags of trash and one piece of fencing.

Thank you to the Oxleys for coming out. All in all we have collected over 30 huge bags of trash during the months that we have adopted the Little Falls Parkway. Little steps like this keep the trash out of the creek and out of the Bay.

Equipment, Not Trees, Causes PEPCO Outages

2011-01-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

The County is currently looking at Pepco service problems. Please take a moment to remind the working group that street trees are not to blame for power outages. According to a Washington Post investigation, Pepco’s own equipment is to blame. The DC area tree canopy is average, but our outages are not. Click here to read the Post story. Also read Robert McCartney’s excellent column on the same subject.

Street trees have a hard enough life surviving in our urban environment all the while providing such incredible services to us- including soaking up polluted rain water run-off; it is tragic that Pepco blames them for power outages, butchering their branches. Please remember when discussing Pepco and their terrible record with power outages- IT'S NOT THE TREES!

Push back against Pepco's tree butchering and advocate for more street trees and all the benefits they provide! Write to County Executive Leggett's working group on Pepco Service telling them NOT TO ALLOW PEPCO TO BLAME THE TREES! (email, ConsumerProtection@montgomerycountymd.gov with "PEPCO COMMENT" in the subject line)

Trees make a difference in our densely urban environment and we can make a difference by saving them from Pepco’s chainsaws.

Watershed Stewards Academy Accepting Applications

2010-12-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

If you are passionate about the environment and want to help save the Little Falls creek and surrounding space from pollution, Please consider attending the brand new Watershed Stewards Academy and becoming a Master Watershed Steward.

It's a new program out of the University of Maryland sponsored in part by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. There are twelve classes beginning in March and spanning 3 months. Through the course, community leaders will be empowered to guide their neighbors to change the way they handle stormwater.

Participants will graduate from the Academy as Master Watershed Stewards by completing the course and taking on a Capstone Project that will reduce pollution and runoff at its source, neighborhood by neighborhood. Applicants will be drawn from the District, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. The Academy is being run by a coalition of local and regional watershed nonprofit organizations.

Please visit www.ncr-wsa.org to apply before January 10, 2011.

*Please view the class schedule to be sure you can attend all of the classes

*Course will be held at the University of Maryland Campus in College Park Maryland

For additional questions about the Academy and to apply please visit www.ncr-wsa.org.

2010-12-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Report Suzanne Richman, Parkway Pick-up, December 11:
Oh, what a beautiful day to be outside! I led the Little Falls Parkway Pick-Up today and it turned out to be a perfect day to be out of the house. The group spent a little over an hour picking up papers, bottles and other trash along the parkway. Four large bags were filled.

All are invited to join us on the second Saturday of each month. We will have a magnet with our logo attached to a car in the parking area at LF Pkwy and Mass to identify us.

We are especially in need of physically fit, perhaps young, people who don't mind wading across the creek (branch) and walking through brambles to get at wayward plastic bags and stuff.

Parkway Clean-up Report

2010-11-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a report from Donal about the Parkway Pick-up Saturday:

After 2 hours, I left two bags and a large cone (of the type used by AT&T to mark their trucks stopped on the street) at the northwest corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Little Falls Parkway right next to the intersection traffic signals. It includes miscellaneous trash, lots of plastic bottles!

I also went to the west side of the waterway and quickly filled a complete bag at one place that was easier to get to and clamber down from the bank. But there is still lots more on that side that might be more easily accessed by crossing the stream in wading boots at low water.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help. If you missed this month, our next pick-up is scheduled for December 11, 10:00. Meet at the gravel parking lot at the corner of Mass Ave and Little Falls Parkway. We have safety vests, gloves and bags.

Norwood Park Cleaned

2010-11-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

About 50 volunteers came out on 10/16/2010, a beautiful fall day, to improve the wooded areas in Norwood Park by picking up trash and removing invasive vines and other weeds. We saved many trees from dying of strangulation and from the weight of these vines, which were mostly porcelain berry,on Asian vine.

Thank you to our partners Friends of Norwood Park, Chevy Chase West and Montgomery Parks for all their help. Thank you to Honest Tea for supplying beverages. Thank you to Jim Auerbach for the lovely photos. And a big thank you the the Little Falls Ramblers. We love you guys!

Watershed Cleanup

2010-04-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday is the 22nd Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. We will be focusing on the Little Falls Stream Valley Park which runs from MacArthur Blvd to Norwood Park in Chevy Chase.

Find us at three locations
*Mass Ave and Little Falls Parkway
*Little Falls Parkway between River and Mass Ave
*Bethesda Pool, Hillandale and Little Falls Parkway

We'll have bags and gloves!

And talking about picking up trash... Did people notice that LFWA has adopted a highway! The stretch of Little Falls Parkway between River Road and Massachusetts Ave is officially ours to keep clean. We will have litter pick-up parties on the first Saturday of each month. Watch the blog or the website for details.

No Building in the No-Build Zone

2009-09-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, we make it into the news. Check out this article in this week's Gazette concerning the Town of Somerset's proposal to build a new pool house next to the creek.

www.gazette.net/stories/09162009/bethnew200422_32535.shtml

The Town's proposal for renovation places a new building within 50 feet of the stream bank (where the handicapped parking is for those who know the site). The 600 square foot structure would house a kitchen and storage room. A basement is also suggested for this new building. The old pool house would remain on the same foot print, but be considerably renovated. Copies of the plan are on the Town website.

The background on this project is that some 35 years ago, the Town of Somerset built a pool and pool house right next to the creek. The entire facility is located in what today is called "the no-build zone", a 150 foot stream buffer. If the building was proposed today, it couldn't be built in this spot as no buildings are allowed in this important environmental feature. (btw, I'm not sure how the 150 foot buffer came to be a law, but you can be sure that environmentalists fought hard for this, especially given the strength of the developer lobby!)

Today, the Somerset Pool House is in grave need of renovation. There is considerable structural damage and the floor of the women's locker room is in danger of collapsing into the pump room located directly below. The County will not prevent Somerset from renovating the pool house despite its location creek side nor will it make the town remove the building, but the County will be monitoring the environmental impact of the proposed renovations and requiring that the new project conform to present day stormwater management requirements. At the meetings with County officials that I attended, they also emphasized that the Town should try to mitigate the impact of the impervious surfaces of the pool and pool house by creating as much new pervious surface as possible.

In my humble opinion, I fail to see how putting a new building as close to the stream as possible can be considered in the spirit of mitigating the environmental impact of the facility. Even more critical than the 150 foot buffer is the first 50 feet. The new building would be smack in this 50 foot area. Although there is a parking lot there now, putting the new building next to the creek would take out an area of landscaping which provides some stormwater management. More important, this landscaping strip allows some recharging of the ground water which is essential to the health of several large trees located on the stream bank.

The Town has the opportunity to make this an environmental show piece and mitigate some of the damage that was done 35 years ago. There are other ways to renovate the pool house. I would like to see the town consider other options that would either not increase the footprint of the building (like a second floor), or would site the new rooms further from the creek on surface that is already impervious. There is amply room on the pool deck which is already an impervious surface to put a 600 square foot building.

The Little Falls Watershed Alliance has requested a meeting with the Town to discuss the project and how to mitigate the effects that it has on the Little Falls Branch. Hopefully, we will get some answers to my concerns.

Sarah Morse

First Annual Meeting - September 13

2009-09-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Long summer and not much happened for the Little Falls Watershed Alliance. But, we're back now with our first Annual Meeting and Celebration!

Meet us in Norwood Park (4700 Norwood Drive, Chevy Chase) for live music, food and fun. Steve Dryen will be there to talk about watershed issues and what we can do to improve our environment. David Batson and the newly named Little Falls Ramblers will entertain us and there will be food!

Bring a snack to share. Rain or Shine.

Updates from LFWA

2009-06-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

Long time since my last posting. I guess everyone was tuckered out by all the activities in April.
To recap - we utilized some 400 volunteers on four different days.
On April 4, As part of the Alice Ferguson Foundation effort to clean up the Potomac, a group picked up street litter in the Friendship Heights and Tenleytown area in an effort to stop the trash before it hits the creek!
On April 18, Partnering with numerous groups, we did a creek clean-up. More than 200 volunteers pitched in at four different locations in the watershed.
On April 25/26, we have over 120 volunteers label 250 watershed storm drains. Thank you to our many partners and sponsors who helped with this. We have t-shirts now too! You can buy one for $15.00 info@lfwa.org

All this while continuing to have our twice monthly invasive pulls and lead talks for area groups! Not shabby!

May has been a time of planning, education and some housekeeping necessary for running a small non-profit. We received a scholarship from River Keepers so that I could attend their River Rally in Baltimore. This three day conference was a great opportunity to meet with watershed stewards from all county. There were three full days of terrific workshops and I am now almost fluent in CWA, TMDL. ESD and other acronyms related to the Clean Water Act (CWA) and stormwater management! We have also been working on a plan for a forest restoration at Westbrook Elementary School. With any luck, we should be ready to start pulling in the fall. More on that as we firm up details. We will need a lot of volunteers to remove invasives and plant native species.

We are gearing up for our first annual members meeting (yes, we are celebrating our first birthday!) The meeting will take place in July and we're hoping to have a big party. If anyone knows any musicians in the watershed who might be willing to donate an evening of music, please let us know - info@lfwa.org.

On the advocacy side of LFWA, we are working with Stormwater Partners to lobby Montgomery County for strong regulations as they rework their permitting process to comply with the Maryland Clean Water Act. The new regulations must be in effect by May 2010, so everyone is working very hard on this. If you would like to see a copy of the guidelines that Bruce Gilmore from American Rivers has put together, please email me and I will be happy to send you one. stormwater@lfwa.org

Lastly, we are in the process of planning our calendar for next year. If you have a great idea for an event let us know so we can get it on the calendar.

Sarah Morse
Blog Master

Watershed Cleaned and Labeled!

2009-04-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

We did it! With the help of over 100 volunteers, 243 storm drains were marked with beautiful "Do Not Pollute" labels and over 2,000 residents received information about storm water run-off and the DC and Montgomery County programs to mitigate. A great way to end earth month!

We have pictures coming just as soon as I get them uploaded and figure out how to post a slide show.

And in case you missed the education part of the day - two messages to take away:
Everything that goes in the Storm drains comes out in the creek.
Water is killing our waterways!
Stormwater run-off washes pollution, trash, silt and more into the creeks. All this flows downstream to the Potomac and to the Bay. Further, too much stormwater causes the creeks to flash flood, the banks to erode and loss of habitat for the macro-organisms who live on the rocks on the stream beds. When these organisms lose their homes, they die, the animals that feed on them disappear and this part of the ecosystem becomes sterile.

The solutions lie locally. Redirect the rain water from the impervious surfaces back into the ground. Not only will the waterways be better for it, but the groundwater will be recharged. Plants depend on this ground water to survive. Visit the DC Riversmart Homes website, www.ddoe.dc.gov/riversmarthomes or the Montgomery County Rainscape website, www.rainscapes.org for a wealth of information on what you can do right on your property.

Thank you again to everyone who came out. Please support our sponsors and raffle donors listed in the previous post. And check back for pictures!

And if you missed the festivities, but want a t-shirt, we have a limited number available for a $20 donation.

Sarah Morse

Sunshine and Labels for this Weekend

2009-04-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

Just checked the weather, and it promises a beautiful weekend, just right for spending an hour or two gluing labels on storm drains!

On Saturday, pick up supplies at the Bethesda Library from 1:00 to 3:00.
On Sunday, we will be at the Bethesda Pool Parking Lot from 11:00 to 5:00.

Details are in the previous blog, but I just wanted to take a little space to recognize our sponsors, without whom we could not be giving away t-shirts (I just picked up the t-shirts and they are so beautiful!) and our raffle donors who have given us dozens of prizes to reward our volunteers.

So thank you to sponsors:
Giant Food, macUpgrade, American Plant, DAI, Press, Potter and Dozier,LLC, Advanced Energy Dynamics and Planet Cotton.

Our raffle donors are: Strosniders, macUpgrades, Mamma Lucias, Austin Grill, Ledo Pizza, Lord and Taylor, Tickled Pink, Aveda, Wild Bird Center, Safeway, All Fired Up, Cosi Restaurant, Lilit Cafe, Wow Cow, Green Paper Studio and Bethesda Magazine.

Thank you also to Honest Beverages for donating Honest Tea and juice drinks. It's supposed to be hot this weekend so the beverages will be appreciated.

And of course, we have great partners - Chesapeake Bay Trust gave us a grant for the door hangers, Montgomery and DC governments provided the storm drain labels and glue and Bethesda Green and Friends of the Bethesda Library are also worthy partners.

I hope to see everyone there. Contact me at stormwater@LFWA.org if you have any questions.

Sarah Morse

Watershed is Clean. Time to Label it!

2009-04-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a fantastic day for the Little Falls Watershed. Crews of volunteers in seven locations spent the morning cleaning trash from the creeks and pulling garlic mustard. At my station alone (Bethesda Pool), we pulled 14 bags of trash out of a section of the creek in Kenwood Forest that has never been cleaned as far as I can tell. I'll post more (and photos) as the reports come in.

So, moving right along, plans are finalizing for Label the Watershed April 25-26. We've cleaned it, now we will label the storm drains to remind people that everything in the gutters, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, etc, flows right into the creek. Much of the trash we pulled out came in via the storm drains.

April 25 - from 1:00 to 3:00 we'll be at the Bethesda Library with maps and supplies.
Apirl 26 - from 11:00 to 5:00, we'll be at the Bethesda Pool Parking lot on Little Falls Parkway and Hillandale Road.

Stop by at anytime and pick up supplies. We'll send you out with a map to label 10 drains. Along with the affixing labels, we have door hangers to pass out to neighbors with information about the problem stormwater run-off causes and what people can do to help. It should take a team of four people about an hour.

Rain Plan:
We cannot glue the labels on if it is wet out, even a little drizzle.
So, the rain plan is:
For April 25: you can still come to the library and pick up supplies. Hopefully, it won't rain on April 26, so you can label the drains and return the supplies to the Bethesda pool and get your raffle tickets.
For April 26: If it's raining on Sunday, we will postpone to May 3. Check the this blog for up-to-date information.

Free Raffle Tickets and T-shirts:
When you return your supplies and marked map,we'll give you a raffle ticket for every storm drain you label. The raffle drawing will be at 4:00 on April 26, but you don't have to be present to win. We have great prizes including a nano shuffle donated by macUpgrades.

And we have free t-shirts for all the volunteers.

Partners, Sponsors and Donors
The best thing about this event is that we have been able to engage the whole community to support us. We are grateful to have many sponsors and partners:

Thank you to Chesapeake Bay Trust for partial funding, partners Bethesda Green, Friends of the Bethesda Library and the DC and Montgomery County governments.

Our sponsors include American Plant, macUpgrades, DAI, Giant Food, Planet Cotton, Advanced Energy Dynamics, and Press, Potter & Dozier, LLC. Raffle donors include Strosniders, macUpgrades, Mamma Lucias, Austin Grill, Ledo Pizza, Lord and Taylor, Tickled Pink, Aveda, Wild Bird Center, Safeway, All Fired Up, Cosi Restaurant, Lilit Cafe, Wow Cow, Green Paper Studio and Bethesda Magazine. Thank you to Honest Tea for in-kind donations.

LFWA Gets CBT Grant

2009-04-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Label the Watershed is officially funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust! Our grant will cover costs of educational materials and other expenses associated with putting on the event. A big thank you to them for supporting local watershed groups. Hopefully, we'll see everyone out on April 25 or 26. See previous blog posting for all the details. btw, if it rains, we will have to postpone the April 26 date to May 3. You can't affix the labels if it is wet out. However, we will still be at the library on April 25. That's an indoor location and we'll just pass out labels for people to apply when the weather gets drier.

CLEAN IT, LABEL IT, OWN IT!

2009-04-04T09:50:00.001-07:00

It's our watershed. On the April 18th, we're cleaning it up. And then on April 25/26 we'll label it so everyone knows that we live in the Little Falls Watershed!
Please join us at one or both of these events.

Saturday, April 18: Creek Clean-ups and Garlic Mustard Challenge!
9:00 am to noon, rain or shine!
We will be cleaning the Little Falls Branch creek and Stream Valley Park all the way from the Dalecarlia Reservoir to the Bethesda Public Pool. The effort has also been expanded to remove the invasive weed 'garlic mustard' in the parkland, so experienced weed warriors and new volunteers welcome!

Sign-in stations include:

Little Falls Park in Westmoreland - 3 stream side stations (Little Falls Parkway and Massachusetts; Elliott Road Park trail entrance; Albemarle Street entrance)
Glen Cove/Green Acres - 2 stream side stations (gravel turnout on Little Falls Parkway between River and Mass Ave; and Little Falls Drive at Wakefield Road by footbridge to Westbrook Elementary School playground.)
Town of Somerset - station at the Somerset Pool, Falstone Avenue and Warwick Place.
Bethesda Public Pool - station at the Bethesda Pool located at Little Falls Parkway and Hillandale Avenue.

Volunteers stationed at all trail entrances to the park will hand out work gloves and trash bags. Bring boots and long pants and sleeves recommended.

Children under 15 must be supervised by an adult. Middle and High School students who check in will earn SSL credits from the Montgomery County Parks Department.
This cleanup is supported through volunteers and funding by the Westmoreland Hills Garden Club, the Westbrook Elementary AquaEagles and EcoDefenders, the Town of Somerset, the Westmoreland Citizens Association, the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commisssion, the Alice Ferguson Foundation, Bethesda Green, and the Little Falls Watershed Alliance.

Contact cleanup@lfwa.org for more information.

April 25/25: Label the Watershed!
April 25 - Bethesda Library, 1:00 - 3:00
April 26 - Bethesda Pool Parking Lot, 11:00 - 5:00
For the first time ever in Watershed history we will attempt to label all the storm drains using only volunteer labor! We have raffle tickets and t-shirts and great prizes. We have labels and instructions. All we need are volunteers to make this happen! Volunteers will be sent out in teams of three to five people and will label 5 to 10 storm drains. We hope to have people preregister, but if you just show up at either location, we will have lots for you to do! Contact Sarah at stormwater@lfwa.org to register your team or volunteer to help with running the event.

We are lucky to have many sponsors and partners in this event -
Thank you to Cheaseapeake Bay Trust for partial funding, partners Bethesda Green, Friends of the Bethesda Library and the DC and Montgomery County governments.

Our sponsors include American Plant, macUpgrades, DAI, Giant Food, Planet Cotton, Advanced Energy Dynamics, and Press, Potter & Dozier, LLC. Raffle donors include Strosniders, macUpgrades, Mamma Lucias, Austin Grill, Ledo Pizza, Lord and Taylor, Tickled Pink, Aveda, Wild Bird Center, Safeway, All Fired Up, Cosi Restaurant, Lilit Cafe, Wow Cow, and Bethesda Magazine. Thank you to Honest Tea for in-kind donations.

Events for April

2009-03-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

April is a busy month for the Little Falls Watershed Alliance;

Saturday, April 4: Stop Trash in Its Tracks!
9:00 am to noon,
Meet at the Lord and Taylor parking lot at Jenifer and Western Ave, NW DC.
We will spread out over the Friendship Heights and Tenleytown areas. Gloves and bags provided. Questions - contact Richard trash@lfwa.org for more information or to volunteer to help organize!

Saturday, April 18: Creek Clean-ups and Garlic Mustard Challenge!
9:00 am to noon, rain or shine!
We will be cleaning the Little Falls Branch creek and Stream Valley Park all the way from the Dalecarlia Reservoir to the Bethesda Public Pool. The effort has also been expanded to remove the invasive weed 'garlic mustard' in the parkland, so experienced weed warriors and new volunteers welcome!

Sign-in stations include:

Little Falls Park in Westmoreland - 3 stream side stations (Little Falls Parkway and Massachusetts; Elliott Road Park trail entrance; Albemarle Street entrance)
Glen Cove/Green Acres - 2 stream side stations (gravel turnout on Little Falls Parkway between River and Mass Ave; and Little Falls Drive at Wakefield Road by footbridge to Westbrook Elementary School playground.)
Town of Somerset - station at the Somerset Pool, Falstone Avenue and Warwick Place.
Bethesda Public Pool - station at the Bethesda Pool located at Little Falls Parkway and Hillandale Avenue.

Why We Need Watershed Groups

2009-03-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting with community leaders from the Bethesda Chevy Chase area at a green forum sponsored by two wonderful organizations, Bethesda Green and the BCC Regional Services Center. It was an energizing event with different civic and community leaders sharing what their organizations were doing to "green" the county. We had the Cabin John/Glen Echo Scrape metal challenge, the Bethesda Green recycling bin project, the Town of Chevy Chase "Walk for your Community" event, an Energy Audit Coop initiative and even a Solar Energy Coop - a lot of great ideas and programs that are going on right in our neighborhoods.

But what was noticeably missing (in my mind) were groups really excited about the watershed and solving the problems of stormwater run-off and invasive weeds. Only one civic leader mentioned stormwater management and that was my own town, Somerset (where I have some influence!) And there was a couple who were concerned about stormwater run-off, but only in that run-off from the house next door to theirs was causing flooding. I approached them about the problems of stormwater run-off in general, but they were mostly interested in getting the water off their property and into the street where it won't flood their basement. Which is important, water in your basement is not fun, but sending the water to the street only transfers the problem to someone else.

While I was walking my dogs this morning, it occurred to me that the "someone else" is us. Groups like ours are so necessary as our sole purpose is to advocate for the watershed. Sometimes I think that people take the watershed for granted. The Little Falls Branch looks so lovely tumbling over rocks. Ducks live there and the water is mostly trash-free and clean. They see streams and trees and think that everything is OK as long as it looks pretty. In the years that I have been leading groups to monitor Little Falls Branch, watching the macro-invertebrates die off, talking about the problems of stormwater run-off, I can't tell you how many people have given me a little pat and said "don't worry Sarah, the creek will take care of itself". As we know, the creek can't take care of itself in the face of all the new development and urbanization. So, I'm proud to be a member of this stewardship group.

On April 25/26 (Earth Day weekend) you can help us raise awareness of the watershed by joining us for our "Label the Watershed" event. We are looking for teams of volunteers from all over the area to go out and label the storm drains with "Don't Dump, Flow to Little Falls Watershed" stickers and to distribute educational material to neighbors. This is an easy activity suitable for all ages. Scouts, Brownies, church groups, senior centers, school clubs, book groups - anyone can label storm drains. It should be a fun time. For each storm drain labeled, volunteers will get a raffle ticket and we have great prizes. We hope to have free t-shirts and other give-aways too. But more important, you will get the satisfaction of knowing that you are advocating for the watershed.

Please contact me, stormwater@lfwa.org, if you want to volunteer to help with organization. We especially need people to help with publicity and writing press releases! If you have a group that would like to send a team out, we would like to register them in advance (if possible) so we know how many labels we need. Email me with numbers. And finally, if you would like to sponsor the event, we're looking for donations!

Sarah Morse
stormwater@lfwa.org,
Blog Master

Birds in the Watershed

2009-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, you open your email to a real treat. Such was the case last week, when I received an message from John Stinson listing the birds that he noted in the watershed for the Christmas Bird Count. Although the Audubon event is in its 109th year, it's the first time in years that the Little Falls Watershed has been censused. He and his two colleagues followed the path of the Little Falls Branch until they hit the C&O Canal and turned towards Chain Bridge. They found 34 species and were pleased to see Pine Siskins and Kingfishers.

The following is a complete list. If you want the numbers, please email me (Sarah Morse) and I'll forward John's chart.

Bird Count: Little Falls - Bethesda to Chain Bridge Road, December 20 (5 hours, 3 miles)
Eastern Towhee, Great Blue Heron, Northern Flicker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Winter Wren, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, Belted Kingfisher, American Crow, Fish Crow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Gull sp., Song Sparrow, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, House Finch, Downy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Crow, sp., Mallard, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Canada Goose, Northern Cardinal and European Starling.

I'm especially happy to see crows on the list. I know they are a common bird, but the West Nile Virus wiped out the foursome that hung out in my backyard, so I'm glad to see they're back in the watershed.

John is planning on participating in the Backyard Bird Count February 13-16. So hopefully, we'll have another report on who lives in the Watershed. If anyone else is participating, please send me your list and I'll post it.

Sarah Morse

2008 Volunteer Awards - Monday Night

2009-01-25T17:49:00.001-08:00

Monday night is a special night for the Little Falls Watershed Alliance. In addition to hosting a community meeting with Councilman Roger Berliner, which we hope will be a lively and informative evening, we are pleased to be honoring two extraordinary volunteers - Elfa Halloway and Andrew Schaengold - for their efforts on behalf of the watershed.

Elfa Halloway has been a stalward member of our invasive weed removal efforts. As you may know, every other Saturday, a group of hardy souls goes out into the Little Falls Stream Valley park to manually remove invasive plants. Elfa rarely misses a session and we are pleased to be able to honor her efforts.

Andrew Schaengold is a premier member of our trash abatement program. We are recognizing this teenager for his fine service this past summer in performing litter patrol on Western Avenue between River Road and Massachusetts Avenue.

One of the pleasures of forming the Alliance is that we get to work with such fine people. We hope to see everyone out at St. Dunstan's church to honor them.

Sarah Morse

Happy New Year from LFWA

2009-01-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's 2009 already. Just 10 months ago, the Little Falls Watershed Alliance was just a good idea waiting to happen. It's been hard work, but now we're incorporated, we have a board, we have twice monthly invasive weed pulls, we've hosted speakers and streams walks and most exciting, we just heard from the IRS and our application for tax exempt status under 501(c)(3) application has been approved! (Use the donate button on the right to make a contribution!)

We plan to be very busy in 2009 too:
On January 26, we are hosting a community meeting with Councilman Roger Berliner. He will talk about the Montgomery County Climate Protection Plan and other Council activities as they relate to environmental and development issues watershed.

The twice monthly weed pulls will continue (bundle up). They are on the second and fourth Saturdays at 8:00 am. Contact Lynnwood for details. If you are interested in organizing a weed pull in your area, please ask Lynnwood for help. We have a community set of clippers and are more than willing to come out and help you get started.

Save the date - April 25. For the spring we are planning a "label the watershed" day, where we will attempt to label every storm drain in the watershed - DC and Montgomery parts. Obviously this will take a lot of volunteers, so if you are interested in forming a labeling team, please contact me at stormwater@lfwa.org. We'll have more information as we get closer to the event.

Neighborhood Outreach: We are also looking for contacts in the many neighborhoods in the watershed who can help spread the word. We know that many people out there would like to do something, but just don't know what one person can do. So, we thought we could meet with every neighborhood association to give a short presentation on the watershed and answer questions people might have about how they can help save the streams. Please contact me stormwater@lfwa.org.if you can help identify civic groups who would be willing to host us.

So, as you can see, we have a lot planned and there are many volunteer opportunities. We hope to see everyone at at least one event!

Sarah Morse
Blogmaster

Volunteer Opportunities

2008-12-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

The Little Falls Watershed Alliance is an all volunteer endeavor - everyone including the lawyer who filed our 501 c(3) application, the webmaster, the graphic designer, the invasive weed event leader and the speakers at our events. All of us volunteer for this important effort because the watershed needs us.

But we can't do it alone. We need your help. With many hands, we can get a lot done.

Please contact us about volunteering -

If you only have a few hours to spare, we can use people to help with
invasive weed control - plants@lfwa.org
storm drain stenciling (in the spring) - stormwater@lfwa.org
trash abatement - trash@lfwa.org

If you walk in the park regularly, we are looking for STEWARDS to adopt a section of the Little Falls trail and act as the eyes and ears of the park. The stewards would report problems to proper authorities and help coordinate clean-up and invasive removal events. info@lfwa.org

If you would like to get involved with the organization of LFWA, we are looking for
a Fund raising chair info@lfwa.org
a Membership coordinator info@lfwa.org
and help with the website info@lfwa.org

Together, we can make a difference in the watershed.

River Smart Homes

2008-12-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

Last month, some of us attended a watershed stewardship workshop sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government. I was looking over my notes and thought I should share this information from the District Riversmart program. You can find out about their incentive program on-line at Riversmart Homes but even without the incentives, they have some really good tips for getting storm water into the ground. Don’t forget, Montgomery County also has an incentive program on-line at their rainscapes page.

So from the Riversmart web page, here are five things you can do on your property that can make a big difference!

Plant Large Shade Trees - Anyone who has taken shelter under a tree during a rainstorm knows that trees trap rainwater. The City is interested in planting large shade trees because they help reduce stormwater while helping to reduce air pollution and the urban heat island effect. Homeowners like them because they can reduce heating and cooling bills and they increase property values. Currently the DDOE and Casey Trees have teamed up to provide a $50 rebate for homeowners who plant large canopy trees.

Install Above Ground Cisterns - Above ground cisterns are also commonly called rain barrels. Cisterns are used to capture water from your rooftop and store it to be released at a time when it is not raining. Cisterns help reduce stormwater pollution by trapping stormwater rather than having it flow off your property. Homeowners like them because they can use the water to water their gardens or wash their car and save money on their water bills.

Replace Impervious Surfaces with Pervious Ones - Sidewalks, driveways, and patios are a major source of stormwater pollution. By replacing traditional asphalt and concrete with permeable or porous pavers you help allow water to infiltrate naturally into the soil, but most homeowners install them because they feel the paving stones are more attractive than traditional concrete.

Construct Rain Gardens - A rain garden is a low point in your yard where you deliberately direct stormwater. The soils in the garden are amended to allow water to rapidly infiltrate and special plants are installed that can tolerate getting their "feet" wet. The City likes these gardens because they infiltrate and treat stormwater naturally, but you'll love them because they allow you to plant interesting and beautiful plants that cannot tolerate drier conditions.

Bayscape Your Yard - Bayscaping is a fancy term for planting gardens beds with plants that are native to the Chesapeake Bay region. The City is promoting native landscaping because native plants have deeper roots and more complex above ground structures than grass and therefore they capture more rainwater than turf. You'll love your Bayscaping because it invites songbirds and butterflies by providing food (nectar and seed) and habitat for our animal friends!

Death by Stormwater Run-off

2008-11-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

Water is killing our waterways! This was the message I took from Diane Cameron's informative talk and discussion last week. And it's not what's in the water, but the volume and velocity of water running down the impervious surfaces of our roofs and roads into the storm drains that's the problem. The creeks just can't handle this tsunami.

Here in the Little Falls watershed, where every day we have more and more impervious surfaces being created with bigger houses replacing smaller, new roads and sidewalks being built to meet the growing demand for infrastructure and infill development creating new roofs and parking lots, stormwater run-off is probably the major contributor to the decline of the waterways.

The good news, Diane reported, is that governments are catching on to the idea that managing the water before it hits the streams is an important part of the solution to saving our creeks, rivers and bay.

Diane pointed to several key things that residents could do to improve the situation on their property - all having to do with redirecting the stormwater away from the impervious surfaces - be they driveways, sidewalks or streets - and into the ground.

The cheapest and easiest solution was to use flexible drain pipes (those 4" black hoses) to carry the water away from your house and into your yard. Diane pointed out that a shade tree during the growing season can actually absorb most of the water. Actually planting a little grove of trees to take this water was the best solution - especially if the trees are canopy trees like oaks or poplars.

Another solution was for residents to build rain gardens. The county has a rebate program which grants up to $1,200. (I think the county's goal is 30 percent of homeowners to have rain gardens) The idea of the garden is to divert the water from your roof directly to this special garden that will allow the water to soak into the ground. Below we have listed some landscapers who could help you get started.

Using porous pavers instead of asphalt and concrete is another way to cut down the run-off. The county also has a rebate program for this available for new construction or for retro-fitting.

Municipalities can also build rain gardens and divert stormwater away from the drains. Curb-cut gardens are becoming increasing popular. Check out the Green Street Program in Portland to see what one city is doing. Make sure you down load the Green Streets tour map . It has fabulous pictures of all the projects. We could do this in the Little Falls watershed. Contact, Sarah at stormwater@lfwa.org if you would like to coordinate an effort to convince the county to give us curb-cut parks.

A big thank you to Diane from us at LFWA. She has promised to get me her talk in PDF form. As soon as I get it, I'll post it.

Sarah Morse
Blog master!

Rain garden designers:

Yolanda Del Buono (Yoli)
gwobonanj@yahoo.com
phone: (240) 506-6914
Rain Garden Design and Installation
Student at the GWU in Landscape Design Master’s program.

Carol Foster Hall
carol.f.hall@verizon.net
Rain Garden Design; advice on plant selections.

Kit Gage
kgage@verizon.net
Site Evaluation; Rain Garden Design; help with identifyng contractors/ volunteers; and with arranging for DEP-provided soil and plants.

Fran McClure
flmcclure@earthlink.net
Rain Garden Design; connections with other landscaping experts and contracting firms.

Holly Olson
hjo1629@hotmail.com
Site Evaluation; Rain Garden Design; Arranging for soil and plants.
Student in the GWU landscape design Master’s program.

Jenny Reed
jenny010@earthlink.net
Rain Garden design through her firm, naturalresourcesdesign.com.
Jenny and her partner, Lauren Wheeler, work with homeowners, the City of Takoma Park, and
the District Department of the Environment designing and implementing LID practices such as
pervious paving, raingardens, bio- swales and cisterns.

There is a part of the Montgomery County web site at: www.rainscapes.org that provides further information on the Rainscapes Rebates program. Pamela Rowe leads this program; her contact information is also listed below.

Pamela Rowe
pamela.rowe@montgomerycountymd.gov
Rainscapes Coordinator
Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection
Information on Rainscapes Rebate Applications, help with obtaining soil and plants.

Municipal Programs for Inspiration!

Green Streets Programs Across the Nation:*

Portland, Oregon:
www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=44407

New York, New York:
www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/14/greenstreets-of-new-york-new-and-improved/
and
www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets.html

Seattle, Washington:
www.seattle.gov/UTIL/About_SPU/Drainage_&_Sewer_System/Natural_Drainage_Systems/Street_Edge_Alternatives/index.asp

Federal Green Highways Partnership: www.greenhighways.org/

Riders on the Storm: How to Catch the Rain in Public and Private Yards

2008-11-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

Our creeks are dying and the water coming out of the sky is killing them. Every time it rains, water runs off the roofs, down the streets and into the storm drains. The volume and velocity of this water entering the creeks creates little tsunamis that wipe out life and cause erosion.

On Wednesday at 7:30, we are pleased to present a talk by Diane Cameron, Audubon Naturalist Society, about low-impact solutions like rain barrels, rain gardens and pervious pavers that residents and municipalities can initiate to keep the water out of the storm drains. Her talk will include a discussion of funding sources for stormwater control that are available to both residents and municipalities, as well as the current stormwater legislation in Montgomery County.

For those of you who don't know, Diane Cameron is one of the best environmental policy people in the country. With a Master’s in Environmental Engineering in 1987 from the University of Maryland, Diane has focused on Clean Water Act implementation, regulation, and public education. She is presently the head of the Montgomery County Stormwater Partners and Director of Conservation at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase.

The talk will be at the Somerset Town Hall, 4510 Cumberland Ave, Chevy Chase, MD. Refreshments will be served! If you have any questions, email us at info@lfwa.org

Looking for Stewards

2008-11-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I walked my dogs along the Little Falls Trail from Dorset Ave to Norwood Park. The colors are amazing, but the park needs so much work. Porcelain berry is smothering most of the trees, especially on the "creek edge" and along the western edge of Norwood park and the entire area needs cleaning and invasive control. However, as I passed fellow dog walkers and greeted friends and neighbors, I thought, if we could get an army of park users to spend just a few hours, we could free many of the trees and make a dent in the invasives.

This fits right into the steward program that LFWA is trying to launch. What we are looking for are people to adopt a section of the Little Falls Park (which runs from McArthur Blvd to Norwood Park). The steward would be the eyes and ears of their section as well as help organize clean-up events once or twice a year. LFWA board would support them and provide tools, equipment - whatever they need. We were thinking that this would be a perfect role for people who already use the park - dog walkers, runners, hikers and the like.

If you would like to be a steward, contact Suzanne Richman at info@lfwa.org for more information. And even if you don't want to be a steward, but would like to organize the West Chevy Chase neighborhood for a invasive weed removal effort, contact Lynnwood at plants@lfwa.org. She can help get you started and even has a lot of clippers to lend.

And don't forget we have Diane Cameron coming to talk about stormwater control on November 12. The old way to control stormwater run-off was to line the creek with concrete like they did to the Willett Branch which runs along the Little Falls Trail near Norwood Park. Diane will talk about new solutions that don't involve concrete!

Sarah Morse
blog master

ISO Stewards

2008-10-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

An important facet of a group like Little Falls Watershed Alliance, Inc., is having a brigade of volunteers called Stewards who walk the parks and act as the eyes and ears for the Little Falls Stream Valley Park and the tributaries flowing into the Little Falls Branch or Minnehaha Branch. If anything is amiss, Stewards alert the proper authorities. If they choose, they also would handle oversight, leadership and hands-on work for their section. The ideal Steward is one who spends time outside in the park such as dog walkers, hikers, bikers and cares about its health.

On October 30, at 7:30 pm, there will be a brainstorming meeting about organizing these volunteers. If you are interested in coming to this meeting, please RSVP to Suzanne Richmond, info@lfwa.org , The meeting will be at her house, 4712 Overbrook Road, Brookdale. And, if you can't make the meeting, but have ideas, please email Suzanne. She's happy to hear from everyone.

Until we get the steward program going (and after for that manner!), anyone who sees something amiss in the watershed is encouraged to call the proper authorities. Below is a list of people to call. Thank you to Alice Mayio for compiling them.

Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

Report water quality problems such as odors, oil, sediment – 240-777-7770 or 240-777-7700. After working hours, your call will go to a hotline.

Report sediment runoff from a construction project – 240-777-6259 (County sediment control/permitting services)

Report blocked drains, overload of winter sand or salt, other road-related problems – 240-777-6000 (Department of Public Works and Transportation)

Report illegal dumping (e.g. trash, construction materials) on county land -- 240-777-DUMP

Report drainage from a neighbor’s property --240-777-3785 – (Housing code enforcement)

Online, you can send an email to the county describing the problem to askDEP@montgomerycountymd.gov or go to

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/deptmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/eforms/home.asp to fill out a complaint form (click on water quality)

Maryland Department of the Environment

Call 1-800-633-6101 during the hours of 8 am – 5 pm, M-F), 1-866-633-4686 after hours and on weekends

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Report water leaks, sewer overflows, sediment runoff as a result of WSSC activities --

301-206-4002 (WSSC emergency 24-hour number)

Park Police

Report suspicious or unsafe activity in the stream valley park – 301-949-3010 (Emergency)

Free the Trees!

2008-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, there are trees under there! About 15 of us were out last Friday morning working on the Little Falls Trail clearing out the porcelain berry and other vines and the good news it that we found trees - alive and happy to be freed from the weight of the vines. As we cut the vines back, sunlight streamed into the area, prompting one volunteer to exclaim - "I can just hear the tree expressing gratitude for the warm sun on its bark." For some of these trees, it's the first time in years that they have had the sun on their trunks.

For those of you who have never done invasive weed control before, we cut a window in the vines - cutting as high as we can reach and then again at the ground. The vines are left in the trees where they will die. We also leave the cut pieces on the ground to decompose. It's hard work and it can take two hours or more for one person to free just one tree. So it was great to see so many people there. Thank you especially to the Sidwell Friends Upper School students who came as part of their community service day. And thank you to our invasive weed control coordinator, Lynnwood.

If you have a group that would like to do a project, contact her at plants@lfwa.org. You don't even need to bring clippers - she has a group set! Lynnwood also leads a group in the Little Falls Stream Valley every second and fourth Saturday at 8:00. Contact her for more information.

Here are some pictures of the freed trees!

National Academy of Science Says EPA Stormwater Policy Needs Complete Overhaul

2008-10-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, this just came in - National Academy of Science's report on the EPA's stormwater program. It says it's in total need of an overhaul! Who knew!

I love their description of stormwater runoff:"the toxic brew of oil, fertilizers and trash picked up by rain and snowmelt as the water flows over parking lots, roofs and subdivisions."
I'll have to use it on my next creek walk. The report also highlights one of my favorite points - it's not what's in the water that's always bad but the volume and velocity of the water. In the Little Falls Branch, the water is actually not bad, but the stormwater runoff creates little tsunamis that wipe out anything trying to live there, not to mention causes so much erosion and silting that we have habitat loss right here. You don't need to go to the rain forest or north pole to witness.

I've pasted the first paragraph of the press release below. If you want a copy of the whole report, you can get it at the National Academy of Science website http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20081015.html
You can download the whole thing! I'm sure it's interesting reading.

By the way, Diane Cameron from the Montgomery County Stormwater Partnership (just one of her many hats) is going to talk to us on November 12 at 7:30 about what we can do to control stormwater runoff. (See events listing on the right for details). There's a lot regular residents can do and money from the county too, so mark your calendars!
Publish Post
Sarah Morse
Stormwater Chair

EPA's Stormwater Program Needs a Significant Overhaul

To Improve its Effectiveness and the Quality of Urban Streams

WASHINGTON -- Radical changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stormwater program are necessary to reverse degradation of fresh water resources and ensure progress toward the Clean Water Act's goal of "fishable and swimmable" waters, says a new report from the National Research Council. Increased water volume and pollutants from stormwater have degraded water quality and habitats in virtually every urban stream system. To provide meaningful regulation, all stormwater and other wastewater discharge permits should be based on watershed boundaries instead of political boundaries. Moreover, the program should integrate stormwater management and land management practices, and focus less on chemical pollutants in the stormwater and more on the increased flow of water.

Welcome to Little Falls Watershed Alliance

2008-10-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
We finally have a stewardship group for the Little Falls Watershed. We have a board of directors, we have committees, we have applied for non-profit status, we have a list serv and now we have a blog! It's very exciting and we invite you to join us.

Here's a map of the watershed. The main creeks are Little Falls Branch, Willet Branch and Minnehaha Branch in North Bethesda. Jennifer Run also comes into the Little Falls Branch. As you can see, we are bordered by Cabin John and Rock Creek Watersheds.

You can join our list serv by emailing Suzanne at info@LFWA.org. She's our president and she'll sign you up!

For more information, email Suzanne too. We can get you set-up clearing invasive weeds (every other Saturday at the Little Falls Stream Valley Park) or picking up trash - both by the creek or on the roads. You could also join us as a creek steward, or join a committee.