Watershed Stewards Academy Accepting Applications

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.

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

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

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

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.