Mow, Don't Rake!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.