Stewardship
We do hands on work to improve the creek and the parks around it. Hundreds of volunteers each year participate in our stream cleanups, weed pulls, and events to eradicate invasive plants. On a larger scale, we work with neighborhood groups to obtain grants for rain gardens and other projects that reduce runoff that hurts the creek.
Stormwater Management Projects
We work with Bethesda, Chevy Chase and DC neighborhoods to obtain grants to build rain gardens and other “green infrastructure”, to reduce and control stormwater runoff that can severely harm the creek. The grants leverage our expertise to make a real impact on the challenging stormwater problem.
Trash Abatement
We hold monthly stream cleanups along the Little Falls Branch in Bethesda and participate in region-wide cleanups twice a year. Our volunteers pull every imaginable type of trash out of the creek and its environs, from bottles and cans to shopping carts.
Habitat Restoration
We work with the Montgomery County Park Department, DOT and other public land owners to clear out undesirable non-native invasive weeds and to plant native flowers, trees and shrubs to creating beautiful meadows and native plant gardens for the community to enjoy.
weed warriors: saving the Parks from Nuisance Plants
Invasive nuisance plants can take over parks and forests, driving native plants out. Our certified weed warrior supervisors lead community work days to removed pests such as bush honeysuckle, porcelainberry and multiflora Rose from the parks near the creek and so that the native plants can thrive.
Label the Watershed
Labeling the storm drains with "Do Not Pollute, Flows to Little Falls creek" is a powerful way to remind people that what happens on our streets directly effects the health of our creek, the Potomac River and the Bay.
Frog Watch
Interested in learning about frogs, frog calls, and which frogs are native to our area? Want to participate in citizen science program that is fundamental to collecting long-term data on the nation's frogs and toads. This is your opportunity!
Stream Monitoring
LFWA has a robust water quality monitoring program and supports several different types of monitoring efforts including winter salt, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fecal bacteria. These programs help us understand the challenges of faced by our creeks and give us information to share with the public about pollution and health concerns.
Road Salt Monitoring
We are concerned about the amount of salt used by local municipalities during the winter, which runs directly into the creek when snow melts and can present a threat to aquatic life. As part of the national Winter Salt Watch program, our team of volunteers checks salt levels in the creek to monitor whether it is exceeding safe levels.
Bird Counts
What birds live in the watershed? We have bird lists from local birders as well as from - the Christmas Bird Count in mid December through early January and the Great Backyard Bird Count in February.
Deer Exclosures
We manage three deer exclosures in the Little Falls Stream Valley Park. They protect areas from deer by netting wrapped around posts. The areas are being actively returned to native habitat, which is a multi-step process.
Robot Project
In 2021, with funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we started a project to develop autonomous water quality environmental robots. The bots will live in housing at four locations in the Little Falls and Willett Branches and sample the water.