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