Workshops for Improving Your Yard and the Environment

The RainScapes program has workshops for Property Owners interested in learning about how to reduce runoff and solve their site issues in a way that reduces stormwater runoff.

RainScapes Workshops for Property Owners

Workshop Dates and Times:

Thursday, April 3, 2014, 4 – 7pm (Course #272199) OR

Friday, April 4, 2014 10 am – 1 pm (Course #272249)

Where: Brookside Gardens Visitors Center Adult Classroom

Fee: $12 for Friends of Brookside Gardens or $15 for non-members

Registration required at www.parkpass.org (Registration opens February 15th)

Workshop: Planning on doing some spring landscaping? Before you do, make sure to attend this workshop so you can learn how to turn a simple landscape into an environmentally friendly RainScape!

This workshop will focus on our most effective RainScape: rain gardens! Rain gardens are saucer shaped gardens designed to temporarily pond water after a rainstorm. Instead of polluted rainwater running off your land and into our streams, the rain garden gives that water a chance to soak into the ground. The soil in the rain garden filters and cleans the water.

At this workshop you will learn how to evaluate your yard and gain the knowledge needed to create a rain garden. You will also learn how to apply for a rebate for your rain garden from Montgomery County’s RainScapes Rewards rebate program. Each attendee will be provided with light refreshments as well as a few native plants they can take home to help start transforming their landscape into a RainScape!

RainScapes “Make and Take” Rain Barrel Workshop

NOTE LOCATION! This class is offered at Montgomery College in Germantown.

Workshop Dates and Times:

Friday, April 25, 2014, 10am – 1pm (Course #272299) OR

Saturday, April 26, 2014, 10am – 1pm (Course #272349)

Where: Montgomery College Germantown Campus, Greenhouse

Fee: $12 for Friends of Brookside Gardens or $15 for non-members

Registration required at www.parkpass.org (Registration opens February 15th)

About this Workshop: Do you want to lessen the amount of tap water you use to water your garden? Do you want to help the environment by slowing down stormwater? If the answer is yes to either of those questions then what you want is a rain barrel!

A rain barrel collects and temporarily stores rainwater from your rooftop downspout. Every gallon you capture is one less gallon going down the storm drain and you also end up with a free source of water for watering your garden.

At this workshop you will learn the importance of stormwater control and you will gain the knowledge necessary to install your own rain barrel. You will also learn how to apply for a rebate for future rain barrels from Montgomery County’s RainScapes Rewards rebate program. Each attendee will be provided with light refreshments as well as one rain barrel with parts (one per household) to take home with them. Remember to bring a vehicle large enough to carry a 55-gallon (2’ x 3’) barrel home!

RainScapes Conservation Landscape Workshop

Workshop Dates and Times:

Thursday, May 15, 2014, 4 – 7pm (Course #272350) OR

Friday, May 16, 2014, 10am – 1pm (Course #272351)

Where: Brookside Gardens, Visitors Center Adult Classroom

Fee: $12 for Friends of Brookside Gardens or $15 for non-members

Registration required at www.parkpass.org (Registration opens February 15th)

About this Workshop: This workshop will focus on conservation landscapes which are gardens planted with native plants. The native plants are deep rooted so they help slow down and soak up the rainwater. Instead of polluted rain water running off your land and into our streams, the conservation landscape gives that water a chance to soak into the ground.

Attendees will learn how to evaluate their yard and gain the knowledge needed to create a conservation landscape. They will also learn how to apply for a rebate for conservation landscaping from Montgomery County’s RainScapes Rewards rebate program. Light refreshments will be provided as well as a few native plants, for taking home to help start transforming their landscape into a RainScape!
Note: Registration for spring and summer classes begins February 15th. Register by calling 301-962-1451, using ParkPASS.org, or in person at the Brookside Gardens Visitors Center. When registering, note the course number.

Pretty but Diabolical: Lesser Celandine Carpets the Park.

Lesser Celandine blanketing the forest floor

Lesser Celandine

(Ficaria verna, also known as Fig Buttercup) is a very pretty, but non native invasive plant, originally from Eurasia and northern Africa, that has taken over the Little Falls Spring Valley Park, completely carpeting the valley floor in early spring with a thick green layer dotted with little yellow flowers. In fact, it has already started to come up in the midst of this cold snap. Along with a number of other invasives in our park, lesser celandine is a direct and potent threat to our native plants, especially spring ephemerals, and to our native insects, birds and amphibians, who depend on the native plants. None of them eat celandine.

How do we want Little Falls Park to look in 10 years?

Do we want it covered with a few invasive plants and vines, or do we want the diversity of hundreds of native plants and seedlings, which attract birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects? Because of the Lesser Celandine, we have lost most of the Virginia Bluebells, Wild Ginger, Bloodroot, Trout Lily, Squirrel Corn, Trillium and Spring Beauty (see picture to the right) that used to cover the park in abundance. People who moved to this area many years ago often speak of the masses of Virginia Bluebells in the park as one of the main attractions of this area.  If we want to restore the ecological health and the beauty of Little Falls Park, then we must eliminate Lesser Celandine. 

Controlling Lesser Celandine (More tips HERE).

Lesser Celandine is the first plant you will see appearing in the spring;it spreads quickly, crowds out ephemerals, ferns, and other natives, leeches the soil, and dies back before summer, leaving areas barren looking.  Its multiple bulblets reside up to 6 inches below ground, making manual removal ineffective and destructive to all other plants in the affected area.  If you’ve tried to remove it from your yard, you know that it even displaces grass. No known animals eat it, and no bio-controls are known for it. Chemical control is the only known effective method against Lesser Celandine. There is a very short window in the late winter when it can be controlled, before any native plants have broken ground, and before the Lesser Celandine has flowered.

What Can We Do?

Some other local parks have taken steps to control Lesser Celandine effectively. Rock Creek has combated their celandine problem with spraying and now boast dozens varieties of spring wildflowers including trilliums and hundreds of blue bells in areas that were sprayed.   Sligo Creek also had a celandine problem and been slowly eradicating it in places.  Click here for in depth information which Friends of Sligo Creek (fosc) compiled on the plant, the problem and the solution.  The National Park Service also describes the issues with this plant and the most viable solution (CLICK HERE.) 

Keep Lesser Celandine out of Your Yard.

You can support this effort by removing any Lesser Celandine that crops up in your yards.

spray it:

Glyphosate is the most effective chemical treatment. There is a small window of effectiveness. The temperature must be over 50 degrees and spraying should be done on calm day after the plant has leafed out but before it has fully flowered. 50 percent flowers is ok. You may need to spray for several years to get it all. Care should be taken not to over-spray and kill surrounding plants.

dig it up.

Digging is effective for small patches.

1. You much dig at least 6 inches down to make sure you get all the bulblets

2. Throw away the soil. Do not compost it or send it to county with your yard waste. Those bulblet are viable for years.

Westbard Shopping Center Redevelopment Plans

Westwood Complex.  22 acre site slated for redevelopment.

22 Acre Parcel to be Redeveloped off of River Road in Bethesda

Equity One, a Florida based developer that has been buying up pieces of the Westbard Shopping Center  and surrounding commercial district.  Properties acquire include the nursing home, the bowling alley, the gas station, the building where Domino's Pizza is and more - a total  22 acres.   Specifically, the property to be redeveloped consists of 7 parcels improved with 467,000 square feet of retail, office, multi-family and assisted living space.

Vision Meetings for Westbard Shopping Center 

Wednesday, January 29 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Saturday, February 1, 10:00 to noon

The Ballroom

Landy Lane, Bethesda.

According to the developer's website  these meetings are intended as workshops that will allow the developer to “share our thinking to date and solicit comments from the community,”   

Information about the meetings and development are 

HERE

Information about the Westwood Complex parcel are 

HERE

As the Westbard Shopping Center is very near the Little Falls and Willett Branches, the development of the center has the potential to greatly impact the creeks and watershed.  It is important that the site be developed in accordance with the strictest environmental guidelines.  Little Falls Watershed Alliance will be there advocating for the creek.  Please join us as developers need to know that the public is concerned about the environment.

And please, visit our website at http://www.lfwa.org/westbard-shopping-center-development.  We will try to keep it up-to-date with plans.

Why Local Watersheds Matter

Today someone forwarded me an

article

that really addresses why we need local watershed groups and how important our work is.   It's by Perrin Ireland who wrote it after attending EPA hearings on "Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence."  Her blog is entitled

How that Tiny Stream flowing by Your Back Door is Important to the Whole World

. and it's on 

www.Good.is

- a site self described as "a place to share creative solutions for living well and doing good."

It seems a little bit of a no-brainer to conclude that what happens upstream impacts down stream waters, but Perrin's article really does a good job of spelling it out and her "

scribes

" cover the hearings with beautiful visual notes.  

It made me feel good about our local stewardship - we're protecting those upstream "headwaters" and helping "the whole world".  Check her blog out at:

http://www.good.is/posts/how-that-tiny-stream-flowing-by-your-back-door-is-important-to-the-whole-world

http://www.good.is/posts/how-that-tiny-stream-flowing-by-your-back-door-is-important-to-the-whole-world

60 Testify to Protect Ten Mile Creek

From our friends at Audubon Naturalist Society

Councilmember Update:

We now have three allies on the Council - Elrich, Andrews, and Berliner. We are especially needing to reach out to Councilmembers Hans Reimer and Nancy Navarro; please email or call their offices to ask them to protect Ten Mile Creek. Please stay tuned for action alerts in the next few weeks before the winter break. We've only just begun to fight for clean water.

Your Letters to the Editor are needed now!  

I encourage you to write new LTEs or convert your testimony into a 200-word (or less) LTE to the Gazette via: opinions@gazette.net (The Gazette has a 200-word limit for LTEs.)

Report on last week's Ten Mile Creek Hearing at the MontCo Council:

The Save Ten Mile Creek and Liveable Clarksburg Coalitions presented a strong, united and powerful array of testimonies at last week's two-night hearing at the Montgomery County Council in Rockville. The vast majority -- about 60 out of close to 80 speakers -- favored protections for Ten Mile Creek and our region's emergency drinking water supply, Little Seneca Reservoir. Councilmember Berliner commented at the hearing's conclusion that "This was among the highest-quality hearings I've ever seen."

Among the many highlights of the two nights of hearings (on 12/3 and 12/5):

* Royce Hanson, John Menke, and Scott Fosler gave a 3-part sequence of testimonies on the importance of protecting our region's proximate emergency drinking water supply, Little Seneca Reservoir, through protecting Ten Mile Creek. (Hanson, Menke and Fosler are former Council and planning board members)

Royce testified that "Some suggest that too much has already happened to stop now. Inertia is not planning. It is not illegal to get smarter. Speculative investments are not vested."

Scott's testimony stated: "What we are requesting of the Council is really quite simple: Honor the county government’s responsibilities to protect the drinking water supply of our citizens, and don’t renege on our obligations to our regional neighbors."

* Ephraim King testified that the Planning Board used the wrong standard of review for their selection of which option to recommend for the Ten Mile Creek plan - they compared each option with whether it differed from the 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan, rather than comparing it to whether and to what extent it would enable the County to support the applicable Water Quality Standards for Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir.

This is just a small sample of the excellent testimonies: thanks to all who testified; attended the hearings and performed other supporting tasks. Read More Testimonies HERE or HERE


Diane M. Cameron
Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition Coordinator
Conservation Program Director
Audubon Naturalist Society
(301) 652-9188 x22 diane.cameron@anshome.org
dianecameron60@gmail.com

Action Alert for Ten Mile Creek

From our friends at Montgomery Countryside Alliance:

On December 3rd and 5th - the Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing on Clarksburg's Ten Mile Creek, the county's last, best creek and the backup drinking water supply for you, me and 4.3 million other DC area residents.

At the October Planning Board Hearing, Board members voted to allow more than 650 residential units and the area's second outlet mall in the headwaters of the creek- all while Clarksburg goes without basic services like a grocery store. Despite your calls and emails, the Planning Board caved to threats of lawsuits from the developers and chose a course that is scientifically proven to degrade our water supply.

We have one more chance- the decision moves to the County Council next week. Incredibly, we understand that some members of the Council do not see the need to provide protection for our water resources before land use decisions are made. We need your help in urging them to consider the 4.3 million people that depend on this water supply and the Clarksburg residents that were promised a liveable community, not more sprawl. More Background HERE

Take Action Now:

Call or email the County Council (Contact and Talking Points Here) members to let them know that the threat of lawsuits shouldn't decide how we protect our water- science should.

Attend the Hearings:

December 3rd and 5th - 7:30 pm in the Council Office Building, Rockville

We understand you can still sign up to testify on the 5th. Call 240-777-7803 to get on the list.

Even if you are not speaking- please attend to show your support



What Ten Mile Creek Supporters are Saying:

"It makes no sense to target a sensitive watershed for houses and malls. Please guide and temper the county's growth with reason and care."

"I am 17 and I want to be able to drink the water when I am 40."

"Can't we just have one clean creek?"

Bag Bill Saved!

This is just in from Julie Lawson at Trash Free Maryland. Roger Berliner has decided not to present his bill that would exempt department stores and carry-outs from the five cent bag fee. See below for details from Julie's email. Thanks to everyone who sent letters and testified and reminding the council that environmentalist care and vote!

Hi, everyone-

I didn't even have time to put together a summary on Monday's committee work session before finding out the fantastic news that we have again successfully held back this amendment to weaken the disposable bag fee!
As reported on WTOP this morning, Roger Berliner is not scheduling the bill for consideration by the full County Council at this time, at the request of County Executive Ike Leggett. Read more here:
http://www.wtop.com/41/3497052/Montgomery-County-bag-tax-stays---for-now
The work session on Monday was heated, with representatives of the County Executive's office and the Department of Environmental Protection arguing with members of the T&E committee that any amendments to the bill were premature and not based on real evidence of problems. Read coverage of that session here:
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/11/montgomery-county-discusses-bag-tax-96387.html
http://wamu.org/news/13/11/04/bag_tax_rollback_considered_in_montgomery_county
http://www.gazette.net/article/20131104/NEWS/131109730/1279/news&source=RSS&template=gazette
So, we are back to the holding pattern we have been in all summer and fall. Meanwhile, I encourage you to send a quick note to Mr. Leggett (ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov) thanking him for his leadership, and also to Mr. Berliner (councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov) for listening to the concerns and agreeing to give it more time for real data to be collected.
Thanks to all who contributed cleanup data, testified, wrote letters, and informed your members. I'll definitely keep you posted.
-Julie Julie Lawson Director, Trash Free Maryland Alliance www.trashfreemaryland.org

Saving the world, one bag at a time! We can make a difference for a healthier earth.

Little Falls Ramblers Make Some Noise!

Big Thank You from the Trees of Norwood Park!

The rain didn't stop us from holding our annual celebration of Norwood Park. The turn out was modest, but the band was great and they set up on the porch to entertain.

Check out this video of them singing their version of the Garden Song - the perfect song for listening to while weeding!

Latest from Save Ten Mile Creek campaign

Here is the latest on the Save Ten Mile Creek campaign from Diane Cameron, ANS. The Montgomery County Council will hold hearings on Dec 3. The sign-up to testify opens Thursday. It's important that the council hear from regular people not just environmental activists. So if you can testify that would be wonderful.

Sarah Morse

Executive Director

On 10/28/2013 8:00 PM, Diane Cameron wrote:
Headlines: * Sign up Thursday to testify at Dec. 3 Council Hearing on Ten Mile Creek * Attend the Save Ten Mile Creek Potluck Picnic this Sat. Nov. 2, 1-5pm * Explore Little Seneca Reservoir this Sat. Nov.2, 10:30am-12:30pm.
Details: Sign up starting Thursday for to testify at the Dec. 3, 2013 Hearing on Ten Mile Creek. Now that the Planning Board has made its recommendation for the Ten Mile Creek Limited Master Plan Amendment (and we've panned it as unacceptable -- since it allows far too much development, won't protect our region's emergency drinking water supply, and threatens our Last, Best Creek) - our attention turns to the Montgomery County Council: Will they serve the people who elect them, or the developers who fund their campaigns?
The County Council has announced that it will hold a public hearing on the Ten Mile Creek plan on December 3rd, 2013 at 7:30 pm. You can sign up to testify starting this Thursday, October 31 -- and I urge you to do so - before you go trick-or-treating! Call: 240-777-7803 to sign up to testify. (For more on the Council's process, see info. below from a council staffer to Anne James.)

Attend the Save Ten Mile Creek Potluck Family Picnic this Sat., Saturday Nov. 2nd, from 1-5pm At the home of Anne and Jay Cinque, 22300 Slidell Rd, Boyds, MD 20841-9322
1:45 pm: Hayride to Ten Mile Creek.- 3 pm: return from the Creek.- 4 to 4:30 pm - short strategy session to plan Coalition outreach, Council lobbying.- 4:45: Cleanup - all pitch in.- 5 pm: conclude.
- Please bring one potluck dish to share. We'll provide soft drinks, beer & wine -- extra beverages will be most appreciated. –
Please RSVP if you plan to attend & how many you will bring to: Anne James, acjamesfineart@gmail.com
Explore Edges of Little Seneca Reservoir this Sat. Nov. 2 10:30am-12:30pm. Family-friendly activity to get to know the part of Ten Mile Creek closest to/ part of Little Seneca Reservoir.
Your Tour Guide, Keith Sanderson, writes: On Saturday, Nov. 2, in the morning from 10:30-12:30 I will lead a field trip through the Wetlands and Mudflats of lower Ten Mile Creek, where few people dare to tread! Email me at: sandman6944@gmail.com for details and reservation- space is limited for this special event!

More on the County Council's Process for the Ten Mile Creek Plan and the Dec. 3 Hearing:

From: <david.hondowicz@montgomerycountymd.gov>
Date: October 28, 2013 1:28:31 PM EDT
To: <timberoakcitizens@gmail.com>
Cc: <MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org>, <joyce.garcia@mncppc-mc.org>
Subject: RE: Ten Mile Creek

Dear Ms. James:

Thank you for sharing the response of the Timber Oak Citizens Association to the Montgomery County Planning Board's recommendations regarding Clarksburg/Ten Mile Creek with Councilmember Andrews. The Councilmember appreciates the Association's concern for the health of the Ten Mile Creek watershed and the Little Seneca reservoir. The Council's review of the Planning Board's master plan amendment recommendations will begin with a public hearing on December 3rd at 7:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building here in Rockville (100 Maryland Ave). Persons interesting in signing up for the Council's public hearing may call (240) 777-7803 starting this Thursday. The Council's Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee will then hold worksessions at a later date(s) before the full Council deliberates and takes final action. The PHED Committee is chaired by at-large Councilmember Nancy Floreen and also composed of at-large Councilmembers George Leventhal and Marc Elrich.


Councilmember Andrews will keep your Association's input in mind as this important issue goes through the Council's review process (as described briefly above).


Best Wishes,
David Hondowicz, Legislative Senior Aide
Office of Councilmember Phil Andrews
Montgomery County Council - District 3

--

How Much Water Runs off Your Lawn?

Here's a neat tool from the EPA to calculate how much rain water is running off your yard and into the creek. www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/; NOTE: I've been told that it only runs on a PC so if you can't get it to work on your MAC that may be why.

As you may know, the biggest threat to our creek (and the Bay for that matter) is the volume and velocity of water entering the creek whenever it rains. Water isn't soaked into the ground by trees or landscaping, runs directly into the creek. The big volume erodes the stream bed and covers the rocks and hiding places for fish and water creatures with dirt. The water also carries pollutants into the creek which make their way into the Bay. Anything you can do to keep the water on your property will go a long way to helping the environment. The EPA tool is a wonderful help in showing you how much water is running off.

For information about what you can do to help get the water back in the ground, in Montgomery County visit - www.rainscapes.org; In DC, visit ; Riversmart Homes. Both DC and the County have a nice rebate programs for implementing some very simple landscaping changes.

For information on how much rainwater a tree can soak up, visit www.treebenefits.com/calculator/

Sarah Morse
Co-President
Little Falls Watershed Alliance