Several lucky homeowners in the District of Columbia are the beneficiaries of new rain gardens, porous sidewalks, and even a couple of new driveways, thanks to FORCE and the District of Columbia's new "RiverSmart" program. In September, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) gave FORCE a grant to help educate residents about effective stormwater managment techniques that they could install on their own property. With the help of a landscape design firm and a contractor with a big backhoe (see below), seven D.C. demonstration projects were quickly completed.

Rain gardens, bayscaping and pervious paving were installed in three sites this fall, with more to come in 2008. Three demonstration sites in D.C. are the first phase in a D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE) project to persuade homeowners to reduce stormwater pollution flowing off their property and harming the District's rivers and streams. The program is designed to show how watershed-friendly landscaping can beautify residential properties. When completed, there will be demonstration sites in all eight wards of the city. FORCE chose Natural Resources Design, a Takoma Park-based landscape design firm, and DemoWorks, a landscaping contractor, to carry out the project. For photos of the first round of projects, with remarkable before and after shots, select this link.

“For Rock Creek, a key hurdle to overcome will be the ‘we can’t make a difference’attitude. The challenge will be to persuade people that they,in fact, can.” That’s how Beth Mullin, selected in September as the first executive director of FORCE, looks at her new job. Beth was chosen out of a field of two dozen candidates. She impressed the board with her can-do spirit and cheerful enthusiasm—and a great track record as the founder of the Pinehurst Tributary Cruisers in her northwest D.C. neighborhood.

FORCE decided to seek a paid executive director because our continued effectiveness depends on work that just can’t be done by a volunteer board any longer. We’ve had great success in new projects, increasing membership, and raising funds. Now it’s time to move to a higher level in conservation, education, and restoration. You'll be hearing more from--and about--Beth in the coming weeks and months. You can contact her at beth@friendsofrockcreek.org.

Employees of the Washington headquarters of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank, pitched in with enthusiasm on Friday, September 28, to help clean up trash at the mouth of Rock Creek near Thompson's Boat House. Twelve volunteers from the IFC Infrastructure Division (CIN) cleaned out the historic Tide Lock of the C&O Canal, which collects trash and debris from the Potomac River where Rock Creek enters the Potomac. After cleaning up the lock, they moved on to the other side of the Creek, where they found another collection of trash at the point of the Creek directly across from the Watergate Hotel. Among the items found in the lock were several pairs of women's shoes, an empty 55-gallon drum, a truck tire, and highway safety barrier from the nearby construction project on Rock Creek Parkway. Cleaning up the site was especially welcome by organizers of the Nation's Triathalon on Saturday, September 29, when 1200 participants, including D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, were expected to jump in the Potomac River nearby for a 1.5-K swim.

IFC-CIN participants clean up the C&O Canal Tide Lock at the Mouth of Rock Creek. Visit our Photo Gallery for more photos.

The volunteer effort is encouraged by the IFC management, which encourages employees to participate in volunteer efforts at least one work day per year. "These folks are clearly good at multi-tasking," said Kevin Flynn, FORCE Chairman, who helped pick the site. "They were picking up trash while making multinational financing deals on their Blackberrys." (No cellphones or Blackberrys were lost in the creek). Thanks to Jamie Fergusson of the IFC-CIN who contacted FORCE last summer to help set up the event. The World Bank and IFC have been strong supporters of local environmental efforts--the Bank has hosted two regional "Trash Summits" in the past several years

For more photos of the event, select this link.

The District of Columbia Government has awarded FORCE a significant grant to help educate residents about stormwater management. The grant, which began in September 2007, will fund a number of stormwater projects throughout D.C. under the city's "Green Yards/Clean Streams" Program (now called the RiverSmart Homes program). Among the projects, which will take place in every ward of the city, are rain gardens, rain barrel installations, and plantings of vegetation to help control stormwater runoff.

The grant agreement, totalling $110,000, was signed in late August by representatives of the District's Department of the Environment (DDOE) and the FORCE board. FORCE will be assisting the city in selecting demonstration projects, meet with property owners, help educate them about the program, and then install rain gardens, Bayscaped yards, and replace impermeable surfaces with permeable surfaces. A major part of the grant project will be education of property owners and neighbors about the value of stormwater management. Property owners will make their property accessible for "watershed friendly" garden tours for one year after the installations, and display a sign on their property explaining the project. Details on the project will be posted on this website as the work progresses.

FORCE has a two-year archive of events impacting Rock Creek. To view the FORCE archives, click here.