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News Check Out the New Chevy Chase Rain Garden
Have you ever seen a rain garden? If not (or even if you have), come see the brand new beautiful garden installed by FORCE at the Chevy Chase Community Center and Library. The garden is opposite the Library's front door at 5601 Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, DC, just two blocks south of Chevy Chase Circle. Come take a look! You will want want one at your home or school or business.
And that's just why the garden was created. It's a demonstration project for the District Department of the Environment's RiverSmart Homes program. The District is encouraging property owners to install rain gardens to capture rainfall like a sponge so it can soak into the ground before it becomes polluted runoff that damages our creeks and rivers. The Chevy Chase rain garden collects rain running off sidewalks and lawn before it enters a drain that connects to Rock Creek.
The garden was designed by Natural Resources Design, a local ecologically focused landscape firm, and installed by Gardens for All Seasons. For more information about the RiverSmart Homes program, visit http://ddoe.dc.gov/riversmarthomes. The program is funded by the District Department of the Environment's Watershed Protection Division.
Rainscapes for Montgomery County Residents
Rain gardens are not just for District residents. Montgomery County has its own program to promote rain gardens. The Rainscapes Rewards program provides financial incentives for people who install rain gardens, rain barrels, green roofs, pervious pavers, and more. To find out more about the benefits of rainscaping and how you can apply to participate in the rebate program, google "Rainscapes." Applications are now being accepted.Rock Creek EXTREME Cleanup
Volunteers Turn out in FORCE!
In April 4, more than 1,800 volunteers turned out to pick up over 23 tons of trash all along Rock Creek. As part of the 21st annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. FORCE sponsored and promoted trash pickups in the Rock Creek portion of the Potomac watershed in one big EXTREME Cleanup. Volunteers pulled out more than 2,100 bags of trash, plus tires, grocery carts, suitcases, car parts, cell phones, wallets, a parking meter full of coins, and lots more.
 Maryland State Senator Al Carr, D.C. City Council Member Tommy Wells, and Montgomery County Council Member Roger Berliner (shown in photo at right) met at the FORCE cleanup site near the Boundary Bridge, where Rock Creek flows from Maryland into the District of Columbia. Council Member Wells and Senator Carr are sponsors of legislation in D.C. and Maryland that would reduce trash in creeks from plastic bags, one of the most common types of trash found in Rock Creek. As part of the EXTREME cleanup, volunteers pulled over 7,000 bags from the creek and adjacent parklands.
FORCE has compiled an interactive map of the cleanup sites for the Rock Creek Extreme Cleanup. There were over 50 cleanup sites along the creek--a dramatic increase over year's 15. New sites this year focused on the upper watershed, including Mill Creek near Gaithersburg, the Montgomery County Agricultural History Park, and the Lake Needwood area. This expansion was made possible by a generous outreach grant from REI. Click here to view a map of cleanup site locations.
Matthew Henson Trail Opened
On Saturday, May 9, Montgomery County dedicated the Matthew Henson Trail, which runs along the Turkey Branch tributary of Rock Creek. Come check out the new trail, which is located in the only Maryland State Park in the Rock Creek watershed. You can also see some of the county's efforts to restore the health and ecological functioning of Turkey Branch
FORCE Tackled Invasive Species in Green Apple Festival/Global Earth Day Action Event Volunteers honored Earth Day right here by participating in one of the thousands of events in cities around the worldl. Rock Creek Park is one of the nation's premier urban forests, and yet invasive plants, primarily vines, are weakening and killing its trees. On April 18, volunteers joined FORCE, the National Park Service, and Black Cat Ivy to cut back vines and pull invasive plants in a section of park near Rock Creek Parkway, Calvert Street, and Connecticut Avenue. Click here to view photos of the event.
Council Members Criticize State on ICC and Rock Creek Members of the Montgomery County Council sharply questioned representatives of the Maryland State Highway Administration during a review February 10 of safeguards for the Upper Rock Creek watershed during the ongoing construction of the Intercounty Connector (ICC). Council member Marc Elrich of Takoma Park said he was “baffled” by the state’s explanation of its procedures for protecting Rock Creek. In late January, the Montgomery Planning Board concluded the state could not meet the county’s requirements for the Special Protection Area (SPA) in the upper watershed. FORCE and other environmental groups have urged the Planning Board to require the state to resolve SPA compliance issues before allowing further work on the ICC.
FORCE Member Detects Water Main Break
Please keep your eyes open and report any problems you see!
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FORCE Completes Nine "RiverSmart Homes" Stormwater Projects Eight DC homes and one park now feature new rain gardens, bayscaping, pervious sidewalks, trees, rain barrels, and even a few new driveways, thanks to FORCE and the District of Columbia's "RiverSmart Homes" program. The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) gave FORCE a grant to help educate District residents about effective stormwater management techniques that they could install on their own properties. With the help of Natural Resources Design, an ecologically focused landscape design firm, nine demonstration projects have been completed.  The projects, one in each of the eight District wards, show how RiverSmart features can make properties of any size in any District neighborhood more beautiful and more watershed friendly. An interpretive sign created by FORCE describes the techniques (shown at the right) and will appear at each of the RiverSmart homes. For photos of the projects, including before and after shots, select this link. For photos showing installation of a rain barrel, select this link. The demonstration projects were the first phase in a DDOE program to persuade District homeowners to reduce stormwater flowing off their property, which causes erosion and pollution in local streams and rivers. For more information about the RiverSmart Homes program, visit http://ddoe.dc.gov/riversmarthomes.
News Archives FORCE has a four-year archive of events impacting Rock Creek. To view the FORCE archives, click here.
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