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Over 30 people turned out on MLK Day in Montgomery County to clean up all the trash that had accumulated along a side branch of Turkey Branch. Eric Durland helped organize the event with on the ground organizing from Ed Murtagh from Friends of Sligo Creek and new Stream Team Leader Tania Gerich that lives in the area that was cleaned.

This is a great success for an area that had probably never been cleaned up before! There were lots of the usual plastic bags, bottles, etc. as well as about 7 tires and a lawn mower! Thanks for everyone that came out!

Here is a map of the area that was cleaned up:

Tags: MLK Day | Clean Up | Turkey Branch

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Check out FORCE board member Steve Dryden's new book titled "Peirce Mill:  Two Hundred Years in the Nation’s Capital."  It's the first comprehensive history of the mill, which is located in Rock Creek Park.  The mill has been grinding wheat, corn and other grains since before the Revolutionary War.

The Peirce family (and yes, that is how they spelled it) was one of the capital’s largest slave-holding families and grew wealthy through real estate investment, horticulture, and timber.  They lived at Cloverdale, the family mansion, which still stands on Tilden Street, along with its stone distillery, springhouse, and carriage house.

Steve will discuss the book on Wednesday, January 20, at 12:30 pm at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Second Floor - Boardroom, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW.

In addition to serving on the board of FORCE,  Steve is Vice President of the Friends of Peirce Mill, which is currently restoring the mill in cooperation with the National Park Service.

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There will be a Metro Connection piece on today's Metro Connection show at 1 pm on 88.5 FM WAMU.

The piece will be discussing stormwater issues and how one neighborhood in PG is working to clean up their stormwater and the challenges they are facing.

http://wamu.org/programs/mc/10/01/08.php#31401

Be sure to listen in if you are around at 1 pm.

Tags: Metro Connection | Radio | WAMU | Story

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Exciting news out of Annapolis as Delegate Al Carr and Senator Jamie Raskin plan to introduce bag fee bills similar to the law that just took effect in the District. Please thank these two representatives and contact your own legislators to let them know that you want them to support this bill! Both Al Carr and Jamie Raskin represent districts within the Rock Creek Watershed.

Here's the article in the examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Md__-Va_-lawmakers-to-propose-5-cent-fee-on-disposable-bags-8727407-80815692.html

As we know from our trash clean ups, plastic bags represent a significant amount of the trash problem in Rock Creek and its tributaries. Some estimates have it being as much as 50% of trash in tributaries. Passage of this bill would represent a significant step forward in reducing the amount of trash in our watershed and would be a very positive step forward toward the goal of a trash free Potomac River.

Tags: Bag Fee | Senator Jamie Raskin | Delegate Al Carr | Jamie Raskin | Al Carr | Maryland Bag Fee

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In November, as part of broad budget cuts, Montgomery County completely eliminated the Tree Planting, Tree Maintenance, and Stump Removal Programs for Fiscal 2010. This issue has created a lot of backlash from residents and is a big setback for Rock Creek. By the way, they have kept the tree removal budget so they are actively working to reduce the number of trees in the county and in the watershed!

Here is an original article written by Ginny Barnes from the November Civic Fed Newsletter on the Council voting to cut the street tree planting program:  

County Cuts Street Tree Planting Program - Ginny Barnes, Environment Committee Co-Chair

Each year, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (DOT), the agency charged with maintaining street trees on County Roads removes approximately 2100 trees. Street trees are cut down for a variety of reasons. They can become unstable due to disease or accident. They may be an unavoidable impediment to road improvements or development projects. They are also cut illegally by homeowners who don't know or care that the trees are in the road Right Of Way (ROW). Typically, the County has replanted  those lost trees at the rate of about 1700 a year, using a small budget of $247,000 to plant yearly. Replanting has  clearly not been 100% of what is lost but it represents an ongoing commitment to our collective green infrastructure. Planting season is from October 15 to May 31st. DPWT uses a contractor and if the ground dos not freeze, they can plant all winter. But not this winter and not even next spring. Why? Because on Tuesday November 17th the County Council voted to cut the entire budget of the Street Tree Planting Program.

The loss was initially triggered by the County Executive, who offered up the program as a budget cut. These are hard times. Many programs and agency funding were expected to be slashed  by certain percentages. The tree pruning and removal budget was down sized but replanting has been cut altogether.  Oddly, the County Executive did tell or seek the advice of his own Forest Conservation Advisory Committee before he offered to sacrifice the program. They were not even alerted of the impending Council vote.

This is completely unacceptable in a county that has worked hard to create a model National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit under the Federal Clean Water Act.  A county which, in July of 2007 enacted a "Green Streets" provision into the updated Road Code. A county that claims to be an environmental leader.   Philadelphia and Washington D.C. are leading the east coast in their efforts to provide 'green youth' with street tree planting that will improve overall water quality.  It has taken us years to see the simple truth that trees are our  best line of defense against the ravages of storm water runoff  to our local streams.  Cutting the entire planting  budget will set this County back a long way in terms of addressing water quality commitments to citizens, our County watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay.

Adding this latest blow to our lack of action on even the most obvious flaws in the current Forest Conservation Law and the  Council and  Executive's failure to come up with a County Tree Ordinance leaves us with a much bleaker  future in  what are now considered world-wide basic public health issues; clean drinking water, sustainable natural resources and climate change

If you live in Montgomery County please send a quick email to Ike Leggett and the rest of the County Council to let them know that this cut is unacceptable. Ask them to restore the Street Tree Planting, Maintenance and Stump Removal budgets.
County Council:    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ike Leggett:      This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tags: Montgomery County | Tree Planting | Tree Maintenance | Stump Removal | Budget Cut | Budget Elimination

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This is great news for Montgomery County's Trees.

Mark Buscaino, Executive Director of Casey Trees and a Montgomery County resident, was appointed to the Montgomery County Forest Conservation Advisory Committee. He was confirmed by the County Council on December 8th. This is very exciting news considering the work that Casey Trees has done and continues to do in the District. We are excited that Mark is bringing his expertise and stellar background to Montgomery County.

Mark, and Casey Trees, has been a great partner and advocate to help plant more trees in the Rock Creek Watershed in DC, and we look forward to him being more active in Montgomery County as well.

Here is Mark's bio from the Casey Trees website:

Mark Buscaino - Executive Director

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

202-349-1901

Mark Buscaino became Executive Director of Casey Trees in June, 2006. Previously, he served as National Director for the Urban and Community Forestry Program at the USDA Forest Service beginning in November 2002. From 2001 - 2002, Mark was Chief and State Forester for Washington, DC where he managed the restructuring and expansion of the District’s urban forestry program and worked with Casey Trees on its landmark inventory of street trees. Mark also served as UrbanForester for Fairfax County, VA; City Forester and Parks Supervisor for Takoma Park, MD; and as the Deputy Director of the Urban Forest & Education Program for the City Parks Foundation in New York City, NY.

Mark has a Master’s degree in Forest Resources Management from SUNY-Syracuse, a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Maine and was a Peace Corps Forestry Program volunteer in Benin, West Africa for three years.

Tags: Casey Trees | Mark Buscaino | Montgomery County Forest Conservati

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Stormwater Partners, of which FORCE is a member organization, has sent the following letter to Gov. O'Malley in regards to watershed issues in the Anacostia River watershed:

Dear Governor O’Malley,

In 2001, the State of Maryland joined Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and the District of Columbia in signing the Anacostia Restoration Agreement, and in committing to 2010 targets and goals for improving the Anacostia River. Goal 5 of this Agreement is to “protect and expand forest cover” in the Anacostia Watershed. The resulting 2005 Anacostia Watershed Forest Management and Protection Strategy noted the many benefits that forests provide to Anacostia water quality, and again emphasized the importance of their preservation and expansion.

The Montgomery County Stormwater Partners Network, formed in 2005, consists of almost two dozen groups concerned with stormwater prevention and reduction in order to improve and protect the health of local streams and riers including the Anacostia headwaters. We are concerned that, far from fulfilling this commitment through forest protection combined with reforestation, Maryland is causing a net additional forest loss in the Anacostia watershed. At the Montgomery County Forest Conservation Advisory Committee meeting in September 2009, the Maryland State Highway Administration reported that it had cut down 420 acres of Anacostia Watershed forests for construction of the Intercounty Connector, but had identified only 100 acres for reforestation in the Watershed. Not only is Maryland failing to protect and expand the Anacostia’s forest cover as it pledged in 2001, but it has instead caused a net loss of 320 acres. We are concerned that this severe forest decline indicates that the State is less than fully committed to restoring the Anacostia.

The Montgomery County Stormwater Partners Network asks that your administration reaffirm Maryland’s commitment to fulfilling the 2001 Anacostia Agreement, by directing the state agencies to identify and purchase suitable lands for reforestation to (1) make up for the 320 acre loss it has caused (2) then start to live up to its pledge by proactively protecting and expanding the Anacostia’s forests through new and expanded parkland and conservation land acquisitions and reforestation projects. We further suggest that you direct the Department of Natural Resources to actively partner with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, and similar entities, in order to make Maryland’s Anacostia commitments a reality.

Sincerely yours,

Diane M. Cameron and Steve Dryden
Coordinators
Montgomery County Stormwater Partners Network

Tags: Stormwater Partners | Anacostia River | Steve Dryden | Diane Cameron

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The Silver Spring Garden Club is hosting what looks to be a great information session for anyone interested in making your yard into your own little "Wildlife Sanctuary". It is hosted by Sheila Emond, who is the owner of the Wild Bird Center in Wheaton.

Here is more information for anyone interested:

GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE Sheila Emond’s presentation on Gardening for Wildlife will provide information on natural methods of improving the habitat in suburban back yards in order to attract desirable wildlife. Topics will include using native plants to attract birds, butterflies and beneficial insects, supplemental feeding, and features in addition to food such as water, shelter and nesting sites. Preferences of local summer and winter birds will be presented, as well as ways to assist migrating birds. A few bird-feeding myths will be busted! The urgency of reducing chemical fertilizers and pesticides will be discussed, along with suggestions on how to incorporate organic methods. There will be information on how to reduce common dangers to birds, such as predators and window strikes. Pest reduction techniques for squirrels, deer, and other common critters will be included. A list of resources for further study will be provided. Sheila Emond is the proprietor of the Wild Bird Center in Wheaton, Maryland. Her life-long love of animals is inherited from her parents, who grew up on Vermont farms. Bird watching was part of daily life on the Connecticut lake where her family lived, and cats were always part of the household. Ms. Emond came to live in the Washington area while in the Air Force, and has been a resident for 30 years. She spent most of her adult career in the computer technology field, and holds a B.S. degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland. Coming of age in the 1970s created a concern for environmental issues, and Sheila started using organic methods for lawn and garden care when she bought her first home in the early ’80s. She started her own bird feeding tradition at the same time, and became a customer of the Wild Bird Center early on. When the Wheaton store went up for sale, Sheila seized the opportunity to make a living in an animal-related business, and although the economy has made the first couple of years difficult, she has no regrets. Meeting and sharing information with birders, from beginners to experts, has been a terrific experience. Sheila has recently been invited to join the Rachel Carson Council, an organization devoted to environmental issues.

WHEN: Monday, January 18, 8:00pm Doors open at 7:30pm

WHERE: Brookside Gardens Visitors Center/Education Building 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland

This talk is hosted by the SILVER SPRING GARDEN CLUB. It is FREE and open to the general public.

Tags: Birding | Wildlife | Presentation | Brookside Gardens

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If you live in Montgomery County we will be having a Clean Up on Turkey Branch at Georgia Avenue on MLK Day, Monday, January 18. The Clean Up will occur from Noon until 3 PM.

This will be held in conjunction with the Montgomery County MLK Day of Service and Celebration Events. The county will also be having indoor volunteer activities and a "Volunteer Fair" for anyone interested in learning about ongoing volunteer opportunities in Montgomery County. FORCE will have a booth at the fair in order to find additional volunteers that are interested in working with us.

Ending the clean up at 3 PM will allow time to get cleaned up and head on over to the Music Center at Strathmore for the free Tribute and Musical Celebration from 4 to 6 pm. Tickets are required, but free. Go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mlk for more information about the MLK Day events.

This opportunity is eligible for SSL Credit so students come on out.

Please contact Eric to let us know you you are coming. We look forward to seeing you there!

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-550-6530

Tags: MLK Day | Montgomery County | Clean Up

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I recently came across a line from Donald Culross Peattie: "Nature in winter is like a toy shop closed up at night."

Peattie was a masterful naturalist and writer of an earlier generation who spent several years in Washington (described in his memoir The Road of a Naturalist). It is likely that he hiked along Rock Creek many times in different seasons. His image of the toy shop is apt in this month when many of us spend time in those establishments. And as I walk through Rock Creek Park in December it does seem to be closed, to have shut down for the season. The leaves have fallen, most everything is some shade of brown. But beneath the surface the reality is different. Things remain active, things are afoot. To be able to go along the Creek, to see the spareness of December and yet to know that within that spareness is rich activity and life - that is a present to be grateful for.

Brad Shingleton

Tags: December | Rock Creek Park | Brad

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Hello FORCE!

Just wanted to quickly introduce myself and let you know that I will be contributing to the blog on a regular basis.

Here is a full introduction from the Rock Creek Current:

“Cleaning up the watershed is a huge undertaking that takes a lot of organizing, education, and hard work. In 1995, I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. That took 6 months of hiking, but also another 6 months of organizing and preparation before I started. I look at cleaning up Rock Creek in a similar way as a thru-hike. Taking one step at a time we will get there. There will be a lot of trials and tribulations on the way, but we will get there. And we will have a lot of fun and meet a lot of wonderful people along the way.”

That’s how Eric Durland, selected in October as the first Program Coordinator of FORCE, looks at his new job.

Eric was chosen out of a field of about 50 candidates. He impressed with his can-do attitude and enthusiasm – and a great track record as the volunteer Environmental Chairperson for the Greater Glenmont Civic Association where he organized clean-ups, a rain barrel workshop, and other events in his Montgomery County neighborhood.

FORCE decided to seek a paid Program Coordinator because our continued effectiveness depends on work that just can’t be accomplished by volunteers and the Executive Director alone. We’ve had great success in receiving new grants, new projects, increasing membership, raising funds, and the wonderful success of the Spring Clean Up.  Adding Eric to the staff will help us to accomplish all of these as we expand and, in the process, bring a higher level of conservation, education, and restoration to the watershed.

Eric is an economist by training who has worked in a remarkable variety of positions over the past 20 years. His employers have included Fidelity Investments, the National Park Service, CACI, and Weather Decision Technologies. Many of the paddlers in FORCE might have run into Eric on the water as he is an avid paddler and also works as a kayak and canoe instructor for Canoe, Kayak and Paddle Company (CKAPCO).

“My particular strength is getting out and talking to people. When you combine this with my passion for improving Rock Creek it leads to more involvement from all kinds of people in the entire watershed.”

A Montgomery County native, Eric attended Winston Churchill High School and then Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Eric grew up attending Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist church right on Rock Creek. He remembers many days from childhood of biking, hiking, and playing in and around Rock Creek and still finds time to get outside as often as possible to enjoy all those activities.

Eric lives with his wife Alison, their almost 3 year old son Eddie, and they are expecting a second son at the beginning of December.  Eric also likes playing guitar and singing. He has played in multiple bands over the years, but lately has been learning a lot of songs for 3 year olds!

Contact Eric at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or on his work phone at 202-550-6530.

Eric Durland, FORCE Program Coordinator

I look forward to meeting all of you and working with all of you to make the Rock Creek Watershed a cleaner, better place to live.

Thanks for all the support everyone has offered so far and please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-550-6530.

---Eric

Tags: Durland | Eric | Bio | Program Coordinator | Eric Durland | Introduction | Intro | Biography

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It was the last week of Summer, a little too overcast for the beach, and I had promised Beth that I would spend some time helping get the new FORCE website off the ground.  So I spent some time in photo research to illustrate the new "About Rock Creek" section.  My first task: find a photo of the Hay's Spring amphipod.

What's that?  It is, according to our website, "a small (1/2” to 1 inch) colorless and eyeless crustacean whose adaptive hairs sense currents and food."

OK, I figured, let's see what this thing looks like.  I went to my trusty sources (Google Images). There were 446 results, but nothing that matched exactly.  Nothing?  Then I began the learning process...

Amphipods and isopods are related to crabs and lobsters, but are much smaller....About 200 species of subterranean amphipods and isopods live in North America. Of those, six are found in the Potomac River Gorge and Rock Creek Park. (Learned this from a nice article about them at the National Zoo website).

Most never wander very far. Did I mention that they are colorless and eyeless? Nobody knows what they eat.

They can live in urban environments.

But the most amazing thing:  The Hay's Spring amphipod (and its relative, the Kenk's amphipod) have only been found in Rock Creek!  I've been living in the watershed for about 25 years, and involved with FORCE since its early days.  But I never realized we had unique (and endangered) species.  Makes me appreciate Our Creek even more.

But I'm still looking for that photo.

--Kevin

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