Fall Activities
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October 2, Stream Cleanups at Burnt Mills and at University Hills Duck Pond & Lane Manor Park
10:00 - Noon
Meet at Burnt Mills Special Park EAST (Trader Joe side of Colesville Rd.)
Leaders: Kem Morawski and Matt Boyer
We will remove the litter our many storms have deposited sometimes high up the valley sides downstream from Colesville Rd. If time allows, we will also get litter on the upstream side, using the lovely new sidewalk to access a safe crossing at the traffic light.
Sometimes steep terrain and rock scrambles. A beautiful section of the NWB. Wear long sleeves and pants, and shoes that can get muddy. Bring water if needed (reusable water bottle please). The revised Montgomery Parks COVID protocol will be in effect. It is somewhat looser as to numerical limit and masking, but registration and waiver are still required. Adults use the links below. The waiver will go directly to Parks. Those under 18 years old should register, then bring the printed waiver, signed by parent or guardian, to the site. SSL hours are available.
WAIVER LINK (password is "parks")
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Meet at the University Hills Duck Pond, 3400 Stanford St., Hyattsville. Map.
Leader: Ben Simasek, bensimasek7@gmail.com.
The cleanup will cover the Duck Pond Park and the adjacent Lane Manor Park. Flat terrain except for NWB stream channel. Wear long sleeves and pants to protect against bugs and brambles, and shoes that can get muddy. Bring water (reusable water bottle, please). Bags and gloves will be provided. If you live in Montgomery County, this is a chance to see the NWB as it wanders over the coastal plain in Prince George's County. Registration with Prince Georges Parks is required. If you don't already have an account, you'll need to set one up. Ben will have waivers to sign on site.
October 16, Hike to Rachel Carson house
9:30 a.m.- Noon (or whenever)
Meet at Burnt Mills Special Park West (dam side)
Leaders: Rebecca and Ted Henson. RSVP RebeccaSHenson@gmail.com
ALERT: We have just been notified that due to needed work on the house, it will not available for us on the 16th. We are considering alternative dates for the house visit and perhaps keeping a hike on this date with a different destination.
October 23, Boat trip on the Anacostia River
10:00 a.m. - Noon
Meet at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park.
We will again be hosted by the Anacostia Watershed Society, which offers these free trips for educational purposes. The pontoon boat is mostly covered, so it can handle sun and light rain. Heavy rain is a no-go. This is your chance to see where the NWB water goes, and if you joined us in July, to see how the river changes with the season. The boat accommodates 20. For more info, directions, and to register, click the button.
November 6, Steam Cleanup, Alderton Rd.
10:00 a.m. - Noon
Alderton Rd NWB Branch trailhead (map)
Leader: Anne Ambler, anne@neighborsnwb.org
We will follow the NWB trail to the cleanup area. It lies beside Bonifant Rd and also under the spans of the ICC, which crosses the NWB 3 times. Flat terrain after the initial descent. The area tends to be muddy.
Wear long pants and sleeves, and shoes that can get muddy. Bags and gloves will be provided. Bring water if you need it in your reusable water bottle. Revised Montgomery Parks protocol will be in effect. Adults should sign the waiver linked below, which will go directly to Parks. Those under 18 should register, then print the waiver and bring it signed by a parent or guardian to the site.
WAIVER LINK (password is "parks")
November 2, Fish barrier removal on NWB
7:30 - 9:15 p.m. via Zoom
Speaker: Thambirajah Saravanapavan, Ph.D., P.E., Army Corps of Engineers, Project Manager
Dr. Saravanapavan will discuss the barrier removal projects, their origins, and hoped for effects for fish migration up the lower reaches of the NWB and Sligo Creek. The steep descent from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain presents a natural barrier to further migration.
The Zoom link will be sent to everyone on our listserv and in our database.
Water quality monitoring at Burnt Mills
Our monitoring site on 5/19/21, 8:00 a.m.
Anne Ambler and Janice Johnson collected two samples for bacteria and one for turbidity
Anne Ambler and Janice Johnson collected two samples for bacteria and one for turbidity
The water was very calm. We collected our samples while crouching on the sand bar at the right edge of the picture and on the adjacent rock. Analysis showed our E-coli counts to be just 36.9 and 38.4 mpn/100mL, the lowest by far of the 5 sites sampled. (The other sites are on Long Branch and Sligo Creek.) If the E-coli level stayed like that, swimming would be safe. But unfortunately, after a rain, E-coli levels rise. 5/19/21
Anne Ambler and Janice Johnson collected two samples for bacteria and one for turbidity
Anne Ambler and Janice Johnson collected two samples for bacteria and one for turbidity
Anne Ambler and Janice Johnson collected two samples for bacteria and one for turbidity
Perched on a rock, Anne shows the turbidity sample. We also check the acidity level and water temperature vs air temperature. Sampling will continue every 2 weeks, and at the end of the summer we'll have a profile of stream quality. 5/19/21
Janice records date and time for each sample.
Anne Ambler and Janice Johnson collected two samples for bacteria and one for turbidity
Rebecca Henson measures air temperature at the second 2021 test, 6/2.
Bacteria samples must be kept on ice and analyzed within 5 hours from collection, so it's a race against time to turn in the samples.5/19/21
Rebecca Henson measures air temperature at the second 2021 test, 6/2.
Rebecca Henson measures air temperature at the second 2021 test, 6/2.
Rebecca Henson measures air temperature at the second 2021 test, 6/2.
That's a thermometer she is holding over the water. 6/2/21
Then she takes the water temperature.
Rebecca Henson measures air temperature at the second 2021 test, 6/2.
Kem Morawski labels the bacteria sample.
The water turned out to be a shade warmer than the air. Perhaps hot water running off pavement? 6/2/21
Kem Morawski labels the bacteria sample.
Rebecca Henson measures air temperature at the second 2021 test, 6/2.
Kem Morawski labels the bacteria sample.
The bacteria sample must be analyzed within 5 hours, so the label must have time as well as date. The e-coli level, averaged between 2 samples, was 249 MPN/100 mL, still passing, but higher than on 5/19. 6/2/21
And of course it must be recorded on the datasheet.
And of course it must be recorded on the datasheet.
And of course it must be recorded on the datasheet.
Monitors also must fill out a chain of custody form. 6/2/21
Finally, the team measures pH.
And of course it must be recorded on the datasheet.
And of course it must be recorded on the datasheet.
They compare the pH strip color to the coding. The water was more alkaline than at the testing 2 weeks earlier. 6/2/21
Kem and all our Monitoring Equipment
And of course it must be recorded on the datasheet.
Map of Monitoring Sites, Results for 6/30/21
After a dry period, the e-coli level at our monitoring site was very good. Kem holds the monitoring kit with ice packs and the clip board for recording our data. 6/30/21
Map of Monitoring Sites, Results for 6/30/21
Map of Monitoring Sites, Results for 6/30/21
Map of Monitoring Sites, Results for 6/30/21
Anacostia Riverkeeper's grant provides for testing on 3 sites on Sligo Creek and 1 on Long Branch in addition to our site at Burnt Mills. This map shows the locations of the sites, with colorful e.coli results.
E.coli Results for all 5 Sites, 6/30/21
Map of Monitoring Sites, Results for 6/30/21
E.coli Results for all 5 Sites, 6/30/21
These results for the NWB are very good-just 95.9 mpn/100ML.
Graph for E.coli for 6/30/21
Map of Monitoring Sites, Results for 6/30/21
E.coli Results for all 5 Sites, 6/30/21
The weather had been dry, so road runoff was greatly reduced. But Sligo Creek still suffered, and of course it feeds into the NWB, which may explain why our E.coli readings farther down the NWB last summer were bad.
E.coli Results for 7/14/21, all 5 sites
E.coli Results for 7/14/21, all 5 sites
E.coli Results for 7/14/21, all 5 sites
NWB is still the best of the bunch, but not as good as 2 weeks ago.
Graph for E.coli Results of 7/14/21
E.coli Results for 7/14/21, all 5 sites
E.coli Results for 7/14/21, all 5 sites
It's so nice seeing that green bar for the NWB!
E.coli results for 7/28/21, all 5 sites
E.coli Results for 7/14/21, all 5 sites
E.coli results for 7/28/21, all 5 sites
Unfortunately, the NWB didn't pass this time, but is not as bad as the others. Bear in mind, of course, that the others feed into the NWB downstream from Burnt Mills.
Graph for E.coli Results of 7/28/21
E.coli results for 8/11/21, all 5 sites
E.coli results for 7/28/21, all 5 sites
Sad not to see a green bar--or at least a yellow one--for the NWB. That's what heavy rain does--washes a lot of nasty stuff straight into the NWB, probably mostly by-passing the riparian buffer.
E.coli results for 8/11/21, all 5 sites
E.coli results for 8/11/21, all 5 sites
E.coli results for 8/11/21, all 5 sites
The site at Burnt Mills definitely suffered from the storms of the previous 2 days. Our usual site was somewhat under water, woody debris was piled against the rocks, and plastic trash was everywhere.
Chart for E.coli Results 8/11/21
E.coli results for 8/11/21, all 5 sites
E.coli results for 8/11/21, all 5 sites
The super high bacterial level--off the chart--makes one wonder about possibly septic or sewer contamination. We had been a little spoiled by that green bar earlier in the summer. Now it's ALL red.
E.coli results for 8/25/21
Chart of E.coli results for 8/25/21
Chart of E.coli results for 8/25/21
We were surprised the results were so bad because Wednesday morning when we scooped the sample, the water appeared to have settled down following the heavy rains of a few days before.
Chart of E.coli results for 8/25/21
Chart of E.coli results for 8/25/21
Chart of E.coli results for 8/25/21
NOT liking that tall red bar for NWB2! How could Sligo Creek, with all the hard cover in its watershed, be better than the Northwest Branch?
E.coli results for 9/8/21
Chart of E.coli results for 8/25/21
Chart of E.coli results for 9/8/21
Once again, the Northwest Branch fails dramatically, while Sligo Creek is pretty decent. How to explain it?
Chart of E.coli results for 9/8/21
Chart of E.coli results for 9/8/21
Chart of E.coli results for 9/8/21
While this is a little better (lower) than last time, it is not at all good.
Presentation: Finding Nature's Secret Garden, 3/30/21
Maryland Master Naturalist Paula Wang
gave us a virtual preview of the short-lived woodland treasures along the Northwest Branch and other local trails. She included key identification features, medicinal uses, and folklore associated with these spring ephemeral visual treats. She shared just where to find whole arrays of flowers--and also warned of the inroads being made by non-native invasives such as Lesser Celandine. The trail guide she mentioned in her talk and the slides she used can be downloaded below. If you want to review the entire presentation, check out the YouTube (below, or click on Spring Beauties). Toward the end of the presentation, you'll hear a variety of frog calls, identified. Enjoy! And then get out on the trails very soon, before many of these flowers are gone.
Presentation - Feb 2, 2021
Role of Montgomery Parks in Monitoring and Protecting the NWB
The program covered biological monitoring background and long-term monitoring results; stream restoration project updates, especially focused on the Glenallan Tributary to the NWB; other stormwater mitigation & water quality enhancement efforts; and volunteer services updates. Our presenters were Rachel Gauza, Biological Monitoring Program Coordinator; Erin McArdle, P.E., Environmental Engineer; Jackie Hoban, Senior Natural Resources Specialist; and Valeria Espinoza, Stream & Parks Cleanup Coordinator. Doug Stephens, Principal Natural Resources Specialist, kept an eye on the chat questions and provided answers. A YouTube video of the presentation is linked here.
Presentation- Dec. 1, 2020
The Forest in Winter: What to watch for
On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Maryland Master Naturalist and science educator Paula Wang treated us to a virtual look around the winter forest, and my oh my, what we've been missing! Winter has its own interesting natural phenomena--among the trees, on the forest floor, and birds you can actually see now that the leaves are gone. Paula captured it all in pictures. If you missed the program, or would like to review, you can find a video of the complete presentation, courtesy of NNWB member Ed Murtagh, here. To review a particular slide, pause the video. Enjoy your winter walks with new powers of observation!
Presentation: Microplastic Pollution, 2/4/20
At our Feb. 4 meeting, Dr. Kathleen Michels described the toxic effects of microplastic pollution on aquatic life and seabirds. Dr. Michels stressed that plastic pollution includes the broken bits and dissolved toxins from artificial turf. She displayed samples of the rug of plastic grass and the pulverized used tire crumbs that most often serve as infill for cushioning and to hold the blades up. Soccer fields contain roughly 675,000 square yards, or 40,000 pounds, of carpet with 400,000 pounds of infill. By the time the turf is too worn to use, a lot of the "grass" blades and much of the infill has already left the field and entered our waterways. But disposal of the rest is a serious problem, since it is not currently recyclable in the U.S. Other microplastics are the result of the breakdown of larger plastic objects such as our ubiquitous plastic bags.
Unfortunately, none of the bills that would have reduced plastic pollution managed to pass the shortened session of the Maryland Legislature, even the balloon release ban, which had seemed very promising. However, a similar balloon release ban is still awaiting action in the Montgomery County Council. Please let your state and county legislators know you support reducing killer plastic pollution, and we'll try again next year.
Find your legislators at MDelect.net. Use your right to be heard!
The absurdity of wasting scarce education money on these fields has been captured by the comic strip Big Nate. In case you missed it, here's the URL. https://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2020/05/08.
Rolls of syn turf taken from a Bethesda E.S. awaiting disposal...somewhere. Photo by Amanda Farber.
Presentation: Plastics Impact on the NW Branch, 6/12/19
Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 7:30 - 8:45 p.m.: Impact of Plastics on the Northwest Branch
FEATURED SPEAKER Tiffany Boone-Hines, a Montgomery Blair High School student, spoke about her participation in One Montgomery Green's Clean Headwaters Program and what she has learned about the impact of plastics waste in marine environments through her hands-on study of the Northwest Branch and its tributaries.
Overall, plastic micro- and macro-pollution in waterways is a huge problem, and the Northwest Branch has its share of plastic waste. The team, using a sieve to isolate particles which they then viewed under a microscope, found tiny bits of plastic foam and synthetic fibers. Rather than rely on recycling plastics, we must reduce our use in the first place. It appears that our removal of all those plastic bottles and cups from the NWB has been beneficial, however, as the amount of particles in the water was not overwhelming. The slides from Tiffany's presentation can be viewed below.
One Montgomery Green is a local nonprofit fostering partnerships to support environmental sustainability and promote the development of a green economy.