Friends of Accomplishments in 2006

Program Meetings

January 17 Development Challenges to Sligo. Presenters: Caren Madsen, Ed Murtagh and Jim Fary discussed impacts of such challenges as increasing population, additional roads, infill development with new apartment buildings, houses and large additions. What can be done what should we do--to ameliorate problems to the creek? February 15 Planning for Growth in Montgomery County. Featured speaker: Montgomery County Planning Commission Chairman Derick Berlage. Berlage discussed the "Centers and Boulevards Initiative," which he views as a key to smart growth. Q&A followed with discussion of the potential impacts of new development on local watershed and some of the steps Montgomery County will take to protect the 90,000-acre Agricultural Reserve from urban sprawl. March 21 Talking Trash. Speakers were Wende Pearson of the Alice Ferguson Foundation and John Galli of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments discussing regional and Sligo Creek initiatives and FOSC Litter Committee members talking about installation of trash fences, skimmers, and other local actions. May 16 Building a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Presenters were Alison Gillespie and Ed Murtagh. We invited the Neighbors of Northwest Branch to join us and attracted a large audience of people very interested in the subject. Alison showed slides of backyard habitats and Ed followed up with what we are doing with rain gardens and other LID projects. July 18 Geological Survey work in the . Dr. Cherie Miller presented an overview of work by the U.S. Geological Survey to determine the concentration of nutrients and other contaminants in the Anacostia River. They are focusing on two sites one on the Northeast Branch in Riverdale and one on the Northwest Branch, which includes the Sligo Creek Watershed. October 17 Who'll Stop the Rain? Diane Cameron of the Partners Coalition discussed raingardens, rain barrels and what we can do to help the creek.

Walks and Other Outdoor Learning

January 7, John Parrish, Vice President of the Native Plant Society, led a walk in the Kemp Mill area introducing participants to the many clues to identifying trees and shrubs in winter. Over 60 people attended. February 4, John Parrish led a walk in the lower Sligo Creek area introducing participants to the many clues to identifying trees and shrubs in winter. March 4, Chris Sargent, wildlife biologist, led an outing to explore Sligo's largest seasonal pool and its surrounding woods, located along Wheaton Branch near Dennis Avenue. March 17, the Litter Committee sponsored a private guided tour of the award-winning Montgomery County Recycling Center and Transfer Station. March 26, Clair Garman led a Takoma Park history walk along Sligo Creek. He told tales of early life along the creek: the waterworks, the Washington Sanitorium, the Carroll Avenue bridge and more. April 15th, ecologist Susan Cushman Flanders led a Friends of Sligo Creek natural history outing looking at and talking about the fishes of Sligo Creek near the Dennis Ave. Recreation Center. Ms. Flanders and crew stunned the fish and collected them for our viewing. April 29, George Middendorf, herpetologist at Howard University conducted a day-time walk in Sligo Creek Park looking for evidence of frogs and salamanders in the Kemp Mill area. About 30 adults and children attended and had a great time. May 20, Frank Boyle, a naturalist, led us on an afternoon butterfly walk. We had at least 20 adults and 10 children and all had a wonderful time finding and identifying butterflies and moths. The walk was held in section 1 focusing on the power line cut, which offered a place to run far and wide chasing butterflies. July 22, naturalist Chris Sargent led a group of adults and children looking for tadpoles in the University Boulevard stormwater ponds. Throughout the Spring, some members of Friends of Sligo¿s Water Quality Committee participated in a Foundation program called Grasses for Masses. They grew submerged aquatic vegetation at home from seeds and then planted the resulting plants in the . World Water Monitoring Day was October 18th this year. To celebrate, on October 14th Mike Smith gave a demonstration of water quality monitoring at two sites in Sligo. October 22, the Natural History Committee sponsored a walk in Section 1 called Cycles of Nature in Fall. Naturalist Frank Boyle led the family-friendly exploration of leaves, mushrooms, seeds, snails and beetles. Over 30 people attended.

Work Events Outdoors!

Many RIP events were held throughout the year. For example, We held a big vine and shrub pull at Hillwood Manor January 15 and another at the Brunette Bridge on the 21st. On Feb 18, we held the first-ever RIP event at Wheaton Branch, led by Michael Smith. That same day Ross Campbell held an event near the Parkside Bridge. Garlic Mustard events began in April and ran through mid-June. We pulled Garlic Mustard throughout the park 500 volunteer hours; 600 large contractor bags of mustard removed. We held several mile-a-minute events in July. Many RIP events were held throughout the year. This year the RIP program expanded efforts to Long Branch and the upper Wheaton . English ivy was targeted for the fall, along with shrubs such as multi-flora rose, wineberry and wintercreeper. This year the RIP program expanded efforts into Long Branch and the upper Wheaton Tribtary. Friends of Sligo Creek held spring cleanups in various sections of Sligo Creek on both April 8th, and Earth Day, April 22nd. We joined the regional groups Alice Ferguson Foundation and Anacostia Watershed Society to make these watershed-wide events. The combined results were impressive, despite heavy downpours, and dedicated volunteers made a difference. Approximately 167 people came out to help in 12 sections of the Creek and we collected about 241 bags of trash and recyclables from the Creek and park. More than 1,000 pounds of heavy items, including a kitchen sink, cement birdbath, shopping carts, and construction debris. The Outreach and Education Committee had information tables at most of the sites along the creek, as well as a table at the AWS celebration and the Takoma Park Co-op Earth Day event, postponed to April 29. Again this year, we participated in FrogWatch USA. A team of ten volunteer monitors made 63 nighttime visits to six sites along the creek between March 10 and June 18 to collect data on frog calls. Six frog species were identified at five sites. A sixth species was identified in its tadpole stage. On April 15, working with COG and P&P, we helped plant 175 trees between Forest Glen and Dennis Ave. April 29th we repaired the riparian in the headwaters of Sligo Creek by planting trees. This was also a joint project with M-NCPPC and COG. In March and April, the Water Quality Committee monitored for macroinvertebrates at seven sites in Sligo Creek and 15 sites on the Northwest Branch for the Department of Natural Resources Waders program. These samples were delivered to the state laboratory in Annapolis to be analyzed and identified. On May 13, we held rain garden work events at both Eastern Middle School and Forest Park in Takoma Park. Several work events were held at the sites during the summer and fall. After major flooding in June, a group of Friends volunteers logged in many hours to rescue new saplings north of Forest Glen In July and again in September, the Water Quality Committee monitored for macroinvertebrates in Sligo, using the Audubon Naturalist Society's protocol. We held our 5th Annual Sweep the Creek, Saturday, September 30. On a rainy, cold day well over 300 volunteers came and collected just under 340 bags of trash.

Celebrations, Awards and Organizational Development

February 17 we held a leadership retreat that included both board members and committee chairs. We had a full agenda including discussion of important coordination issues. May 5 we held a ceremony to unveil Sligo Creek Panels created by Marty Ittner for the Takoma Park Arts and Humanities Commission and place in their new permanent home: Sligo Elementary School. In February the Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded a $10,000 grant for our Removing Invasive Plants project. The money was used primarily to pay salaries for four people who canvassed neighborhoods and staffed events. In April the Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded us two mini-grants for raingardens. Both were for second raingardens at locations where we had put one in last year. For a second raingarden at Forest Park in Takoma Park, we were awarded $3,291 and for a second one at Eastern Middle School $4,997. In both cases, we are working with partners to help spread the knowledge and commitment. May 13, Friends of Sligo Creek won an Azalea Award in the category of "Environmental Leader." This award is sponsored by the Takoma Foundation and the Takoma Voice. Bruce accepted the award--an azalea, a t-shirt and a mug. May 5, Marty Ittner's Sligo Creek Panels, developed for Friends so that we could join other civic groups in decorating the fencing around Takoma Park's construction of the new community center, were installed in a new home. They were unveiled in a ceremony at the Sligo Creek Elementary School Main Lobby. The school is very pleased to have them. On June 1, Sligo Creek Park Trail was designated as a National Recreation Trail by the Department of Interior. We were the only trail in Maryland of the 36 new trails added this year. Clair Garman, webmaster, reported in July that our website is averaging over 450 site visits and 4,000 hits per day. Clair continued to improve the capabilities on the web. An Event Gallery was added to the home page to show a rotating display of upcoming Friends events. The map page uses a Google-provided capability to calculate the distance along a path of points on a map, to find the latitude/longitude of any point and to find the location of a point given its latitude/longitude. Many new resources pages were also added to the website, including photo essays and detailed reports on natural history, water quality, stormwater and native and invasive plants. The July 25 Summer Picnic brought out 30 amphibious Friends and neighbors and was a great success. The picnic was sandwiched between a series of rainstorms, which eventually caused serious flooding. October 8, we celebrated our Sweep accomplishments with a grand blast in the park. The celebration included announcing winners of our first photography contest, a huge spread of food, door prizes, a native plant giveaway, exhibits, games for the children and Nathan the Jazzy Juggler. At least 125 people attended. Julie Wiatt, associate editor of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Voice, judged the contest and printed winner pictures in the paper. Sponsors, who donated food and door prizes, were Whole Foods Market of Silver Spring, the Wild Bird Center, Takoma Florist, and Cakelove.

Training

February 11th, Mike Smith, Water Quality Chair, attended and reported to us on a Stream Waders day- long training session in their macroinvertebrate sampling protocol at Howard Community College. Caren Madsen attended and reported to us on a land use seminar, "Navigating the Maze of Land Use Regulations in Montgomery County, Maryland" February 17. On February 24, Several Friends of Sligo attended an all-day symposium at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. After the Rain, focused on the best methods for capturing and using rainwater to create beautiful landscapes and featured 7 speakers. Friends set up an information table at lunch time with hand-outs about our stormwater programs. June 16, Friends participated in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) held a trash survey training session. The Anacostia Trash Workgroup, formed by MWCOG, began this surveying in Sligo Creek and other area in 1998.

Advocacy

Jill Mullins attended meetings and hearings throughout the year to keep us abreast of transportation issues that have an impact on the watershed. Jill attended a meeting of the citizens against beltway widening on January 9 and reported back to us. Jill continued to attend meetings on beltway widening, often joined by other members of Friends of Sligo Jill and Bruce attended a March 7 public forum presented by the League of Women Voters that discussed the pros & cons of the BiCounty Transit Way (old ) and the beltway widening proposal Jill also participated in an informational walk of the two most recent proposed routes for the BiCounty Transit Way. Caren Madsen testified to the Montgomery County Planning Board, January 5, at a hearing on the Forest Conservation Plan. A coalition formed to look further into this issue and Caren joined to represent Friends. Many meetings followed looking at the Forest Conservation Law with the hope of suggesting strengthening amendments. Strengthing the MC NPDES stormwater permit: January 19, Caren Madsen represented Friends as part of the coalition of people working to strengthen the MC NPDES stormwater permit at a meeting with Rick Brush, Water Resources Plan Manager for the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services. They went over the 11- point proposal the coalition is promoting. Friends attended many meetings of this coalition in the following months, working to hone the 11-point proposal and talking to members of the County Council, Planning Board and Department leaders. April 17 we sent a letter to Mr. Duncan and the County Council in support of the efforts of the Stormwater Partners Coalition to improve the Montgomery County Stormwater Permit. We followed up with an April 24 email to Mr. Caldwell, head of DEP. On October 10, Friends sent a letter to Kendl Philbrick, Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment in support of the Montgomery County Stormwater Partners Coalition's views on strengthening the Montgomery County NPDES permit. Many Friends of Sligo also sent personal letters to Secretary Philbrick. On January 24th Caren Madsen and others met with Councilmember Silverman to discuss general environmental issues, priorities for 2006, and how land use and planning relates to ecosystem management. Caren and others met informally with Ike Leggett on January 28 to talk about environmental issues he plans to address in his campaign to become the next County Executive. Laura Mol, Mike Smith and Windham Lane neighbors reported to County and State authorities the dumping of paint into a Windham Lane storm drain. - posted on the web Jan 29th On February 14th Bruce Sidwell, on behalf of Friends of Sligo, emailed Robert Hubbard, DPS and Mike Riley, Park Development Division, P&P urging they revoke the easement granting encroachment at Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring. On March 2, several Friends of Sligo attended a Park Design meeting on LID at Evans Parkway Park. This public meeting was set to talk about the plan, discuss options and get feedback. On March 9, Caren Madsen testified on our behalf before the Planning Board at a hearing on the Purpose and Outreach Strategy Report: Countywide Green Infrastructure Functional Master Plan. On March 13, MDE filed legal papers requiring Columbia Union College to cease discharging pollutants into Sligo Creek. Marty Ittner and others first noticed spills in 2002 and had been calling MDE and other agencies to try to get the problem corrected. This MDE Administrative Order, including a substantial fine and an action plan for correction, was the culmination of years of vigilant follow-up by Friends of Sligo Creek. April 4, the coalition with which we participated in suing the WSSC testified in favor of a WSSC rate hike. Testimony was presented to the Prince George's County Council. April 21 the same coalition presented testimony to the Montgomery County Council. On April 5 Bruce Sidwell presented testimony before the Montgomery County Council for the 2007 operating budget. We urged additional resources for protection of natural resources. April 17 we also signed on to a letter to MDE commenting on the Total Maximum Daily Loads of Fecal Bacteria for the Anacostia River Basin in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties. May 15, the Montgomery County Council voted to create a $1.25 million package of Low Impact Development (LID) measures, including rain gardens, parking lot bio-retention systems, rain barrels and green roofs. The package includes incentives and a full-time Rainscapes Coordinator. The Stormwater Partners Coalition, of which Friends is a member, lobbied for this package. Also on May 15, several board members and others walked the site of a proposed trail improvement between Long Branch Library and Community Center with the Montgomery County coordinator for the project, Roylene Roberts. We hope to keep in touch and suggest any ideas that would ameliorate the environmental disturbance of widening the trail. We attended an August 14 community meeting to discuss the proposed pedestrian link through the woods between the two buildings. July 10, Bruce Sidwell and Marty Ittner talked to the Takoma Park Council about the need for a more effective stormwater enforcement process. The City agrees, hopes that Montgomery County will take the lead, and is working on a memorandum of understanding. On October 4, Sally Gagné and Carol Hayes spoke at the Park and Planning Budget Forum on behalf of the RIP program. In October, Sally Gagné, others from the RIP program and Bruce Sidwell, met with Rob Gibbs and others from Park and Planning to talk about the invasives program. Sally suggested more staff is needed to help volunteer groups rid the parks of invasives. Sally followed up with a newsletter plea for letter-writing in support of such a staff.

Collaborations and Civic Participation

January 20, Bruce Sidwell and Clair Garman attended a meeting at WSSC, at WSSC's request, to discuss the spill of chlorinated water which killed fish, salamanders and other creatures in an approximately 1- mile section of the stream near the headwaters. On January 24th Friends sent a letter to WSSC summing up our comments and suggestions. January 31st, Bruce Sidwell, Laura Mol and Michael Pollock met with Rob Gibbs, Natural Resources Management Director for P&P, to brainstorm about what the natural portions of the parks need. Michael Smith represented Friends at periodic meetings of the Anacostia Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee, of which he is a member. March 6, Alison Gillespie and Jenny Reed attended a meeting organized by Linda Keenan, to discuss the idea of Takoma Park becoming a Community Wildlife Habitat. Susan Harris, President of the Takoma Horticulture Club became a big booster. Bruce Sidwell and others continued working with the group throughout the summer and fall promoting the cause. On March 16th, Ed Murtagh and Debbie Valez spoke at the all-day Potomac Watershed Trash Summit 2006, hosted by the Alice Ferguson Foundation at the World Bank. April 12, we participated in an event held by DEP where Duncan and others spoke, releasing the County's 10 year report "Environmental Protection 1996-2006: The Path to Sustainability." The event featured, among other things, the bioretention cells at Dennis and a demonstration fish reintroduction. April 27, Brent Bolin and Jennifer Kefer spoke to the Lions' Club. The club is interested in participating in an environmental project and asked that we come and talk about Friends. On April 28, we participated in the Blair Silent Auction and Fair, spreading our message and contributing to the Blair PTSA. In July, we announced a search for the Tree of Heaven, also known as Ailanthus and "Stinking Sumac." The Park and Planning Commission is working with us to remove this invasive tree. July 7, Michael Smith, Water Quality Committee Chair, received a letter from the Montgomery County government telling him that he has been accepted as a member of the county's Water Quality Advisory Group. August 30, representatives of Friends participated as a local watershed group in discussions conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of the Inspector General with the MC Department of Environmental Protection. The agency is conducting a series of evaluations on the efforts to restore the ecological health of the Chesapeake Bay. September 15, Ed Murtagh and Diane Cameron participated in the kick-off meeting of the Montgomery Clean Water Task Force. The Task Force includes top-level officials from relevant agencies (DEP, DPS, DPWT; WSSC; P&P; MCPS) as well as representatives of watershed groups and local non-profits. The Task Force is slated to meet until March 07, and will look at ways to better coordinate efforts to improve water quality in the County. September 28, Mike Smith led a group of children from the Silver Spring YMCA to the Kemp Mill stormwater ponds to look at macrinvertebrates and other wildlife. September 30, Mike Smith gave a presentation at the Beaverdam Creek Watershed Watch Group's Forum on Water Quality in Greenbelt. On October 9th, the Outreach and Education Committee staffed a table at the Brookside Gardens plant sale and on October 10th staffed a table at the Takoma Park Folk Festival. October 16, Friends of Sligo Creek Water Quality Committee sent a water monitoring report to the MC Department of Environmental Protection in response to their request for citizen volunteer stream monitoring data. November 4, in collaboration with WGCOG, Friends participated in a Takoma Branch Public Watershed meeting. Brent Bolin gave a short powerpoint presentation. COG is implementing a Low-Impact Development program in the Takoma Branch/Chillum-Ray community in PG County. Trash in roads and is a particular problem there. November 13, Bruce Sidwell, participating on our behalf in the group trying to establish Takoma Park as a Community Wildlife Habitat, spoke before the Takoma Park City Council about the project. November 14, Mike Smith gave a presentation to the Anacostia Watershed Citizizens Advisory Committee on possible citizen's regional monitoring. The presentation was previewed the night before at the Montgomery County Water Quality Advisory Board meeting. November 24, Friends participated in an NNWB-sponsored walk with Jamie Raskin, newly elected state senator, along the Northwest Branch. All through 2006, the Stormwater Committee continued to work with the Northwood High School Sustainable Landscape Partnership to unite educational and career goals for high school youth with ecological and clean water goals. The partnership includes, among others, watershed and environmental groups and the Northwood Environmental Sciences Academy. Demonstration projects include a green roof, permeable pavement, and raingardens. October 14, Friends, along with Neighbors of Northwest Branch, participated in a raingarden Kick-off project at the school. (link to AL-Northwod.htm) On December 2, Friends of Sligo Creek participated in the Takoma Park Alternative Gift Fair, informing about our organization and selling such things as "save a tree from invasive vines" for a $10. donation.