Friends of Accotink Creek Potomac Watershed Cleanup March, April & May, 2015

Thanks go out to all the Friends of Accotink Creek participating in the Potomac Watershed Cleanup along our 12 adopted stretches of Accotink Creek in 2015! Thanks to all their efforts, we together removed 386 bags of trash, 23 tires, and junk ranging from a highway guard rail to a leather pistol holster.

See all our cleanup photos on our FACEBOOK page!

Our May 2, 2015, cleanups: Predictions of rain faded away and we had a splendid sunny day for our cleanups. At our first site, King Arthur Road, 26 volunteers collected 26 bags of trash and four tires. Volunteers from The North Face joined us. Thank you North Fac! Nothing at all unusual turned up here, just the usual routine trash, mostly beverage containers and plastic bags. Volunteers were rewarded for their hard labors with fresh bamboo shoots, an invasive alien species growing along the creek. Mussel Spotting - Volunteers found a single Asiatic clam shell. At our second site, Little River Turnpike, 17 volunteers, including a return contingent from The North Face, collected 15 bags of trash and 3 tires. Again, everything was routine trash here, except for two discarded trash barrels. Mussel Spotting - A dozen or so Asiatic clam shells showed up. At our last site of the day and of the season, Braddock Road, a contingent from GMU Army ROTC pitched in. 20 volunteers in total removed 22 bags of trash from the creek. An unusual find here was a streetlamp cover. Mussel Spotting - Volunteers found a handful of Asiatic clam shells. As expected, no native mussels turned up today. How many ways can the message of personal responsibility be expressed? No littering! No Dumping! Pitch in! Put trash in its place! We all benefit by being reminded! Contact us, E-mail. All Friends of Accotink Creek activities earn student Community Service hours!	Volunteers celebrate triumph in battle against litterbugs.
The cleanup crew gathers with their spoils in Thaiss Park.	Our April 25, 2015 stream cleanups: Clouds threatened, but rain stayed away for a fine day along the creek! Starting at Pickett Road in Thaiss Park, 33 volunteers collected 31 bags of trash--including a plastic playhouse, tent, coconut, and a fishing vest. The Foxcroft Colony homeowners association worked the west side of Pickett Road in a parallel cleanup effort. Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth joined us to lend encouragement. At Barkley Drive, 38 volunteers netted 44 bags of trash and another 350 or so pounds of loose items. Finds included many balls of all kinds, a table, a carburetor, a boogie board, and a leather pistol holster. Volunteers from M.O.M.'s Organic Market joined us - Thanks, M.O.M.! At Woodburn Road, 38 volunteers packed 59 trash bags and pulled 5 tires out of the creek. An unrelated fender bender on Woodburn Road caused some extra excitement. Unusual items found here were metal closet shelves, a pallet, and a one gallon container of denatured alcohol. Mussel Spotting - Woodburn Road was the only site today that yielded any results. Volunteers did find a number of Asiatic clam shells, and surprisingly, a single freshwater mussel. Plan now to volunteer again with others to preserve our oceans and waterways or coordinate one of our cleanup sites in April, 2016! And don't miss the International Coastal Cleanup in September & October, 2015! Contact us, E-mail. Calendar All Friends of Accotink Creek activities earn student Community Service hours!
Our April 22, 2015 stream cleanup: Lake Accotink Park: Today 100 students from Alexandria Country Day School came to Lake Accotink Park. They did a fantastic job of picking up trash, exploring Flag Run, and splashing in the stream. As one of the students put it, "This is what humans should be doing every day of their lives!". Thanks to the teachers and staff for organizing such an amazing event, and to Lake Accotink Park for hosting! Trash in our streams is fed mainly by litter running off streets and parking lots, into storm drains. Friends of Accotink Creek conducts public education and storm drain marking events to address this chronic problem at the source.	Thank you, Alexandria Day School!
Full immersion experience in Flag Run for the West Springfield High School Environmental Club!	April 11, 2015 stream cleanup: Lake Accotink Park: The weather was sunny, bright, and mild. A brisk breeze stirred whitecaps on the lake. The folks of FLAP, joined by members of the West Springfield High School Environmental Club trudged up the length of Flag Run, gathering trash as they went. The hardy few made it all the way to the Flag Run culvert under 495. There they found themselves badly outnumbered by the trash coming off 495 and the storm drains from the Ravensworth Industrial Park. Out of bags and out of time, it was necessary to retreat and leave the remaining trash for another day. Elsewhere in the Accotink Creek watershed, the Friends of Long Branch Stream Valley worked along their tributary from Olley Lane to Canterbury Woods Park during their Cleanup Day and Scavenger Hunt. We may not think that much can be done with used packing peanuts, yogurt cups, shoe boxes and old towels, but there are local charitable organizations that can make good use of our waste! For a list of materials being sought by local groups, please visit Choose to Reuse and help out a good cause
Our April 4, 2015 stream cleanups: Gusting winds prevailed on an otherwise mild and sunny day, while Accotink Creek glittered and glinted dazzling under the bright skies. Two families and the scouts of Troop 1515 performed the heretofore unheard of feat of completing all three of our most difficult cleanup sites. We salute you! We had 39 volunteers join Team Accotink at our first site, Fullerton Road. Two fourteen-foot sections of highway guard rail were the biggest challenge, which the ever-prepared scouts of Troop 1515 hauled up from the creek using ropes and teamwork. Mussel Spotting - Volunteers found dozens of invasive Asiatic clam shells on the sand and gravel bars. A surprise discovery was a lone native freshwater mussel shell, on a section of the creek where none had ever been seen in years of observation. At our second site, Franconia-Springfield Parkway, we had a turnout of 43 volunteers, several of them returning from the first site of the day. Our most unusual find here was a steel lawn chair. Mussel Spotting - Again, numerous invasive Asiatic clams shells could be easily spotted along the creek. No mussel shells were to be seen. Lonely no more! For our last site of the day, Telegraph Road, we had 37 volunteers, the biggest-ever group of volunteers at this usually forsaken location. Many of them were the toughest of the tough for surviving an entire day of cleanups at our most difficult sites. Nothing more unusual than an abandoned trash barrel showed up here. Mussel Spotting - Asiatic clam shells were far less common, with only a dozen or so spotted, and no mussels at all. Learn about storm drain filters as a part of the solution to keeping trash from reaching our waterways: Clean Screen & Trident & Filterra Bioretention Remember to remind your groups of the importance of proper cleanup during and after all outdoor activities. Reduce, Recycle, Reuse! In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. - Aristotle	The few, the proud, the Invincibles! All-day survivors of our three toughest cleanups!
Brownie Troop 5726 braves the thorn thickets to seek out trash.	Our March 28, 2015 stream cleanups: Sunny but unseasonably cold and breezy - temperatures scarcely rose above freezing for the first day of our cleanup season. At least we did not experience the cold rain and snow flurries that had been predicted. At our, Fairfax Boulevard site, thirty-four volunteers joined us, including Cub Scout Pack 1513 and Brownie Troop 2066. Thank you, Scouts and Brownies! Our most unusual item found here was part of an automobile dashboard. At Chain Bridge Road, a smaller crew of 13 worked our farthest upstream Accotink Creek cleanup site. Our most unusual item here was half of a flip phone - no doubt lost while trying to call the Cleanup Hotline. For our last site of the day, Old Lee Hwy, we had thirty-one volunteers, including Brownie Troop 5726. Thank you, Troup 5726! The Brownies managed to excavate a half-buried child's bicycle from the gravel. Our most unique find was a 30-foot length of 8" diameter PVC pipe that took a crew of six to carry from the creek to the trail. Mussel Spotting - This year, volunteers were also asked to help us search for freshwater mussels. As expected, none were found in this part of the creek, but we did have incongruous sightings of one marine clam shell and two oyster shells. Perhaps we've discovered the previously unknown migratory oyster? Despite all the wonderful volunteers who have turned out to help, we are still outnumbered by the litterbugs. Your club, school, business, or other group is welcome to "GET YOUR BRAIN WET!" by joining Friends of Accotink Creek in next year's Potomac Watershed Cleanup in April & May, 2016 and the International Coastal Cleanup in September & October,2015! Volunteer site leaders and coordinators are needed! Follow the Friends of Accotink Creek motto and "Find just one other person who cares". Contact us, E-mail. All Friends of Accotink Creek activities earn student Community Service hours!

See and hear a message of thanks from the beneficiaries of volunteer stream stewardship!

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Potomac Watershed Cleanup Stream Cleanup Results	Spring 2011 Participants & Trash removed	Spring 2012 Participants & Trash removed	Spring 2013 Participants & Trash removed	Spring 2014 Participants & Trash removed	Spring 2015 Participants & Trash removed
Accotink Creek at Chain Bridge Road	51 volunteers 29 bags	23 volunteers 6 bags	24 volunteers 27 bags	12 volunteers 18 bags	13 volunteers 20 bags
Accotink Creek at Fairfax Blvd	26 volunteers 32 bags	26 volunteers 32 bags	37 volunteers 27 bags	20 volunteers 31 bags	34 volunteers 26 bags
Accotink Creek at Old Lee Hwy	19 volunteers 23 bags	2 volunteers 8 bags	15 volunteers 36 bags	13 volunteers 14 bags	31 volunteers 44 bags
Accotink Creek at Pickett Road	59 volunteers 46 bags	70 volunteers 61 bags	77 volunteers 56 bags	109 volunteers 43 bags	33 volunteers 31 bags
Accotink Creek at Barkley Drive	55 volunteers 57 bags	53 volunteers 41 bags	42 volunteers 29 bags	63 volunteers 44 bags	38 volunteers 44 bags
Accotink Creek at Prosperity Ave	Adopted by HDR	Adopted by HDR	Adopted by HDR	Adopted by HDR	Adopted by HDR
Accotink Creek at Woodburn Road	9 volunteers 13 bags	18 volunteers 17 bags	39 volunteers 33 bags	50 volunteers 24 bags	38 volunteers 59 bags
Accotink Creek at King Arthur Road	2 volunteers 7 bags	32 volunteers 17 bags	17 volunteers 11 bags	42 volunteers 37 bags	26 volunteers 26 bags
Accotink Creek at Little River Turnpike	3 volunteers 7 bags	27 volunteers 25 bags	17 volunteers 6 bags	63 volunteers 50 bags	17 volunteers 15 bags
Accotink Creek at Braddock Road	69 volunteers 43 bags	34 volunteers 28 bags	19 volunteers 16 bags	17 volunteers 23 bags	22 volunteers 22 bags
Accotink Creek at Franconia-Springfield Pkwy	8 volunteers 21 bags	8 volunteers 13 bags	46 volunteers 44 bags	9 volunteers 15 bags	43 volunteers 30 bags
Accotink Creek at Fullerton Road	9 volunteers 17 bags	3 volunteers 4 bags	11 volunteers 17 bags	44 volunteers 32 bags	39 volunteers 39 bags
Accotink Creek at Telegraph Road	7 volunteers 14 bags	2 volunteers 4 bags	9 volunteers 15 bags	16 volunteers 20 bags	37 volunteers 30 bags
Total	317 volunteers 309 bags	298 volunteers 256 bags	353 volunteers 317 bags	458 volunteers 351 bags	371 volunteers 386 bags

Litterbugs: Their selfish behavior is the "gift" that keeps on giving. Trash may be out of sight and out of mind for the litterer, but it continues to blight communities and habitats far removed in time and distance. When litterers make the decision to solve their immediate disposal problem irresponsibly, they are also making the decision to create problems that endure for generations. Filth is the monument they build for themselves.