Friends of Accotink Creek Virginia Waterway Cleanup Day part of the International Coastal Cleanup September & October, 2017

Thanks to all the Friends of Accotink Creek who joined the International Coastal Cleanup along our 12 adopted stretches of Accotink Creek this cleanup season. Thanks to all their efforts, we together removed 234 bags of trash, 11 tires, and junk ranging from a tablet computer to a Balinese idol.

See all our cleanup photos on our SHUTTERFLY page!

The Vision: Legions of volunteers sweeping over the length of the creek and tributaries, clearing trash before them like swarms of locusts, then pressing on as zealous missionaries to spread the message far and wide to take responsibility for stopping litter at the source.

Our October 14, 2017, stream cleanups: We enjoyed a day of mild temperatures and dry skies for our final day of the cleanup season. Fairfax Boulevard was our first site of the day. The Fairfax High School Green Club was represented among our 15 volunteers. Thank you, Green Club! Our volunteers collected 23 bags of trash. Our most unique find here was a princess-themed child's bicycle. At Chain Bridge Road, our second site of the day, it at first appeared we might have no volunteers at all, but a surge of late arrivals brought in a total of 12 volunteers. George Mason University's Delta Phi Kappa was well-represented. Thank you, Delta Phi Kappa! The volunteers removed 12 bags of trash. Our most unusual find here was a muddy tablet computer. Our last site of the day, and of the season, was Old Lee Hwy. Here we had 9 volunteers. The 28 bags of trash they collected included a cleanup of an abandoned encampment in the woods. Our most unique find was a folding metal table. "Consider the cost to engineer a water amenity like Accotink Creek compared to the cost of preserving what nature has blessed us with." - Donald Pless 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	Volunteer family returning from the creek with their collection.
You've heard of air guitar - Young volunteer rocks out on "water guitar" found in Accotink Creek.	Our October 7, 2017, stream cleanups The day was dry with temperatures in the mid-eighties, providing good cleanup conditions. At Pickett Road, our first site of the day, we had a good turnout of 33 volunteers. We were joined by contingents from Virginia Eagle Distributing and Northern Virginia Community College. Thank you Virginia Eagle and NVCC! Our volunteers hauled 41 bags of trash and 3 tires out of the creek, but it is only a tiny fraction of what is out there.Our most unusual find here was a toy guitar. Pennies from Heaven rained down when we turned over a shopping bag found in the creek and 9 cents fell out. At Barkley Drive, our second site of the day, our 13 volunteers included Girl Scouts of Troop 5658. Thank you, Troop 5658! Our volunteers cleaned out 18 bags of trash. Our unusual finds here included a child's chair and a New Year's party hat. Woodburn Road was our last site of the day. Here 9 volunteers filled 22 bags with trash and found 2 tires. The strange finds here were strange indeed - an intact, inflated red pool raft with a hot sauce motif - and a carved wooden head of a Balinese deity/demon - inexplicable mysteries of Accotink Creek! "If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants we would create the equivalent of a 20 million acre national park - nine times bigger than Yellowstone, or 100 times bigger than Shenandoah National Park." - Dr. Doug Tallamy
Our September 30, 2017, stream cleanups: The fair weather was with us today, with sunnshine and temperatures rising into the low 70's. At King Arthur Road, our first site of the day, 26 volunteers joined us, including a contingent from Defense Legal Services, sent our way via Volunteers for Change. Thank you, Defense Legal and Volunteers for Change! Our volunteers collected 30 bags of trash and one tire. Our most unique find was a baseball bat, which a volunteer took home. At our second site of the day, Little River Turnpike windy conditions forced us to stow our tent away, but otherwise conditions were good for our 18 volunteers, who collected 16 bags of trash. Our most unusual find here was part of a shopping cart. Braddock Road was our last site of the day. Our 29 volunteers (including those of Temple Adat Reyim who pitched in here on the 17th) collected 22 bags of trash. Our most unique find was a pool noodle. We crossed paths witn NVCC Environmental Science 121 class doing macroinvertebrate monitoring along Accotink Creek. Ther ifndings were the usual indicators of poor habitat, with a catch dominated by a few species tolerant of poor conditions. Volunteers also came upon an injured Box Turtle with a cracked shell, possibly having been struck by a mower. Animal Control responded to and took the turtle away for rehabilitation. 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! GET YOUR BRAIN WET! Think about your creek.	Volunteers working beside the Cross County Trail bridge at Little River Turnpike.
Don't let this happen to you! Think outside the bottle! Support the Trash Day of Action !	Our September 23, 2017 stream cleanups: Bright sunny weather made for a fine day of cleanups, although a warm one, with temperatures rising into the mid-eighties. Members of Boy Scout Troop 1518, in twos and threes, joined us at each site - Thank you, Troop 1518! At our first site of the day, Fullerton Road 6 volunteers removed 6 bags of trash and three tires. Our most unusual find here was a microwave oven. At Franconia-Springfield Parkway, our second site of the day, 7 volunteers collected 6 bags of trash and a heavy tire on its rim, complete with brakes. we also cleaned up the perenninal dumping site nearby on Hooes Road, where we found mattresses, furniture, auto parts, and construction debris. Our last site of the day was Telegraph Road. Here 11 volunteers hauled out 10 bags of trash and one tire. Great rafts of plastic trash, mostly bottles, accumulate here, too large for our volunteers to make a serious dent in. Not much unusual was found here, just an unidentifiable metal plate, perhaps from cooling equipment. 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 join Friends of Accotink Creek in next year's Potomac Watershed Cleanup in April & May, and the International Coastal Cleanup in September & October! Volunteer site leaders and coordinators are needed! Follow the Friends of Accotink Creek motto and "Find just one other person who cares".
See all our cleanup photos on our SHUTTERFLY page! The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest volunteer data collection effort devoted to the marine environment. The Ocean Conservancy compiles the data received from sites around the world, and prepares a summary report to be used by citizens and policy makers in evaluating our progress in dealing with this serious form of pollution.
GET YOUR BRAIN WET! Join Friends of Accotink Creek in next year's International Coastal Cleanup in September and the Potomac Watershed Cleanup in April! International Coastal Cleanup Stream Cleanup Results Fall 2012 Participants & Trash removed Fall 2013 Participants & Trash removed Fall 2014 Participants & Trash removed Fall 2015 Participants & Trash removed Fall 2016 Participants & Trash removed Fall 2017 Participants & Trash removed Accotink Creek at Chain Bridge Road 7 volunteers 13 bags 35 volunteers 20 bags 7 volunteers 11 bags 12 volunteers 15 bags 35 volunteers 22 bags 12 volunteers 12 bags Accotink Creek at Fairfax Blvd 11 volunteers 29 bags 20 volunteers 23 bags 9 volunteers 20 bags 13 volunteers 17 bags 22 volunteers 15 bags 15 volunteers 23 bags Accotink Creek at Old Lee Hwy 6 volunteers 17 bags 12 volunteers 17 bags 13 volunteers 31 bags 18 volunteers 29 bags 36 volunteers 41 bags 9 volunteers 28 bags Accotink Creek at Pickett Road 17 volunteers 39 bags 19 volunteers 25 bags 13 volunteers 18 bags 24 volunteers 29 bags 74 volunteers 48 bags 33 volunteers 41 bags Accotink Creek at Barkley Drive 9 volunteers 19 bags 12 volunteers 19 bags 14 volunteers 18 bags 7 volunteers 9 bags 10 volunteers 24 bags 13 volunteers 18 bags Accotink Creek at Woodburn Road 18 volunteers 21 bags 8 volunteers 16 bags 4 volunteers 18 bags 10 volunteers 13 bags 10 volunteers 16 bags 9 volunteers 22 bags Accotink Creek at King Arthur Road 10 volunteers 19 bags 5 volunteers 8 bags 24 volunteers 28 bags 7 volunteers 6 bags 24 volunteers 18 bags 26 volunteers 30 bags Accotink Creek at Little River Turnpike 9 volunteers 19 bags 5 volunteers 12 bags 8 volunteers 7 bags 6 volunteers 8 bags 5 volunteers 12 bags 18 volunteers 16 bags Accotink Creek at Braddock Road 62 volunteers 75 bags 49 volunteers 39 bags 28 volunteers 18 bags 53 volunteers 50 bags 32 volunteers 17 bags 41 volunteers 22 bags Accotink Creek at Franconia-Springfield Pkwy 6 volunteers 9 bags 13 volunteers 13 bags 10 volunteers 16 bags 6 volunteers 8 bags 7 volunteers 14 bags 7 volunteers 6 bags Accotink Creek at Fullerton Road 9 volunteers 26 bags 10 volunteers 14 bags 12 volunteers 8 bags 28 volunteers 27 bags 12 volunteers 10 bags 6 volunteers 6 bags Accotink Creek at Telegraph Road 6 volunteers 17 bags 5 volunteers 9 bags 3 volunteers 7 bags 8 volunteers 5 bags 4 volunteers 6 bags 11 volunteers 10 bags Total 107 volunteers 303 bags 193 volunteers 215 bags 145 volunteers 200 bags 192 volunteers 206 bags 271 volunteers 243 bags 200 volunteers 234 bags Learn more about Clean Virginia Waterways