Friends of Accotink Creek
Potomac Watershed Cleanup
April & May, 2014

Our May 3rd, 2014 stream cleanups:

Despite turbid water and spots of mud left by heavy rains earlier in the week, another delightful day of mild weather closed out our 2014 Potomac Watershed Cleanup along Accotink Creek.

The volunteers of The North Face again joined us at our King Arthur Road site, bearing gifts of reusable water bottles and iPhone cases. These rewards for our volunteers proved to be very popular. Our 42 volunteers found a bike helmet here, to compliment the bicycle we found last week.

Volunteers of CGI and again, The North Face, teamed up at our Little River Turnpike site, to give us a total of 63 volunteers. Heavy metal was the theme here, as our volunteers retrieved a pile of heavy steel reinforcing rods. Abandoned silt fence stakes, discarded concrete test samples, and an electric pump all added to the heap.

At our last site of the season, Braddock Road, the turnout was a more modest 17 volunteers. In cllaboration with Wakefield Park's Beautification Day, we directed volunteers to clean an imposing logjam that had accumulated rafts of trash behind it. Nothing more strange than a trash bin lid turned up here.

More than 200 volunteers helped at three stream cleanups today!

Starting at Pickett Road in Thaiss Park, 109 volunteers collected 43 bags, 11 tires (even a massive truck one), and more than 400 pounds of trash--including a box spring, boogie board, tent frame, and room-size carpet. One young volunteer found a bicycle frame minus one wheel.

At Barkley Drive, 63 volunteers netted 44 bags of trash plus 3 tires. Another 100 or so pounds included a real estate sign, many balls (there's a tennis court in the area), and a rear-view mirror.

At Woodburn Road, 50 volunteers packed 24 trash bags. They also found a dead skunk, golf bag, metal baseball bat, 4 tires, one side of a children's hard-plastic playhouse, a rusted wheelbarrow, a washing machine motor, and about 100 feet of plastic yellow stripe, the kind used on roads. Approaching downpours required us to return during the week to ferry the trash bags to higher ground before this low spot went underwater.

We had a clear and sunny day for our three cleanups today in the City of Fairfax along Accotink Creek.

At our, Fairfax Boulevard site, twenty volunteers joined us. One family rid the watershed of dangerous prehistoric predators by finding and taking home a toy tyrannosaurus.

At Chain Bridge Road, a smaller crew of twelve worked our farthest upstream Accotink Creek cleanup site. Delegate David Bulova and son again pitched in here. A 15 lb. barbell weight was the most unexpected item we encountered.

For our last site of the day, Old Lee Hwy, we had thirteen volunteers. We found a bowling ball here, just like we did last fall at this same location. Someone better check that hole in the bowling alley floor.

We enjoyed a warm sunny day and clear water for a successful day of cleanups.

Turnout was high for our first site, Fullerton Road, with 44 volunteers, including groups from Catholic Refugee Services and Cub Scout Pack 860. The Accotink ATM was back in action, as our finds included a $1 bill. Our strangest find was half of a jet ski, neatly sawn in two for reasons that can only be imagined, then criminally disposed of by dumping down the slope behind Costco. A half-dozen young volunteers carried the jet ski to the pickup point.

At our second site, Franconia-Springfield Parkway, we had a modest turnout of 8 volunteers, several of them returning from the first site of the day. A couple volunteers worked on the Hooes Road dumping site. Our time was almost up when we spotted a backyard gas grill dumped alongside the parkway. No doubt it will still be there waiting for us when we return in the fall. Our most unusual find here was the cordless phone pictured at right.

For our last site of the day, Telegraph Road, we still had 16 volunteers, a new record for this usually lonely site, including a contingent from Sheltercare Program of Northern Virginia participating in Global Youth Service Day. Our finds here were strictly routine trash items. What at first appeared to be a holdover patch of winter snow and ice proved to be a depressing drift of white Styrofoam pieces, dotted with beverage bottles.

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

Lake Accotink Park: The weather was bright but windy for this first day of spring cleanups, making conditions difficult for the boat crew working on extracting the perennial piles of "mung" accumulated along the marina seawall. Nonetheless, they persevered and, combining brain with brawn, managed to tow a number of impressively large drifting logs around the dock and up onto the beach for later disposal by park staff. Many other volunteers worked the "mung" from the seawall, leaning over the railing to snag trash and driftwood with rakes and the new steel mesh nets the park acquired this year.

Members of our sister group, Friends of Lake Accotink Park, took the opportunity to inaugurate their new donation box, prominently located by the marina snack bar. Bunting, ribbon cutting, and speech making made the occasion festive, followed by the deposit of donation envelopes by all present.

Follow the Friends of Accotink Creek motto and "Find just one other person who cares".

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All Friends of Accotink Creek activities earn student Community Service hours!