Friends of Accotink Creek
Virginia Waterway Cleanup Day
part of the International Coastal Cleanup
September & October, 2012

Thanks to all the Friends of Accotink Creek who joined the International Coastal Cleanup along our 12 adopted stretches of Accotink Creek in 2012. Thanks to all their efforts, we together removed 303 bags of trash, 15 tires, and junk ranging from a baby stroller to a bowling ball.

Our September 15, 2012 stream cleanups:

We had a mild sunny day for the start of our 2012 International Coastal Cleanup although breezy conditions necessitated lowering of our awning. Bill Nell, Heather Breiner, and Philip Latasa represented FACC at all three sites. Today was the first day of two innovations: the poor man's Ipad and the burning of the litterbug.

Seven volunteers joined us at the Fullerton Road site, including the gentleman who resides under the bridge. Here we found that the Bumper Dumper is still at large and we recovered three new plastic bumpers, plus one much older steel bumper.

Four of the same volunteers pressed on to the Franconia-Springfield Parkway site where a dorm refrigerator was our most unique find. Work on the Hooes Road bridge prevented a cleanup of the perennial dumpsite there, but also block access to woul-be dumpers. Cleanups of illegal dumpsites like this are the special challenge of LET'S DO IT! VIRGINIA

It is rare for volunteers to stay with us for all three sites in one day, but an intrepid father-son team did so today and joined us at our Telegraph Road site. One passerby also joined in. Any time we get any volunteers at all at this site, it is a minor triumph. Our most unique find here was a rusty but usable machete.

We enjoyed another mild and sunny day, ideal for cleanup work.

Temple Adat Reyim provided us with a high turnout of 52 volunteers for our Braddock Road site, mainly from the Religious School, with ages ranging from Kindergarten on up. Thank you, Adat Reyim!

Another ten volunteers brought us up to a total work crew of 62, a great number. Bill Nell, Heather Breiner, and Cathy and Bill Haight joined Philip Latasa in attempting crowd control.

Our most unusual find of the day was a complete house door.

Our luck with the weather continued with another sunny and mild day. Suzy Foster, Robert Greenberg, Bill Nell, and Philip Latasa represented FACC at the Pickett Road site. Our volunteers included five from the Volunteer Fairfax "Volunteers for Change" program. A gentleman accompanying his grandson to a Little League game stopped by to share with us stories of fishing and swimming in and even drinking from a healthier Accotink Creek near his family's farm in pre-development days. Our volunteers seemed engaged in a contest to find the most unusual objects, the domed lid of a commercial litter barrel, a jug still containing herbicide, a bowling ball, the remains of what may have been a car seat, a metal fuel can with fuel in it, a baby stroller, and the winner - five rounds of 7mm rifle ammunition in original packaging.

At our second site, Barkley Road we wondered whether anyone would join us, since no one had signed up, but we had a decent showing of nine volunteers, including two who carried on from our earlier work site. Today must have been "Hazmat Day", for we found another fuel can with gasoline in it. Our most unusual find was a radio cassette player.

At our Woodburn Road site, Bill had to leave us, but Roger Deidrich joined to help represent FACC. Cub Scout Pack 115 provided the bulk of our volunteers. Their enthusiasm pushed the scouts to try hard and most ended up soaked but happy. Three volunteers also rejoined us from our Barkley Road site. Our most unusual find was an orange traffic safety barrel. We had spotted this barrel during previous cleanups, but it eluded capture until today. Robert led a team in an assault on deeply embedded tires - muddy and wet, they achieved victory.

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

Heather Breiner, Bill Nell, Olivier Giron, and Philip Latasa represented FACC at our first two cleanup sites.

At our Fairfax Blvd. site, we had mild sunny weather and nine volunteers. The Adopt-A-Spot volunteers of the Harley-Davidson dealership were also at work, getting trash off the street before it reached the stream. Thanks, Harley-Davidson! Our most unusual find here was a rusty bicycle.

At our Chain Bridge Road site, sunny skies turned cloudy and rain threatened, but stayed away. Our small turnout of four volunteers found trash conditions to be unusually bad for this headwaters location. We would have needed dozens of volunteers and many hours to make the kind of difference we would like to. We took a break from our efforts for a visit from the Clean Coast Project art group, who brought two of their trash sculptures to display and engaged in discussion of their efforts to call attention to trash issues. Our most unusual find at this site was a GPS unit – perhaps it took a wrong turn into the creek?

As we arrived at our Old Lee Hwy site, the weather was clearing, but was too breezy to raise our tent. Otherwise, conditions were excellent. Olivier and Bill had to leave us, but Roger Diedrich joined to represent FACC. Five volunteers also came out. Trash conditions were pretty bad here also. As usual, we found the bottom of the creek carpeted with golf balls from the adjacent Army-Navy Country Club. Unusual finds here included a new paint roller, a bicycle in such good condition we were able to ride it around, and a shopping cart a team of volunteers labored hard to excavate from the streambed.

Heavy overnight rains left the ground a bit muddy and slippery, but the clouds were parting and the sun coming out as we got underway. We passed both the spring and fall 2012 cleanup seasons without getting rained on!

Our first site, King Arthur Road, no one had registered to participate, but the volunteers began to appear, and we saw a turnout of nine. Andres Ploompuu and Philip Latasa represented FACC. Our most unusual find here was a "dance pad" for a video game.

At our second site, Little River Turnpike, we had only one volunteer registered, but several more again materialized, for a turnout of seven. Flint Webb and Bill Nell joined us after attending the Green Breakfast. Ted Welch also joined to represent FACC. One young volunteer engaged in extended battle with a large tarp deeply embedded in the gravel and finally vanquished it. Our most unusual item found here was a decrepit wheelbarrow. Bill debuted his impressive sculpture made entirely of trash found on our first day of cleanups. We may need to have a contest to name it.

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 all our cleanup photos on our FACEBOOK 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, 2013 and the Potomac Watershed Cleanup in April,2013! Contact us, E-mail.

Learn more about Clean Virginia Waterways

See and hear a message of thanks from the beneficiaries of volunteer stream stewardship! See all our cleanup photos on our FACEBOOK page!

International Coastal Cleanup Stream Cleanup Results	Fall 2008 Participants & Trash removed	Fall 2009 Participants & Trash removed	Fall 2010 Participants & Trash removed	Fall 2011 Participants & Trash removed	Fall 2012 Participants & Trash removed
Accotink Creek at Chain Bridge Road	15 volunteers 19 bags	17 volunteers 13 bags	11 volunteers 14 bags	X volunteers X bags	7 volunteers 13 bags
Accotink Creek at Fairfax Blvd	9 volunteers 8 bags	3 volunteers 8 bags	10 volunteers 9 bags	X volunteers X bags	11 volunteers 29 bags
Accotink Creek at Old Lee Hwy	4 volunteers 8 bags	2 volunteers 5 bags	4 volunteers 15 bags	X volunteers X bags	6 volunteers 17 bags
Accotink Creek at Pickett Road	2 volunteers 4 bags	6 volunteers 18 bags	3 volunteers 7 bags	10 volunteers 21 bags	17 volunteers 39 bags
Accotink Creek at Barkley Drive	8 volunteers 17 bags	2 volunteers 4 bags	22 volunteers 23 bags	18 volunteers 32 bags	9 volunteers 19 bags
Accotink Creek at Prosperity Ave	7 volunteers 11 bags	2 volunteers 2 bags	Adopted by HDR/e2M	Adopted by HDR/e2M	Adopted by HDR/e2M
Accotink Creek at Woodburn Road	14 volunteers 18 bags	9 volunteers 17 bags	8 volunteers 15 bags	8 volunteers 23 bags	18 volunteers 21 bags
Accotink Creek at King Arthur Road	2 volunteers 4 bags	3 volunteers 7 bags	2 volunteers 3 bags	X volunteers X bags	10 volunteers 19 bags
Accotink Creek at Little River Turnpike	7 volunteers 7 bags	3 volunteers 5 bags	5 volunteers 5 bags	X volunteers X bags	9 volunteers 19 bags
Accotink Creek at Braddock Road	12 volunteers 15 bags	27 volunteers 49 bags	46 volunteers 29 bags	19 volunteers 25 bags	62 volunteers 75 bags
Accotink Creek at Franconia-Springfield Pkwy	14 volunteers 11 bags	3 volunteers 6 bags	2 volunteers 3 bags	13 volunteers 8 bags	6 volunteers 9 bags
Accotink Creek at Fullerton Road	45 volunteers 42 bags	4 volunteers 6 bags	7 volunteers 17 bags	X volunteers X bags	9 volunteers 26 bags
Accotink Creek at Telegraph Road	2 volunteers 5 bags	1 volunteers 4 bags	2 volunteers 5 bags	X volunteers X bags	6 volunteers 17 bags
Total	141 volunteers 169 bags	82 volunteers 144 bags	121 volunteers 146 bags	103 volunteers 109 bags	107 volunteers 303 bags