We are a hands-on organization. Our members get their feet wet cleaning the creek and their hands dirty pulling weeds and invasive plants. We also show up at hearings and public meetings to advocate for the protection of Little Falls Creek, help neighborhoods obtain grants for stormwater projects, and get out to talk with the community about the creek whenever we can.
We do hands on work to improve the creek and the parks around it. Hundreds of volunteers each year participate in our stream cleanups, weed pulls, and events to eradicate invasive plants. On a larger scale, we work with neighborhood groups to obtain grants for rain gardens and other projects that reduce runoff that hurts the creek.
We work with Bethesda, Chevy Chase and DC neighborhoods to obtain grants to build rain gardens and other “green infrastructure”, to reduce and control stormwater runoff that can severely harm the creek. The grants leverage our expertise to make a real impact on the challenging stormwater problem.
We hold monthly stream cleanups along the Little Falls Branch in Bethesda and participate in region-wide cleanups twice a year. Our volunteers pull every imaginable type of trash out of the creek and its environs, from bottles and cans to shopping carts.
We work with the Montgomery County Park Department, DOT and other public land owners to clear out undesirable non-native invasive weeds and to plant native flowers, trees and shrubs to creating beautiful meadows and native plant gardens for the community to enjoy.
Invasive nuisance plants can take over parks and forests, driving native plants out. Our certified weed warrior supervisors lead community work days to removed pests such as bush honeysuckle, porcelainberry and multiflora Rose from the parks near the creek and so that the native plants can thrive.
Labeling the storm drains with "Do Not Pollute, Flows to Little Falls creek" is a powerful way to remind people that what happens on our streets directly effects the health of our creek, the Potomac River and the Bay.
Interested in learning about frogs, frog calls, and which frogs are native to our area? Want to participate in citizen science program that is fundamental to collecting long-term data on the nation's frogs and toads. This is your opportunity!
LFWA has a robust water quality monitoring program and supports several different types of monitoring efforts including winter salt, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fecal bacteria. These programs help us understand the challenges of faced by our creeks and give us information to share with the public about pollution and health concerns.
We are concerned about the amount of salt used by local municipalities during the winter, which runs directly into the creek when snow melts and can present a threat to aquatic life. As part of the national Winter Salt Watch program, our team of volunteers checks salt levels in the creek to monitor whether it is exceeding safe levels.
What birds live in the watershed? We have bird lists from local birders as well as from - the Christmas Bird Count in mid December through early January and the Great Backyard Bird Count in February.
We manage three deer exclosures in the Little Falls Stream Valley Park. They protect areas from deer by netting wrapped around posts. The areas are being actively returned to native habitat, which is a multi-step process.
In 2021, with funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we started a project to develop autonomous water quality environmental robots. The bots will live in housing at four locations in the Little Falls and Willett Branches and sample the water.
The Norwood Park Arboriculture Project (npAp) is a special project of the Little Falls Watershed Alliance to inform residents and visitors about the unique, beautiful and important natural tree resources of Norwood Park in Chevy Chase, MD, and how we can best protect them.
An important step in protecting the creek is making people aware of what it adds to our community. Through social media, public events and educational activities we tell the story of Little Falls Creek. Our popular “creek critter” events teach kids about the natural world.
One of our most popular activities – twice a year in the spring and fall, our volunteers go into the creek to hunt for bugs and other macroinvertebrates. Children and adults alike learn about what’s living in the creek and why clean water is so important.
Part of bringing Willett Branch back to life has been digging into the rich history of this neighborhood, going back to a time when it was home to a vibrant African-American community. Our research was published in Washington History magazine.
We speak for Little Falls Creek in the community and before government agencies. We worked with Montgomery County to get a stream valley park into the Westbard sector plan — a dream that we hope to realize over the years. When a major development was proposed for the Westbard area, we advocated for environmentally protective design to reduce stormwater runoff. In the process we’ve won the respect of policymakers and community leaders.
The Westbard Shopping Center is undergoing intensive new development into a mix of commercial and residential space. This has the potential to significantly increase stormwater runoff. We were an active player in the public process, advocating for site design measures that will reduce or avoid excessive runoff.
Willett Branch, part of the Little Falls Watershed, is largely concrete-lined and in some place has been built over entirely. Our goal is to return it to its natural state and construct a park along both sides, turning an eyesore into a community asset. As a result of our efforts, Montgomery County has included such a park in its sector plan.
Kensington Senior Living has plans to build a new 112 unit Senior Assisted Living facility where the current Westwood Center II is located. The plans go to the Planning Board on December 17 for review and approval. The building will be the first development by owner Regency Center of the Westbard shopping center area.