Benthic Macroinvertebrate
Sarah Morse
Fall Macro Monitoring Finds Lots of Planeria

It’s always fun to spend an afternoon hunting for Macro-invertebrates in the Little Falls Branch. Even though, the steam remains in “poor” condition, the stream monitoring team is the best! The star of the fall monitoring was planaria. We found 28!

Fall Macro Monitoring Finds Lots of Planeria
norwood park project
Sarah Morse
22 Species spotted on Sunday bird walk.

Another fun bird walk last Sunday. It’s the fall migration, so it was a chance to spot some birds that are just passing through on their way south. America Robins were feasting on the Hawthorns - too many to count! Thank you so much to Adele O’Dowd for arranging these and to Pete Givan for leading the group.

bacteria monitoring, Bacteria Monitoring
Sarah Morse
Watershed Creeks Fail to Meet Standards for ...

For the fourth consecutive summer, the fecal bacteria levels in the Little Falls watershed have exceeded the Maryland State Standards for recreational water use - even for infrequent human contact.

norwood park project
Sarah Morse
News from the Norwood Park Arboriculture Project

The latest issue of the Norwood Park Arboriculture Project newsletter is filled with compelling news and ideas. Please take a few moments to see what's new with the trees around the Park, and how you can help the ecology in your yards, pots and community spaces:Learn about their events for the fall, the bioblitz conducted last spring and the interns who conducted the research, facts about local flora and fauna and more.

News from the Norwood Park Arboriculture Project
Bacteria Monitoring
Sarah Morse
What Does Little Falls have in Common with the ...

The question everyone is asking at the Olympics is whether the Seine is safe for swimming. We might not be hosting the Olympics, but residents in the Little Falls watershed have the same question about our creeks. 

citizen scientists

Little Falls Creek Fails Macro Test; Stream Rated Poor.

Muddy water and a broken water main were the highlights of the Fall stream monitoring last Saturday, October 22.  No sooner had our volunteers started to sample than the water started to rise and turn muddy.  A woman passing by told us that there had been a water main break at a construction site upstream from our spot. With only three-quarters of the nettings complete, we abandon the water for safer ground.

Fecal Bacteria Monitoring Ends for Season

Thank you to our amazing volunteers for making this program possible and to Joe Barnes for coordinating the effort and publishing the data every week. The data from the final week was consistent with our findings through out the summer. Two sites on the Little Falls Branch pass, two failed and all three sites on the Willett Branch showed dangerously high levels. We are working with the WSSC to track the source of the fecal bacteria.

Start helping your watershed today!