Members of the LFWA Stream team were out in force April 8 for the spring monitoring of the Little Falls Branch. The exciting news is that a few minnow mayflies were spotted after a several seasons of absence. A large water main break in Westbard seems to have wiped out their population in Fall 2022, but we found four this spring. Hopefully, we’ll find even more in the summer. (Their numbers are usually in the in the dozens.)
Celebrating 15 years of Environmental Stewardship
Volunteers are the heartbeat of the Little Falls Watershed Alliance and on March 5, we honored them with dinner, music, awards and more. The Honorable Brian Frosh, former MD Attorney General, Senator and Delegate, was our guest speaker and he reflected eloquently on his years of public service and the need for environmental stewardship. Maryland House Majority Leader Marc Korman brought us up to date with environmental issues in the Maryland legislature. Sara Love, MD delegate from district 16, shared her hopes for the current legislative session.
LFWA Winter Monitoring
Saturday was our quarterly benthic monitoring of the Little Falls Branch. The winter monitoring always yield low numbers and this year was no exception. Visit our Macroinvertebrate page to learn about the results.
14 Years of Stewardship by the Numbers
We might be a small group, but we get a lot done! Here’s just some of what we’ve accomplished in the last 14 years.
Salt Testing Shows High Baseline Levels
Baseline readings of the streams in the Little Falls watershed showed high to chronic levels in three locations. Both the Little Falls and Willett Branches had levels above 200 ppm in our December baseline reading. The Willett Branch reading was 290 ppm, which is above the tolerance threshold for fresh water organisms
MoCo DEP to Investigate Source of Human Fecal Bacteria in Willett Branch
After so much bad news about the fecal bacteria levels in the Little Falls Watershed - especially the out of the ballpark numbers on the Willett Branch where it runs behind the Bethesda Pool -Little Falls Watershed Alliance is happy to share some good news.
Mow Your Leaves for a Better Environment!
It’s time for our annual appeal: Leave the leaves , MOW don’t Rake (and never blow!)
Feed your lawn by mowing the leaves. It’s good for the environment and good for your lawn. We’ve been preaching the benefits of mowing your leaves for almost 10 years now and it’s beginning to catch on! If you’re skeptical, just try it on a portion of your lawn, maybe a side yard, or behind the garage. To quote Scotts Fertilizer: “When spring arrives, you'll notice something: The leaf litter you mulched up in the fall will have disappeared. Meanwhile, your rake will look dusty and neglected—but your grass will look greener than ever.” Yes, even Scotts Fertilizer is recommending that you mow instead of raking (or blowing)!
All Things Nature: Norwood Park Natural History Day
Mushrooms, trees, ceramics, rocks, ice cream, saplings, birds, milkweed balls, and more all came together for one big celebration at the Norwood Park Natural History Day, Sunday October 30. Over 200 attendees learned about the trees in the Park, what kind of mushrooms grow where (and even sampled some cooked up right on site), learned about watersheds and the importance of native plants, and did some non-native invasive removal.
21 Bird Species Spotted in Norwood Park on Morning Walk
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.