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June 2006
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Potomac Conservancy's Monthly Online Bulletin of
River News and Activities |
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Trivia Question
of the Month:
What
aquatic fauna native to Maryland is second only to fresh
water mussels as most imperiled?
Look
for the answer at www.potomac.org.
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Become
a member!
Already
a member?
Receive RiverUpdate
in your inbox!
Potomac
Conservancy
8601 Georgia Avenue
Suite 612
Silver Spring, MD 20910
p 301.608.1188
f 301.608.1144
info@potomac.org
~
Protecting the health, beauty,
and enjoyment of
the Potomac
River and
its tributaries ~
Banner
image by
Don Chernoff
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Volunteer
Speak
Up Events & Trips
News
& Notes Potomac
Reflections
Potomac Reflections is
on hiatus this month and will return soon. To
read past reflections, please visit
our
archives. To
submit your own story for publication, please email us at info@potomac.org. Support
the Conservancy
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| Volunteer |
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| Date Event |
Wed.
June 7,
Tue. June 13,
Wed. June 14,
& Thu. June 22 Various Times
Rain or shine
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Cut
Loose on Invasive Purple Loosestrife!
Various
locations in Maryland Maryland’s
Department of Natural Resources and its partners are launching
an effort to locate and remove purple loosestrife, an invasive
plant, from Maryland's marshes. Purple loosestrife out-competes
native plants, eliminates feeding opportunities for native animals
and, left unchecked, can permanently alter the function of a
wetland ecosystem. Educating and empowering the public to be
loosestrife scouts is central to protecting the state’s
wetlands and waterways. Learn
more: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/PurpleLoosestrife/purplels.asp. Free
training sessions are scheduled for: 6/7/06 Merkle
Wildlife Sanctuary Visitors Center 6:30-8:30 pm http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/merkle.html
6/13/06 Soldier's
Delight NEA Visitors Center 7:00-9:00 pm http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/soldiers.html
6/14/06 Hard Bargain Farm 10:00 am
http://www.hardbargainfarm.org/index1.php
6/22/06 Adkins Arboretum Visitor's Center 3:00-5:00 pm, again
7:00-9:00 pm http://www.adkinsarboretum.org/visitor.html Contact: Bill
Prudden, Project Manager, wprudden@dnr.state.md.us;
or Kerrie
Kyde, Invasive Plant Specialist, kkyde@dnr.state.md.us.
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Saturday,
July 22 9 am 'til
noon
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Invasive
Plant Removal
Idylwood Park, Fairfax
County
Help
Potomac Conservancy Fight Intruders! Numerous
plants are invasive to the area and threaten Virginia’s
native plant species. Volunteers will be instructed and will
remove invasive plants from the park. Tools,
gloves,
and
cool
water will be
provided. We recommend long sleeves, pants, and closed-toed
shoes. Also be
prepared for very little shade;
sunscreen and hats are advised. For
directions, please click
here. Contact: Colleen
Langan, Growing Native Coordinator, langan@potomac.org.
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Sunday,
July 23
9 am 'til
2 pm
Rain or shine
RSVP
required
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Explore
and Restore: Minnie’s Island
Minnie’s Island near Lockhouse 8, Cabin John,
Maryland
Come learn
about Minnie's Island, owned and protected by Potomac Conservancy!
Enjoy the
summer beauty of the island while being a good steward! Volunteers
will cleanup litter, remove invasive plant species,
reestablish trails, and
explore
this treasure
inside the Beltway. Long pants and insect repellant
are recommended. Cool water and snacks will be provided.
Contact
and RSVP (required): Colleen
Langan, Growing Native Coordinator, langan@potomac.org. |
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May
through
October,
One Saturday
or Sunday per
month
Required orientation:
By Appointment
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Be
a River Center Docent
River
Center at Lockhouse 8, C&O Canal National Historical Park, Cabin
John, Maryland
Do you enjoy
history or nature and talking to people? Then volunteer
as a docent at the Conservancy's River Center!
The River Center,
located in restored Lockhouse 8 along the C&O Canal, educates
visitors about the Potomac River, its connection to the Chesapeake
Bay, and what they can do in their own backyards to protect these
resources.
Docents must
commit three to four hours, once a month, on weekends from May
through October to greet River Center visitors and to answer their
questions. Docenting offers a unique opportunity to meet and interact
with visitors to the National Park while gaining a greater knowledge
of the C&O Canal and Potomac River.
Docents must
schedule an orientation meeting, and must be at
least 18 years old.
Contact
and to make an appointment: Judy
Welles, River Center at Lockhouse 8 Director, welles@potomac.org or
301.608.1188 x212.
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Ongoing
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Meet Other River Lovers!
Potomac Conservancy, 8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 612,
Silver Spring, MD 20910 (Silver Spring Metro Station on the Red Line)
Help
keep the Conservancy running smoothly. We
need volunteers to assist with data entry,
mailing preparation, filing,
and other general administrative duties.
The best part?
The chance to meet other river lovers, including other
volunteers and Potomac Conservancy staff!
A minimum eight-hour
commitment per month is required. Volunteers who dedicate at least
16 hours per month will get free pizza once a month!
We are a short
walk from the Silver Spring Metro (red line). Stop by anytime to
meet us and learn more about this opportunity.
Contact: Angela
Preston, Office Manager, preston@potomac.org.
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| Speak
Up |
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Help
the Headwaters: Quell Quarry
Expansion in Shenandoah! Cedar
Creek, the Cedar Creek& Belle Grove National Historical Park,
historic Middletown, as well as many homes and farms in southern
Frederick County,
Virginia,
are under threat. O-N Minerals/Chemstone has applied to Frederick
County officials
to rezone 639 acres from rural agriculture to mining and
industrial uses on two parcels in the southern part of the county. The
rezoning would create a 1,261-acre industrial mining corridor
two-thirds of a mile wide and more than
2.6 miles long. The expansion will bring a tremendous increase
in industrial truck traffic, air pollution,
changes to the water table, noise and dust from limestone
mining and other industrial activities, and visual pollution from
expanded mine waste piles. The water pollution expected due to the
expansion not only threatens the health of Cedar Creek, of which Potomac
Conservancy recently completed an ecological assessment, but also
waters that eventually flow into the Potomac. More>>> Attend
these upcoming crucial hearings to be held at the Frederick County
Board Room, County Administration Building, 107 North Kent
Street, Winchester, VA: Wednesday,
June 7
Frederick County Planning Commission Meets to Consider Chemstone Quarry
Rezoning Wednesday,
June 21
Frederick County Board of Supervisors Meets to Consider Chemstone
Quarry Rezoning To
learn more about what you can do, please visit Shenandoah Valley
Network's website:
http://www.shenandoahvalleynetwork.org To sign a
petition opposing the rezoning, contact local officials, and
to learn
more about the planned expansion's effects on historic Middletown,
Virginia, please
visit
Save Historic
Middletown's
website: SaveMiddletownNow
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| Events
& Trips |
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Date Event |
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Sunday,
June 11
4 pm 'til 5 pm
Free |
Voices of the River: Old-Time Banjo
River
Center at Lockhouse 8, Cabin John, Maryland
Join
the Potomac Conservancy and Reed Martin, old-time banjo
player, for this Voice of the River event. A winner at
Union Grove and countless other banjo contests, Reed
has taught at Augusta Heritage Center,
Maryland Banjo Academy and John C. Campbell Folk School.
His playing appears on several anthologies and on his
solo CD, Old Time Banjo. Hear
and learn
about claw-hammer
banjo with tunes like "New River Train" and "June
Apple."
Contact: Judy
Welles, River Center at Lockhouse
8 Director, welles@potomac.org.
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Tuesday,
June 20
9 am 'til 5 pm
$25 - Contact
Gilda Allen to register.
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Watershed
Wise DC: On the River, On the Bank
Anacostia Park, DC
Professional Development Opportunity!
The DC Environmental Education Consortium (DCEEC) & DC
Public Schools brings this unique opportunity to learn about
the environmental
educational opportunities in the DC watershed, to gather resources
for improving existing environmental education programs, and to
network with other professionals in the field.
For more information and to obtain registration materials, please
visit:
http://www.anacostiaws.org/PDF/Teacher Training/Watershed Wise
DC.pdf
Contact: Gilda Allen, gilda.allen@dc.gov.
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Saturday,
June 24
9 am 'til Noon
RSVP Required |
Fly
Fishing Workshop with Orvis
River Center at Lockhouse 8, Cabin John, Maryland Join
Potomac Conservancy and Orvis for fly
fishing on the Potomac! Learn
the basics of the art of fly fishing. An Orvis fly fishing instructor
will provide participants the most effective tips for fishing
success. Please bring your own equipment. If you do not have
equipment, please
contact James Tilley. Contact
and RSVP (required): James
Tilley, Recreation Program Coordinator, tilley@potomac.org.
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Saturday,
June 24
1 pm 'til 2 pm
Free |
Life
by the River: An Oral History
River Center at Lockhouse 8, Cabin John, Maryland
Learn
about life along the C&O Canal of the 1940s and 1950s!
Hear
stories from Christine Cerniglia, former
president of the C&O Canal Association,
and her sister
Kathleen who lived near Lock 8 about
what it was like to live and play by the canal
and Potomac River in
the
early to mid-1900s. This event is part of Montgomery Heritage
Days. For more information, please visit
Heritage Montgomery's website:
http://www.heritagemontgomery.org/.
Contact:
Heather Montgomery, Conservation Program Assistant, montgomery@potomac.org.
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Saturday,
June 24
9 am 'til 5 pm and Sunday,
June 25 9 am 'til 3 pm Free
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Explore
America’s Wildest
Urban River at Glen Echo Park
Glen Echo Park, Glen
Echo, Maryland Join
Potomac
Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, The National Park Service,
and others at Glen Echo Park for the Potomac Gorge BioBlitz! The BioBlitz is a
30-hour race against the clock to document the species that live in
the Gorge. While field researchers
search for species, the public can participate in a range of family-friendly
activities including guided nature walks, storytelling, and opportunities
to see some of the creatures that live in the Gorge. The public is
also invited to the BioBlitz closing ceremony at Glen Echo Park on
Sunday,
June 25 at 3 p.m. in the “Cuddle Up” pavilion, where the
weekend’s species discovery tally and other noteworthy findings
will be announced. For a complete list
of public BioBlitz activities at Glen Echo Park, please visit www.nature.org/BioBlitz.
Contact: Amy Hastie
at (301) 897-8570.
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Sunday,
June 25 3 pm 'til 4 pm
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Canoe
Building Demonstration
River
Center at Lockhouse 8, Cabin John, Maryland Come learn about hand-made canoes and paddling the Potomac!
Jim
Ross, an avid canoeist, builds canoes by hand. Jim
will bring a canoe mold and the fiberglass canoe that was
made from it. He will discuss the many aspects of boatbuilding
including fiberglass, wood construction, and plywood boatsin.
Join us for this intriguing talk about the art of canoe
building and Jim's first-hand experience of the best places
to paddle.This
event is part of Montgomery Heritage Days. For more information,
please visit Heritage Montgomery's website: http://www.heritagemontgomery.org/.
Contact: James
Tilley, Recreation Program Coordinator, tilley@potomac.org..
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Saturday,
July 8
4 pm 'til 8 pm
Free
Rain or Shine |
Annual
Picnic on the Potomac
Carderock Pavilion, Carderock, Maryland
We'd
like to show our appreciation of our members and celebrate the
summer with our annual picnic!
Join
us for grillers, games, music, and relaxation! Bring
chairs, blankets, a side dish or dessert, and a friend! As always,
beverages including Potomac Ale and Shenandoah Lager and grilled
goodies will be provided.
For
directions, please click
here.
Contact: Angela
Preston, Office Manager, preston@potomac.org.
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Tuesday,
July 4
9 am 'til 3 pm
Free
Rain or Shine
RSVP Required
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Independence
Day Paddle
Violette’s Lock (Lock 23) to Tenfoot & Sharpshin
Islands
Join
Potomac Conservancy in celebrating our independence on our
nation's river!
Potomac Conservancy
will lead participants on an approximately five-mile paddle from
Lock 23 to the Conservancy's very own Tenfoot and Sharpshin Islands.
Participants will need to come prepared for the weather and bring
a sack lunch.
Limited numbers of canoes and equipment are available; please
RSVP as soon as possible.
Contact
and RSVP (required): James
Tilley, Recreation Program Coordinator, tilley@potomac.org.
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Sunday,
July 9
4 pm 'til 5 pm
Free |
Voices of the River: Fiddlin' On the Porch
Come
listen to the folk fiddle and guitar of "Kitchen Gorilla"! Husband
and wife team Joel
Edelman and Lisa
Robinson will play folk songs on fiddle and guitar. Join us to
hear old-time tunes of Celtic, Appalachian,
and Eastern European origin. Contact: Judy Welles, River Center at Lockhouse
8 Director, welles@potomac.org.
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Saturday,
July
22
9:30
am 'til 3 pm
Free
RSVP
Required |
Potomac
Heritage Trail Repair Workshop
Northern Virginia
Join
a training workshop on trail maintenance supported by the ACME
Treadway Trail Crew and the Potomac Conservancy!
Learn
how to construct a hiking trail from professionals. Volunteers
will rebuild sections
of the Potomac Heritage Trail along the scenic Potomac River.
Trainers will help volunteers of all levels of experience learn
the fundamentals and "zen" of trail work. An optional
potluck will follow. LIMITED to 15 slots.
RSVP is required.
Contacts
and RSVP (required): Bruce
Glendening, bglendening@yahoo.com;
703-532-9093; or James Tilley, tilley@potomac.org,
301-608-1188 ext.213.
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| News & Notes |
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Potomac,
Bay to Suffer in Summer:
'Dead zone,' algae blooms expected to return this year, water-quality scientists
say Scientists say the
oxygen-starved "dead zone" will
reappear in the Chesapeake Bay and harmful algae blooms will probably
reoccur in
the Potomac River this summer. The
predictions are part of the ecological forecast released yesterday by the
Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program. More>>>
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Intercounty
Connector Gets Final Approval:
After More Than 50 Years, Work on Montgomery-Pr. George's Link to Start in Fall Maryland
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. stood on a patch of roadside grass yesterday
to announce that the intercounty connector, a suburban highway more
than a half-century in the making, has gained final approval from the
federal government and that construction would begin in the fall on
the ground beneath his feet. The approval means that Maryland has satisfied all environmental, economic
and community requirements and that it can build the highway across Montgomery
and Prince George's counties. State officials plan to finish the project
by 2010. More>>>
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No
Shortcut to a Clean Chesapeake Too
much of a good thing can have unintended consequences -- even for a
body of water. Excess nutrients are engorging this country's waterways,
generating massive dead zones in some of the world's most valuable
ecosystems, including the Chesapeake Bay. Some organizations have suggested
introducing non-native oysters as a possible solution. More>>>
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Power
Outage Unleashes Raw Sewage Seventeen million
gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac River Friday, May 19,
after a three-hour power failure at the regional Blue Plains sewage
treatment plant, with both the cause and impact of the accident in
dispute. A backup line normally would have been available quickly,
but it had been taken down for maintenance. More>>>
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Parks
Official Is Blamed in Snyder Tree Cutting A
high-ranking National Park Service official improperly helped Washington
Redskins owner Daniel
M.
Snyder broker a deal to cut down more than 130
trees on a hillside between his Potomac estate and the C&O Canal,
according to a report by the Interior Department inspector general's
office. More>>>
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Park Service Rejects Redskins Owner's Bid To
Fix Retaining Wall The National Park Service, which according to a federal investigation
improperly helped Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder cut down more than 130
trees behind his Potomac estate, has denied his request to rebuild a crumbling
retaining wall on his property. Like the cleared trees, the wall is within a federally
protected scenic easement, which buffers the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
National Historical Park and does not allow any structures to be built
or rebuilt within 200
feet of the canal. Because the wall is within the easement, it may not
be repaired, Park Superintendent Kevin D. Brandt wrote in denying Snyder's
request last week. More>>>
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Tax Break Credited In Saving Va. Land As growth spreads west from Washington along the Piedmont, record numbers
of property owners are protecting their land from development by using
a little-known state tax credit that has transformed Virginia into a national
leader of private land conservation. More>>>
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Good
Neighbor Tip: Prepare for Summer! Summer
is here, and it’s a great time to get outdoors and work
in the yard! Here are some simple steps to help maintain a
healthy
and attractive
lawn while protecting the health of
the Potomac River: Mow
high with a sharp blade. The easiest way to ensure a greener,
fuller lawn is to avoid cutting more than one-third of the
length of the grass blade. Leave
clippings on your lawn. Grass clippings reduce the need
for extra nitrogen fertilizer by as much as one-third, saving
you money and time. Apply
the correct amount of fertilizer for your lawn’s
needs at the correct time. Over-fertilizing is a common mistake.
Lawn fertilizer is measured in pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Never apply more than one pound of soluble nitrogen per 1,000
square feet of lawn at one time. Fertilize when your grass
is actively growing and can take up the nutrients. Summer is
best for warm-season grasses, while September through November
is best for cool-season grasses. For more river-friendly
tips, download a free copy of the Conservancy's Good
Neighbor Handbook.
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Our
Potomac:
From Great Falls Through Washington, DC The first book of its
kind, Roy Sewall's Our Potomac will take you on a 17-mile journey of
the
river, capturing its transformation from
raging falls to an idyllic setting for many of Washington’s
greatest monuments. Including a foreword by Potomac Conservancy president
Matthew Logan, this book makes a gentle but compelling case for the
perpetual respect and protection that the Potomac deserves...and is
the perfect centerpiece for your coffee table. Proceeds from the sales of Our Potomac support the Potomac Conservancy. Order today! View
photos from this full-color, hard-cover book and purchase
it online while supplies last!
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| Potomac
Reflections |
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Potomac
Reflections is a feature through
which the Conservancy's supporters share personal stories about
how they relate to the Potomac River. Potomac
Reflections is on hiatus this month. To visit past reflections,
please click here. To submit
your own story for publication, please email us at info@potomac.org.
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| Support
the Conservancy Today |
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Donating
Online Is Easy, Secure, and Saves Resources The Potomac
Conservancy is trying to make it as easy as possible for you to show
your support of our work. You can join, renew,
and make
special gifts securely online. In
an effort to dedicate more of your contributions directly toward
our river protection and
restoration programs, we will also soon be introducing electronic
renewal notices. If you have any membership
questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We want to hear from
you! Contact: Angela
Preston, Office Manager, at preston@potomac.org or
301.608.1188. To
learn about other ways you can support the Conservancy: Visit www.potomac.org.
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RiverUpdate
is an e-newsletter for Potomac Conservancy supporters. It provides
information on the Conservancy's volunteer activities and river-related
events.
We welcome your feedback and comments on RiverUpdate. Please email
us at riverupdate@potomac.org to
let us know what you think.
To
subscribe or unsubscribe, click here.
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