March 2007
Contents
Upcoming Events
· Link to Friends of Sligo Creek Event Calendar
· Program Meeting – Backyard Habitats, Mar13th
· Committee Meetings – Outreach, Mar 5th; Stormwater Mar 7th; Litter, Mar 15th
News and Announcements
· FrogWatchers Needed
· Natural History Outing – The Woods in Winter
· Maryland Bottle Bill
· Stormwater Committee News
· Litter Committee Activities – Sweep the Creek
· Tower Going Up At Wheaton Stormwater Ponds
Bulletin Board
Upcoming Events
Link to Calendar
This newsletter now includes a link to the Friends of Sligo Creek website calendar. We encourage you to visit the calendar to check for any late changes to event times or places.
Program Meeting – Backyard Habitats
Tuesday, March 13th, at the Takoma Park Community Center
This meeting will cover ways to make yards, schools, and parks friendlier to wildlife. It will also cover how to certify your yard thru the Natural Wildlife Federation. It will be held in the Azalea room of the Takoma Park Community Center.
For questions please contact Ann Hoffnar at or 301 585 8891.
Committee Meetings
The Outreach and Education Committee will meet at Ann Hoffnar's house at 7:30 p.m. on Monday Mar 5. We will be working on an outreach plan for Friends and welcome your input. We will also look at upcoming events as our busy season approaches. For more information or directions, contact Brent at or 301 864 0830.
The next Stormwater Committee meeting is on Wednesday March 7 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be at Ed Murtagh’s house - 1904 Ventura Ave. From University and Arcola Ave, travel up Arcola Ave about 1 mile. Turn left at Channing Ave. Go to the end of Channing and turn right on Ventura Ave. Ed lives two houses away from the corner of Channing and Ventura. Contact Ed for more information or further directions. 301 649 7266 or
The next Litter committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 15th, at 7:45 in Silver Spring. Please contact Wendi Schnaufer () for details. We are actively seeking new members! Come and work toward making our area a better place to live. We are gearing up for an ongoing project of stenciling of stormwater drains starting in the spring, among other efforts.
News and Announcements
FrogWatchers Needed
Help us monitor Sligo Creek’s delicate amphibian population by joining our team of FrogWatch volunteers. FrogWatchers first learn the calls of our resident species and then visit wetland areas along the Creek after dark to listen for the calls of the Wood Frog, American Toad, Pickerel Frog, Bullfrog, Green Frog, and Gray Tree Frog. FrogWatch begins in March and extends through the summer, as your schedule permits. See previous years’ results and more on our frogs at http://www.fosc.org/Amphibians.htm .
For more information, contact Michael Wilpers at or visit the Friends website: www.fosc.org .
Natural History Outing
Signs of Life in Winter
On Sunday, February 4, Stephanie Mason, senior naturalist with the Audubon Naturalist Society, led a group of about 20 at the stormwater management ponds on Wheaton Branch, looking for evidence of animal life and hearing about plant and animal adaptations for winter. We were joined on this cold, windy day by Neal Fitzpatrick, ANS Executive Director. Throughout the walk, a gorgeous great blue heron traveled back and forth across the ponds.
Stephanie explained that, for plants, winter essentially means drought;for animals, famine. She summarized many winter adaptations as simply "getting out of the way." Our Eastern chipmunks and woodchucks hunker deep in their underground burrows, while box turtles dig themselves just below the frost line and snapping turtles head for the mud at the bottom of the ponds. Bats retreat to caves, attics, and large stormwater drains. All of these animals slow down their metabolism for the season, though only the bats and woodchucks truly hibernate. Meanwhile, many birds (and some bats) migrate south.
The opposite strategy is to stick around and stay active throughout the winter, as do many birds and our rabbits, squirrels, voles, mice and shrews. We saw evidence of cottontails beneath clumps of multi-flora rose and porecelainberry, where fresh scat piles showed they had probably taken refuge from predators. Huddling together conserves heat for some of these winter-active animals: flying squirrels huddle together in hollow trees, as do chickadees and bluebirds, even honeybees. Many birds fluff up their downy under-feathers and actually shiver non-stop throughout the season. Squirrels put on an extra layer of fat in fall as insulation and an energy source.
Along the crest of the berm, we encountered a large scat consisting entirely of long animal hair - evidence that it was coyote dropping, probably after eating a rabbit. Another largish scat, along the wood's edge at the north end of the berm, looked at first like coyote. Taking it apart, however, revealed a persimmon seed, indicating it was the omnivorous fox, not the coyote, a strict carnivore. At the same spot, we found a dead tree limb whose insides where a maze of narrow tunnels, all made by carpenter ants that make up 60 percent of the diet of piliated woodpeckers.
During our break for hot-chocolate and cider, Neal Fitzpatrick gave us an update on the ANS lawsuit to stop the ICC, and provided us a chance to discuss its progress with a leader in the effort to stop the highway.
Maryland Bottle Bill
Maryland Delegate Proposes Bill to Reduce Litter: The Bottle Bill
This recently proposed bill would require a 5-cent deposit on disposable plastic, aluminum, and glass beverage containers, adding an incentive to return them and reduce littering in our streets and streams. Tossed beverage bottles are the main source of litter in our streets, roadsides, and public lands and parks and in Sligo Creek, the Anacostia, and the Potomac. The cleanups by Friends of Sligo Creek and other watershed groups can only raise awareness of the ongoing crisis. We Sweep the Creek only to find more trash beginning to accumulate immediately. Curbside recycling is definitely not enough to keep people from littering beverage cans and bottles. Barring a national bottle bill or ban on disposable plastic beverage bottles or other educational and preventative measures, for example, many environmentally aware people believe a bottle bill is a step in the right direction for Maryland. Other states have found bottle bills to be successful.
The HB-839 bottle bill that Pete Hammen, a State Delegate from Baltimore, has proposed, is scheduled to receive a hearing on Wednesday, March 7th. The aim of the bottle bill is to reduce litter blight and landfilling, help keep toxins out of our water, create jobs, and actually save taxpayers money (less for disposal, recycling, and cleanup costs). Look for more information on the bill at http://www.fosc.org/BottleBill20070210.htm . If you would like to write to your elected officials to encourage their support of this bill, you can find a sample letter at http://www.fosc.org/BottleBillLetter.htm .
Stormwater Committee News
In Annapolis there has been a lot of action recently related to various legislation that would address stormwater runoff. Since these bills could have a major impact on Sligo Creek, our Stormwater Committee is following them closely.One bill recently introduced by Delegate Jane Lawton is being referred to as "The Stormwater Act" of 2007" (HB-786). It has been cross filed in the Senate. This is a comprehensive bill that would (1) require the use of Environmental Site Design techniques as the primary method for managing stormwater on building sites, (2) implement a comprehensive methodology for considering groundwater impacts, pollution control and protecting the public safety, and (3) mandating retention of surrounding surface water quality andexisting/natural hydrology on building sites so that there will be no significant change between pre- and post- development conditions. These provisions will help prevent soil erosion and safeguard the integrity of our local stream channels and waterways. A draft of the bill has been posted on the FoSC web site. See http://www.fosc.org/PDF/Lawton_Bill.pdf for details (or, contact Ed and the Friends Stormwater Committee).
Litter Committee Activities – Sweep the Creek
Spring Sweep the Creek—save the date! Saturday, April 21st, 9-11 a.m. Rain or shine. Our spring cleanup in various sections of Sligo Creek is on Earth Day weekend, so make this your event to help the environment! We are supporting the Potomac River Watershed cleanup sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society’s cleanup of the Anacostia River. Bring family and friends out for a productive, fun morning. We’ll supply gloves, water, bags, and give-aways from our sponsors. We’ll have service credit forms for students. Look for meeting places posted in early April on http://www.fosc.org . Individuals and families can pick a section and just show up ready to work. Groups, please let Wendi () know how many to expect and at which section.
We still are looking for a volunteer who might not be able to pick up litter and dumped items but would like to help out in some way during the cleanup. This person would drive and visit the lower sections of the Creek during the cleanup, stopping at meeting tables to talk to the section leaders to see how the cleanup is going and replenishing any supplies (Wendi will supply you) that the section leaders need. This person would also take some pictures of the volunteers, which we would post on the website.
Tower Going Up at Wheaton Stormwater Ponds
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has notified Friends that a tower is going to be installed at the Wheaton Stormwater Ponds in March. This 30 foot communications tower will be used to remotely monitor the pond dam’s integrity during heavy rains. It will also have a rain gauge that may eventually be able to monitor rain and water flow in real time, allowing for an ongoing (indirect) monitoring of flow in the Wheaton Branch tributary.
From the Board of Directors
The seven-member Board meets monthly and welcomes your comments and issues for consideration. Communications with the Board should be directed to president Bruce Sidwell at . Please see http://www.fosc.org/Board.htm for more about the current Board.
The February 2007meeting included a review of the 2006 financial reports, as well as plans for upcoming programs and the March 24th Watershed Summit organized by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. There was also a discussion of the eight – soon to be ten – signboxes that we have placed, by permission of M-NCPPC, in most sections of the Creek mainstem, plus the Long Branch and Wheaton Branch tributaries. We discussed: how to coordinate contents, how to arrange for timely placement and removal of materials, and how to create materials of interest that will build support of the Creek. Ideas are welcome!
Bulletin Board
Friends of Sligo Creek now features a Bulletin Board. We will use this space to make our members aware of a variety of opportunities, needs and things of value to nature lovers. We may include items such as old binoculars or garden equipment being given away or sold cheaply, equipment needed for environmental testing or park work, rides offered or needed, and job opportunities related to the environment.
From time to time, Friends of Sligo Creek becomes aware of job opportunities (both paying and volunteer) related to the environment, but not necessarily directly related to Sligo Creek. Since many of our members are interested in contributing to the environment in a variety of ways, Friends will include some of these in the Bulletin Board, at our sole discretion. If you are interested in any of these jobs, please go to the links indicated – please do not contact Friends of Sligo Creek.
If you or your organization has a position, need or service you would like to put in the Bulletin Board, you may send the information including contact and application information, to Friends of Sligo Creek at . Items must be related to the environment or support an environmental organization, and we reserve the right to include or exclude any particular item at our sole discretion. Note that we will not post full job descriptions here in this Newsletter, just a general description and a link or contact for more information.
Jobs:
County Executive Isiah Leggett is seeking applicants to fill seven vacancies on the Water Quality Advisory Group. The 18-member committee provides recommendations to the County Executive and County Council each year on issues related to the County’s water quality goals, objectives, policies and programs. Members serve three-year terms without compensation, but are eligible for reimbursement for travel and dependent care for meetings attended. Meetings are usually held the second Monday evening of each month at 255 Rockville Pike, #120, Rockville.
The County Executive is also seeking applicants to fill 4 vacancies on the Long Branch Advisory Committee of East Silver Spring. Members will serve partial terms ending January 31, 2008. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the county staff on implementation of the residential and commercial revitalization of the Long Branch community. The Committee reports annually to the County Executive and County Council on the progress of the revitalization.
Applicants for either committee should write by March 9 to County Executive Isiah Leggett at the Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD 20850 or send an e-mail to . A resume, including home and office telephone numbers and email address should be included. Mr. Leggett’s appointments are subject to confirmation by the County Council. Applications of those selected for appointment are made public as part of the confirmation process.
See You In The Park!
News items collected and edited by Michael Pollock and volunteer helpers. Do you have an item about Sligo that would be of interest to our members? Please send it to Michael at and cc to the address below.
Comments about this newsletter can now also be sent to .