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Get Involved: PAST EVENTS

​To promote the health and beauty of the Cabin John Creek Watershed, FoCJC has pursued a variety of activities, including annual trash removal days, a Weed Warriors program to remove invasive exotic weeds; quarterly monitoring, and commenting on Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Cabin John Creek Watershed Restoration Study.
New activities are under development, so subscribe to our free newsletter or check back here to stay up to date!
FoCJC Creek Keepers
Saturday, November 6 - Sunday, November 14

FoCJC invites you to participate in a new event that gives you an opportunity to do something fun – spend time along Cabin John Creek – while making a difference to your environment.  This November, we are recruiting volunteer environmental monitors to walk their favorite segment of the Creek and document what they see – both the good and the bad!  We’ll use this information to help us plan our stewardship programs for maximum impact on the health and beauty of the CJC Watershed. 

Who?
Anyone 12 years old or up who cares about the creek and can monitor a quarter mile or more along the creek can become an FoCJC Creek Keeper.  We welcome individuals, couples, families, friends, or small groups.  Much of the Creek is on Montgomery Parks property.  Beginning November 1, 2021, Montgomery Parks will be requiring all participating volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
When?
Any time that’s convenient for you, between Saturday, November 6, and Sunday, November 14.
Where?
Find a safe and legal access point to the creek or any of its tributaries and, where possible, walk at least a quarter mile upstream or downstream. 
What?
Document the general state of the Creek, look for any signs of physical disturbance (eroded banks, fallen trees that block the trail or creek, trash, tree cages or other debris in the creek), and notice any special places that catch your eye.  Then note the location and photograph them. 
How?
No special knowledge is needed for this event, but a camera with geolocation ability would be helpful.  Please do not get in the creek or try to fix or collect anything; just observe and report the conditions.  All volunteers over 12 years old should fill out a Registration Form.  Once you register, we will send detailed instructions and a link to the electronic data submission form.  

The information you gather will allow us to make plans for future events and track conditions in the watershed over time.  Our plan is to extend this event into a long-term program with multiple monitoring campaigns throughout the year.  We hope that, in the spring, we can create formal teams that will adopt a particular segment of the creek for long-term stewardship.  With 25 square miles of watershed and eight named tributaries feeding into the Cabin John Creek mainstem, FoCJC Creek Keepers will be the eyes and ears of the Cabin John Creek Watershed!

Register now for the 2021 Creek Keeper Event!  https://forms.gle/VcojdN5K8KUHJMwW7

 

Questions?  tina@cabinjohncreek.org

Wednesday September 22,  7 - 9:30 pm

Sunday, September 26, 1:30 - 4 pm


The Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS), a pioneer in linking conservation activities with environmental education, is offering two stream science classes in the coming weeks:

How to Read Your Stream
Wednesday September 22,  7 - 9:30 pm
Online Session
Learn about the influence of land uses on streams, stream character and dynamics, bank erosion, bar formation, substrate composition, different velocity-depth regimes, and the importance of riffles and riparian vegetation. We will practice assessing stream habitat by using photographs of streams and the forms that monitors fill out in the field.
Members  $15, Non-members  $25
Stream Science Field Workshop
Sunday, September 26, 1:30 - 4 pm
Ten Mile Creek, Boyds, MD
We will visit a healthy stream at Ten Mile Creek in Boyds, MD, to practice monitoring techniques and to collect and identify the benthic macroinvertebrates we find.
Members  $15, Non-members  $25

For more information about these and other ANS courses, such as Landscapes for Life: Conservation Gardening, Composting Workshop, and Conservation & Environmental Advocacy 101, and to register for any of these courses, please visit:
https://campscui.active.com/orgs/AudubonNaturalistSociety#/selectSessions/2917731/filter/types=1380715
(You will need to search by name for the course you're interested within the ANS online catalog.)
 
Questions?  Pam Oves, 301-652-9188 x16, pam.oves@anshome.org

Saturday, September 25, 9 am - 12 noon
Carderock Recreation Area
Potomac, MD

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The National Capital PRISM (Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management) and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park invite you to join them on Saturday, September 25th, 2021 at Carderock Recreation Area to learn how to identify and remove non-native plants threatening our urban forests. This event is part of Weed Wrangle®, a one-day, area-wide, volunteer effort to help rescue our public parks and green spaces from non-native invasive species through hands-on removal of especially harmful trees, vines, and flowering plants. This event will be led by a local vegetation expert and will focus on removal of non-native vines and shrubs.
 
Tools and gloves will be provided by the NCA Invasive Plant Management Team, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own tools and safety gear. 
 
Please register here: National Park Service Invasive Plant Removal at Carderock

Additional information about the event will be shared with all participants on Monday, September 20. 

Questions?  Contact Alex Voznitza at aleksandra_voznitza@nps.gov

Sunday, September 26, 10 am - 12 noon
Cabin John Regional Park
7400 Tuckerman Ln., Bethesda, MD  20817

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Save the trees! Join Chuck Woolery and Steven Romanoff, Weed Warrior Supervisors, for a Sunday morning non-native, invasive plant removal workday in the northern section of Cabin John Regional Park in Potomac, MD.  We will be focusing on non-native, invasive vines, including porcelainberry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata), wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), and English ivy (Hedera helix).

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Please wear long pants that cover your ankles, long sleeves, and sturdy, closed-toed shoes.  Bring gloves, pruners, small folding hand saws and/or loppers if you have them.  Gloves and tools are available to borrow if you don’t have your own.  No power tools or machetes allowed. Please bring water to drink.  

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This event is capped at 30 people and is for people 18 years or older.

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All volunteers must register online and complete a COVID-19 Volunteer Waiver.  You will complete your waiver when you create a profile in the Montgomery Parks Volunteer Database, during the online registration. Please email Corinne (WW Volunteer Coordinator) if you need a copy of the current Weed Warrior Workday COVID protocols.

Click here to register for the event, then click “Schedule” to sign up for this event/shift.  More details, including the exact meeting location, will be emailed to you after you register. If you already have an account in the database, email Corinne (WW Volunteer Coordinator), and don’t create a new account!

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For questions, email Chuck.

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To learn more about the Weed Warrior program, go to www.WeedWarrior.org.

Through Thursday, September 30

 

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, provides parks, trails, sports venues, gardens, historic sites and events centers for the residents of Montgomery County, MD, and visitors around the world.  The department is updating its Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan.  This document will guide the future development and management of the park system.  They are asking residents to take a brief survey about how their lives are, or could be.
 
The online survey is available at www.MontgomeryParks.org/poweredbyparks and open through September 30.

Stormdrain Labelling

POSTPONED
Stormdrain labelling is an easy and effective method of educating neighbors about watershed stewardship that will protect Cabin John Creek, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay.  Volunteering for a stormdrain labeling project is a fun way to give back to the community and help protect our natural world.
Contacttina@cabinjohncreek.org

Creek Cleanups 2020

POSTPONED

Message from Montgomery Parks: "Due to ongoing health and safety concerns for the COVID-19 virus, effective March 16, 2020, Montgomery Parks is cancelling all public and private events and closing all park facilities to the public through March 31. We apologize for the inconvenience but the safety of our customers, the public, and staff are our number one priority.   
 
This closure applies to all entities operating on parkland and to all of our volunteer cleanups taking place in March. We are working closely with state and county health officials to coordinate next steps and will share the latest developments on our website at https://www.montgomeryparks.org/covid-19/."


If this cleanup gets rescheduled, Friends of Cabin John Creek will publish the new date and info here.

For All Creek Cleanups:

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Clothing:         

  •     Dress warmly, but in layers

  •     Long pants, long sleeve shirt, hat, sturdy shoes/boots that can get wet (waders if you have them)

Equipment:      

  •     Bring: Drinking water

  •     Provided: Trash bags, work gloves

Kids:

  •     Volunteers under age 12 should be accompanied by an adult

  •     SSL hours are available

Rain Dates:

  •     Cleanups will proceed unless there's heavy rain

  •     Check our homepage for updates if the forecast is rainy

Contact:

Monday, August 26, 5 - 7 pm

Every time it rains, thousands of pounds of pet waste is washed into stormdrains that lead directly into our streams, causing pollution in our waterways.  Join us to find out how you and your dog can be Watershed Friendly and get your FREE poop bag dispenser.

Sunday, April 26, TIME TBD

Locust Grove Nature Center

7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817

Do you enjoy exploring and observing nature? The City Nature Challenge is a friendly competition among 160+ cities worldwide to see who can observe the most species and involve the most citizen scientists.  You can join FoCJC at the Locust Grove Nature Center on Sunday, April 26, to explore and photograph Cabin John Creek Watershed flora and fauna.  Using the iNaturalist app (training provided) on your smartphone, your observations of plant and animal life will help scientists collect valuable data on the biodiversity of our planet. AND you’ll help the Metro Washington area win!
Contact: Sandy at shevaetta@gmail.com

Rubber Ducky Regatta

Saturday, June 22, 3 – 6 pm

Cabin John Creek Local Park Picnic Area

7401 MacArthur Boulevard

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Cheer on your favorite ducky while supporting FoCJC.  Find out more here!

Creek Cleanups

Sunday, April 28, 10 am - Noon, Old Farm
We will focus on the Old Farm Creek tributary of Cabin John Creek.

This event is co-sponsored by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom (Bethesda-Rockville Chapter), and Jews, Muslims, and Allies Acting Together.
Meet-Up Location:  Tilden Woods Local Park (aka Tilden Woods Stream Valley Park)
                                  6806 Tilden Lane, Rockville
                                  Meet in the parking lot on the south side of Tilden Lane, across from Old Stage Road
Contact
Burr Gray (burrgray@aol.com, 240-753-5918)

For All Creek Cleanups:

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Clothing:         

  •     Dress warmly, but in layers

  •     Long pants, long sleeve shirt, hat, sturdy shoes/boots that can get wet (waders if you have them)


Equipment:      

  •     Bring: Drinking water

  •     Provided: Trash bags, work gloves


Kids:

  •     Volunteers under age 12 should be accompanied by an adult

  •     SSL hours are available


Rain Dates:

  •     Cleanups will proceed unless there's heavy rain

  •     Check our homepage for updates if the forecast is rainy


Contact:

Weed Warrior Workday

Sunday, April 14, 2019

10 am - Noon

Cabin John Local Park

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Help us remove invasive plants to protect one of Montgomery County's gems - the Cabin John Local Park. You'll learn about the local ecology and help the native plants and animals that make this park their home.

Where:
Cabin John Local Park, 7401 MacArthur Blvd., Cabin John, MD.  Meet at the trail head near the playground.

What to Bring:

  • Wear clothes that can get dirty, and rain gear as necessary.

  • Sturdy closed-toe shoes are required (no sandals).

  • Bring water to drink.

  • You may want to apply bug spray.

  • Bring a pair of work gloves


Who: Everyone!

  • Everyone!
    Volunteers 16 and under must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

  • FoCJC is certified to award MCPS Student Service Learning Hours.  We will have SSL forms available.


Weather:

This program is rain or shine -- but check the FoCJC website in case of extreme weather (high winds, lightning).  If it is raining, please bring rain gear.

Contact Information: ​ Jon Putnam, wputnam10@hotmail.com

Faith & Local Waters Workshop
October 21, 2018
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Creek Cleanup, Bradley Blvd.
October 14, 2018
 
2018 Dog Park Day
September 16, 2018
 
Week Warrior Workday
September 15, 2018
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Week Warrior Workday
June 16, 2018
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RainScapes Workshop
June 10, 2018
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Rain Garden Tour
June 2 - 3, 2018
 
Week Warrior Workday
May 5, 2018
 
Creek Cleanups
April, 2018
 
Creek Cleanup - Upper Snakeden Branch
March 17, 2018
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Week Warrior Workday
March 10, 2018
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EcoMovie - Potomac: The River Runs Through Us
January 21, 2018
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MLK Day of Service @ Locust Grove Nature Center
January 15, 2018
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Creek Cleanup
November 5, 2017
 
CREEKfest
October 15, 2017
 
Weed Warrior Workday
September 9, 2017
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Weed Warrior Workday
July 9, 2017
 
Luxmanor Stormwater Community Meeting
July 9, 2017
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Annual Creek Clean-Ups
April 2017
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EcoMovie 2017: Beautiful Swimmers Revisited
April 2, 2017
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MLK Day of Service @ Locust Grove Nature Center
January 16, 2016
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Creek Critter Crawl 2016
Saturday, October 29
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Take a Hike!  2016

June 4, 2016

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Do More 24. One Day to Click and Donate to FoCJC

June 2, 2016
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GreenFest 2016

Saturday, April 30

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Annual Creek Clean-Ups
April 2016
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Stormwater Solutions & RainScapes Community Meeting

For Residents of West Bradley

April 17, 2016

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Stormwater Solutions & RainScapes Community Meeting
For Residents of Cabin John, Cabin John Gardens, and Riverhill
February 28, 2016
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EcoMovie 2016: Water Blues Green Solutions
February 21 , 2016
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MLK Day of Service @ Locust Grove Nature Center
January 18, 2016
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