Quarterly Monitoring of Cabin John Creek & Its Tributaries
New Stream Monitoring Schedule: Monitoring one day during the first 3 full weekends of the month in May, July, Sept and optional Dec-Feb. Date to be set by Team Leader. For details, contact Roy Seidenstein at the FOCJCW.

Our hope is that the data generated by the monitoring program will create a baseline by which to evaluate the health of the Creek, as well as a baseline by which to determine whether the County's stormwater runoff control program is working. Much of the adverse impacts on local streams comes from stormwater runoff. We have training sessions once or twice a year for new monitors, but the knowledge can be picked up relatively easily during the sessions themselves.

Annual Cabin John Creek Cleanup
Every Spring at the end of April, FOCJCW conducts a cleanup of the Creek and its tributaries. This cleanup first started in Cabin John in 1996 and gets larger each year. Our hope is to enlist communities and businesses to clean up that portion of a waterway in the Cabin John Watershed nearest them so that at some point in the future, every waterway will get the beauty treatment once a year. The County M-NCPPC assists by providing gloves and trash bags and picks up the trash once we are done. Please contact Burr Gray at burr.gray@alum.dartmouth.org if you are interested in organizing a cleanup at a particular location. If you want to be simply a worker bee, check our list of sites and contact the Team Leader for the site nearest you. While the Creek is no worse than other urban streams, the County advised in an August 1999 letter that residents should (1) avoid total body immersion (this means no swimming), (2) avoid swallowing of water, and (3) wash hands and shower when water contact from wading does take place. During the period of 99-02, there were two accidental sanitary sewer discharges into the Creek, so you never know for certain how clean the water might be from day to day.

General Issues - Kids under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Community service credits are available, be sure to sign the attendance sheet. Bring your own gloves if you have them. Trash bags and refreshments provided. Wear long pants and a hat, and shoes that can get wet if necessary. Dress warmly in layers and bring some drinking water. If the water is high, stay out of the stream channel! Use the Buddy system and work in pairs. Be very careful when picking up trash. Don't put your hands where you can't see them as stream undercuts and reaching under logs and stones can be dangerous. If you find a syringe, don't pick it up, but rather notify your Team Leader.

WSSC Projects in the Creek Watershed
One of the upcoming FOCJCW projects is to work with WSSC to determine its approach to dealing with those locations in the Creek where the sewer pipe has become exposed to the elements as a result of erosion by the Creek. There are numerous instances along the Creek where the sanitary sewer can be seen. We hope to work with WSSC so as to evaluate whether there are alternate sites where a sanitary sewer could be placed, and if not feasible, what sorts of restoration programs exists that will minimize the impact of any WSSC repairs to the sewer. Contact Glenn Patterson at gpatter@usgs.gov if you would like to participate in this FOCJCW project.

DEP Stormwater and Creek Restoration Effort
The County is in the midst of an effort to address to the extent possible the impacts of stormwater runoff on County streams. FOCJCW members meet with the County periodically to be updated on these efforts. It is our hope that the data collected in the Monitoring Program will be useful in the future to determine the impact that the County's efforts are having on any downstream macro-invertebrate population. The FOCJCW Restoration Coordinator is Eric Strassler at focjcw@earthlink.net. The next meeting with the County is expected to occur in Spring 02.

Cabin John Creek Weed Warriors Program
Last summer, FOCJCW sponsored a Weed Warriors training session in Cabin John. Participants became trained in identifying and removing vines and plants that "Aren't Supposed To Be Here". Alien invasive weeds can harm native ecosystems including our streams and trees. Trainees received a certification that allows and encourages them to identify, remove and control these weeds on their own. FOCJCW would like to build a Cabin John Creek group that would identify and deal with any invasive alien vines that kill the trees and other plants along the Creek and its tributaries. The training last July was given by Carole Bergmann, Forest Ecologist for Park & Planning, who runs the overall Weed Warrior program. If you are interested in becoming trained as a Weed Warrior with the emphasis on the Cabin John Watershed, please contact Lorna Patrick at patrickl@mail.nih.gov.