out in nature
Volunteer to be Up a Creek !
by merikay Smith
W hen I became a watershed volunteer about ten years ago , I knew very little about local water quality . I was vaguely aware that our neighborhood stormwater flowed to Hooker ’ s Branch and on to Seneca Creek . I had explored only a small bit of Seneca Creek , near Riley ’ s Lock , and loved sharing this amazing spot with visitors , especially the old Seneca quarry mill ruins . After volunteering with Seneca Creek Watershed Partners ( SCWP ), I now feel I know this stream like a dear friend .
I ’ ve walked miles on its trails , cleared trash in many locations and seasons , done stream monitoring , planted conservation landscapes , cut out or pulled invasive plants , sampled salt levels , studied development plans and spoken at city and county meetings to protect the habitat and water quality of Seneca Creek and its many tributaries . With others I spoke out about a devastating stream resto-
PHOTO : Matthias Graf
Volunteers Bob Burns and Deby Sarabia collect a sample from Seneca Creek .
ration done by Gaithersburg City where three-plus acres of mature woodland was cut and the stream valley adjacent to Seneca State Park bulldozed .
I ’ ve also walked with Montgomery Parks staff before and after a stream restoration at Clearspring Manor in Magruder Branch where trees and other plants were preserved yet stream restoration goals met . Advocacy may be the most important thing volunteers do for a watershed . I ’ ve even started writing letters on specific state legislation that will impact our watershed .
I ’ ve learned about benthic macroinvertebrates and MS4 permits ( municipal separate storm sewer system ) and more . But what I ’ ve enjoyed most is wading the stream , walking with newly-made friends on hikes , hearing frogs , watching birds , and delighting in unusual native plants . Maybe strike out “ wading the stream ”— I used to enjoy that but less so now that I know more than 60 % of the time Seneca Creek is likely to have higher E . coli levels than the EPA considers safe , according to daily water samples taken from Seneca near Riley ’ s Lock and tested in 2022 from May - September by the Potomac Riverkeepers . E . coli levels are especially high following rain events . When I ’ ve kayaked Seneca into the Potomac , I ’ m very aware of the challenges to this ecosystem . If we want water that is clean of harmful pathogens , chemicals , silt and trash , then we need to do more along the entire length of Seneca Creek .
I am at least doing what I can — that is very satisfying . Plus , I ’ ve met such interesting people who unselfishly serve the community by
plenty I autumn harvest 2023 47