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Friends of Accotink Creek
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 Independent cleanup volunteers with the results of their labor along Hunters Branch |
Independent November 22, 2025 stream cleanup:
Boy Scout member Trace Cunningham led an independent cleanup along the Hunters Branch tributary of Accotink Creek, just south of Rt. 50 today. We are especially appreciative for this effort to clean up a section of stream our regular volunteers are seldom able to address. The group came equipped with their rubber boots, ready to get right into the water where the most trash can be found. Thank you, Trace! The entire length of Hunters Branch, from Nottoway Park to the Cross County Trail, is soon to feel the unforgiving touch of bulldozers carving a 25'-wide swath through woods and wetlands for the Accotink Gravity Sewer. |
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Our October 11, 2025, stream cleanups: Today started out just a bit chilly, in the mid 50's, but rose quickly to hover about 70 degrees the rest of the day with partly cloudy skies and occasional overcast. After an extended dry spell, Accotink Creek was low and looking rather sluggish today. If it meant the watershed could receive some relief, we might have been happier to work in the rain. Pickett Road was our first site of the day. We had a total of 15 volunteers here, including groups from the Jack and Jill of America and Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States. Thank you, Jack & Jill and AYLUS! "The ones that got away" was the theme of this site today. A tire, a suitcase, a rusty barrel, and a corrugated pipe were all stuck too deeply to extract. Besides that, rafts of bottles and miscellaneous trash along the banks just exceeded the time available to us. Our volunteers collected 16 bags of trash. Our most unusual finds here were a rubber duck and a soggy tent. This site is the same location proposed for the Pickett Road Connector Trail, an entirely redundant conversion of forest and floodplain to asphalt. At Barkley Drive, our second site of the day, We ere joined by a contingent from Rotaract eClub District 7610. Thank you Rotaract! Our 18 volunteers removed 19 bags of trash and three tires. One of the tires was the one that had defied extration earlier in the morning - a determined volunteer returned with a shovel and pulled it out after 45 minutes of digging. Our most unusual find here was an unopened can of beer. After much speculation and prompting, one volunteer was brave enough to take a sip and pronounced it as acceptable as could be expected for a lite beer. Along the banks of the creek was the depressing sight of numerous clumps of invasive Black fountain grass among vast mats of Japanese hops, a noxious exotic vine now common along stream banks. Only the occasional native wildflower managed to poke its head above the Japanese hops. Our last site of the day, and of the season, was Woodburn Road. Our 17 volunteers here removed 17 bags of trash and 1 tire. Our most unusual finds here were a fire extinguisher and a hubcap.
"Consider the cost to engineer a water amenity like Accotink Creek compared to the cost of preserving what nature has blessed us with." - Donald Pless Remember to remind your groups of the importance of proper cleanup during and after all outdoor activities. Reduce, Recycle, Reuse!
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. - Aristotle
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 Volunteers of Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States |
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Our October 4, 2025 stream cleanups:
Sunny skies prevailed the entire day, with not a single cloud to be seen in the sky. Temperatures began in the mid-50's and rose to the upper 70's. Our first site of the day was Vaden Drive, where upon arrival, what we thought were our first volunteers were actually a couple passersby who had mistaken our setup for a fruit stand. Exactly like last year, we were greeted here by the sadly ironic sight of a length of caution tape that had washed halfway into a storm drain bearing a "No Dumping" medallion. Storm drains are the route by which most trash reaches our streams. Perhaps even more sad was the maple tree next to our staging area, which also seemed to be the staging area for the local population of Spotted lanternflies. We squished about 100 of them, even climbing into the tree to reach them. Later, the carnage attracted hungry yellowjackets. Hunters Branch had an especially abundant population of large tadpoles, likely Green frogs or Bullfrogs. Our 16 volunteers collected 37 bags of trash. An unusual find here was a rosary, which one of the volunteers took home. Another unusual find was an electric rental scooter left in the stream. It was still functional, beeping and flashing its lights in protest as it was moved. We notified the rental company to come collect it. At our second site of the day, King Arthur Road, our 11 volunteers collected 20 bags of trash. Several fallen logs in the creek had trapped considerable rafts of floating trash, mostly beverage bottles and broken Styrofoam pieces. Our most unusual finds here were a snow sled and a Tesla hubcap. At Little River Turnpike, our last site of the day, our 11 volunteers collected 14 bags of trash. Our most unusual find here was a pair of construction sandbags.
"If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants we would create the equivalent of a 20 million acre national park - nine times bigger than Yellowstone, or 100 times bigger than Shenandoah National Park." - Dr. Doug Tallamy |
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Our September 27, 2025, cleanups:
The day was mild, with temperatures staying in the mid-70's all day. The forecast for steady rain in the afternoon was a worry, but it never materialized. Instead the sky stayed overcast all day, with just a few stray drops that didn't even amount to drizzle. At our first site, Fairfax Boulevard, we had a crew of 39 volunteers, including groups from American President Line, Scales & Tails (a Washington-Liberty H.S. marine biology club), and Girl Scout Troop 50103. Thank you, APL, Scales & Tails, and Troop 50103! The volunteers collected 26 bags of trash. Our most unique finds here were abright orange shopping cart, a bike helmet, and a hubcap. We hope the latter two items were not the result of an unfortunate car and bicycle encounter. This cleanup area is the same location proposed for the George Snyder Trail, another misguided trees-to-asphalt conversion project. Our second site of the day was Chain Bridge Road, mostly from the American Turkish Friendship Association. Thank you, ATFA! Our 16 volunteers cleaned up 9 bags of trash. Our unusual finds here were a bed frame, a child's scooter, a campsite coffeepot, and three shopping carts. One of the carts had been defiantly stuck for years, but this year had finally shifted enough to be pulled out of the creek bed. A pair of volunteers returned the one shopping cart still in good condition to the nearby Safeway store. The scooter went home with a volunteer, after extensive testing riding downhill on the trail. Blenheim Blvd was our last site of the day. Our 16 volunteers here removed 22 bags of trash. Our most unusual finds here were two wheelless bicycle frames, a clarinet case, a stream depth gauge, and about 15' of heavy rebar. A great deal more rebar remins in the creek, where it has been for years, embedded in concrete rubble from some long-ago construction. Two items that defied any thought of removal were a shopping cart and a length of thick steel cable, both overgrown by tree roots that may hold the for the life of the tree. How many ways can the message of personal responsibility be expressed? No littering! No Dumping! Pitch in! Put trash in its place! We all benefit by being reminded! 
GET YOUR BRAIN WET! Think about your creek. |
 American President Lines volunteer team arrives ready |
 In too deep - Volunteer's enthusiasm exceeded the height of her boots. |
Our September 20, 2025, stream cleanups: Today began as a fine day along Accotink Creek, with temperatures starting in the high 60's and rising to the mid 70's. Skies began as partly cloudy, but then turned overcast at midday just before an unexpected rain shower passed over for about 20 minutes. At our first site of the day, Braddock Road, an overconfident Spotted lanternfly landed on our water cooler and was quickly squished. We had 13 volunteers here, who collected 16 bags of trash. Unusual finds included a child's rake, a garden shovel (which we left by the trail with a "Take Me Home" sign), and a disturbing severed doll head. At Franconia-Springfield Parkway, conditions became just breezy enough to set our decorative "rainbow trout" windsocks flying horizontally. We were disappointed that none of the pawpaw trees along the trail had any fruit left. It was far more disappointing to see how far the invaisive porcelainberry vines have spread, obscuring entire trees and threatening to cover the trail bridge. We had 10 volunteers here, who collected 11 bags of trash. Our most unusual find here was a folding camping chair in decent condition, which we hope some passerby may have wanted. At our last site of the day, Telegraph Road, we were joined by a group from Clark Construction. Thank you, Clark! Several of our 16 volunteers took on the task of cleaning along the roadside. Wading without boots became the fashion here, as most volunteers went home with soggy sneakers. Our volunteers removed 23 bags of trash and 1 tire.
Despite all the wonderful volunteers who have turned out to help, we are still outnumbered by the litterbugs. Your club, school, business, or other group is welcome to join Friends of Accotink Creek in next year's Potomac Watershed Cleanup in April & May, and the International Coastal Cleanup in September & October! Volunteer site leaders and coordinators are needed! Follow the Friends of Accotink Creek motto and "Find just one other person who cares". |
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The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest volunteer data collection effort devoted to the marine environment. The Ocean Conservancy compiles the data received from sites around the world, and prepares a summary report to be used by citizens and policy makers in evaluating our progress in dealing with this serious form of pollution.
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GET YOUR BRAIN WET! Join Friends of Accotink Creek in next year's International Coastal Cleanup in September and the Potomac Watershed Cleanup in April! Read about last year's International Coastal Cleanup on Accotink Creek. 
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