The Little Falls Valley Stream Unit #1 Restoration Project

A group of Westmoreland Citizens Assocation (WCA) neighbors recently donated funds to restore part of the Little Falls Branch Park. Since November, you may have seen some of the protected seedlings along the path at Little Falls and Massachusetts Ave., or ferns on the hillside. The project includes:

• research around the sustainable level of deer which still allows the under canopy to thrive;
• the eradication of invasive plants which crowd out native plants, leech nutriments from the soil, and cause erosion along stream embankments;
• planting trees, shrubs and ferns near areas of erosion vulnerability or habitat opportunity;
• the potential for educational signage.

WCA neighbors donated the funds in honor of this area’s Weed Warriors, who work diligently to protect native plants. The project is a coordinated effort between donors, park volunteers, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Montgomery Parks and the Montgomery Parks Foundation. If you are interested in supporting this effort, and expanding the scope of restoration, you can:

• Volunteer to remove invasives. Access the Little Falls Watershed Alliance website (lfwa.org), “Free the Trees” section, or refer to Montgomery Parks at weedwarrior.org) ;

• Donate tax deductible funds to honor volunteers. Visit: www.montgomeryparksfoundation.org/donate-now and in the Notes section reference the official name: Little Falls Valley Stream Unit #1 Restoration Project;

• Refrain from growing invasive plants in your yard which can be spread by birds, especially (in order of difficulty of eradication): bamboo, porcelainberry, wintercreeper, lesser celandine, multiflora rose, asian honeysuckle, English privet and non-native viburnum.