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event partners:

Friends of Quincy Run 

Town of Bladensburg 

Washington Rowing School

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Quincy Point  

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail  

Our Day of Service  took place along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail south of the Bladensburg Waterfront Park on January 21, 2019.

12 determined volunteers gathered in the Park office to don waders and talk about the work ahead.  We worked in the grove of newly planted trees to remove invasive vines and prepare the trees for spring. These trees are part of the restoration effort undertaken by the Anacostia Watershed society to replenish the wood lands devastated by the emerald ash borer. 

The woodlands and wetlands are beautiful in winter.  Bog magnolias  with leaves still green can be seen in the frozen wetlands.  Though most of the trees had no leaves, they protected us from the strong icy winds which raged all day.

 

Thank you so much to the volunteers who were able to make it.  Mayor Kisha James and her husband (and former mayor) Walter bundled up and set right to work.  Members of the Washington Rowing School pitched in.  They have been rowing indoors all winter at the Port Towns Community Boathouse located in the Bladensburg Waterfront Park.  Deanwood and College Park were represented

AWS EARTH DAY CELEBRATION      Saturday April 22, 2017 

 

Friends of Quincy Run Watershed hosted an event at their stream for

Anacostia Watershed Society's Earthday Clean-Up and Celebration 2017.  

This year, Town of Bladensburg and Washington Rowing School, including junior rowers, partnered with Friends of Quincy Run to lead a clean up of the entire 1.3 miles of the stream flowing above ground.  During this day of heavy rain 35 hearty volunteers hoisted and dragged illegally dumped trash, some of which had eluded volunteers for years. Among the volunteers were alumni from previous efforts on Quincy Run, and many other groups and organizations.  

We thank all the great Friends of Quincy Run.

 

getting organized
Check-In
setting up at the pond
team at the pond
Macy at the pond
haul at the pond
Riverbirch Grove
the gardeners
ravine crew
site 5
bucket brigade
another shopping cart
Site 11
contemplating a long haul
Monroe Crew
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MLK DAY OF SERVICE                         Monday, January 16, 2017 

This was a great event, fueled by  the efforts of 25 energetic participants.  Thanks to all of you, we cleared  some of the most pernicious invasive plants that plague our important woodlands. This project also improved the security of this heavily traveled pedestrian route.  

 

This tireless group stayed past our stop time until the two test areas were cleared, card-boarded, and covered with wood chips.   This will smother the invasive vines.  Several of our volunteers attacked the ivy which is choking much of our woodlands.  When the group retired their shovels and clippers, the first and second row of trees at the wood edge were freed.  By spring, the dismembered vines remaining on the trees should be brown and falling to the ground. These important steps will help to heal our natural areas.

52nd Ave Footbridge
Footbridge after project
south side of Footbridge
Bradford Pear
Team hard at work
clearing ivy
volunteers armed and dangerous
weed wrenching and tree pruning
smothering the vines
loading chips
...and more chips
spreading the chips
Ranger Mike arrives
delivering the chips
landscape crew

Congratulations to the winner of the "Golden Gloves Award".  This honor is given to the finder of the most unique "trophy trash."  Steve, a long time Friend of Quincy Run, is shown here displaying his trophy - a hand crank movie camera circa 1965.  His award will be presented at this year's Earthday Event.

Special thanks to our co-sponsors - Town of Bladensburg and Washington Rowing School.  We hope participants will drop us a note through this page and let us know about your experience.  For those of you who were not able to join us, drop by the site and let us know what you think.

Consider joining our Day of Service  Event next year. 

52nd Ave Footbridge

between Quincy & Newton Bladensburg, MD

 

Success! Message received.

project partners:

Friends of Quincy Run ~ Town of Bladensburg  ~ MNCPPC  ~  Washington Rowing School  ~ Anacostia Watershed Society

Thank you everyone!!!

Special thanks to our Park Rangers who hauled away all the trash before the day was done.  

AWS EARTH DAY CELEBRATION      Saturday April 23, 2016 

 

Friends of Quincy Run Watershed was proud to serve as a host site for

Anacostia Watershed Society's Earthday Clean-Up and Celebration.  

This year, B5 Initiative and Town of Bladensburg, including its Police Department, and Washington Rowing School partnered with Friends of Quincy Run to lead a clean up of the entire 1.3 miles of the stream flowing above ground.  Among the 120 volunteers were alumni from previous efforts on Quincy Run, and many other groups and organizations.  

We thank all of you. You all are great Friends of Quincy Run.

 

site leads gather
Ready to roll.
our greeter, Ms. Beverly
heading out
Monroe Gardens crew
the intrepid volunteers
the deep water crew
rain garden at foot bridge
prepared for any weather
river birch grove is looking good
this guy likes the rain
stacking and counting
Pat, Steve and the garden group
at the storm water pond
Quincy Manor team
cleaning up on 52nd Ave
stay inside the guardrail
watch the traffic
sharing wisdom
Newton Green
tiny snake
Newton Hill
Christine hard at work
braving the poison ivy
Monroe Gardens
more bulk trash
the big pipe
haul from one site
Kenilworth Ave
Kenilworth Towers
the last group back
more tires!
what is this?
Bryan bags bear at Quincy Run
Park Rangers load up the haul

Volunteers working at 10 sites braved rain, poison ivy, and a rising stream to collect much of the trash and illegally dumped items which choke our stream and mar our community.

 

Results are in.  In all we cleared over

5000 pounds of trash*

- about 1/2 bulk trash  

 

* these results will be reported by Anacostia Watershed Society to the Prince George's Department of the Environment to be included in our County's work towards Clean Water.

 

We ask that anyone who has pictures from the event, please send them to mdombros@gmail.com.  We are setting up a google folder to share photos.  We would love to include yours.

 

 

 

 

 

CLEAN-UP, GREEN-UP                                              October 17, 2015  

 

At the Tot Lot, B5 Block Captains, lead by Mr. Purnell Hall, director of Public Works for the Town of Bladensburg, and Ms. Chris Melendez, Lead Block Captain for the B5 Initiative, learned to recognize and remove invasive plants.  Along with curious neighbors who dropped in to help, the Block Captains also planted oak leaf hydrangias, wax myrtle, butterfly weed, and coneflowers graciously provided by Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation through County Executive Rushern Baker's Clean-Up, Green-Up program.

 

 

Meanwhile, Ms. Apria Gallman lead volunteers from B5Y2 - the youth branch of B5 Initiative - in their inagural event. Along with weeding, mulching, and installing additional nattive plants at the Footbridge gardens, they removed invasives from the Riverbirch Grove planted Earthday 2014 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Anacostia Watershed Society.  We look forward to more B5Y2 events in the watershed. 

 

 

...and, down at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, members of the Water Johnson Varsity Crew, lead by Master Gardener Dave Kneipp and Coach Carlie Williams, both long time friends of Quincy Run cleared invasives from the banks of Quincy Run.  They also planted natives at the confluence of Quincy Run and the Anacostia.   

 

In partnership with the Town of Bladensburg, the B5 Initiative, and the Walter Johnson Crew, Friends of Quincy Run organized removal of harmful plant species, and native planting at the 52nd Ave Tot Lot, the 52nd Ave Footbridge, and the Bladensburg Waterfront Park.


 

Thanks to our sponsors and partners who made Clean-Up, Green-Up happen. Continuing efforts like this contribute to the health of our community and our watershed.  

AWS EARTH DAY CELEBRATION     Saturday, April  25,  2015 

 

Friends of Quincy Run undertook our most ambitious clean-up yet!  Close to 200 volunteers worked at 12 sites along the almost one mile long above-ground  stretch of the stream.  

 

By the end of the 2 and a half hour long work session, 5547 pounds of trash had been removed from the stream bed, hauled up the steep banks, and stacked for pick-up by Ranger Ben Sweet of the MNCPPC .  Volunteers also weeded and mulched our conservation landscape garden at the 52nd Ave Footbridge.  Thanks to all who participated in this event.  The day's total included the following:

 

  • 84 bags of single use plastic bottles  

  • (including 732 bottles in our largest snag)

  • 34 bags of recyclable material

  • 149 bags of non-recyclables

  • 2280 lbs of bulk trash

  • plastic bags (not counted this year)

  • 121 tires

  • 2 shopping carts

 

 

Friends of Quincy Run would like to extend a special thank you to our leads who kept their volunteers safe, happy, and productive.  Your efforts are much appreciated.  Many volunteers contacted us to say how much they enjoyed their morning at Quincy Run. 

These folks made the day:

 

*Mike Arnold - Washington Rowing School * Chris Melendez - B5 Initiative * Anthony Noland - MNCPPC * Dave Kneipp - Master Gardener

* Zoe Rosenblum - Chesapeake Conservation Corps * Kevin Jeffery - DDoE * Trina Brown - Bladensburg Town Council * Dana Griffin - Bladensburg Police Department * Diane Cameron - Audubon Naturalist Society * Pat Jackman - Washington Rowing School *

*Joan Dombroski - Arlington Food Assistance Center * Dan Smith - Anacostia Watershed Society

 

Check -in

Check -in

site 7

site 7

engineers find surveyors stake

site 11

site 11

volunteers lead by Diane Cameron

site 12

site 12

wrapping up work at eastern end of the stream

site 12

site 12

volunteers stop to enjoy sodas brought by appreciative neighbors

a cart full of styrofoam

a cart full of styrofoam

volunteers rejoiced when they heard that Prince George's joined DC and MoCo in banning poly styrene food containers

site 12

site 12

stream looks great trash-free!

site 10

site 10

Crew from Giant Foods clears trash from the steep hillside at Newton Green

site 10

site 10

Giant Crew organizing for work

site 7

site 7

volunteers weed and mulch the gardens installed and maintained by Friends of Quincy Run.

site 7

site 7

a family of volunteers stops to enjoy the grove of river birch planted for the 25th Anniversary of Anacostia Watershed Society, celebrated Earthday 2014

site 7

site 7

the haul from site 7 obscures the 52nd ave rain gardens

site 5

site 5

work is underway to clear the storm water pond of trash

site 5

site 5

Dave Kneipp helps volunteers load trash into a canoe

sites 4 and 5

sites 4 and 5

trash from the storm water pond and the ravine beyond

site 5

site 5

sisters stop to check out the storm water pond, newly trash free

site 6

site 6

the bottle count at the trash snag gets underway

site 6

site 6

nearing the end of the bottle count - 732 in all - yikes!

site 4

site 4

takes team work to haul heavy objects up the steep stream bank

site 4

site 4

volunteers find 3 dead animals -a deer, beaver, and dog - burried beneath layers of trash

site 2

site 2

Chris Melendez help volunteers drag illegally dumped construction debris from Bladensburg Neighborhood Park at Kenilworth Ave

site 2

site 2

metal recyclers stop by for a pick-up

site 4

site 4

a tired but happy volunteer heads home after the event

BWP

BWP

Fran Tohler, director of Friends of Dueling Creek, and Marian Dombroski, Friends of Quincy Run, compare notes at the celebration

BWP

BWP

Irv Sheffie and Dolly Davis from Pope Branch Watershed arrive at the park for the celebration

 

AWS EARTH DAY  CELEBRATION     Saturday, April 5,  2014 

 

In partnership with the Port Towns Youth Council WELLNESS AMBASSADORS and the Town of Bladensburg, Friends of Quincy Run Watershed hosted projects at two sites including 3 ambitious construction projects  at the 52nd Ave Foot Bridge. 

 

To commemorate  their  25th Anniversary,  the ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY selected Quincy Run Watershed to be home to a grove of 25 River Birch.  Under AWS supervision, our volunteers planted these beautiful native trees north of the foot bridge in a wet swale fed by one of Quincy Run's many springs, redirected to flow into the stream's wooded area.  The Bladensburg Department of Public Works, under the leadership of Mr. Purnell Hall, prepared the site and laid the green infrastructure designed to accomplish this work.  As well as providing a healthy habitat for the river birch and enriching the riparian adjacent to Quincy Run, this work provided the benefit of eliminating a flow pattern which caused dangerous icing of the sidewalk used by the many families who walk to Bladensburg Elementary School.  

 

Volunteers at the footbridge installed 300 sf of permeable paving south of the foot bridge, replacing a muddy path along a highly eroded grassy area.  The back breaking work of digging 2 ft into heavy clay soil was carried out by the Wellness Ambassadors and their families.  Permeable paving was donated by Ernest Maier Inc.
 
Volunteers  working near the Publick Playhouse and the 50th Ave Storm Water Pond removed:

 

  • 25 bags of single use plastic bottles

  •  

  • 18 bags of recyclable material and 25 bags of non-recycle-ables

  •  

  • 60 lbs of bulk trash

  •  

  • 400 plastic bags

  •  

  • 4 shopping carts and 12 tires

  •  

 

For our 2013 project, Friends of Quincy Run Watershed were joined by volunteers from FEMA, Veterans from the Bladensburg Barber School, Staff of the Town of Bldensburg including Mayor and Director of Public Works, Bladensburg residents, and volunteers from the University of Maryland Engineering School.  We returned to the 52nd Avenue Foot bridge to continue work to make this important location safe and beautiful.  Off sidewalk foot traffic killed grass and compacted the soil causing run-off and erosion to the stream, and as well as flooding and icing.  The raingardens will absorb some of this run-off.  Volunteers:

CLEAN-UP, GREEN-UP 2013 

 

Every Spring and fall, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker hosts a community beautification project.  The county provides trash removal supplies and plant material to Home Owners Associations and Volunteer Groups to enhance their common land.  THis is a great opportunity to improve the health of our watersheds. 

 

  • planted 15 trees

  • installed a 200 sf rain garden

  • created 4 conservation landscape beds 

  • planted 10 native shrubs, and numerous native plants

  • removed logs and debris from the box culvert

  • removed 4 broken bollards

  • relocated metal guardrail

 

On Saturday October 6, 2013, one of our own Friends of Quincy Run hosted an art event at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park.  Ms. Katie WIlliams, an avid rower and Girl Scout devoted her Gold Award project to raising awareness about one of the best kept secrets in Prince George's County - our beautiful Anacostia River.  Katie invited local artists and naturalists to conduct workshops in sketching.  Park visitors participated in the workshops, capturing the flora, fauna and natural areas abundant in the park.  Naturalists lead walks along, and informal talks about the Anacostia River.  The culminating activity to this project was an exhibition. 

 

Katie recieved her Gold Award from the Girl Scouts of America the following spring.  After graduation, Katie is off to college.

WATER'S COLORS 2013

CLEAN-UP , GREEN-UP    2012

Friends of Quincy Run Watershed worked on projects at sites in two of the most vulnerable locations in the watershed.  Graduate Students from the University of Maryland served as site leads, and provided interesting information about the function of Urban Streams.  Rowers and Girl Scouts from Walter Johnson High School came out in force, working at two sites.

 

52nd Avenue Foot Bridge 

Volunteers salvaged materials, illegally dumped in the Bladensburg Neighborhood Park, to build flower beds for native plants.

 

Kenilworth Beach:

Volunteers planted trees and native plants, and spread wood chips in an effort to reintroduce organic material to a stream bank decimated by recent construction activity.   

​© 2013 by Friends of Quincy Run Watershed. All rights reserved

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