Memorial Day Little Hunting Creek Cleanup PART II!

Last month, I led a cleanup of a site on Little Hunting Creek off Janna Lee Avenue where we recovered 49 shopping carts and 550 pounds of trash.  Here are pictures below.

There are still 30 more shopping carts that need to be removed and this weekend we are headed back out to make another dent.

Little Hunting Creek Cleanup Part II
Memorial Day Weekend
Saturday, May 26, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
7950 Seven Woods Drive
Alexandria, VA 22309
CLICK HERE TO RSVP
RSVP with Delegate Scott Surovell delssurovell@house.virginia.gov or
Megan Howard at (571) 249-4484 

In case you have never done it before, it is a terrific activity for elementary school kids.  Picking up litter is a fun and easy way to introduce children to environmental stewardship.  I will provide the bags and gloves.  Just bring your tennis shoes (or boots) and please RSVP so we know how much stuff to bring

Mt. Vernon & Lee Potomac Cleanups This Weekend

The Friends of Little Hunting Creek have organized numerous cleanups next weekend as part of the 24th Annual Alice Ferguson Foundation Potomac Cleanup.

Please volunteer at one of these sites in our community. 

Delegate Scott Surovell at Upper Little Hunting Creek At Huntley Meadows & Sequoyah Apts

Time: Noon to 4 p.m.

Contact: Delegate Scott Surovell delssurovell@house.virginia.gov or Megan Howard at 703 850-8618

CLICK HERE TO RSVP
7950 Seven Woods Drive
Alexandria, VA 22306

This site upstream of the Janna Lee Ave. bridge also needs your help. Travel south on Route 1 from Alexandria and turn right onto Buckman Road, turn R on Seven Woods Drive, take the 2nd right after Laramie Place and turn into a parking lot that includes a playground. (If you reach Silverada Place, you have gone too far.)

Gum Springs Community Cleanup

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Contact: Bryan Birch, 571-201-2802.

Meet at Shaw Park Court (Go South on Route 1, make a U-Turn at Mount Vernon Highway/Buckman Rd, turn R on Napper Rd, R on Shaw Park Court and park at the end.

Stratford-on-the-Potomac

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Contact: Karl Egloff, 571-214-2773

Take the Mount Vernon Pkway S from Alexandria, turn right at Stratford Lane (1 mile north of Mount Vernon), L at Captains Row, to 9000 Captains Row. 

Help the Girl Scouts at Janna Lee's Creekside Village

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Contact: Kathy Lehner, kathy.lehner@gmail.com

Come help the Creekside Village Girl Scouts clean up this trash hotspot! From Route 1 (at the intersection with Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy), turn west onto Buckman Rd, R on Janna Lee Ave., to the bridge over Little Hunting Creek (just before the Creekside Village Apts). 

Paddle at Stratford Landing

Time: 1 to 4 p.m.

Contact: Celia Boertlein at cboertlein@aol.com or Paul Siegel at 703-346-9141.

Bring your canoe or kayak, life vest, and paddle, and meet at the canoe launch at 8706 Stockton Parkway (across from 8707). At this site volunteers will retrieve trash from the water. Experienced paddlers only; any children must be accompanied by an adult. 

Litter In Upper Little Hunting Creek

Trash and litter are a significant problem in the Route 1 Corridor.  I have blogged about this many times.

• The Dixie Pig: Trash Continues to Flow Into Little Hunting Creek (Mar. 5, 2012)
• The Dixie Pig: Cleaning Up Little Hunting Creek (Apr. 12, 2011)
• The Dixie Pig: Cleaning Up Quander Creek (May 9, 2010)

Most people would be shocked by the volume of trash flowing into these creeks if they actually saw it.  You can see pictures above and below.  One picture at the right was taken six months ago in Little Hunting Creek.

On April 14, 2012, the Alice Ferguson Foundation is sponsoring the Potomac River Cleanup Day.  The Friends of Little Hunting Creek are also sponsoring a cleanup.  I am going to sponsor a cleanup of the Upper Little Hunting Creek which runs between Janna Lee Apartments, Sequoyah Condominiums, Audubon Estates Trailer Park, Huntley Meadows Park, and starts around Mount Vernon Plaza behind Michaels near South Meadows Condominiums.

Today, I scouted out the section of creek looking for some good points to access the creek. You would be shocked at the amount of trash in the creek (pictures on the flip). 

Rising Hope Visits the Capitol

Last week, I was visited by about 40 parishoners of Rising Hope Methodist Mission Church on United Methodists' Day. 

In 2011, The General Assembly commended Rising Hope on its 15th Anniversary. It focuses its mission on empowering the homeless, poor, and overlooked in the Richmond Highway Corridor.  Among other things, it helps run the Ventures in Community Hypothermia Outreach Program (VIC-HOP) with other area churches for which they received a General Assembly Commending Resolution in 2010. 

It is also leading a new campaign to take advantage of Governor McDonnell's program to restore the civil rights of ex-felons who are served their sentences and been law abiding as part of his prisoner reentry program.

VIC-HOP Project to Restore Civil Rights

You can watch my introducing of Rising Hope in our chamber on the video below.

VA League of Conservation Voters Names Surovell Legislative Heroes

This week, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters release their 2010 Legislative Scorecard. I am honored to have received a 100% rating and to be named a 2010 Conservation Hero. Below is my press release regarding the Scorecard and award.

June 30, 2010
*****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*****

Contact: Christopher Bea, Legislative Assistant
DelSSurovell@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Scott Surovell was named a “2010 Conservation Hero” by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters in recognition of his support of conservation issues during the 2010 legislative session. “Virginia’s natural resources are one of our most vital assets and we have a responsibility to keep the Commonwealth clean and beautiful” said Surovell. Surovell was one of eighteen delegates to receive a 100% rating from the VALCV.

The VALCV was founded in 2000 as a non-partisan political voice for the Commonwealths conservation community. "In his first year at the General Assembly, Delegate Surovell has shown great commitment to protecting our land, air and water," said Lisa Guthrie, Executive Director of VALCV. "He has already demonstrated leadership by introducing innovative energy legislation that shows great promise for the future."

Surovells 100% rating reflects his votes on issues ranging from air quality to off-shore oil drilling. “Virginia and the nation as a whole is faced with critical decisions regarding energy and the environment,” said Surovell. “It is an honor to be recognized by the VALCV.” Surovell has long been active in conservation advocacy, having worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council and as a volunteer at Huntley Meadows Park.

House Bill 833, introduced by Surovell was one of the pieces of legislation VALCV used to in its scoring. Home energy audits are exploding in popularity due to heightened awareness, increased energy costs, and government incentives to encourage home energy efficiency. There are currently no government standards regarding what constitutes a home energy audit or any standards governing the profession. HB 833 created a system of regulation for home energy auditors and was supported by both industry and conservation groups. “HB 833 represents an important step forward for home energy efficiency, and I intend to bring the issue up again in 2011.”

Looking ahead, Surovell stated, “I appreciate the work the VALCV does in preserving and enhancing quality of life for all Virginians. I look forward to working alongside them as we defend Virginia’s natural beauty.” Surovell recently organized a community cleanup of Quander Brook, along U.S. 1 in Alexandria, removing truckloads of trash and debris from the stream. “Whether at the community level, or in Richmond, I am committed to conserving and protecting Virginia’s environment,” said Surovell. “Green technology and energy efficiency is the future and I look forward to working with the Virginia business community making Virginia the leader of green industries.”

Cleaning Up Quander Creek

Yesterday, I trekked into the woods with about twelve volunteers to help clean up a creek in my district called Quander Brook. There is a map of Quander Brook to the right. It starts as three streams originating from the Old Quander Farm (West Potomac High School), and two branches in the Fairview Neighborhood that join near the JPG Rosenfeld property (Chuck E. Cheese) and then parallels U.S. 1 down to Great Hunting Creek.

The segment of the stream we cleaned up, also runs through 8.5 acres that was recently donated to Fairfax County by the Fairchild Family for use as a County Park.

This stream has a number of problems that this service project was useful to highlight:

• Excessive storm water erosion damage and loss of biodiversity.
• Significant trash contamination.

The short version is that this creek parallels many restaurants and properties that do not control their trash. The forest behind these properties is littered with boxes, beverage containers, and food wrappers that all wash into the woods and eventually the creek. The 1950's-era storm water facilities also basically sweep up all kinds of trash from U.S. 1 and neighboring parking lots directly into the creek. When coupled with massive storm water flows, the creeks suffers from massive erosion problems caused by large water flows and "trash dams" that form in the creek. All of this eventually washes into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

All of this leads to zero biodiversity. I did not see one bug, crawfish, fish, turtle, frog or any sign of life in this stream. The closest thing we found was a porcelain frog.

I will write a broader article for our local papers this week about it that I will post upon publication, but the problems with this property can be fixed through a number of issues.

The cleanup was a terrific success. We gathered two pickup trucks full of trash including 13 tires, a stereo, 3 tents, several blankets, a dryer top, a vacuum cleaner, a porcelain frog, about 1000 feet of "Caution Tape," and about 40 bags worth of plastic and beverage containers. Here are some pictures.

Thank you to JBG Rosenfeld for allowing us to access the property from their property and for providing us with a large dumpster for the trash and trash bags. Also thanks to community leaders Martin Tillett and David Dale who led our trek into the woods and gave us a tour of the property we did our work.

Little Hunting Creek Cleanup This Saturday!

This Saturday, April 10, between my daughters’ soccer and softball games, I’ll be heading down to Little Hunting Creek to help with the Friends of Little Hunting Creek cleanup of the watershed. The snow this past winter and the spring rains have made sent a lot of trash and debris in to the Creek and along the shore. Little Hunting Creek is one of the most beautiful parts of our community and it’s important that we maintain this community asset.

Little Hunting Creek serves as an important habitat for wildlife along the Potomac River watershed. Ospreys, geese, ducks, heron and bald eagles can be found along the creek along with a variety of fish. We have a responsibility to maintain the environment and it starts at home. Try to make it out this weekend to do your part in keeping Mount Vernon clean and beautiful.

Here’s more information on the cleanup:

• There will be multiple times and locations for various activities throughout the day. Here is the full schedule - http://www.friendsoflittlehuntingcreek.org/news/cleanup.htm


• Trash bags and work gloves will be provided (but they may run out of gloves, so bring your own if they have them).


• Students who need community service credits can earn them.


• The weather’s going to be great!

Hope to see you there!