Opportunities to Help the Environment During Earth Month and Beyond

[Howard Hartman]

Opportunities to Help the Environment
During Earth Month and Beyond

WSSC Hosts River Clean ups, Water Festival, Dragonfly Rescue

Laurel -- March 15, 2012: Throughout April and beyond, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is hosting an array of fun and educational Earth Month activities for all ages. From our annual H20 Fest to other environmentally-minded efforts, WSSC invites you to celebrate spring and help Mother Earth at the same time.

In a prelude to Earth month activities, WSSC offers opportunities to learn about plants that attract butterflies and birds along the beautiful Patuxent River. Most of the events are approved for community service learning credits. (The exceptions are the H20 Fest and the Seneca Open House and plant tour.) Many take place along the watershed bordering WSSC’s Triadelphia and Rocky Gorge reservoirs.

"These events are all great opportunities for us to work with our community to protect our environment," said WSSC GM/CEO Jerry N. Johnson. "And these events, particularly those around the WSSC-owned watershed property, serve as a reminder that we need to take care of this valuable property, that surrounds and protects the reservoirs, which provide drinking water for WSSC customers."

The events include:

• Saturday, March 17, 9 a.m. to Noon and Saturday, April 7, 9 a.m to Noon “Keeping a River Running”-Join WSSC as we pull trash, branches and other debris out of culverts next to the Patuxent River. This is an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful serenity of the river while making a difference to the Chesapeake Bay. Supplee Recreation Area,16904 Supplee Lane, Laurel.
  
  
• Sunday, March 18, 9 a.m. to Noon-“Helping New Trees to Grow”- Help is needed to create deer exclosures to stop the deer from eating young paw-paw, maple and elderberry trees growing in this beautiful spot along the Patuxent. You will be able to enjoy one of the loveliest spots on the Patuxent at the Pig Tail Recreation Area, 5600 Green Bridge Road, Dayton.
  
  
• Saturday, March 24, 9 a.m. to Noon. Girl Scouts will help WSSC plant trees at our Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant. Come and join us. Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant, 100 Farmington West, Accokeek, Md.
  
  
• Sunday, March 25, 9 a.m. to Noon. WSSC planted its famous Brighton Dam Azalea Garden over 50 years. This fall, we added over 150 new plants, but weeds have also found the garden and we need your help to remove them. Join us at Brighton Dam’s Azalea Garden, 2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookeville.
  
  
• Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. H2O Fest-Enjoy a family-friendly environmental event filled with fun-filled activities, including children’s activities, hands-on activities and lots more at the Western Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, 6600 Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro.
  
  
• Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m. to Noon-“Creating Better Woods”-Scott’s Cove has such a lovely woods that kudzu has decided to move in. We need your help in removing this unwanted visitor. We will provide gloves and garden snips. Scott’s Cove, 11000 Harding Road, Laurel.
  
  
• Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. to Noon-Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant’s Open House and Plant Tour. See how wastewater is treated so it can be safely released back into the environment. The Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant is at12600 Great Seneca Highway, Germantown.
  
  
• Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. to Noon “Helping Out the Dragonflies”-The best spot to see dragonflies and damselflies in central Maryland is Brown’s Bridge Recreation Area in the summer. But they don’t need trash and invasive weeds covering up their food sources. Help is needed to tidy up their favorite spot near Brown’s Bridge Recreation Area, 2220 Ednor Road, Silver Spring.

For more information, including a complete rundown of WSSC sponsored events this spring, please contact (301) 206-8100, or visit www.wsscwater.com and click on Earth Month activities on Hot Topics.