Sterling Parks Cabin Branch and Muddy Branch creeks cleaned

Sterling Foundation 2018 Clean Stream Project Summary Report

By Harriett Foster

Every spring, tens of thousands of volunteers come together to pick up trash from local streams, creeks, rivers, parks, and neighborhoods as part of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Project Clean Stream — the largest cleanup event in the Chesapeake Bay region! Cleanups take place across the entire Chesapeake watershed, in all 6 Bay states and DC.

The Sterling Foundation continues to expand its environmental cleanup efforts with a Project Clean Stream site in 2018. The Foundation is determined to increase our focus from regular Boulevard litter pickups to new target areas in the Sterling Park community. The long term results of these clean stream projects is that when they are completed on an annual or semi-annual basis, there will be a tendency for less and less trash to have to be collected.

The local community will gradually get the idea that someone cares about the small streams and tributaries in Sterling. Maybe they will reconsider throwing batteries, construction material and car tires into our waterways. The benefits of working toward clean water go well beyond a vague feeling of accomplishment. Because clean water is the law of the land in the U.S., and has been since 1972, Sterling Park is obligated to make an effort to do some degree of cleaning our creeks before sending them on downstream to Broad Run and Sugarland Run and on to the Potomac River.

On Saturday April 15, Sterling Foundation organized 76 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to expend 456 total working hours in one day’s effort to clean up 2.5 miles of Cabin Branch stream running behind Maple Avenue and West Holly Avenue around the Sterling Park Golf Club (flows to Broad Run), as well as Muddy Branch stream along East Church Road between Lincoln Avenue and Dranesville Road (Heads in Sterling Park, flows NNE to Sugarland Run, .4 mile south of Herndon Junction).

The volunteers pre-staged the event from Sterling Middle School at 201 W. Holly Avenue in Sterling which took place from approximately 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. 137 bags of trash, 52 of recycling, and 4 truckloads of bulk metal and waste were recovered. The final statistics of materials recovered from this area include:

1,040 pounds of metal (a half-ton)

52 bags of recycling filling half of a 6-yard dumpster ~760 pounds or about 6,600 mostly plastic bottles

137 bags of trash (part of 2 tons)

Additional miscellaneous solid waste (part of the 2 tons):

11 tires

Mattress & box spring

Hot water heater

2×5-gallon buckets full of golf balls

1960s-era glass peanut butter jars

Wooden farm livestock yoke

Various home & office furniture

Chrome vehicle bumper

Building materials including discarded water main pipes

4 car batteries

Animal skulls

Plastic Cooler

Exercise Bike

Construction equipment & gear – tarps, plastic sheeting/drop cloths, work gloves

Screen doors, flooring, wire fencing, kitchen tile.

That’s 2.896 tons or 5,792 pounds of trash!

My very deep thanks for all our volunteer and sponsor efforts collecting and sorting nearly 3 tons of trash and recyclables, providing food, drinks, smiles, supplies and equipment, logistical knowhow and new ideas and establishing robust partnerships among our Sterling community members. We’re not done – with thanking people or with the removing of trash. In no way did these record numbers of volunteers and recovered stuff cover the entire planned stream area. Nor is it a major part of the existing trash that’s out there. This was a volunteer event with sponsored supplies. If you haven’t yet done so, please visit the Sterling Foundation website – membership is only $20 a year, use the PayPal button – and if you’re out walking and see trash? Pick it up!

Much appreciation to:

Joe’s Pizzeria Sterling fed 76 ravenous volunteers on a cold, blustery day. Delicious job, Moe and the team!

Nana Chroninger provided co-funding and encouraged us to make this event waste-free for drink containers with snazzy green re-useable carabiner clip bottles. A Foundation first!

All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) put out the call to their dozens of Boy Scouts across two counties and made it possible to branch out to a second stream, Muddy Branch. There’s still more to do towards the Fairfax County line and we’re stoked to have these community partners on call.

As always, Kevin Chroninger and Mark Lenko of Keep Loudoun Beautiful were our equipment & logistics kingpins.

Nearly 40 students residing here in Sterling including Park View High School‘s Campus program, NHS, Science Honor Society, and Math Honor Society were our core strength crew. Joined by teens from Dominion and Potomac Falls High Schools, as well as Sterling Middle, these guys and gals ran down the stream pulling trash out so quickly it’s surprising the place didn’t just vaporize. They refueled and went out in the afternoon again, working down to the wire as rain started to fall. Their faculty team supervisors took time out of their busy weekends to make it all possible, a high-value investment. Go Patriots, Titans, and Panthers!

Asurion provided promotional printing services to get our recruiting flyers, posters, and handouts ready in time for distribution.

Loudoun County staff, especially Jacqueline Pujol from Supervisor Koran Saines’ office for digging into our trash heap to help sort out some of that half-dumpster worth of recycling, while 25 mile an hour wind whooshed all about.

Zoe Irwin and Kristin Brown from Loudoun County Mapping consulted extensively in our planning strategy.

Sterling Middle School and Loudoun County Public Schools staff for helping us promote the event along the Boulevard, giving us a central hosting location, and letting us clutter up their front lawn for a day.

Loudoun County’s Soil and Water Conservation District’s Charlotte DeMolay for working with us on an educational speaker this year, though we had to reschedule. Check out their programs!

JB’s Hauling provided bulk metal recovery this year. Need junk gone? Contact them at 571-437-7552 for a free quote!

VDOT’s local team again supplied the remaining bulk pickup totaling 1.98 tons. Our appreciation to Sunil Taori and Jerry Compton for the cheerful collaboration.

A huge thank you to volunteers from Cross Current Church for reaching out to partner with us on the Sunday, April 29 cleanup of the wooded area and culvert along Sterling Boulevard between Beech Road and Church Road.

Last but not least, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay‘s Project Clean Stream is our umbrella organization for this event which includes Perdue and MOM's Organic Market as sponsors. Thanks to Ted Wolfe. ACB provides some sponsored equipment, but most importantly, they originated and promoted the message throughout our region that every little bit helps preserve clean natural resources and a livable environment for all. As you can see in the photos, little bits add up!

About Sterling Foundation

Memberships for families, businesses, and civic groups are affordable. Members support hyper-local community action. The non-profit and volunteer efforts clean up and beautify Sterling Park, support recreation and the arts, develop their network of partnerships and make you feel even better about living in Sterling Park.

With at least one community event a month, the Foundation brings neighbors together! Lookout for the next Boulevard cleanup, exciting new projects, fundraisers and partnerships with youth groups and business. It is all about living, working and prospering in Sterling! More about the Sterling Foundation, visit www.sterlingfoundation.org.