Residents help clean-up Potomac

Photos by Marny Malin-Brooksanne Bentes, Caitlyn Woolfolk, 12, and Eowyn Carroll, 7, pick up debris along the shore of Accotink Bay Saturday as part of the Alice Ferguson watershed clean-up. More than 50 others participated in the cleanup and found the area freer from trash than in past years.

Initially, the forecast called for rain early Saturday. But, with a little help from Mother Nature, a bright sky appeared instead and helped guide nearly 70 volunteers along Fort Belvoir's Tompkins Basin.

Not that bad weather would have stopped this group anyway.

The effort was all part of this year's Potomac River Watershed Clean Up, an initiative first established in 1989 to provide volunteer service to parts of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

According to Brice Bartley, a specialist with Belvoir's Directorate of Public Works Environmental and Natural Resources division, PRWC is one of the largest restoration projects in the region and has been successful in merging together local governments and countless environmental groups.
This year's event at Fort Belvoir focused efforts along the east shoreline of the Accotink Bay.

"The installation has been participating since 2003 and it's proven to be a big hit every year," Bartley said. "We had another great turnout this year and I've seen people pick up everything from soda cans to old tires. People who volunteer feel good about what they're doing and they should. They're making a major contribution to the environment."

Among those volunteering was Gabrielle Benites, a junior Girl Scout from Troop 2041.

"I found a lot of Styrofoam and cigarette butts along the shoreline," Benites said. "I even found a steel plate off in the woods. I didn't think something like that would be down here, but you never know what you'll find if you look in the right places."

As troop leader for Belvoir's Brownie Troop 1899, Leah Piatt was happy to see her group's enthusiasm throughout the morning's clean up.

"The kids are really getting into it and that makes us all proud," Piatt said. "For a Brownie troop, this fulfills a community service requirement and brings them one step closer to their Water Drop Badge, which is the same as an EPA Conservation Badge. We've participated before and it's a great way of teaching young kids the importance of preservation."

After coming across an advertisement promoting the clean up, Mount Vernon resident James Alstadht also decided to lend a hand. His son, Greg, came with him.

"We need to protect what we have," Alstadht remarked. "Natural resources like this are important for in the future. Looking around, I'm happy to see
young people like my son who understand that."