Fall Stream Monitoring

Discover what creek critters live in the Little Falls Branch

LFWA monitors the Little Falls Branch four times a year - doing a biological census of the macro-invertebrates that live on the bottom of the creek. This count of benthic organisms - numbers of individuals and diversity - gives us a picture of the health of our creek. By mapping the data over the years, we have good assessment of how well our stream is surviving in our dense urban area. Our monitoring is done in partnership with Nature Forward (nee Audubon Naturalist Society).

This event is primarily for trained monitors. Before going into the field, new monitors should have a basic knowledge of macroinvertebrate identification and stream ecology, either from previous training or by attending the Nature Forward water quality training sessions. Please contact Sarah Morse, stormwater@LFWA.org, for information about the Nature Forward courses and volunteering.

Every fall, LFWA joins forces with the Westmoreland Hills Garden Club, the Town of Glen Echo and other area groups to clean the whole watershed. This first event is at Glen Echo. The other clean-ups are scheduled for next week.

Pre-approved for SSL hours for MCPS. Children under 14 must be accompanied by adult supervisor.

Glen Echo National Park
7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, MD 20812

We will be cleaning the Minnehaha creek starting in Glen Echo. Park in the main Glen Echo Park Parking lot (at the corner of Oxford and MacArthur Blvd). The gathering point is on the eastern most end of the lot at the bridge which crosses the creek. Look for a sign-in table. This site is hosted by the Town of Glen Echo.

We have gloves and bags. Dress to get muddy or wet. We’ll be cleaning the creek and banks.

Pre-approved for SSL hours for MCPS. Children under 14 must be accompanied by adult supervisor.

Summer Stream Monitoring

Discover what creek critters live in the Little Falls Branch

LFWA monitors the Little Falls Branch four times a year - doing a biological census of the macro-invertebrates that live on the bottom of the creek. This count of benthic organisms - numbers of individuals and diversity - gives us a picture of the health of our creek. By mapping the data over the years, we have good assessment of how well our stream is surviving in our dense urban area. Our monitoring is done in partnership with Nature Forward (nee Audubon Naturalist Society).

This event is primarily for trained monitors. Before going into the field, new monitors should have a basic knowledge of macroinvertebrate identification and stream ecology, either from previous training or by attending the Nature Forward water quality training sessions. Please contact Sarah Morse, stormwater@LFWA.org, for information about the Nature Forward courses and volunteering.

Rosborough Theater
409 Russell Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD
Free tickets HERE.

Montgomery Serves has named the Little Falls Watershed Alliance (LFWA) as the 2025 Volunteer Group of the Year. The Montgomery Serves Awards event honors extraordinary volunteers and community leaders in Montgomery County Maryland.  The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes individuals and groups who have demonstrated extraordinary volunteerism within the last year.

LFWA, founded in 2008 by a group of neighbors, has a mission to sustain and protect the natural environment of the Little Falls watershed located in lower Montgomery County and Upper Northwest DC focusing on action, education and stewardship.   They have engaged over 10,000 volunteers to pick up trash, restore habitat, monitor the water quality in the local creeks, and more at more than 1,000 work days. 

Along with working to remove the vines and shrubs that are strangling and killing the trees in the local parks, LFWA volunteers have restored five green areas replacing non-native invasive weeds with native trees, grasses, flowers and other plants.   

Their trash abatement program has cleaned over 70,000 pounds of trash from area creeks, roadways and parkland. 

LFWA’s active water quality monitoring program tests their creeks for fecal bacteria pollution every summer.  That testing led to the discovery of an illegal sewer hook-up from a local hotel into the Willett Branch.