Northwood News ♦ December 2003

Neighbors of the Northwest Branch

By Charlie Pritchard

Montgomery County has benefited from the existence of several nonprofit environmental organizations that augment and cooperate with the Maryland State and Montgomery County Departments of Environmental Protection.  Examples include the Friends of Sligo Creek, Eyes of Paint Branch, and the Anacostia Watershed Society.  These organizations save county taxpayers significant amounts of money by conducting volunteer programs to rid our stream valley parks of invasive alien plants, clean up trash, carry out reforestation, and do monitoring work on water and air quality in our park systems.

With the encouragement of the National Capital Council of Governments, a similar group dedicated to the Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, which we share with Prince George’s County, is being formed.  Known as the Neighbors of Northwest Branch, it will depend on volunteers to perform its support missions.  We will report on the structure and mission of the new group after it is formally established.  Further information can be obtained by calling Charles Pritchard [contact details redacted].

One of the first events planned for the new organization is a stream walk of segments of the park on 22 November 2003, starting at 9:00 a.m. at the West Burnt Mills Park on Colesville Road (Route 29) just north of the Burnt Mills dam and bridge to view the “Great Gorge of the Anacostia” and then cross over to the east side of Colesville Road to walk on the newly designated “Rachel Carson” loop trail on both sides of the Northwest Branch.  The complete Rachel Carson trail is six miles long, taking in natural surface trails on both sides of the Branch and connected by the Burnt Mills bridge at Rte. 29 and a maintenance bridge near the present terminus of the trail opposite the equestrian stable of Wheaton Regional Park on Kemp Mill Drive.  The stream walk will not attempt the full six-mile circuit.

MNCPPC has plans to extend the Northwest Trail north to reach Patuxent State Park and join the Greenway Trail of Seneca State Park, which extends to Riley’s Lock on the C&O Canal, providing an overall nature trail some 90 to 100 miles long, connecting the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.   ■