Events

Kelley Park 7th Annual Cleanup (April 12, 2025)

Meet at the pedestrian bridge at Kelley Park, 400 Victory Farm Drive. Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and closed-toe shoes or waterproof boots. Trash grabbers, gloves and bags will be provided. We will pick up trash on land, in the stream, and in the wetland. This is a family-friendly event and all ages are welcome! Young children must be accompanied by an adult. SSL hours are available for junior and high school students.

The stream in Kelley Park is a tributary of Whetstone Run that flows into Whetstone Lake, then to Great Seneca Creek and eventually to the ocean. Plastics in particular are persistent pollutants that can travel thousands of miles in the ocean, and are lethal to animals who mistake them for food. Thanks for helping to keep our parks and waterways clean and beautiful!

More information: Seneca Creek Watershed Partners senecacreekwp@gmail.com or City of Gaithersburg 301-258-6370 or environment@gaithersburgmd.gov

Native Tree Give-Away

Update (March 22, 8:30PM): Thank you to everyone who came out today! We had a huge turnout, and are down to our last trees. For the giveout tomorrow (only at 14909 Spring Meadows Drive, Darnestown Md, 20874), we have:

10 sycamore

6 pin oaks

2 river birch

Friday, March 22 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm, two Locations:

1. Seneca Creek State Park Office (here); and

2. 14909 Spring Meadows Drive, Darnestown Md, 20874.

Saturday, March 23, 10 am to noon; one location: 14909 Spring Meadows Drive, Darnestown Md, 20874.

FREE NATIVE TREES!
We'll be distributing 450 native tree seedlings again this spring -- up to 10 trees per household.

The Seneca Creek Watershed Partners/Muddy Branch Alliance/Friends of Seneca Creek State Park native tree giveaway will be this Friday and Saturday, March 22-23. The event will run on Friday, March 22, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm (please do not arrive early, we will not distribute until 5:30). Trees will be available at two sites on Friday: the Seneca Creek State Park office, and at 14909 Spring Meadows Drive, Darnestown, MD, 20874 (Jeff and Merikay's home). Trees not given out on Friday will be available Saturday at 14909 Spring Meadows Drive from 10 am to noon. This is the 10th year the Smiths have organized this event for Seneca Creek/Muddy Branch.

If planted immediately and protected from deer (and watered as needed) the trees will grow vigorously. Within five years or so, they will be healthier than large (expensive) container-grown trees.

This year's picks: pin oak, serviceberry, redbud, river birch, hazelnut, black cherry, indigobush, silky dogwood, and American sycamore.

We just got the fact sheets for the trees we're giving away today. There are 3 large trees, some understory trees, and shrubs. Please read before coming to get your trees so you know what fits your space.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
A deciduous shrub that grows only on wet sites, buttonbush is usually 3 to 12 feet tall with a spread of 4 to 8 feet. The seed is consumed by small birds and ducks. Buttonbush must be planted at the water's edge. Prefers full sun to partial shade.

Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
A small shrub usually 3 to 10 feet tall with a 3 to 4 foot spread. This native prefers full sun to part shade and produces red berries eaten by birds and other wildlife. Foliage turns bright red in autumn.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) – not powerline compatible
Black walnut usually matures in about 150 years. An average site will produce mature black walnut trees which are 70 to 80 feet in height and attain diameters of 2 to 4 feet when grown in a forest stand. On the best sites this tree may reach up to 150 feet tall and over 8 feet in diameter. It thrives in deeper, well drained, neutral soils. Black walnut is a shade-intolerant species and must have direct sunlight to grow optimally. A globular fruit is produced which contains a corrugated nut in its yellowish-green husk. The nut is usually 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter, containing an oil-rich, sweet, and edible seed. The large fruit ripens between September and October. Upon ripening the husk softens and turns dark brown to black.

Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) – not powerline compatible
A large, sun-loving native deciduous tree with a tapered trunk that often reaches 130 feet tall. Although commonly found in river swamps, wet stream banks, and wet depressions, this tree can grow in dry and compacted soils. It is valued for wildlife habitat and timber. Baldcypress is decay resistant and tolerant of strong winds, heat, and drought. Its fall color is usually quite attractive, turning needles a warm, reddish brown color. Cypress “knees” are produced only when grown in or near water. Bald cypress makes a great street tree.

Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) – not powerline compatible
A medium-sized native tree averaging 50 to 80 feet tall and 50 to 60 feet wide, swamp white oak tolerates poorly drained sites. It is drought tolerant, prefers part shade to full sun, and has a copper to red color in the fall. The acorns are eaten by a wide variety of wildlife.

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) – not powerline compatible
A fast-growing tree often found near waterways that matures at 100 feet with a spread of 35 to 70 feet. Full sun to part shade. Drought and air pollution tolerant once established. Valuable as a wildlife tree, it is also used for pulp and lumber. It is not recommended that this tree be planted near homes or heavy pedestrian traffic due to this species’ weak-wooded limbs. Fall color is usually unremarkable.

American plum (Prunus americana)
This small, slow-growing, multi-stemmed shrubby tree can grow as tall as 30 feet with a crown spread up to 20 feet. It produces white flowers blooming in April and fruit an inch in diameter maturing in July which is a valued wildlife food source. This Maryland native prefers full sun to part shade, is moderately drought tolerant, and has a yellow color in the fall.

Redosier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera or Cornus sericea)
A fast-growing shrub, 10 to 20 feet tall and spread to 10 feet, often forming dense thickets. Prefers moderate to full sunlight. Prefers rich, moist, poorly drained soils. Provides cover for birds and other small wildlife. Important food source for a variety of mammals.

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
A shrub or small tree that tolerates shade, pawpaw produces a fruit that is readily eaten by wildlife and humans. It has a height 15 to 30 feet, a spread of 15 to 30 feet, and prefers full sun to part shade and moist fertile soils. Often spreads by root suckers to form colonies or thickets.

Possumhaw (Ilex decidua)
Deciduous holly or possumhaw is a small deciduous tree or shrub, 15 to 30 feet tall, with pale gray, twiggy, horizontal branches. Glossy, oval, toothed leaves remain dark green through autumn, finally turning yellow. Inconspicuous flowers precede clusters of persistent red berries on female trees which provide winter color.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
A multi-stemmed shrub that grows to 15 feet, spicebush produces shiny red berries in the fall that are eaten by birds. This species is dioecious which mean male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Best suited to moist sites and has a yellow color in fall.

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
A large deciduous hardwood tree, which can grow to over 100 feet in height. Sweetgum grows in bottomland areas with rich, moist soil, can tolerate a variety of soil conditions and flooding, but is intolerant of shade. The fruit is a dangling brown, woody, spiny-tipped “gum ball” with seeds brownish and winged. Has beautiful fall color.

Swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii)
A large tree that may grow 40 to 100 feet with a spread of 30 to 50 feet, Swamp chestnut oak is best suited for plantings along streams and bottomlands that are often covered with water. Full sun but tolerates some shade. Tolerates wet soils and occasional flooding. Leaves turn dark red in fall.

White oak (Quercus alba)
White oak may grow 80 to 100 feet and is valued for timber, fuelwood and wildlife food and cover. It prefers moist, well-drained soils. Maryland native.

Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)
A multi-stemmed shrub, growing 6-10 feet tall and wide producing dark blue berries that attract many birds. This native is adaptable to many soil conditions from dry to fairly wet and prefers partial shade or full sun.

Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)
A small tree or large shrub maturing up to 15 feet high and 10 feet across. This Maryland native prefers full sun to partial shade, dry to moist soil, and is very adaptable. Showy white flowers in the spring produce red berries in the fall. Blackhaw attracts birds, butterflies, moths, and is very important for native bees. Attractive red-purple leaf color in fall.

Details on tree planting: https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/MarylandersPlantTrees/Plant-Your-Tree.aspx

Winter Water Quality Monitoring

We will conduct our seasonal water quality monitoring on January 27 from 11:00-2:00 off Riffle Ford Road. If you are interested in attending, please contact us at senecacreekwp@gmail.com.

March 2, 2024: Cleanup along Berryville Road

Join Seneca Creek Watershed Partners in and along the creek as we clean up a section of our stream and its tributary, Hookers Branch. The cleanup will run from 10-12, and we will provide the necessary supplies.

Martin Luther King Day of Service: Clearspring Local Park

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, Seneca Creek Watershed Partners will be hosting a trash clean-up/Invasive plant removal at Clearspring Park from 10-12PM on January 15. 

SSL credit is available. Up to 50 volunteers will be picking up trash, and up to 10 volunteers over the age of 16 can assist with invasive plant removal. We will meet near the parking lot and shelter.

Native Plant Walk near Blackrock Mill

Seneca Creek Watershed Partners is hosting a walk near Blackrock Mill on September 30, in conjunction with the Maryland Native Plant Society, led by David Anderson. This is a great opportunity to learn about the native plants that call this area home.

We will learn about the different types of native plants, their ecological importance, and how to identify them.

The walk is free and open to all ages. No registration is required, but if there are weather issues, we will communicate cancelations to those who registered. We will be meeting at the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail Rt. 28 Parking Lot.

We will meet at 10:00AM in this lot.

For more information, please get in touch with Seneca Creek Watershed Partners at senecacreekwp@gmail.com.

We hope to see you there!