Help Clean Up a Park or Stream with Montgomery Parks Over MLK Jr. Weekend!

Numerous volunteer projects and cleanups are scheduled January 18 - 20 in parks around the county.

SILVER SPRING, MD—Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is pleased to join forces with several area environmental organizations to host volunteer service projects throughout the weekend of January 18, 19 and 20 in recognition of the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Montgomery Parks in conjunction with Hiking Along, Friends of Sligo Creek and Rock Creek Conservancy will hold park and stream clean-ups and weed warrior programs in a variety of park locations.

The volunteer service projects are free and open to the public including students who can earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. Day of Service Volunteer cleanups taking place over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend are outlined below by date. For more details please visit: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/team/mlk_jr_day.shtm or contact Henry Coppola at Henry.Coppola@MontgomeryParks.org or by phone at 301.495.2476. 

(Volunteers are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and wear clothes that can get dirty and possibly wet and bring water to drink. All students 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult or guardian.)

Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Cleanups in Montgomery Parks

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Turkey Branch Stream Cleanup
9AM - Noon
Volunteers meet on the trail at Georgia Ave. near Ralph Road or Connecticut Avenue near Munsey Street. See map here.
Register: Rock Creek Conservancy event page.

Join the Rock Creek Conservancy Stream Team Leaders and other volunteers in cleaning up along the Turkey Branch tributary of Rock Creek and the Matthew Henson Trail. 

Glenfield Local Park Cleanup
9AM – Noon
12800 Layhill Road
Wheaton, MD 20906
Register:  No registration required. Just show up ready to help.

Join neighborhood volunteers to clean up the park and surrounding woods. Stop by the welcome table at the Glenfield LP parking lot. Bags and gloves will be provided. 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Reddy Branch Weed Warriors
8AM – 11AM
Stream Valley Unit 3 (Behind Rosa Parks Middle School)
19200 Olney Mill Road
Olney, MD 20832
Register: email Aheifetz74@gmail.com (please include your age if you are under 16)

Join the Weed Warriors to help remove English Ivy from trees in this 6 acre forest. Weed Warrior workdays are SSL approved. 

Beret Neighborhood Conservation Area Cleanup
10AM – Noon
Beret Neighborhood Conservation Area (Meet at entrance)
3400 Beret Lane
Silver Spring, MD 20906
*On street parking is available but limited. Carpooling is recommended
Register: Rock Creek Conservancy website

Join Rock Creek Conservancy and neighborhood volunteers at this annual cleanup event near the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Aspen Hill. Last year volunteers removed about 7,000 pounds of trash but there is still more work to be done. Bags and gloves will be provided. 

Monday, January 20, 2014

Sligo Creek Cleanup
9:30AM – 11AM
Sligo Creek Parkway (between Brunett Ave. and Dallas Ave.)
(Meet at playground on the west side of Sligo Creek Parkway) 
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Register: No registration required. Just show up ready to help!

Join Hiking Along and Friends of Sligo Creek for a winter stream cleanup! Bags and Gloves will be provided along with hot cocoa. 

Meadowbrook Local Park Stream & Park Cleanup & Weed Warriors
1 – 3PM
Meadowbrook Local Park
7901 Meadowbrook Lane(meet at the park activity building)
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Register: Rock Creek Conservancy web site

Join Rock Creek Conservancy Stream Team Leaders and other volunteers in cleaning up in and around Rock Creek and tackling English Ivy and other invasive vines at Meadowbrook and the surrounding parks. Bags, gloves, and tools will be provided, feel free to bring your own (non-power) tools as well.

Long Branch Stream & Park Cleanup
10AM – Noon
Long Branch Local Park
8700 Piney Branch Road(meet in the parking lot for the recreation center and pool)
Silver Spring, MD 20912
Register: email Henry.Coppola@MontgomeryParks.org to sign up

Join Friends of Sligo Creek and neighborhood volunteers in cleaning up the Long Branch tributary of Sligo Creek near the Long Branch Rec Center and Pool. Bags and gloves will be provided.

To organize your own MLK Jr Day of Service volunteer event in Montgomery Parks please contact Henry Coppola at henry.coppola@montgomeryparks.org or 301-495-2476. 

About the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 35,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 418 parks throughout the County.  The Department of Parks is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. The M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high quality parks and recreation services and is ranked as a national model of excellence in park and recreation management by other park systems and by the National Recreation and Parks Association.www.MontgomeryParks.org# # #