Friends of Accotink Creek

The FAcC team is starting their annual round of cleanups in conjunction with the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Pick your weekend and join them for the fun.

Water fowl near Lake Accotink

The Accotink Creek watershed, the second largest watershed in Fairfax County, covers 51 square miles of heavily-populated Northern Virginia suburbs. Like many Washington DC area streams and rivers plagued by extensive development, Accotink Creek has changed dramatically (by naturalist standards) in the past several decades. Recognizing the need for a dedicated environmental voice for the watershed, Friends of Accotink Creek (FAcC) stepped in to fill the void.

Although this all-volunteer organization may lack the power to stop the dreaded "d-word" (i.e. development), Friends of Accotink Creek manages to make its impact through education, advocacy, and community involvement. Their mission, "...protecting, promoting and restoring the water quality, natural habitat, and ecological well-being of the Accotink Creek watershed" (source), is no small task in a watershed with 30% impervious surface area. Yes, 30% is a significant number for a watershed.

FAcC reaches out for members and volunteers with events and initiatives like quarterly stream monitoring, invasive plant removal, storm drain marking, and stream cleanup events (like the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup). They work directly with Fairfax County (and sometimes disagree with their decisions) to encourage residents, organizations, and agencies to make key environmental changes. The future of Accotink Creek (and in turn, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay) depends on it.

Organization Type: 501(c)(3) non-profit; affiliated with Trout Unlimited, Northern Virginia Chapter
Membership: http://www.accotink.org/MembershipForm.htm
Donate: Network for Good

- Image courtesy Flickr user (and Accotink extraordinaire): derAmialtebloede