Flora & Fauna — Blog — Friends of Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir

Ten Mile Creek Watershed-Wildflower Walk, April 13, 2024

It was a beautiful, cool and breezy Saturday, on the 13th of April, for our annual Friends of Ten Mile Creek & Little Seneca Reservoir Watershed and Wildflower Walk. Jay Cinque ferried our group on the tractor-pulled hay wagon to our starting point at the Beck Farm, which is now part of the Ten Mile Creek Conservation Park. From there, John Parrish, widely known for his botanical expertise and intimate knowledge of the area, led an intrepid group of about 15 people on a 1.5-mile circuit through the forests and floodplains of the Ten Mile Creek Watershed. There were some challenging creek crossings, slippery slopes, thorny thickets to navigate, and hilly terrain – and we all made it through relatively unscathed!…

Flora & Fauna, Water Quality, Creek WatchCommander SalamanderMay 5, 2024Comment

Ten Mile Creek Watershed & Wildflower Walk

The Friends of Ten Mile Creek & Little Seneca Reservoir will be leading a Watershed and Wildflower Walk on Saturday April 13th from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. If it’s raining, we will postpone it to Sunday April 14th at noon.

Flora & Fauna, Water Quality, Creek WatchCommander SalamanderMarch 21, 2024Comment

Creek Watch

As earth moving begins on Pulte's Creekside at Cabin Branch development the stream is likely to become cloudy after rainstorms and sediment will be most visible to the public at the stream ford. FoTMC members have also noticed more instances of illegal dumping at the ford and along West Old Baltimore Road. Read more for links to report any violations you might witness.

Flora & Fauna, Water Quality, Creek WatchCommander SalamanderDecember 11, 2023Comment

Rare and Beautiful Drinking Water Creeks in the Upcounty Are Worth Fighting to Protect

Both Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir are located within Seneca Creek watershed, Montgomery County’s largest watershed and a designated drinking water supply. The major threat to these waterbodies is urbanization (a.k.a. sprawl) from proposed development projects. During urbanization, developers take down forests and farms, then they grade, compact and pave-over the land; the resulting runoff over time erodes streams, and silts-in lakes and the Chesapeake Bay with sediment.

Events, Flora & Fauna, Water Quality, Creek WatchCommander SalamanderSeptember 17, 2023

The Importance of Water: Life's Precious Essence

Water, the elixir of life, is an essential component of our existence. It is a fundamental resource that sustains all forms of life on Earth. Indeed, we can live without a house or clothing for months, we can live without food for weeks, but to live without water is measured in terms of days and hours.

Flora & Fauna, Climate Change, Water Quality, HistoryCommander SalamanderAugust 19, 2023

Ten Mile Creek Supports a Diverse Aquatic Community

Ten Mile Creek is teeming with life. As you peer into its waters, you might see fish, perhaps some small darters or sculpin. In the spring, larger fish swim up from Little Seneca Lake to spawn in its quiet pools.

Flora & FaunaCommander SalamanderJuly 24, 2023

The Pulte development saga: Judges ruled in favor of Planning Board and the developers, to the detriment of Ten Mile Creek.

FoTMC testified on behalf of the Ten Mile Creek watershed at Montgomery County Planning Board hearings in December 2020 and again in September 2021. Nevertheless, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Pulte plan, in violation of the language, intent, and spirit of the Ten Mile Creek Area Limited Amendment adopted in 2014.

Events, Flora & Fauna, Creek WatchCommander SalamanderJuly 21, 2023

Spring Wildflower Walk a Huge Success!

On Sunday, April 16th thirty-four eager adventurers attended our first Ten Mile Creek wildflower walk. We began the hike from the Cinque Farm on Slidell Road walking downhill through Ten Mile Creek Conservation Park to a tributary - one of seven main tributaries of Ten Mile Creek - of Ten Mile Creek. RG Steinman and John Parrish pointed out wildflowers and other plants along the way.

Events, Flora & FaunaCommander SalamanderApril 16, 2023

Wildflower Walk, Sunday, April 16th at noon

The Friends of Ten Mile Creek will be leading a wildflower walk on Sunday, April 16th at noon. We hope to see such early spring wildflowers as Trout Lilies, Bloodroot, Hepatica, Dwarf Ginseng, Wood Anemone, Rue Anemone, Toothworts, Spring Beauty, Early Saxifrage, and Violets! Another highlight of our walk includes uncommon County trees – the Eastern Hemlock and Shagbark Hickory. In the event of heavy rain, our rain date is Sunday, April 23rd.

Events, Flora & Fauna, Creek WatchCommander SalamanderMarch 18, 2023

Overview of the Flora of the Ten Mile Creek Watershed

Beginning in 2019, John Parrish began an inventory of the flora of public lands in the Ten Mile Creek watershed. Together, these properties encompass about 600 acres. This represents one-fifth of the watershed acreage north of West Old Baltimore Road.

So far, John’s surveys have documented over 450 native plant species.