Junior Girl Scout troop 1812 in Arnold organized and conducted a watershed clean
up of the Mill Creek headwaters behind Severn River Middle School. The four
girls recruited the help of their classmates, friends and family and on November
11, 2006 they removed a large quantity of trash from the woods and ravine behind
the school. The goal for this ongoing community service project is to restore
the ecosystem for wildlife living on and in Mill Creek. Future plans include
planting native grasses and plants in the wetlands behind Severn River Middle
School.
Preparing for waterside exploration of the headwaters
Heading up to the headwaters by canoe
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in October the girls explored the headwaters of
Mill Creek both by land and by canoe and were surprised and disappointed with
the amount of garbage they saw. The scouts found that they couldn't walk more
than a couple of feet without stepping on some trash.
A critical step in this ambitious project was to obtain permission to conduct
the Clean Up on Severn River Middle School's property from the principal,
Mr.Bathras. Posters, flyers and announcements publicized the event in the
school. The event was also announced on savethecreek.org website. The troop
contacted Mr. Bowen the director of Anne Arundel County Department of Public
Works who authorized Mr.Cluney to provide a county dumpster for the project.
At 9am, Nov. 11 a beautiful sunny 70 degrees day, 17 people traipsed through the
woods with wheelbarrows, garden carts and trash bags. The volunteers carried out
old aquariums, tires, lawnmowers, barbed wire, cinderblocks, paint cans,
furniture and lots of bottles and wrappers. The underwear wrapped around a rock
was eclipsed by the discovery of a half buried old pick up truck. Troup 1812
would like to thank their classmates, friends, and family for helping with the
clean up. Special thanks also goes to AACO DPW and Severn River Middle School.
The girls are currently planning the next phase of the Mill Creek headwater
restoration.
Mill Creek Cleanup Crew!