Who We Are
Friends of Sligo Creek, or FOSC, is a nonprofit community organization dedicated to protecting, improving, and appreciating the ecological health of Sligo Creek Park and its surrounding watershed.
What We Do
Led by FOSC members, volunteers organize Sweep the Creek litter clean-up events and invasive plant removal clear-out events in the park. We offer indoor programs for learning and organize guided outdoor explorations. We test the creek and related waterways regularly to provide data to the County and environmental groups. We support neighborhood projects to reduce stormwater runoff and the environmental damage it can cause. And we monitor civic developments and advocate for policies and initiatives that will support a healthier Sligo Creek.
Leadership
The Board of Directors guides FOSC activities and policies. Six committees work on particular issues: Natural History, Sweep the Creek/Litter, Invasive Plants, Water Quality, Stormwater, and Advocacy.
Our hands-on work is organized by sections of the creek and its tributaries. Each of the twelve sections has a section steward who organizes volunteer events in their section and keeps an eye on conditions and needs of that section.
Once a year the FOSC Roundtable group meets to review FOSC’s efforts and to help plan the year’s programs. The Roundtable has the authority to vote in the President.
The Big Picture
To work toward our vision of a healthy creek, FOSC:
• pursues a broad range of initiatives in Sligo, from water quality monitoring and citizen watchdog reporting, to reducing stormwater that pollutes the creek, to removing invasive plants and litter that threaten native trees and vegetation.
• responds to the changing needs of the creek and park.
• seeks to be inclusive, reflecting the diversity of the neighborhoods surrounding Sligo. The FOSC brochure is available in Spanish (funded through a grant), and holds some programs in Spanish. We welcome your help expanding these and other areas of programming to be inclusive of all people.
• changes focus as community members step forward with the energy and skills to respond to the many challenges and opportunities for the watershed.
Join In
You can be part of keeping Sligo Creek healthy and beautiful. Volunteer at an upcoming event, attend a talk or go on the next outing. Join FOSC to receive the monthly newsletter, updates, and membership in the listserv. Joining is free. Together we can enjoy and protect the Creek.
The Sligo Watershed
Sligo Creek flows eight miles through the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC – from its headwaters in Wheaton, through Silver Spring and then Takoma Park, underneath Riggs Road and through the western edge of Hyattsville. There it joins the Northwest Branch, which flows into the Anacostia River until it becomes part of the Potomac River, flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. If you live south of Wheaton Regional Library, east of Georgia Avenue, and west of University Boulevard, Sligo is your watershed.
The woods along the creek-banks of Sligo are crucial — to the health of the stream, its wildlife and its ecosystem, and to the delight of those who live within its watershed. These woods are now imperiled, however, by invasive vines, killing even mature trees and smothering saplings that must grow if there is to be a forest for our children and their children. The creek is also in danger from erosion of its banks as well as from pollution. And too often litter disfigures its beauty.