Culmore kids explore the watershed

Friends of Holmes Run hosted 22 kids from the Culmore/Bailey’s Crossroads area last week for a watershed exploration at the Holmes Run Stream Valley Park east of Columbia Pike.

The kids got a close-up view of the watershed and wildlife and carried out various science activities.

They learned why Holmes Run is so important for connecting urbanized Culmore to neighboring communities and the natural world and why the watershed is essential to bring clean water to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

Naturalists from the Fairfax County Park Authority, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, and Friends of Holmes Run led the activities. Second Story, which operates the Culmore Family Resource Center, recruited the kids.

Markon Solutions was the primary sponsor. Defensores de la Cuenca (“watershed defenders”) and Fairfax Water supported the project with in-kind donations.

At the end of the program, the kids got science items to take home and cooled off in the Parklawn Pool. Another Culmore group will participate in the watershed project this week.