April 16, 2016. It was a peaceful morning on the Potomac River. The sun was shining, there was hardly a breeze to ripple the river’s surface, and spring’s warmth was finally beating out winter’s brutal cold. It was a perfect April morning. Too perfect. How could we guess at the horrors that awaited us? 10 am. The volunteers began to arrive for the 28th Annual Potomac River Watershed Clean-Up. They checked in, gathered their trash bags and gloves and grabbers, and headed out f

Terrie-Lea poses with Hog Island lamb, Nigel. It’s National Volunteer Week and to celebrate, we’re kicking off a monthly Volunteer Spotlight blog series highlighting the most dedicated of the Accokeek Foundation’s Volunteer Team. This month’s Spotlight is Terrie-Lea Blueitt, a Livestock Farmhand and Bluebird Monitor. She joined the volunteer team in 2012, and since then has dedicated an impressive 270 hours. Rain or shine, we can count on Terrie-Lea’s enthusiasm in the barnya

This week is AmeriCorps Week and to celebrate, I’ve put together a list of the amazing AmeriCorps members who have served as volunteers at the foundation over the last two years. They’ve done everything from mucking barns to building bluebird nest boxes, and we owe the success of several programs to their dedication and support.  I will never fail to get excited when I see an e-mail from an AmeriCorps group in my inbox, and I hope to continue partnering with these special peo

Growing up, service to others was something I rarely thought about. With service learning built into my schooling in such a way that I didn’t even notice I was earning service hours, and a family life that involved two extremely busy working parents, I had no idea what it really meant to volunteer my time to serve my community. And frankly, it never really occurred to me to do so. Now don’t get me wrong–my parents are wonderful people who always taught me to be compassionate

Crusaders, Erika “Riks” Enriquez and Nicole “Nics” Fleming, are spending the summer of 2014 travelling across the U.S., visiting 15 states in 30 days. Along the way, these two ambitious friends are opening their eyes and minds to discover what their home country has to offer by volunteering at organizations such as Clean the World, Climate Cycle, Cradles to Crayons, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Second Harvest Food Bank, and on Day

In partnership with the National Park Service, the Accokeek Foundation maintains six nature trails in Piscataway Park. The Adopt-A-Trail program seeks to engage organizations and community members interested in helping maintain these trails to keep them safe and well-groomed for the park’s 20,000 visitors each year. Adopters will schedule and perform regular trails sweeps throughout the designated length of adoption, and will be responsible for reporting trail conditions to t

It was a beautiful day on the farm last Saturday as 19 volunteers took on the task of freeing fence lines from creeping vegetation and clearing the “leftovers” from the field of the Ecosystem Farm. The late October frost brought about the demise of several of our summer crops, shriveling their leaves and stems, but leaving much of the fruit still ripe and ready to be eaten. The volunteers picked all of the green peppers, eggplants, pak choi, and sweet potatoes that had surviv

Their work on the tobacco barn and Laurel Branch — through the application of “witch’s brew” (turpentine, boiled linseed oil, and pine tar) — will help preserve our 18th century historic buildings from harsh winter weather. The signs they helped to paint and build will provide self-guided park visitors with directions and information about the site. The barnyard fencing they fixed and the sheep shelter roof they replaced will add to the success of our heritage livestock breed

The farm crew preps the fields for planting by laying plastic which helps to maintain soil moisture and temperature, while aiding in weed control. The mild spring afforded the Ecosystem Farm comfortable days to work, beautiful weather for growing, and a little bit of extra water to remind us of our connection to the swampy environ around us (ha!). The crops have flourished in the moist regular-spring conditions: tomatoes fruiting on big deep green plants, the squash big and r

Godiva, one of our spring Hog Island Sheep lambs. If you love animals and would like to spend a few hours each week working on the farm, join the Livestock Farmhands volunteer team on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm to assist with the successful management of our Heritage Livestock Program. Volunteers will work closely with staff members to help feed, clean the barn, repair livestock fencing, clear brush, maintain pasture and barnyard areas, and more. Livestock Farmhands

In January, a young man named Ian (the son of one of our bluebird monitors) contacted us to see if he could do his Eagle Scout Service Project at the foundation. I had just attended my cousin’s Court of Honor ceremony and I was so impressed with everything he did in order to achieve the rank that I was really excited to get the chance to work with Ian. Ian did not disappoint, and less than four months later, we have an absolutely beautifully renovated Event Kitchen to share w

To commemorate their 40th Anniversary, Denison Landscaping is giving back to the communities it serves by conducting 40 in-kind landscaping projects to be completed throughout the year. As a part of this “40 Green Initiatives” project, the Accokeek Foundation was selected to identify a landscaping project on site that would improve its daily operations. After discussing the various needs of the site with members of the Denison staff, installing an irrigation system in the Acc

In the wake of the bombing this month at the Boston Marathon, my facebook newsfeed was inundated with posts and statuses lamenting the state of the world today. Friends and family were sharing thoughts like “what is society coming to?,” “people are pure evil,” and “I fear for my children and their future.” This certainly isn’t anything new–it was the same story after the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado, and countless other tragedies since, excuse my cli

Volunteers meet on the second Saturday of every month from 1-4 pm, in addition to completing at-home volunteer projects between meetings. Each meeting is themed, and will focus on a particular task or step in the processing of wool from the foundation’s Hog Island sheep flock. Hog Island sheep are a critically endangered breed of sheep with Volunteers are expected to regularly attend monthly meetings and contribute to fiber processing to the best of their abilities. 2016 meet

Responsibilities May Include: Plant, water, and tend plants Monitor plant health and treat for disease, nutrient deficiency, and pests Keep gardens and pathways weed free and accessible Repair garden fences, gates, and interior structures as needed Provide staking, trellising, and other supports to plants as needed Maintain compost bins Harvest, process, and save seed Maintain tools, supplies, and equipment in good working order No previous experience necessary. This voluntee

I am five months and two days (is it really already March?!) into my service year with the Accokeek Foundation, Volunteer Maryland, and AmeriCorps. There are times when I feel as if I haven’t accomplished anything I was sent here to do. I feel as if the weeks are slipping away into months, and there is no way I will possibly meet all of the goals I set for myself in September. The e-mails and calls seem to never stop coming in, the paperwork in all its glorious tediousness se

by Polly Festa, Livestock Manager As 2012 comes to a close I find myself reflecting on the past year. As always, when working with animals and the unpredictability of Mother Nature, there have been many ups and downs. Polly finds time to play “dress up” in period clothing even when it’s hot. The biggest down of the year was this summer’s drought, with its extreme heat. But both the animals and the staff came through it just fine. Only one case of heat stroke all year, leave i

In March of this year the National Colonial Farm will premier its newly developed Foodways program.  Over the years this successful program has fascinated visitors as they witness firsthand what our colonial ancestors ate and how it was prepared.  This year we plan on taking the program and the visiting public even further into the culinary traditions of Maryland. Maryland Fried Chicken While we will still be cooking over the fire and using all the gizmos and gadgets of years