Friends of the Occoquan is a non-profit organization of local citizens who preserve and maintain the natural integrity of the Occoquan River and other Virginia watersheds by promoting community awareness through public and private partnerships.
Vision of the Friends
To energize individuals, community and business groups to take on the challenge of keeping Northern Virginia’s Reservoirs clean, by controlling excessive sedimentation and pollution. This message will be brought to schools, civic groups and community organizations, as well as local and federal government agencies.
Goals
Coordinate watershed management efforts and programs.
Open communications and develop cooperation among intergovernmental jurisdictions regarding the watersheds.
Provide decision makers, policy makers, and citizens with accurate information.
Develop public and private partnerships focused on maintaining the natural integrity of drinking water sources.
Engage the community, including the Spanish speaking population, to become stakeholders of our rivers and streams.
Education and Coordination FOTO is working with community groups, schools, state and local governments to promote Northern Virginia's watershed preservation.
FOTO continues to expand contacts with other groups to enlarge watershed stakeholders. Installation of international signs along the watershed is one of our projects.
FOTO is proceeding to engage the Spanish speaking community of Northern Virginia to become stakeholders of our watersheds and become active in maintaining clean and safe our rivers. In addition to the bilingual signs described below, we will be installing other bilingual signs in Fairfax and PrinceWilliamCounties. Also we are preparing videos, literature and some TV programs.
2013 SPRING CLEANUP
Saturday, April 27, 2013 was a sunny day and no signs of inclement weather. This was our 27th cleanup and new groups joined our volunteers. Some of our returning volunteers again joined in the cleanup: Bull Run Rotary Club, Lake Braddock Crew,
Lane Construction, Woodbridge HS ROTC, Boy Scout Troops 1365 and 1369, Girl Scout Troops 3287 and 2564, Fairfax South County HS.
Thanks to our 172 volunteers who collected over 138 bags of trash. Items included: Trash cans, basket ball, lawn chairs, dog house, gasoline cans, sheetrock, corrugated plastic pipe, two TVs ( one at Lake Ridge and one at Fountainhead), tires, cigarettes, a packet of bed sheets. cups
Thanks to other groups that joined our efforts: Lake Ridge Marina and NVRPA, provided boats and disposed of trash at their Marinas; John Houser of the Occoquan Regional Park, Ernie Porta, Mayor of Occoquan, Bonnie Phillips of VA DCR.
Our thanks to all who participated and to our coordinators: John Rothrock; Bill Olson; Claudia Cruise; Alex Vanegas; Renate Vanegas; and Duane DeBruyne.
We participated in Planting trees at Occoquan Regional Park and Ben Lomond Park. These two events were patronized by Arborists of Fairfax and Prince Williams counties.
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FOTO 2012 Environmental Awards
Saturday, August 18, 2012 1:00 to 4:00 PM
Town Hall, 314 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA 22125
After hors d’oeuvres and socializing, Renate G. Vanegas conducted the US Flag Pledge of Allegiance, Lynn Jost sang the National Anthem and Alex Vanegas presented the award certificates. Forty attendees in addition to FOTO’s Board of Directors, John Rothrock, Reza Rafi and German Vanegas were present. Award recipients were: Donna Flory, Elaine Sours, Ed Powell, Bull Run Rotary Club; Duane DeBruye, Lake Braddock Crew; Bob Lerch, José Gayoso, Christine Lerch, Bill Olson, Mike Smedley, Deb and David Buffington, John Houser, NVRPA; William Walsh, American Water; Christine Vineski, Lane Construction Co.; Claudia Cruise, Ernie Porta, Jane England and SGM (RET) Joe L. Neely, SFC (RET) Fred Elliott, LTC (RET) Victor Burnette, LTC (RET) Franklyn Matthews, 1SG (RET) Daniel Jackson; Mike and Judy Lenehan, Vernon Bahm, Cub Scout Pack 1365; Hassan Thompson Girl Scout Troop 3287; Rich Sackett, Boy Scout Troop 1369; Glenn Richman, Carol Amoakuh and Wendy Wilkerson Cub Pack 1350; Randy Reid, Aileen Streng, Deb Oliver, PWC Public Works; Hafez G Al Haj, Bonnie Phillips, Michelle Mcquigg and John Fowler.
FOTO is promoting a “Digital Storytelling” among our volunteers using Flip video cameras provided by Cisco, via Techsoup. A Flip camera with the flip upload and edit software, allows the user to film, download to a computer and upload. Please send us a 2 to 3 minute video of activities that you are involved in. Preferable these activities should be related to the environment, watershed or water conservation. We will show these videos in our web page and on our youtube site.
WATER CONSERVATION
Continuing with our educational programs we conducted a water and watershed conservation presentation to a group of youngsters at the Lake Ridge Marina, Woodbridge, VA., June, 2011. Helga Perrin presented material covering: water conservation, wetlands, Occoquan reservoir, aquifers, etc. Assisting with this presentation was Arianna Mcquillen, who just finished Lake Braddock HS and is on her way to attend MIT. See below this page to read more about Arianne.
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To read the "FAMILY PREPAREDNESS" message click here
FOTO receives Conservationist of the Year Award February 26, 2011
Press Release
PRINCEWILLIAMCOUNTY, On Friday, February 25, 2011, the Friends of the Occoquan (FOTO) received the Conservationist of the Year Award at the 33rd Annual Prince William Ducks Unlimited Annual Banquet and Auction. The Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District (PWSWCD) nominated FOTO for the 2010 Ducks Unlimited Conservationist of the Year Award.Kate Norris of the PWSWCD stated that “FOTO has truly been a leader in the community, helping the environment through meaningful projects, valuable partnerships, and volunteer mobilization.”Alex Vanegas, Executive Director of FOTO, received the award on behalf of the organization. The award was presented by Ben Thompson, Vice Chairman of the PWSWCD, and Chip Rohr of the Ducks Unlimited.
The Friends of the Occoquan is a non-profit organization that was formed in October1999. The organization consists of local citizens whose mission is to preserve and maintain the natural integrity of the OccoquanRiver and other Virginia watersheds by promoting community awareness through public and private partnerships.
FOTO has consistently energized individuals, community and business groups to take on the challenge of keeping Northern Virginia’s Reservoirs clean, by educating and coordinating events to remove as well as control man made pollution. Throughout the past decade, this message was conveyed to schools, civic groups and community organizations, as well as local and federal government agencies. Over the past ten years, FOTO has consistently worked to coordinate watershed management efforts and programs including the Semi-Annual Fall and Spring Cleanups, Watershed Education Activities at Prince William County Public Schools, participating in Regional Watershed Taskforces, and the development of Public Service Announcements.These efforts are very significant since the Occoquan Reservoir is a major source of our drinking water here in Northern Virginia.
As part of FOTO’s outreach efforts, the organization has successfully engaged the public through various programs. One successful program is to connect with the Spanish speaking community of Northern Virginia to become stakeholders of our watersheds and become active in maintaining clean and safe our rivers. As part of this effort, FOTO has installed bilingual signs videos, literature and some TV programs.
Altogether, the Friends of the Occoquan have played a major role in preserving one of the region’s most important natural resources, the Occoquan Watershed.FOTO’s perseverance and dedication to environmental has been sustained through the efforts of its volunteers and members as well as the strong bond it has developed with local groups and organizations that share the same passion.
So it is with Friends of the Occoquan. Thanks to Volunteers we have been able to accomplish our goals: “conserve our watersheds.” Some volunteers keep coming back year after year: the father/mother volunteering after their children graduated from high school, the student or scout who started volunteering during high school and now after graduating from college.To all those who faithfully return year after year we extend many THANKS!
Arianna McQuillen a volunteer wrote the following letter.
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