Anyone who is familiar with Bread and Cheese Creek thinks of it as a polluted eyesore. A stream that breaches above ground just East of Eastern Avenue then meanders a path roughly along Old North Point Road until it empties into Back River which in turn flows into the Chesapeake Bay. We are all aware of the importance the health of the Chesapeake Bay hold to all Maryland Residents. Those who grew up in this area remember a different creek entirely, one teeming with frogs, crayfish, and minnows – a place where many a child spent long summer days happily playing. It is our goal to bring back that stream, not for me, not just for the residents that live along it, but for everyone who reaps the benefits of the Chesapeake Bay. We are a group of volunteers working with the community, Baltimore County Environmental Protection and Sustainability, the Ocean Conservancy, the Baltimore Community Foundation as well as other organizations to clean up Bread and Cheese Creek. Please mark your calendars! We have confirmed Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Rain or Shine, as the day and time we clean up the stream in the section from behind the ARC on North Point Road continuing eastward to North Point Boulevard. We will be meeting next to the ARC at 1401 North Point Road in Dundalk. ANY time you can give to helping us out is more than appreciated. We are continuing with this section since it has never been cleaned (to the best of our knowledge). Our cleanups are part of an ongoing effort clean the entire stream by 2014 in preparation for the War of 1812 Bicentennial Celebration. (Bread and Cheese Creek has been noted as one of the highlighted locations on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail) The creek played a rather significant part in the Battle of North Point which took place on September 12, 1814. Both the American and British Troops camped along its banks. It is rumored that the young heroes Daniel Wells (19) and Henry McComas (18) used the stream channel to sneak up on British General Robert Ross killing him with their muskets before being killed in return fire. This important part of our history should not be left the eyesore it currently is. There plenty of ways for volunteers to participate. We will need every type of person of every ability level to contribute and assist with the Clean Up. Though it is true we will need people to dig out shopping carts and haul trash to the dumpsters, we need people to run water, food, tools, and trash bags (both empty and full) to individuals in the creek. People to sort recyclables from the debris removed. People will be needed to setup of food and snacks as well as many other less strenuous activities. We are also authorized to sign-off on Community Service and Service Learning Hours for students. The more people we have, the easier the work will be for everyone. Please feel free to pass this information on to other who might be interesting in helping as well. As my grandfather always said, “Many hands makes the work light”. We run our cleanups as a family event with all age groups welcome by developing plenty of ways for volunteers to participate. You can learn more about us through our website at: www.BreadandCheeseCreek.org ; become our friend on FaceBook, follow us on Twitter and/or join the Clean Break and Cheese Creek Group. You can also see photos of our past cleanups on Flickr and our videos on YouTube. You can also subscribe to out Electronic Newsletter. We have included a link to photos and video of the Bread and Cheese Creek section we have targeted for 9/24/11 Cleanup: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39935127@N05/sets/72157626260209448/ If you have any comments or questions please contact us. Thank you again for your interest! www.BreadandCheeseCreek.org