Our Vision
The Muddy Branch Alliance’s vision is for the surrounding streams, lakes, forests and parks to be teeming with life, safe for families, pets and wildlife to enjoy and to have a community connected to preserving the area’s intrinsic beauty.
Our Mission
Our goal is to protect the vulnerable natural environment that surrounds this stream, the Muddy Branch. From Gaithersburg, through North Potomac and eventually to the Potomac River, we want to ensure that the natural spaces in our area flourish into the future. As stewards of the Muddy Branch watershed, we are committed to maintaining its water quality, natural habitat and ecological well-being. We do this by bringing neighbors together to build awareness, improve its natural habitat, and enhance the community’s enjoyment of the many creeks and streams within the watershed.
In 2026, we celebrated our 15th Anniversary.
Our Neighbors
The Muddy Branch watershed is bordered on the north by Seneca Creek, and on the south by Watts Branch. We work closely with our sister organizations in both watersheds, Seneca Creek Watershed Partners and Watts Branch Watershed Alliance.
The Board
The Muddy Branch Alliance started in 2011 as an all-volunteer group of concerned neighbors. The Muddy Branch Alliance counts on the participation of people who share our vision. Please support us by volunteering at an activity, by attending a meeting or through financial donation. We don’t have a budget for any staffing and count on our volunteer members and board to achieve results.
Allison Jacobs is an MCPS middle school teacher and is very excited to join the board of the Muddy Branch Alliance. She walks through Malcolm King Park almost daily with her husband and dog and wants to help protect the park by leading invasive plant removal events. She has met tons of people who also enjoy the beauty of the park and helps to educate them on why it's important to remove invasive species so natives can flourish. She is a certified Montgomery County Weed Warrior, loves tending her own garden of native plants, and is an active member in her neighborhood promoting the removal of invasives from neighborhood landscaping and replacing them with natives. [Board member since 2024]
Guillermo Irahola, our President and Technology Advisor, brings a deep passion for promoting public park use within the watershed. Born and raised in Bolivia, Guillermo's conservation journey started during childhood vacations exploring the natural wonders of South America. His career includes pivotal roles with the Bolivian Forest Action Planning Commission and collaborations with organizations like Conservation International. Currently, Guillermo serves as VP Technology Officer at a federal government technology provider, complemented by a Project Management degree from Georgetown University. [Board member since 2022]
Mary Hlavinka has been involved in picking up trash, working with the Weed Warriors, testing water quality and enjoying the beauty of the local streams and parks. She was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2019. Performing the role of Treasurer allows her to use her financial skills and provide valuable support to the Alliance. [Board member since 5/1/2019]
Mike Jones is an applied economist with over 20 years of experience leading teams and managing complex economic and environment projects in Moldova, Kenya, Jordan, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. His work includes developing partnerships with senior public and private sector leaders in water resource management, clean energy, climate change, recycling, and biodiversity. Mike moved to Gaithersburg in 2023 with his wife, twins, and cat. An avid rock-climber and nature enthusiast, Mike quickly discovered the wonders of the Muddy Branch and visits almost every day. He was thrilled to find the Muddy Branch Alliance and the opportunity to help protect our local environment. Mike holds an M.A. in economics with Ph.D. coursework from Columbia University. [Board member since 2025]
A founding director and past president of the Muddy Branch Alliance, Paul Hlavinka has now returned to the Alliance's leadership. He is a native of North Dakota and a long-time resident of Gaithersburg. Paul's priorities include picking up litter and monitoring for road salt pollution in waterways. [Board member since 2025]
After a career in anthropology and in program evaluation in international development, Roger Rasnake has a growing interest in understanding the complex interactions of habitat and species in the Eastern forests. Living next to Muddy Branch Park and hiking through its woods almost daily, he feels that it is critical that we continue to educate our neighbors and advocate for our green spaces to foster a rich natural environment and preserve and enhance what we have. In 2021, he became a Maryland Master Naturalist and recently led the work to renew a park pollinator garden and to establish a new native plant sale for the fall. His hobbies include gardening with native plants and learning how these plants interact to create an environment for insects, birds and animal life. Other interests are hiking, “Nordic walking,” and cooking. [Board member since 2022]
James Hall has been a volunteer with the organization for a few years, and recently stepped up with an interest in taking leadership. His interests include his work with weed warrior projects, interacting with the public, and helping others experience the stream by leading walks along the trail. [Board member since 2025]
Wall of Honor
Here we recognize past leaders of the Muddy Branch Alliance. In addition, Muddy Branch Alliance heroes are those that perform environmental activities that are truly exceptional: their scope has been grand, their dedication has been epic, and their work has contributed to the Muddy Branch Alliance’s vision for the surrounding streams, lakes, forests, and parks to be teeming with life, safe for families, pets, and wildlife to enjoy and to have a community connected to preserving the area’s intrinsic beauty. Learn more about our heroes.
Founding Members
- Paul Hlavinka (Founder)
- Becky Curtis
- Sandy Doveikis
- Julie Gilson
- Mike Honig
- Rebecca Horner
- Jennie Howland
- Leah Miller
- Larry Speicher
- Bragi Valgeirsson
Past Presidents
- Paul Hlavinka (2011-2013)
- Cynthia Pansing (2013-2014)
- Jennie Howland (2014-2016)
- Tracy Rouleau (2016-2020)
- Luis Fermin (2020-2021)
- Katie Lucas (2021-2023)
- Janette Rosenbaum (2023-2025)
- Emelin Ringuette (2025-2026)
- Guillermo Irahola (2006)
Past Directors
- Donna Baron
- Lisa Cline
- Eileen Conley
- Michelle Cooper
- Lorie Coston
- Pete Darmody
- Luis Fermin
- Frank Foge
- Martha Jaffe
- Katie Lucas
- Cynthia Pansing
- Tracy Rouleau
- Bridgette Ryder
- Laurie-Anne Sayles
- Rhoda Shulman
- Alex Stavitsky-Zeineddin
- Meredith Strider
- Karl Van Neste
- Frank Webert
- Ifor Williams
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Julia Rasnake, LCSW-C
-
Emelin Ringuette
-
Janette Rosenbaum
-
Ben Salb
Interns
We do provide opportunities for interns to gain experience in the environmental sciences.
- Beck Joern (2026) – Stream Monitoring
- Joey Ferguson (2020-2021) – Salt Monitoring
- Pierre Zeineddin (2020-2021) – Salt Monitoring
- Justin Culotta (2020) – Stream Monitoring
- Michaela Belkin (2020) – Communications & Social Media
- Frankie Willard (2019) – Stream Monitoring
- Tarun Senthil (2019) – Youth Exploration of Gaithersburg Parks
- Chris Barron (2018) – Trail Monitoring
- Jenna Haley (2018-2019) – Media and Publicity
- Kenza Tahri (2018) – Using Video To Engage the Community
- Quintin Nguyen (2016-2018) – Mapping the Trail
- Sajan Mistry and Jack Beautz (2015) – Trail Awareness
- Courtney Watson (2015) – Invasive Awareness Through Art
- Chantal Agnew (2014) – Water Quality Monitoring
- Tamara Heiselmeyer (2012-2013) – Volunteer Engagement
- Alice Wu (2013) – Engagement of Youth
- Amanda Tritinger (Summer 2012) – Tree Initiative
- Cally Deppen (Summer 2012) – Tree Initiative
- Mark Adams (2012-2013) – Stream Monitoring
- Nicole Conden (2012) – Tree Initiative and Storm Drain Marking
Recognition Awards
- City of Gaithersburg Environmental Award Winner 2011-2025
- Received Community Volunteer Award (Outstanding Service Award) from the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA) in 2017
- Received Stream & Park Cleanup Volunteer Proclamation from County Councilmember Riemer in 2016
- Received the City of Gaithersburg “Organization of the Year” in 2015
- Received Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection’s 2013 Community Leadership Award
- Received Izaak Walton League Save Our Streams Award for leadership during our first year in 2011
- Chesapeake Bay Trust Organization of the Month, October 2011