Conservation

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Anacostia Watershed Restorationanacostia

The ANS conservation team works with local government and citizen groups on cleaning the Anacostia watershed through runoff control. Recent efforts included:

  • encouraging Anacostia jurisdictions to invest in low- and moderate-cost green stormwater retrofit solutions, particularly those using trees; presenting findings to a national conference on low-impact development;
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On February 13, Diane Cameron (speaking, 3rd from left at table) took part in a DC Clean Rivers Lobby Morning at the Wilson Building in the District of Columbia, to ask District of Columbia Mayor Gray and the DC Council to support the stormwater and wetlands regulations proposed by the District's Department of the Environment. The Lobby Morning was organized by Chris Weiss, leader of the DC Environmental Network.
  • advocating for and advising on the 157 RainScape stormwater retrofits installed in the Anacostia portion of Montgomery County over the past five years (since the program's inception) and the 636 such retrofits installed countywide;
  • working with the Montgomery County Council and local civic groups to win protection of the Wheaton forested buffer and restoration commitments for Sligo Creek (an Anacostia tributary) and Silver Creek (which flows into Rock Creek) in the Wheaton Sector Plan;
  • collaborating with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Friends of Sligo Creek to design a way to assess private properties for their RainScapes potential;
  • collaborating with local builders, Conservation Montgomery, Casey Trees, and Montgomery DEP to draft a Stormwater Tree Practice that will give landowners a stormwater reduction credit for planting or saving trees;
  • leading a team of Habitat for Humanity volunteers to install 525 flowering native plants in more than a dozen rain gardens in Northeast Washington east of the Anacostia River;
  • working with the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership, which includes local governments and private developers, to create and use a method of tracking and reporting stormwater projects' costs and benefits;dccouncil
  • along with partner groups, creating the Prince George's County Healthy Communities Coalition to press for a stronger county stormwater permit, dedicated stormwater utility fees, and more green infrastructure projects;
  • conducting three green infrastructure workshops for landscapers and activists; leading two tours of Step Pool Storm Conveyances for local officials, engineers, and architects;
  • leading the Anacostia Advocates Coalition, coordinating the agenda and messaging throughout the Anacostia watershed; and
  • serving on the Steering Committee and supporting the Watershed Stewards Academy, training stewards to build rain gardens and conservation landscapes.