ANS Opposes MAGLEV Project: TAKE ACTION by May 24!

*Special blog post credits goes out to ANS volunteers Frank Sanford and Debra Street.* Have you heard of the MAGLEV project? The Super Conductor Magnetic Levitation Train (SC MAGLEV) is the acronym for a high speed (300 mph) train that has been proposed between Washington and Baltimore, with eventual expansion… Continue reading

Switching from Fossil Gas to Induction Electric Cooking: Part 1: Why?

This is going to be an unusually personal post (and long – find parts two and three to come!). As I’ve been working with our DC Conservation Advocate Ari Eisenstadt on the Beyond Gas campaign, I’ve been learning more and more about the drawbacks of methane/fossil gas (formerly known as… Continue reading

Tell the Board of Public Works: Don’t Move Forward with I-495 (Beltway)/I-270 Highway Widening!

8/2/21 Update!!! The Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) will be voting on the I-495/I-270 highway expansion project at its upcoming August 11th, 2021 BPW meeting (see items 10-GM and 11-GM in their meeting agenda). Take action now and send a letter to the BPW using the form below before… Continue reading

How a Fight for a Virginia Creek and its Wildlife Inspired Earth Day (Every Day) Heroes 

Katy Johnson and her two children, Mickey (age 11) and Bailey (age 8) have always found playing in the creek to be the highlight of their day. Accotink Creek runs directly behind their house and it’s one of the reasons the Johnsons bought the house. So when Katy heard from a neighbor about the City of Fairfax’s plan to bury the North Fork of Accotink Creek,… Continue reading

2021 Maryland General Assembly Wrap Up

  2021 MD General Assembly Wrap Up This year’s Maryland legislative session was full of surprises. From the sudden shift to virtual meetings and rallies, to bills being broken down or rise from the ashes like a phoenix during the last few hours of session. The current ongoing covid-19 pandemic… Continue reading

ANS joins Fairfax Health Communities partners in FY22 budget comments

Fairfax County Government Center On April 12, 2021, ANS submitted comments to Fairfax County on their proposed FY22 budget on behalf of the following nine members of the Fairfax Healthy Communities Network: Audubon Naturalist Society, Renee Grebe, Northern Virginia Conservation AdvocateCoalition For Smarter Growth, Sonya Breehey, Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager… Continue reading

Woodend Restoration Watch: Native Plants in Native Meadows

Healthy meadows are composed of native grasses, sedges and wildflowers that support crucial pollinator species such as bees, birds, and butterflies. Not only can meadows be established by planting native plants in areas such as an underused grass lawn or an agricultural field, but also emerge from a disturbance in… Continue reading

Environmental Advocates Release “Best Smart Growth Plan” for American Legion Bridge and Capital Beltway

houses near to body of water

Sustainable, Equitable, and Effective  Today, in advance of pending decisions in Virginia and Maryland, leading environmental  organizations released a “Best Smart Growth Plan” for the American Legion Bridge and Capital  Beltway. The document reviews the current situation and summarizes the consensus  recommendations of the groups.  Citing the rush by Governor… Continue reading

ANS testifies on FY22 Montgomery County’s Operating, Capital, and CIP budgets

On April 6th, 2021 – ANS testified on Montgomery County’s FY22 Operating, Capital, and Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budgets to the Montgomery County Council. ANS focused its testimony on five major priority areas which were: 1) Climate Change, 2) Racial Equity and Social Justice, 3) Montgomery Parks, 4) Stormwater, and… Continue reading

Conservation Policy & Advocacy News – Spring 2021

Regional/National Turning the Page on the Trump Administration: Depending on how you count, the Trump Administration has rolled back, weakened, or attempted to roll back 80 to 100 or more environmental rules and regulations. One of the very last rollbacks finalized was one threatening the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, one… Continue reading