Cinder Bed Road Bikeway Project: Why We Oppose Segment 6

Blog updated: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 The big picture Given the worsening climate crisis, we must take every action we can to reduce carbon emissions, capture carbon emissions, and plan development in urban areas with an eye toward both climate resiliency and sustainability. At Nature Forward, those approaches, along with… Continue reading

Introducing: Ward 8 Water Watchers at Oxon Run!

Thanks to a Community Stormwater Solutions grant from the DC Department of Energy and Environment and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, last year ANS began a new partnership with food justice and community wellness experts, The Green Scheme and DC Greens. This partnership created the Ward 8 Water Watchers, a coalition… Continue reading

Take Action: Tell DC Mayor Bowser to Get Plastic Bottles Out of Our Water!

Plastic bottles are everywhere. They’re strewn across the streets of our neighborhoods, filling up gutters and alleyways. They’re all over the city’s parks and green spaces, and make it difficult to enjoy nature. Perhaps most visibly, they fill up our waterways, the end point for a large portion of litter.… Continue reading

Woodend Restoration Watch: Stream and Trail Restoration Updates

Our Woodend Nature Sanctuary stream restoration project is finally complete! Extending from the “old well” to the Rock Creek trail, a total of 44 step pools have been installed. These step pools were made from log and stone weirs with root wads buried in the pools to capture stormwater, increase… Continue reading

ANS submits comments on VA’s Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area amendments

During the 2020 General Assembly, a bill was passed which directed the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s State Water Control Board (the Board) to develop and adopt amended regulations applying to Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas (CBPA). The new regulations were meant to assist locales across the state in regulating the… Continue reading

ANS Testifies at DC Council Performance Oversight Hearings

It seems like just yesterday that we were in the middle of last year’s budget process in Washington, DC. Once again we find ourselves balancing our city-wide checkbook, but this time in preparation for the 2022 fiscal year. Before DC’s proposed budget is released though, the DC Council holds performance… Continue reading

When it Rains, it Smells

When it rains there are several things you might smell. One is ozone, which is sharp and has a sort of fresh aroma. Another is known as petrichor, which is that distinctly pleasant earthy scent you smell when it rains on dry soil. Now, If you’ve ever walked some of… Continue reading

Priority Campaign Area: Biodiversity & Habitats

This is one in a series introducing ANS’ new Conservation Advocacy Priority Campaign Areas. Since 1897, ANS has worked to protect the habitats and wildlife of the Washington, DC, region. The stream valley corridors that knit our region together with ribbons of blue and green space are critically important in… Continue reading

CREEK CRITTERS: Don’t Be Afraid to Get Bitten by the ‘Creek Critters’ Bug!

ANS released an updated version of our CREEK CRITTERS® app. If you already have the app, please download the latest version. If you don’t have the app, give it a try! CREEK CRITTERS® is available as a free download from the Apple App Store and Google Play. You have probably… Continue reading

ANS Submits Public Comment on Georgetown University Solar Farm

Earlier this morning, Audubon Naturalist Society and dozens of allies submitted a comment letter opposing the siting of solar farm proposed for Charles County, Maryland, that would require cutting down 240 acres of high-value forest habitat. The comment deadline on the wetlands permit application has been extended indefinitely until the… Continue reading