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A Waterway to 2025, Restoring Natural Systems in the Anacostia River Watershed
October 4, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
A Waterway to 2025, Restoring Natural Systems in the Anacostia River Watershed
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 4, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Silver Spring United Methodist Church, 8900 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910
(just north of the SS business district)
WHO: Mr. Jorge Bogantes Montero, Natural Resources Specialist at the Anacostia Watershed Society
Are you ready for some good news along about now? Come hear a tale of hope and progress! Come a little early while it’s still light and investigate the church’s new conservation landscaping.
If you’ve lived in this area for very long, you’ll remember the Anacostia as a truly forsaken river. Plagued by centuries of neglect, from European settlers farming the land unsustainably to modern industry’s toxic pollution, this river, which the founders of Washington expected to run through the most expensive real estate, was a trash-covered open sewer.
But 28 years ago, the founders of the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) envisioned a different river: one that supports a vibrant ecosystem–good for wildlife and for recreation. They saw a valuable public asset that deserves to be cleaned and restored. Today, thanks in large part to the Society’s energetic stewardship, engagement with local people, education, and advocacy, that vision is widely shared and much progress has been made. To address the sewer pollution the DC government is building massive retention tunnels designed to reduce 98% of it by 2022. The Anacostia River is on its way to meeting the goal of being fishable and swimmable by 2025, in keeping with the Clean Water Act.
Mr. Bogantes Montero, who has played a big role in the efforts, will show us how AWS has worked to restore the river’s ecosystem services by restoring its waterways, wetlands, forests, meadows, and biodiversity.
Bio: Jorge Bogantes Montero is a Natural Resources Specialist at the Anacostia Watershed Society in Bladensburg, MD. He leads ecological restoration projects on public parklands in the Anacostia River and its tributaries, including wetland restoration, tree plantings, meadow creation, SAV propagation and invasive plant management. He also supervises AWS’ River Restoration interns, is an ISA Certified Arborist and has extensive experience in biodiversity conservation, environmental education and community outreach. Mr. Bogantes Montero has a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management and Protection from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia in San Jose, Costa Rica, his native country. Before moving to the U.S., Jorge worked in Costa Rica on tropical biodiversity conservation.
With so much to be depressed about, this is a program to lift your spirits!
Light refreshments. Come and be inspired to do more for our Northwest Branch, a headwater for the Anacostia. Come a little early and investigate the conservation landscaping the church has installed to do its part in improving our waterways!