Marc, Thank you for your post.

For another perspective on the Anacostia River Watershed take a look
an article by Brett Williams, an anthropologist at American
University. She discusses the watershed from the perspective of where
the Anacostia River enters the bay.

Williams, B. 2001. A river runs through us. American Anthropologist
103:409-431.

Dr. Williams has a web site with additional information on her
research.
http://www.american.edu/cas/anthro/anacostia_watershed_society.html

We need to remember that people value natural areas for a variety of
reasons that we as researchers and managers often ignore. The
Anacostia River Watershed Assoc. is strong, in part because it
recognizes that diverse human communities are a key part of restoration.
Charlie Nilon, University of Missouri-Columbia


--- In naturalareasassociation@yahoogroups.com, "Marc Imlay"
<ialm@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> WILD ONES JOURNAL July/August 2006
>
> Page 18-19
>
> Reprinted from Wild Ones Journal, July/August 2006 issue; newsletter
of Wild
> Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes; www.for-wild.org
> <http://www.for-wild.org/> .
>
> Marc is a member of Wild Ones.
>
>
>
>
>
> Stewardship News
>
>
>
> The Guardians of Chesapeake Bay
>
>
>
> By Marc Imlay
>
>
>
> The Chesapeake Bay Watershed has been heavily urbanized. As a result
most
> natural areas are relatively small, and are surrounded by cities,
highways,
> and agriculture. It consists of islands of nature in a sea of
development.
> It's ecological history includes the full range of mid-Atlantic
temperate
> climate habitats. Maryland was 80% contiguous forest and 20% open in
> pre-colonial times. Most of Maryland and much of Virginia and
Pennsylvania,
> as well as the District of Columbia are in the watershed ranging
from the
> marine environment, upstream to the Piedmont and the eastern end of the
> ridges and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains. There are shale
barrens and
> serpentine barrens, limestone caves, and the northern most bald cypress
> swamp in America, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp in Calvert County,
Maryland.
>
>
>
> Guardians of the Bay
>
> Fortunately there are literally hundreds of environmental groups working
> very hard to save the remaining areas from development and rescuing the
> protected areas from non-native invasive species, erosion and
pollution.
>
> The Anacostia Watershed Society
>
> (www.anacostiaws.org) complements wetland restoration, native tree
planting,
> stream bank stabilization, non-native invasive species control, and
water
> quality monitoring with advocacy and environmental education in the
local
> schools. We have dramatically rescued the 150-acre Little Paint
Branch Park
> in Beltsville Maryland, a biological gem with a Virginia Magnolia
wetland of
> special concern, from over 20% coverage of Japanese stiltgrass,
English ivy,
> oriental bittersweet, mltiflora rse, Japanese and bush honeysucke, and
> mile-a-minute vine to less than 15% in just one year.
>
> The Chapman Forest Foundation
>
> (www.chapmanforest.org), Maryland Native Plant Society
(www.mdflora.org) and
> Sierra Club (www.marylandsierraclub.org) with many other groups rescued
> 2,400 acres of mature forest with over a mile of unspoiled Potomac River
> shoreline from the largest housing development in Maryland.
Geologists have
> surveyed the unique natural area and have observed that the unusual
> geological formations constitute conditions favorable to unusual
assemblages
> of plant and animal life. Acidic conditions on the gravel terraces
defer to
> highly calcium-rich (calcareous) pockets in lower areas. Shells in
> fossil-laden marine clays contribute to these calcareous areas. These
> conditions overlay a relatively undisturbed tract, including ravines so
> steeply sloped that past clearing was hindered, so that a broad
assemblage
> of flora and fauna persist, including many state rare, threatened, and
> endangered species
>
>
>
> Botanists have verified that acid-soil loving plants indeed coexist
in close
> proximity with calciphilic (calcium-loving) communities, so that
communities
> unusual for the coastal plain thrive here, including the largest
Maryland
> population of the state-endangered, calciphilic, glade fern and a
dozen 1-2
> foot diameter sassafras trees. Malacologists have identified a unique
> assemblage of snails that includes three "limestone" species rare or
> unexpected on the coastal plain.
>
> Save Crow's Nest (www.savecrowsnest.org) In Northern Virginia
across the
> Potamac River from Chapman Forest is striving to save Stafford County's
> 3,800-acre Crow's Nest peninsula which includes one of the last
stands of
> old-growth forest in the Mid-Atlantic region. A 600-year-old pin
oak, alive
> when Capt. John Smith explored the area, flourishes there. It
contains some
> of the rarest forest communities on earth. The undeveloped shoreline
is home
> to one of the largest heron rookeries in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Bald
> eagles nest in the trees. In addition, the peninsula is at a strategic
> location that provides considerable protection for the seafood
industry of
> the Chesapeake Bay.
>
> The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
>
> (www.alliancechesbay.org) is a regional nonprofit organization that
fosters
> partnerships to protect the bay and its rivers. For example it is
sponsoring
> invasive plant removal projects in Kish Creek in Lewistown, and
Canoe Creek
> State Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Dozens of other projects
include
> bay-scaping with native plants including underwater grass planting,
coastal
> cleanup, cover cropping to reduce nitrogen release to the Bay, and
wetlands
> restoration.
>
> The Greenbelt Homes Inc. housing cooperative in Greenbelt,
Maryland has a
> great program to rescue the woodlands first established by the First
Lady,
> Eleanor Roosevelt, from a cover that was 60% English Ivy and Multiflora
> Rose. People can walk to downtown Greenbelt rather than drive, and there
> actually is a greenbelt around the town circa 1940's. Old
Greenbelt has
> 85.6 acres of stewardship forest, as well as other wooded parcels,
and is
> actively involved with urban forestry management. Regular work
sessions for
> the removal/eradication of non-native invasive plant species and tree
> plantings are scheduled throughout the year. Also scheduled are bird
counts
> and native landscaping seminars and guided hikes. For more
information on
> GHI Woodlands Committee activities, contact Matt Berres, Landscape
> Specialist, mberres@... or 301-474-4161 ext. 132.
>
> Belt Woods, near Bowie Maryland includes 45 acres of virgin
forest with
> ancient tulip poplar trees and light-gap openings, pit and mound
topography,
> accumulation of downed and standing dead wood, and soils containing
a rich
> organic layer. The density of breeding birds remains among the highest
> observed on the East Coast. Contact maureenfine@...
>
>
>
> Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (www.arlingtonenvironment.org)
> leads regular weekly projects to preserve Arlington County, Virginia,
> natural areas in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, and
> Arlington Parks, Recreation and Community Resources including
storm-drain
> marking, backyard wildlife habitats and native plants, and RIP, Remove
> Invasive Plants.
>
> These examples are just a small fraction of thousands of excellent
programs
> striving to preserve and restore native communities in the
Chesapeake Bay.
> For more information contact the organizations cited, other
organizations
> such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the native plant societies
and Sierra
> Club chapters in the other states within the watershed and governmental
> natural heritage agencies.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Location map of Chesapeake Bay Watershed (64,000 sq. miles)
>
>
>
>
>
> <http://www.chesapeakebay.net/../maps.htm> Home
>
>
<http://www.chesapeakebay.net/maps/thumbnails/pages/baysubwater.htm> Next
>
> <http://www.chesapeakebay.net/maps/thumbnails/watrshed.gif>
>
> Download
<http://www.chesapeakebay.net/maps/thumbnails/EPSmaps/Watrshed.eps>
> EPS file
>
>
>
> The Chesapeake Bay is the nation's largest estuary. Its watershed covers
> 64,000 square miles, and covers six states and the District of Columbia.
> Including its major tributaries, the area rises to 69,000 square
miles. Map
> courtesy of USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) NY office
>
>
>
>
>
> Reprinted from Wild Ones Journal, July/August 2006 issue; newsletter
of Wild
> Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes; www.for-wild.org
> <http://www.for-wild.org/> .
>
> Marc is a member of Wild Ones.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Marc Imlay, PhD
>
> Conservation biologist, Anacostia Watershed Society
>
> (301-699-6204, 301-283-0808 301-442-5657 cell)
>
> Board member of the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council,
>
> Hui o Laka at Kokee State Park, Hawaii
>
> Vice president of the Maryland Native Plant Society,
>
> Chair of the Biodiversity and Habitat Stewardship Committee
>
> for the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club.
>