ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY INC

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: THROUGH OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY (AWS) WORKS TO INCREASE AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND A SENSE OF STEWARDSHIP AMONG YOUTH THAT WILL RESULT IN CHANGES IN BOTH PRESENT AND FUTURE BEHAVIOR POSITIVELY AFFECTING THE HEALTH OF THE ANACOSTIA RIVER. 2024 ENGAGEMENT METRICS INCLUDE: - TEACHERS TRAINED (DIRECTLY THROUGH PROGRAMMING) - 43 - STUDENTS EDUCATED (DIRECTLY THROUGH PROGRAMMING) - 5,344 PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: DC SATURDAY ENVIRONMENTAL ACADEMY SEA STUDENTS ENGAGED IN MANY HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES THAT TOOK THEM FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION REGARDING THE BENEFITS OF INCREASING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR WATERSHED. SUMMER ENVIRONMENTAL ACADEMY THE SUMMER ENVIRONMENTAL ACADEMY REACHES STUDENTS ACROSS THE WATERSHED IN A FREE, WEEK-LONG SUMMER PROGRAM FOCUSED ON TAKING A DEEPER DIVE INTO RESTORATION, HISTORY AND RECREATION ON THE ANACOSTIA RIVER AND IN THE SURROUNDING WATERSHED. SCHOOLS IN SCHOOLS (AMERICAN SHAD PROGRAM) STUDENTS WERE ENGAGED IN HATCHING THEIR SHAD EGGS IN THE CLASSROOM, AN INTRO CLASS WITH AWS EDUCATORS, AND A SHAD FRY RELEASE FIELD TRIP OUT ON THE ANACOSTIA. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS MET OUR SHAD RELEASE DELIVERABLE BY RELEASING OVER 12,000 SHAD INTO THE ANACOSTIA. MUSSEL POWER IN 2024, THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY (AWS) CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP WITH PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (PGCPS) IN HANDS-ON MUSSEL RESTORATION WORK AND EDUCATION.

RESTORATION: AWS RESTORATION PROGRAM CELEBRATED KEY MILESTONES FOR 2024. KEY METRICS INCLUDE: - 980 NATIVE PLANTS, SHRUBS AND TREES PLANTED - 1,757 FRESHWATER MUSSELS RELEASED INTO THE ANACOSTIA RIVER - 1.42 ACRES OF LAND CLEARED FROM INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES - 35 TONS OF TRASH REMOVED FROM THE WATERSHED - 2,483 VOLUNTEERS JOINED AWS STAFF IN OUR FIELD CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION EFFORTS PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: EARTH DAY 2024 CLEANUP AWS' SIGNATURE EARTH DAY CLEANUP ATTRACTED 1,506 VOLUNTEERS TO 38 CLEANUP SITES ACROSS THE WATERSHED, REMOVING A TOTAL OF 5948 LBS OF TRASH FROM THE WATERSHED. WILD RICE RESTORATION AFTER OVER TWO DECADES OF DEDICATED EFFORT, AWS HAS SUCCESSFULLY RE- ESTABLISHED WILD RICE IN THE WETLANDS OF THE ANACOSTIA RIVER. THIS KEYSTONE SPECIES WAS VIRTUALLY ELIMINATED FROM THE WATERSHED BY POLLUTION AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION. THROUGH CAREFUL HARVEST AND PLANTING OF WILD RICE SEEDS BY OUR STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS, AND PREDATOR CONTROL TO ALLOW THE PLANTS TO GROW, WE REACHED 26 ACRES OF SELF-SUSTAINING WILD RICE. STATE OF THE RIVER REPORT CARD AWS CONTINUED OUR CRITICAL ROLE OF MONITORING WATER QUALITY FOR THE ANACOSTIA RIVER THROUGH THE 2024 STATE OF THE RIVER REPORT, RECEIVING ITS HIGHEST GRADE TO DATE. THIS REPORT IS A KEY ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM TO ENSURE THE WATERSHED COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO BE AWARE OF THE STATUS OF WATER QUALITY OF THE ANACOSTIA RIVER. THANKS TO SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS BY THE FEDERAL AND DISTRICT GOVERNMENTS, THE TOXICS REMEDIATION SCORE HAS BEEN STEADILY IMPROVING. WHILE THERE IS GREAT PROGRESS IN CONTROLLING THREATS TO WATER QUALITY, THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED CONTINUES TO SUFFER FROM THE HISTORICAL LOSS OF WETLANDS AND FORESTS THAT ONCE PROTECTED OUR RIVERS AND STREAMS FROM EXCESSIVE RUN-OFF, SEDIMENT, AND POLLUTION. CLIMATE CHANGE WILL HEIGHTEN THESE CHALLENGES, AND INDEED THREATENS TO ROLL BACK THE GAINS WE'VE MADE OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS.