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Alice's Legacy Lives On

For close to thirty years, from 1922 to 1951, Alice and Henry Ferguson enjoyed life at their southern Maryland retreat. They entertained friends at their "Theater in the Woods," explored the Potomac shoreline in search of Native American artifacts, and delighted in exquisite views of Mount Vernon. But most importantly, Alice and Henry worked to advance their true passions: education and the environment.

Today, the Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF), created in 1954, is a multi-faceted non-profit and a stalwart of the DC environmental community. Through a variety of programs and initiatives, the Foundation stays true to the passions of its namesake.

View the Alice Ferguson Foundation Slideshow on Flickr

Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center

Like most farms, a Hard Bargain day starts with the rooster's crow. Soon after the not-so-subtle wake-up, chickens, cows, goats, and pigs stir as they eagerly anticipate breakfast. But unlike your typical farm, by mid-morning, thirty 5th graders, freed from the confines of the classroom, have been unleashed on the Hard Bargain grounds - all in the name of hands-on educational experience.

The 330-acre Hard Bargain Farm is part of AFF headquarters in Accoceek, Maryland. It's a working farm, staffed by trained naturalists, but the focus is education. During a visit to the farm, local Maryland students (including many at-risk youth) take hikes, help with farm chores, and paddle canoes. For many kids who have only seen a chicken on a dinner plate, it's an experience with a lasting impression.

Hard Bargain Amphitheater

During the summer months, the Alice Ferguson Foundation entertains the local community with music and theater in its very own amphitheater. As spring turns to summer, check the Foundation website for updated schedules.

Bridging the Watershed

What happens when you take 20 urban high school students, drop them off at a national park, and direct them to the nearest stream for a macro-invertebrate critter count? A transformation - that's what.

The Bridging the Watershed (BTW) program abides by a simple concept - to re-connect youth with the natural world, they must first be introduced to it. As BTW leaders will tell you, a three hour visit to a national park has the potential to change fear of the natural world into appreciation.

Parents - don't be jealous, but through BTW your middle school or high school student has an opportunity to:

Hike the Taylor Farm Trail in Prince William Forest Park to identify and classify invasive plants.Wade into Turkey Run, a Potomac tributary, to collect and count macro-invertabrates - data that is then used by the National Park Service for resource management (see video).Experience an eye-opening first-hand account of the Potomac trash problem from the shores of Oxon Cove Park.Collect and test water samples from Greenbelt Park's Still Creek in order to measure the Water Quality Index.

Are you a local educator? The Foundation will train both teachers and rangers/volunteers to help create actionable curriculum combining classroom activities with hands-on experience. Ninth grade Biology just got a lot more interesting...

Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative and Cleanup

When the Ferguson's bought their riverfront property in 1922, Gatorade bottles littering the Potomac shoreline were probably not a problem. Seventy-seven years later, in 1989, they were. The Alice Ferguson Foundation hosted their first river cleanup that year. Three million tons of trash and 50,000 volunteer participants later, support for the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative, and the affiliated Cleanup event, is stronger than ever.

As a Trail Voice reader, you may already be familiar with the Cleanup (scheduled for Saturday, April 10th - register here). The Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative takes the concept of the Cleanup, adds governmental and non-profit partners, and attaches attainable goals for the watershed. As is usually the case with environmental initiatives, nothing can be accomplished without citizen awareness and participation. Have you made the pledge to do your part for a Trash Free Potomac by 2013?

The Foundation offers unique experiences catering to a variety of audiences, but the overlying mission is a constant: to build upon our progress and develop the next-generation of environmental stewards. That's Alice's legacy.

Membership: Join the Alice Ferguson FoundationSocial Media: Hard Bargain Farm Blog; Bridging the Watershed Blog; Facebook; Twitter

Trail Voice and the Sierra Club agree: getting people outdoors is the first step. The Maryland Chapter's Mattawoman Creek paddle outings continue this Saturday (May 8).Protecting the Bay is just the beginning...

What if John Muir, the Sierra Club's legendary founder, had dedicated his passions to the Chesapeake Bay instead of Yosemite? Could the Chesapeake have been saved from its current state of infirmity?

We will never know if one man could have turned the proverbial tides of the Chesapeake, but the focus now is on the future. Following in Muir's footsteps and working for a brighter, cleaner future, is the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Key Initiatives for 2010

Mattawoman Creek

As Paint Branch and other ICC threatened watersheds brace for an uncertain future, environmentalists are suiting up for yet another "Outer Beltway" brawl. Just twenty miles south of Washington DC (near Indian Head, Maryland), Mattawoman Creek empties into the Potomac. The creek encompasses a 95 square mile watershed which enjoys a luxury not often afforded to DC area watersheds: less than 10% of its surface is impervious. That's not the only thing the Mattawoman has going for it:

Approximately 67% forest cover - compare to 30% for the Anacostia River watershedThe most productive spawning nursery in the Chesapeake for migratory fish including the largemouth bassKey nesting area for endangered birds like the wood duck, black duck, and the bald eagleHome of a vibrant tidal freshwater marsh - among the last of its kind on the east coast

But will any of that matter if the Cross-County Connector, which would span Mattawoman Creek, becomes a reality? Can unchecked suburban sprawl be avoided? Not if history is any indication, and that's why the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club needs you to take action now. Write to Governor O'Malley and support this invaluable natural resource.

Transmission Lines with Coal-Fired Power

The Maryland Chapter is fighting against the MAPP and the PATH, two different transmission line proposals that would extend across the state. The Sierra Club takes issue with what's on the other end of the lines - coal-fired power. The proposals are a giant leap in the wrong direction for emPower Maryland, a state initiative to reduce the state's energy consumption 15% by 2015.

In the summer of 2009, the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations dug their heels into the Chesapeake soil in opposition of the proposals. Now they're busy mobilizing the troops for a Clean Energy Rally. Can Maryland change its course and take the lead in a clean energy future?

Join and Volunteer with the Maryland Chapter

The nation's largest and oldest grassroots environmental organization is successful for a reason: the passion of its members. Maryland residents who join the Sierra Club become part of the Maryland Chapter and can connect with a Maryland local group. Local groups include:

Montgomery County GroupPrince George's County GroupHoward County GroupAnne Arundel GroupCatoctin Group

The Maryland Chapter invites you to join committees like Political, Legislative, and Outings. It's an opportunity to volunteer your time, talent, and passion as you "explore, enjoy, and protect" Maryland.

Membership: Join the Sierra ClubParticipate: Maryland Chapter OutingsStewardship: Maryland Chapter Stewardship

- Image credit: B Tal- Image Credit: The Sierra Club

A recession-proof investment - your community parks

For one day this past August, students who are part of the University of Maryland honor program, College Park Scholars, were nowhere near books, computers, or algebraic equations. Instead, they were planting trees.

College Park Scholars is just one of the many groups volunteering with Prince George's County Parks and Recreation. Businesses, neighborhood associations, faith-based organizations, scouts, and individuals are flocking to well-organized volunteer offices like the Prince George's Parks Volunteer Services Office. It's a trend that both MaryBeth Dugan, PG Parks Volunteer Coordinator, and Trail Voice hope will continue.

Partners n' Parks

It may be hard letting go, but Prince George's County has decided to put their parks up for adoption. Not intent to stop with parks, the PG Parks team added day-long events, projects, and trails to the adoption list as well. How does this make them feel? How about...thrilled!

Adopt-A-Park, Adopt-A-Day, Adopt-A-Project, and Adopt-A-Trail are the four main components of Partner's n' Parks - a program designed to offer the community an opportunity to directly invest, through volunteer service, in the County's parkland. The concept is simple and opportunities are numerous:

Adopt-A-Day: The PG Parks department strictly adheres to the national service calendar featuring events like National Trails Day, Make A Difference Day, and Youth Service Day.Adopt-A-Park: Beautification, facility help, environmental initiatives, and so on - chances are the park staff can use your help. Adopt-A-Project: Projects, which span across parks, include Weed Warriors (a familiar term to Trail Voice readers), Stream Savers, Nature Seekers, and Playground Partners).Adopt-A-Trail: Similar to the Adopt-A-Park program, PG County Park Rangers need you to be the eyes and ears of the trail.

MaryBeth Dugan, the PG Parks Volunteer Coordinator, offers two shining examples of park partners: AARP and College Park Scholars, the organization profiled above. As a charter member of the Partners n' Parks program, AARP employees and PG Parks organize a day of service event every year. College Park Scholars do the same - and continue to learn about the environment, conservation, and the importance of stewardship following their Service Day. It's action-oriented organizations and individuals like these that are making a difference in Prince George's County and beyond.

Upcoming Opportunities - Winter '09-'10

Outdoor volunteer work tends to dry up in the winter. Luckily, Prince George's Parks entices potential park partners with excellent opportunities to work with nature centers and archaeology labs.

Nature Centers: Prince George's three nature centers - Clearwater, Watkins, and Mt. Rainier - are always looking for help with their wildlife and nature programs.Archaeology: The digging season has shut down for the season, but Don Creveling, the County's resident archaeologist, needs a few good lab assistants in the Upper Marlboro office.

When spring eventually rolls back around, expect a whole new set of PG Parks volunteer postings. Indoors or outdoors, volunteering with Prince George's Parks and Recreation is an investment worth making.

More Information: For all questions, contact the Volunteer Services Office at 301-446-3400

- Tree planting image courtesy Flickr CC user Unlikely to Hesitate

The question begs to be asked: in 1989, did the founding members of the Anacocostia Watershed Society have any idea what they were getting themselves into? Back then, the Anacostia River was an embarrassment to this proud city - a flowing pile of trash and environmental neglect.

Fast-forward to the year 2000.

Interest spikes as D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams announces the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. Thanks to its years of dedication and hard work, AWS is uniquely positioned at the time as the undisputed local non-profit environmental leader. Currently, offering education (Watershed Explorers), public outreach (Stormdrain Stenciling), recreation (Paddling Clinics), and river cleanup events (just to name a few), the AWS has transformed into a multi-faceted environmental force of nature! "Forgotten" river? The AWS does not forget...

This Arlington organization, a standby of the Washinton D.C. area environmental community for over thirty years, is sponsoring a Potomac River Watershed Cleanup site in the highly-visible (and hiker-trafficked) Chain Bridge section of the Potomac River. Not to take anything away from the other 300-plus cleanup site sponsors, but without a doubt, ACE is uniquely qualified for such a task. In its thirty year history (founded in 1978), a lot has changed (including its original affiliations). What hasn't changed is ACE's commitment to "local environmental issues including green living, litter, and invasive plants, with additional programs in the areas of watershed resources and schoolyard education" (source). Last month's annual meeting highlighted successful initiatives from past years that will be continued (e.g. the Green Living Challenge), as well as new projects like the Tree Canopy Fund. With its experienced leadership team, dedicated volunteer community, and active business/government partnerships, it's clear ACE intends to be a key environmental voice in the community for another thirty years.