Upcoming events include:

• Canal Stewards at the River Center at Lock 8 and Locks 12-14
  Sunday, February 5, 10 am-12 pm
  Help the Conservancy clean up and beautify the land and water surrounding Lock 8, along miles 8 and 9, and the areas around Locks 12-14 of the C&O Canal towpath. Click here for personalized directions. 

• Canal Stewards at Fletcher’s Cove
  Sunday, February 26, 10 am-12 pm
  Come out to tidy up Fletcher’s Cove in the C&O Canal National Historical Park. Meet in the upper level parking lot. 
  4940 Canal Road, Washington, D.C.
  
  For more information, click here. For questions regarding the River Center at Lock 8 and/or events, please contact Anne Sundermann, Director of Communications and Outreach at sundermann@potomac.org or call 301.608.1188, x208.

Potomac Conservancy released its fifth annual State of the Nation’s River report, scoring the rivers’ health at a barely passing “D” grade, a downgrade from our previous D+. The report points to reasons for the low grade: growing population and  land use practices as the primary culprits for a polluted and degraded Potomac River.

This new Conservancy report compares the western, undeveloped, reaches of the Potomac River region to the more urbanized sections, east and south. Evidence points to population increases and poor development practices as primary sources of stress on the Potomac River, at a regional and local scale.

• 2011 State of the River report (pdf )
• Potomac Agenda (11/10/11)
• Press Release
• State of the Nation’s River 2011 Web Page

Potomac Conservancy is one of four honorees to receive
national recognition for outstanding achievement in greenways and open space preservation at the 22^nd annual Kodak American Greenways Awards, presented at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.

 “On behalf of the Kodak American Greenways Program, I am particularly pleased to present the Potomac Conservancy with an award for its outstanding record of leadership and accomplishment in conserving and advancing stewardship of the Potomac River corridor and its tributaries for the benefit of present and future generations,” said The Conservation Fund’s President and CEO, Larry Selzer. “In the face of relentless regional development and population growth, the Potomac Conservancy has been an effective voice for protecting this irreplaceable resource.” 

Established in 1989 by Eastman Kodak Company, National Geographic Society and The Conservation Fund, the Kodak American Greenways Program honors leading individuals, organizations and corporations whose ingenuity and creativity have made a significant contribution to creating a national network of open space, trails and greenways.

Click here for more information, including speaker presentations (pdfs).

On Friday June 3, Potomac Conservancy hosted science, policy, and technology experts for an important discussion about how to protect the health of our rivers and streams in light of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and other emerging contaminants that are present in our waterways.

Here are links to media coverage of the event:

• WTOP: 4 in 5 male bass showing female characteristics
• WAMU: Jury Still Out on Endocrine Disruptors, Research Continues (MP3 audio link)
• Washington Post (and others)  via Associated Press: Chemicals linked to intersex fish focus of Potomac Conservancy forum on endocrine disruptors
• DCist: The Sunday Morning Post (final item)

Date/Time: June 3, 9:00am - 2:30pm

Location:

Continental Ballroom, Marvin Center
George Washington University
800 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC

Registration is FREE.

To register, please complete the following information and click on the “Register” button.