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~ Protecting the health, beauty,
and enjoyment of
the Potomac River and
its tributaries ~

Banner image by
Don Chernoff

Potomac Conservancy Welcomes New President

Rafe Pomerance, Chairman of Potomac Conservancy, announced today that Hedrick Belin has been named President of the Conservancy, effective January 29. Mr. Belin comes to the Conservancy with more than 15 years of nonprofit fundraising and leadership experience, most recently as Vice President of the Metropolitan Group, a strategic communication and resource development consulting firm. Before joining the Metropolitan Group, Mr. Belin worked for several conservation groups, including the National Park Foundation, Izaak Walton League of America, and the League of Conservation Voters.  MORE>>>

Volunteer

• Meet Other River Lovers! - Ongoing
• Potomac Conservancy Internships

Events & Trips

• Woodland Options for Virginia Landowners Workshop - January 11, 18, 23, and February 8.
• Virginia Conservation Network  - January 15
• Water Stewardship Team Leader Training - January 17

Speak Up!

• Power Line Threatens 232,000 Acres of Scenic Landscape

News & Notes

• A Revitalized Chesapeake May Be Decades Away
• More Dead Fish Found in Va. River
• Report: Conservation Efforts Offset Land Lost to Sprawl
• Inquiry Turns To Humans on Pollutant, Hormone Tie: Evidence Such as Eggs in Male Fish Spurs Push
• Questioning Growth on the Q.T.
• Exurban Development Sprawling Across Watershed’s Landscape
• Urban Tree Canopy Effort Branching Out Across Watershed

Good Neighbor Conservation Tips

• Recycle your Christmas Tree

Support the Conservancy

• Buy Online at Potomac Conservancy’s River Bookstore!
  

Potomac Conservancy Internships

Potomac Conservancy seeks highly motivated individuals interested in interning for a professional conservation organization in spring 2007. Opportunities are available in Communications, Policy, Finance, and Restoration.

Interns will work directly with Conservancy staff and will assume independent responsibility for substantive projects. Applicants should demonstrate maturity, strong verbal and written communication skills, an ability to work independently, a high degree of organization, and a commitment to the Potomac Conservancy's mission.

The duration and time requirements for each internship opportunity vary. A minimum commitment of 16 hours per week for 8-10 weeks is preferred. Limited stipends may be available on a competitive basis.

To apply for a Potomac Conservancy internship, send a resume and cover letter describing your interest and experience to info@potomac.org.

Power Line Threatens 232,000 Acres of Scenic Landscape

Dominion and Allegheny Power have announced plans for a 240-mile long, 500-kilovolt power line that threatens almost 232,000 acres of scenic, rural landscapes in northern West Virginia and Virginia. The proposed power line towers would stand up to 177 feet tall and require a 150—200-foot-wide right-of-way. The area being proposed for construction of the line includes 83 miles of scenic byway, 13 miles of the Appalachian Trail, seven major Civil War battlefields, 23 historic sites and districts, and 48,000 acres of conservation easements.

Allegheny and Dominion are currently seeking a right-of-way and eminent domain authority from the federal government for the siting of this line. If this application succeeds, Allegheny and Dominion will be able to override potentially all local and state decision-making processes, and most environmental review. Don’t let the power companies condemn our land, our scenic landscape, and our rural heritage without a fight.

What you can do: Write your Senators, Congressperson, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman to let them know that you oppose the power line.

For more information: Visit http://www.pecva.org/landuse/energy/powerlines/index.php

A Revitalized Chesapeake May Be Decades Away
WASHINGTON POST

The multibillion-dollar cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay, which government officials had pledged would succeed by 2010, will likely miss that deadline by a wide margin—and, at the current pace, might drag on for decades more, an Environmental Protection Agency official acknowledged yesterday. More>>>

More Dead Fish Found in Va. River
WASHINGTON POST

ROANOKE, VA— Scientists baffled by massive springtime fish kills on the Shenandoah River over several years now have additional confusing information: several hundred dead fish in December. An environmentalist counted at least 300 dead northern hogsuckers on a 10-mile stretch of the main branch of the Shenandoah in Clarke and Warren counties last week, said Don Kain, a state Department of Environmental Quality biologist. An accurate count was impossible because many had sunk the bottom, DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden said. More>>>

Report: Conservation Efforts Offset Land Lost to Sprawl
USA TODAY

DENVER — Growing efforts to save privately owned farms, ranches and forests from industrial and residential development now preserve about as much open space each year as is lost to sprawl, according to a report out Thursday. The National Land Trust Census, conducted every five years by an umbrella organization for land conservation groups, says private land under protective trusts and easements now total 37 million acres, a 54% increase from the last count in 2000. More>>>

Inquiry Turns To Humans on Pollutant, Hormone Tie: Evidence Such as Eggs in Male Fish Spurs Push
THE WASHINGTON POST

Growing evidence that chemicals in the environment can interfere with animals' hormone systems -- including the discovery that male Potomac River fish are growing eggs -- has focused the attention of environmentalists and scientists on a new question: Are humans also at risk? More>>>

Questioning Growth on the Q.T.
THE WASHINGTON POST

Great Falls residents are proud of their no-sidewalk community of horses and estates set above the Potomac River. But they're so afraid of change that they're reluctant even to talk about amenities they want for fear of the steroidal growth it might ignite: a bigger Safeway, a farmers market, a teen center, an assisted-living home. Maybe even a Starbucks.   More>>>

Exurban Development Sprawling Across Watershed’s Landscape 
BAY JOURNAL

Beyond the suburbs, yet apart from the countryside, is a familiar realm with a less-than familiarname: the exurbs. According to a new report from the Brookings Institution, the exurbs are a crucible of change in the U.S. landscape, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed contains many of them. More>>>

Urban Tree Canopy Effort Branching Out Across Watershed BAY JOURNAL

Blue skies are fine, but urban forester Jay Banks looks forward to the day that the skies of Leesburg, VA, look a lot greener. In November, Leesburg became the first town in Virginia and the seventh in the Bay watershed to become an official partner in reaching the Chesapeake Bay Program urban tree canopy goal. More>>>

Recycle your Christmas Tree

Recycle your Christmas Tree Fresh Christmas trees are an environmentally friendly choice, according to the 2007 Conservation Calendar. Live trees can be planted in the yard after the holiday. If the tree is cut, branches can be used to provide winter cover for backyard birds and wildlife.

The calendar, which is chock full of hints for year-round conservation, is distributed by the Virginia Soil & Water Conservation and Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners, and the Shenandoah RC&D Council.

For more information about minimizing your impact on the environment, download our Good Neighbor Handbook.

Buy Online at Potomac Conservancy’s River Bookstore!
Potomac Conservancy's Online River Bookstore offers vivid texts documenting the colorful wildlife and beauty of the Potomac Watershed.

Our selection includes Wild Washington: Amazing Wildlife in and Around Our Nation's Capital by Don Chernoff, featuring 108 pages of brilliant photographs of birds, insects, and other creatures that call the DC area home.

Our Potomac: From Great Falls through Washington, DC by Roy Sewall will take you on an awe-inspiring journey of this stretch of the river like no book before. Featuring 216 full-color photos, Our Potomac captures the river’s transformation from raging falls to an idyllic backdrop for Washington’s greatest monuments. By ordering online through Potomac Conservancy, you can get a copy of Our Potomac at a 20% discount! 

Order one of these books online and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Potomac Conservancy.