DOEE and Chesapeake Bay Trust Award Over $250K in Funding to Nine Community Organizations for Water Quality Improvement Projects

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Celia Parker, Chesapeake Bay Trust: [email protected], 773-307-7316

Nicole Goines, DOEE: [email protected], 202-536-7666

DOEE and Chesapeake Bay Trust Award Over $250K in Funding to Nine Community Organizations for Water Quality Improvement Projects

Washington, DC - The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and the Chesapeake Bay Trust have awarded more than $250,000 to nine community organizations to create innovative, community-inspired projects to improve water quality in the District. Through the District's Community Stormwater Solutions Grant Program, local projects will educate residents, increase knowledge, and lead to behavior changes that improve the health of the District's natural resources, specifically reducing the impacts of stormwater runoff and pollution to restore local waterways in Wards 7 and 8.

"This is an investment in Washington, D.C. residents who have a dream and vision for their own communities," said DOEE Director Richard Jackson. "We are proud to provide our communities with the resources and opportunities to carry out the local environmental projects needed to ensure the sustainability of our District."

Selected from a range of creative, community-driven proposals to promote environmental stewardship, nine DC-based organizations will receive funding to address local water quality challenges. These local groups will implement on-the-ground projects that provide equitable access to natural areas along the Anacostia River; green infrastructure maintenance; pathways to green jobs; restoration of natural habitats; project-based learning; and events at Kingman and Heritage Islands. Through activities such as field trips, photography, and accessibility walks for people living with disabilities, the selected projects demonstrate innovative solutions tailored to the community's needs.

"When we empower people to design and implement the on-the-ground projects needed for their own communities, we are investing in the long-term health of these areas," said Chesapeake Bay Trust President Jana Davis, Ph.D. "We are honored to partner with DOEE to empower these local groups in the District to champion their own green projects, ensuring the wellbeing of their communities and the environment extends for years beyond the grant award."

About the Awardees

Below is a list of the awardees that includes their funding amount and project.

• Friends of Anacostia Park - $35,000: Their project will expand the Ward 8 community-led stormwater management campaign for Anacostia Park and Anacostia River to other high-need areas of the national park. This effort will focus more intentionally on the training of the Friends Corps, a green job training program. Corps members will gain high-leverage conservation skills.

• Urban Learning and Teaching Center - $32,324: Their project will take children in grades 1-8 outdoors to photograph in three local spaces in the Anacostia watershed to learn about the art of photography, how to use a digital camera, and how to frame and document subjects in nature. This work, which will take place during existing, outdoor learning programs, will result in two collections: (1) a web-based photo exhibit that will be available to thousands of viewers around the world; and (2) a collection of 10 photographs that will be hung and displayed at Project Create's gallery space in Ward 8.

• The Green Scheme - $32,800: Their project will run DC Water Watchers, a water quality education program to teach families about their watershed and ways to preserve their natural resources. The project aims to empower Ward 7 and 8 residents to use their knowledge, skills, and love of nature to take action to improve the health of Oxon Run and Watts Branch while learning about the natural world around them.

• Potomac Riverkeeper Network - $35,000: Their project will build upon the success and urgent need of the Earth Day River Cleanup at Oxon Cove. The project will partner with community groups in the Oxon Run area to deepen relationships and create ongoing stewardship opportunities for local residents to learn about and address the specific water quality and environmental justice challenges facing Oxon Run, Oxon Cove, and the adjacent neighborhood.

• After School All Stars - $35,000: Their project will deliver an environmental justice project so 35 middle school students understand ecologically healthy practices that foster the health of DC's waterways and how local actions influence environmental justice and a better environment for all. The project will be a mix of historical exploration, environmental science, art expression for messaging, and civic engagement.

• Ward 8 Woods Conservancy - $34,985: Their project will maintain the strips of forest and shrubbery flanking I-295 and DC 295. By removing 25,000 pounds of accumulated trash and freeing 150 trees of invasive vines, the project will reduce the flow of trash and contaminated stormwater into the Anacostia River. To reduce littering, 4,000 trash bags will be distributed to East of the River residents. The project will also enhance the green jobs skills of staff through Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals Program.

• Wake the 8 DC - $35,000: Their project will provide assistive access for people living with deafness and/or blindness as well as wheelchair bound and other differently abled individuals to Oxon Run Park. Participants will complete the walk with increased awareness of the history, landscape, flora, and wildlife of the park.

• Living Classrooms Foundation - $34,997: Their project will create a field trip fund that will increase the environmental literacy of District students, specifically for Title 1 schools in under-resourced communities, and K-3 and middle school grades. The fund will provide equitable access to outdoor environmental education programming at Kingman and Heritage Islands Conservation Area in the Anacostia River.

• Potomac Boat Club - $6,500: Their project will install a rainwater collection system at the landmark 1908 boathouse and 1960 addition at the Potomac Boat Club, an historic Washington, DC institution founded in 1869. The collected rainwater will reduce demand on the city's potable water supply and slow the flush of urban stormwater runoff into the River.

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About the Department of Energy and Environment

The Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) is the leading authority on energy and environmental issues affecting the District. Using a combination of regulations, outreach, education, and incentives, our agency administers programs and services to fulfill our mission. DOEE works collaboratively with other government agencies, residents, businesses, and institutions to promote environmentally responsible behavior that will lead to a more sustainable urban environment.

About the Chesapeake Bay Trust

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization dedicated to improving natural resources through environmental education, community engagement, and local watershed restoration. The Trust empowers about 400 local community-based groups each year with the resources they need to take on a meaningful and measurable role in restoring forests, streams, waterways, wildlife, and more in their own communities. The Trust's work is supported by the sale of a specialty license plate; donations from individuals and corporations; and partnerships with private foundations and federal, state, and local governments. The Trust has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator for more than two decades: On average, 90 cents of every dollar goes to programs.

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