Author: Vince Robinson

For Immediate Release: June 5, 2019
For more information, contact Caroline Brewer, caroline.brewer@anshome.org or 301-652-9188, ext. 23

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday, May 30, 2019

For more information, contact caroline.brewer@anshome.org,, or Ari Eisenstadt, ari.eisenstadt@anshome.org / 347-743-1546 (cell), or Victoria Ma, GUClimateInjustice@gmail.com

CHEVY CHASE, MD - Georgetown University has signed a contract with Origis Energy to build a solar energy farm on 240 acres of high-value forest habitat in Charles County, MD. The land is home to several endangered species of birds and aquatic life and covers part of the ancestral homeland of the Piscataway Tribe. Neither the University nor the developer has consulted with the Tribe. The University has not released promised environmental review documents to the community despite repeated requests.

 “As a Georgetown alum and current graduate student, I’m disappointed in the University’s irresponsible treatment of the environment and local communities in their pursuit of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Victoria Ma, Georgetown alum, School of Nursing and Health Studies 2017. “Though solar is commendable, there has been a lack of transparency from the University in terms of their elusive environmental assessment, lack of respect to the Piscataway people and residents of Charles County, MD, and lack of initiative from the University in public coverage of the solar project.”

“It has been really difficult for me to watch Georgetown’s proposal unfold,” said Valarie Proctor, Piscataway Conoy Tribe member of the Cedarville Band. “Piscataway people have a very painful history so to see continued threats to our ancestral homelands and culture has me feeling heartbroken and in absolute rage. There was no tribal consultation in the scouting process for this project, so not only is the project an environmental threat, but an anti-Indigenous one as well. While it is necessary to make the shift to renewable energy amid the climate crisis, Indigenous lands should not be harmed and destroyed for renewable energy installations.”

“The Georgetown Solar Farm would destroy 240 acres of pristine forest habitat, home to rare and threatened species of plants and animals, some of Maryland’s most valuable streams, and part of the Nanjemoy Forest that cleans the air for our entire region,” said Ari Eisenstadt, Audubon Naturalist Society’s DC Conservation Advocate. “It’s a false choice to pit solar panels against important forest habitats. As a national and international leader, Georgetown has an obligation to find better places for renewable energy, such as rooftops, landfills, parking lots, and degraded farm fields. We need all the renewable energy we can get, so let’s make sure our early decisions set the right precedent to save our atmosphere and our land, air, and water as well.”

“We love solar and enthusiastically want to see Georgetown University and the state of Maryland lead the way to renewable energy in a responsible, sustainable and strategic way,” said Rosa Hance, Chair, Southern Maryland Sierra Club.

What: The GU Climate Injustice Town Hall is a collaborative effort between Georgetown University students and alumni, Charles County, MD residents, Indigenous Piscataway, and environmental organizations during the Georgetown Reunion 2019. Attend to learn more about the University’s solar project and why it should be relocated to an appropriate, non-forested site in consultation with the Piscataway people.

Date: Friday, May 31, 2019

Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm

Location: Old North Student Lounge, Georgetown University Main Campus (3700 O St. NW, Washington, DC 20037)

Speakers: Victoria Ma (NHS’17), Amy Richards (MPP’18), Neil Gormley (SFS’04), Bonnie Bick (Maryland forest activist), Valarie Proctor (Piscataway Conoy member), Anne Lewis (City Wildlife President), Emily Ranson (Clean Water Action Maryland Program Coordinator), Ari Eisenstadt (Audubon Naturalist Society DC Conservation Advocate), and more.

More details, including accessibility and remote viewing information, can be found here:https://www.facebook.com/events/2833777336846657/

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For Immediate Release – May 29, 2019 For more information, contact caroline.brewer@anshome.org or 301-652-9188, ext. 23, or Diane Lill, diane.lill@anshome.org

CHEVY CHASE, MD – From teaching thousands of children over the years how to grow their own food, to testing local streams for signs of aquatic life and the potential impacts of the climate crisis, the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS), continues to blaze trails in environmental education and will be justly recognized for its outstanding efforts tomorrow at the Annual Maryland Green School Youth Summit at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis.

ANS, the DC area’s longest-serving independent environmental organization, has been certified with the highest distinction, as a Sustainable Maryland Green Center, by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). Green Centers offer support to schools participating in the Maryland Green School program and are considered essential partners for success. ANS has helped more than 60 schools win Green School certification since 2007.

Some of the children touched by ANS’s GreenKids programs in Maryland schools grow up to mimic the songs of sparrows, hold forth on the habits of frogs and fish, and help us understand the necessity of butterflies, bees, and goldenrods. They grow into roles as community scientists and some step into professional roles to protect the environment.

“It’s so rewarding to see students develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world. Some of them are just learning to read and write, but they are doing their part to take care of the environment and that makes my green heart proud,’’ said Diane Lill, ANS’s Director of Education. “The Audubon Naturalist Society is thrilled to be recognized for this labor of love.”

The award signifies that ANS has made a commitment to developing stewards of the earth and reducing the environmental impact of schools.

“Students, teachers, school personnel, parents and community partners work together to create a positive learning environment. Green Centers support Maryland Green Schools, providing local support,” says Laura Johnson Collard, MAEOE Executive Director. “Schools and Green Centers that participate in the program save energy; reduce waste; conserve water; and create and restore habitat; getting students outdoors is crucial for their connection with the environment.”

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For Immediate Release – May 9, 2019
For more information, contact Caroline Brewer, caroline.brewer@anshome.org or 301-652-9188, ext. 23 or Eliza Cava, Eliza.cava@anshome.org, or 301-652-9188, ext. 22

CHEVY CHASE, MD – Georgetown University has signed a contract with Origis Energy to build a solar energy farm on 240 acres of pristine forest habitat, home to several endangered species of birds and aquatic life, that covers part of the ancestral homeland of the Piscataways.

The Audubon Naturalist Society will testify against Georgetown’s plan at the Maryland Department of Environment's Wetlands Permit Public Hearing and in favor of saving this precious natural resource, which helps us fight climate change.

WHEN: Monday, May 13 from 6 pm -10:30 pm

WHERE: Charles County Commissioners Meeting Room, 200 Baltimore Street, La Plata, MD 20646

WHY: We don’t have to choose between solar energy and life-harboring and life-saving forests

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For Immediate Release: April 3, 2019
For more information, contact Caroline Brewer, caroline.brewer@anshome.org or 301-652-9188, ext. 23 or lglisagoodnight@gmail.com or 301-523-5394, or ben.israel@anshome.org or 202-683-0994

CHEVY CHASE, MD – The Audubon Naturalist Society is proud to announce the April 25, 2019 premiere of The Land of Woodend, which covers Native American, African American, European American, and Latino American experiences on the 40-acre property that’s been home to ANS for 50 years and is the focus of its new Nature for All movement.

The Land of Woodend explores 400 years of history, mystery, beauty, blight, restoration and transformation on this diverse urban nature sanctuary. It reveals how the nature education, advocacy, and conservation organization is renewing habitats and strengthening ties to nature with communities in the DC region through a remarkable restoration effort that includes a forest, stream, pond, meadows, native plants, an accessible trail, mansion upgrades, and more.

The Land of Woodend showtimes are 2 – 3:30 pm (Matinee) and 7 -8:30 pm (a special Conservation Café presentation). Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.  The hourlong documentary was produced with the help of a grant from Heritage Montgomery and produced and directed by ANS’s Staff Videographer Ben Israel.

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For Immediate Release – March 22, 2019

For more information, contact caroline.brewer@anshome.org , 301-652-9188 x 23, lglisagoodnight@gmail.com, 301-523-5394, serenella.linares@anshome.org, 202-489-8780 or eliza.cava@anshome.org, 202-503-9141.

CHEVY CHASE, MD – On Wednesday, March 27^th, 2019, Audubon Naturalist Society and partners will host the second Naturally Latinos Conference. More than 20 speakers, eight environmental champions, and at least two dozen sponsors will discuss “resilience and recovery” in the Latinx environmental community. Lead speakers include Ada Monzón, WIPR-TV meteorologist and founder and president of the EcoExploratorio: Science Museum in Puerto Rico; Chris Espinosa, Director of Public Engagement for the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources; and Mark Magaña, Founding President and CEO of GreenLatinos.

From the hyper-local to the national, speakers and attendees will share stories and lessons learned on surviving and recovering from natural disasters like Hurricanes Irma and Maria, shepherding the most significant national public lands bill in a decade, connecting traditional environmental organizations with local Latinx communities, and empowering Hispanic environmental professionals and volunteers to strengthen their careers through leadership opportunities. Attendees will get hands-on training in a community forest learning tool newly translated into Spanish and see how a local health department is weaving nature into public health promotion.

Monzon is the first woman in Puerto Rico to be named a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). During her morning keynote address at the Naturally Latinos Conference, Monzón will paint the picture of the devastation she witnessed while covering 2017’s devastating hurricanes in Puerto Rico and how she believes educating Latino children will be key to recovery for the island and the earth. “We cannot think this is only happening in Puerto Rico. We are all going to be affected. We need to use science as a tool to empower students to become problem solvers.”

Learn more, and view the full agenda and photos and video from the first Naturally Latinos Conference in 2017 at www.anshome.org/naturally-latinos-2019.

Conference planning partners include: Choose Clean Water Coalition, Corazon Latino, Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education, NOAA National Weather Service, Prince George’s County Parks & Recreation, and the US Forest Service.

Lead Sponsors include Prince George’s County Parks & Recreation, Montgomery County Parks, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

For Immediate Release – March 11, 2019

For more information, contact caroline.brewer@anshome.org or 301-652-9188 x 23 or Alison Pearce, alison.pearce@anshome.org, 301-652-9188 x 30

CHEVY CHASE, MD – The dramatic decline in insects – including butterflies and bees - has turned into what scientists are now calling an “insect apocalypse.” The Audubon Naturalist Society on Wednesday, March 13, will convene some of the region’s top meadow and grasslands thinkers to share best practices for establishing and maintaining meadows, which is an important way to help support a healthy insect community – one that benefits wildlife and people.

Topics such as Native Plant Establishment and Maintenance, Bringing Meadows Home, and Native Plants for Meadow Restoration will provide powerful and fundamental ideas that will help turn ordinary people into extraordinary activists for a better environment.

“Meadows support abundant and diverse insects, from pollinators to leaf herbivores (some species do both – leaf-eating caterpillars that change into nectar-eating butterfly pollinators). Many insects form specific relationships with specific native plants. They can’t use just any flower we plant in our yards, such as impatiens (which are from Asia). Ever notice that impatiens plants remain perfect with no holes in the leaves? That’s because no one is eating them. Which means they are not supporting the food web,” explained Alison Pearce, Director of Restoration at ANS and Ph.D in Ecological Anthropology. “Native plants grow insects and insects grow nearly everything else directly or indirectly.”

The summit comes as ANS nudges its own beautiful mix of meadows, forest, and streams back to better health under the Woodend Restoration Project. Over the next five years, ANS will minimize the presence of invasive species and maximize the presence of native species at Woodend Nature Sanctuary. This meadows component of the Restoration Project will result in a more abundant and diverse insect community, which in turn will feed birds and amphibians… and on up the food web. The plight of insects has gotten a lot of attention thanks, in part, to a 2018 New York Times magazine article “The Insect Apocalypse is Here.” The Washington Post just last week also published “Butterflies Aren’t Expendable. Our Brittle Reality Depends on Them, Too” by Paleontologist and Entomologist Michael Engle of the University of Kansas.

In addition to Pearce, the Meadow Summit speakers are Andi Pupke, Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage; Sara Tangren, Ph.D; University of Maryland Extension, Home and Garden Information Center; Rochelle Bartolomei, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Damien Ossi, District of Columbia’s Department of the Environment); and Jorge Bogantes-Montero, Natural Resource Specialist with the Anacostia Watershed Society. The summit runs from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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For Immediate Release – January 9, 2019

For more information, contact caroline.brewer@anshome.org or 301-652-9188, ext. 23, or Eliza Cava eliza.cava@anshome.org, 301-652-9188, ext. 22

CHEVY CHASE, MD – The Audubon Naturalist Society will provide testimony on issues of environmental concern in Northern Virginia during tonight’s annual hearing.

WHO/WHAT:  Eliza Cava, ANS's Director of Conservation, will testify before the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC), a group appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to advise the Board on environmental matters. Her remarks will cover AmazonHQ2, Dogue Creek and other ANS policy priorities. Cava’s full testimony will be posted on the ANS Conservation Blog by 5 p.m.

WHEN/WHERE:  Tonight (Wednesday) January 9, 2019 starting at 7:30 p.m. in Conference Rooms 4 and 5 of the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA.