The Potomac American Heritage River Initiative October Monthly Report

National Park Service, National Capital Region

Potomac American Heritage River Initiative Purpose: To provide assistance to participating communities in the Potomac River watershed with locally-chosen projects related to economic development, environmental protection, and cultural resources.

I. 2003/2004 Work Program Status:

A) "Green" Infrastructure Workshops: Work continues in the development and implementation of three ‘green' infrastructure charettes and workshops. A ‘community' infrastructure workshop for Charles County, Maryland, is planned for March/April 2004. The workshop will focus on providing local leaders in the County with the tools required for sustainable land-use planning strategies. Friends of the Potomac and the Navigator have enlisted the support of Charles County, the State of Maryland, and the Conservation Fund. A second workshop is planned for the Washington DC's Developing Families Center in Northeast Washington. This workshop, tentatively scheduled for mid-spring 2004, will take the ideas of a previously held design charette from 2002, and create a financing strategy for the construction of the facility. Work towards the identification of partners, venues, and times for the third and fourth workshops continues. Favorable responses for a ‘green' infrastructure workshop have come from Frederick County, Maryland (to be modeled after the Charles County workshop), in the spring of 2004. Fairfax County, Virginia, also has expressed an interest in partnering with Friends and the Navigator on a ‘green' infrastructure workshop for the spring of 2004.

B) "Congress of the Potomac": Efforts continue to realize a ‘Congress of the Potomac.' A committee comprised of regional practitioners from a variety of governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations has formed to coordinate the creation of the congress. No dates have been set, but consensus is emerging that early 2005 is a realistic timeframe. The sub-committee working to prepare a ‘state of the Potomac report' has developed a draft framework for the report. The committee is now exploring various themes, data requirements and demands, as well as costs for the development of the report. The "forums" sub-committee has worked to identify three of six forums to be held prior to the congress. These forums will look at ‘green infrastructure' (a forum to possibly precede a national ‘green' infrastructure conference in late 2004), a protected lands forum, and a ‘Potomac/Chespeake Bay connections forum. Work continues to identify dates and venues for these and the other three forums.

C) Potomac River Forums: Following the success of the Tim Palmer ‘Lifelines' forum last October, work continues in the development and implementation of six Potomac River forums. Six themes that have been identified and include ‘green' design, financing ‘green' development, innovative stormwater management, '40 Years of Potomac Conservation,' sustainable farming, and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. To maximize the translation of ideas into application, plans are underway to organize the ‘financing green development' forum in Washington just prior to the DC Developing Families workshop and the innovative stormwater forum in Charles County just prior to the ‘community' infrastructure workshop next spring.

D) International Partnerships - The Navigator is working with the U.S. Embassy's ‘Regional Environmental Hub' in Copenhagen and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, to explore three peer-to-peer technical exchanges for spring 2004. These exchanges could involve individual watershed experts in the Potomac River region and the Baltic Sea and the exchange of mutually beneficial watershed management practices.

E) City of Occoquan Town Meetings. The "Friends" and Navigator met with Mayor Conway to conclude the "Occoquan Riverfront Revitalization Action Strategy," and to discuss the possibility of a ‘green' design charette for the re-use of the Fairfax County Water Authority treatment plant. The Mayor expressed approval of the ‘Riverfront Action Strategy." On November 20, the Navigator gave a short presentation about a potential workshop to explore re-use options for the soon-to-be-abandoned Fairfax County Water Authority's drinking water treatment plant. Present were the Mayor, the City Council, citizens, and representatives of Prince William County. The Mayor will consult with the City Council and County before pursuing an official request for a charette from the Navigator and Friends.

II. Friends of the Potomac Board Meetings: The Friends of the Potomac Board met October 17, at Harper's Ferry. The Potomac Navigator presented the 2003/2004 work program which was reviewed and approved by the Friends board.

III. AHRI Interagency Team Meeting: The AHRI Interagency Team Meeting met and requested transition plans for all AHRI rivers. At the request of the Friends, a 2004-2005 transition plan for the Potomac will be developed and forwarded for approval.

V. Upcoming Meetings & Events for October

2003

December 9 - Metropolitan Washington 'Green' Infrastructure Conference Planning Meeting at the National Capital Planning Commission. By invitation only. Please contact Glenn Eugster at 202-619-7492.

2004

February 4-5 - ‘Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference', Airlie Conference Center, Warrenton, Virginia.

February 25-Green Infrastructure Forum on Green Roofs with Katrin Scholz-Barth and others. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Location to be determined.

For further information contact:

Dale Medearis, River Navigator, Potomac American Heritage River Initiative. U.S. National Park Service, c/o 44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 5 (Lower Level), Alexandria, VA 22314. By telephone call (703) 519-2830. By fax: (703) 535-6703. By e-mail: dale_medearis@nps.gov

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