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American Heritage Rivers Keystone Project

Potomac River - 1

Congress for the Potomac

Project Summary

First proposed over 20 years ago by the eminent historian and regional planner, Fritz Gutheim, the "Congress for the Potomac" will be a two-day watershed-wide gathering to be held in 2003 in which citizens share success stories; address commonly-faced challenges; reaffirm commitments to protect and restore the Potomac River and its landscape; and to celebrate the role the river plays in our community life. The Congress will bring together all those who are inspired by and "speak for" the Potomac River and the Basin.

Project Benefit

The Congress will provide an opportunity to bring together the many organizations and individuals working to protect and restore the Potomac River watershed.
The Congress will celebrate the Potomac River, its watershed, living resources, communities and citizens.
The Congress will produce an innovative, interactive document to communicate with the general public.

Current Partnerships

Project Partner	Contact Name	Telephone
Members of the Potomac River Congressional Delegation
Friends of the Potomac
The National Park Service
The Potomac Conservancy
The Potomac River Basin Consortium
The Accokeek Foundation
The Potomac Heritage Partnership
The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
The Northern Virginia Planning District Commission
The EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program
The US Forest Service
The Appalachian Regional Commission

Project Stage/Status

Process planning team is meeting during the summer 2002 to develop the full proposal and final budget.

Cost Estimate: $70,000

Funding Analysis

Funds to go toward one year's design and planning; team training; facilitators; technical assistance; watershed-wide pre-Congress gatherings; marketing materials; educational materials; web site design; facility and final report writing.

Resources Needed

Funding; supplies/materials and expertise.

Champion Agency: Department of Interior, National Park Service

Other Initiatives Supported

Protect and restore water quality and living resources Promote enjoyment of natural, recreational and heritage assets Encourage more citizen involvement in community decision-making Foster sustainable economic development

Contact Person

Lynn C. Brownley
Chairman, Board of Directors
Friends of the Potomac
(804) 493-9731, (voicemail: x205)
lbrownley@potomacsupply.com

Dan Nees
Executive Director
Friends of the Potomac
(301) 466-9964
dannees@earthlink.net

River Navigator

Glenn Eugster
Acting River Navigator
National Park Service, National Capital Region
Partnerships Office
1100 Ohio Drive, SW, Room 350
Washington, DC 20242
Tel: (202) 619-7492
Fax: (202) 619-7220
Email: glenn_eugster@nps.gov

Potomac River - 2

Ecosystem Farm Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Project

Project Summary

For twelve years, the Accokeek Foundation has developed and managed the "Ecosystem Farm" demonstration, investing more than $700,000 and gaining a track record and level of expertise that is unparalleled in the Potomac basin. This farm is both economically and environmentally sound. It experiments with the very best ideas-both high tech and low tech-for effective farming inside a growing major metropolitan area. In short, it is dedicated not to the "farm of the future," but rather to the "future of farming." Major features include:
A model of sustainable agriculture within a 30-minute drive from the Nation's Capital demonstrating the common ground between agriculture and environmental conservation.
The Jean Wallace Douglas Center for Land-Based Training at the Ecosystem Farm provides an intensive mentoring experience to train new farmers each year and the project is at the forefront of regional and national efforts to develop programs, and resources for beginning sustainable farmers. The training involves teaching beginning farmers how to create agricultural systems that conserve water, prevent soil erosion, promote biological diversity, and provide a living wage without the use of toxic chemicals.
Use of conservation methods such as, riparian buffers to restore wildlife habitat; using cover crops to prevent erosion; and practicing crop rotation to control pests and conserve soil nutrients as an integral part of the practice of farming.
A Community Supported Agriculture project, helping one hundred families each year to reconnect with their community, farmers, the land, and the seasons by providing them with fresh organic produce.
State of the art solar powered trickle irrigation system in Maryland, pumping water judiciously from the Potomac River.
Solar powered high-tensile deer exclusion fence, using recycled plastic posts, the first of its kind in Maryland.
Among the first farms certified "organic" by the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
A Charter participant and board member in W. K. Kellogg Foundation's regional "Future Harvest" project to develop alternative opportunities for farmers in Maryland and Delaware.

Project Benefit

As our nation's leaders discover the common ground between agriculture and environmental conservation (reference the Conservation Security Program) in agriculture, the Accokeek Foundation is using years of experience to show people practical conservation in agriculture. Thirty minutes from the Nation's Capital, this is a unique model demonstration project to showcase.

Current Partnerships

Project Partner	Contact Name	Telephone
Friends of the Potomac
The National Park Service
The US Department of Agriculture
W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

The Wallace Genetic Foundation

Individual Contributors and SHAREholders

Project Stage/Status

Operational with extensive experience

Cost Estimate: $200,000 - annual budget to support operations on 40 or more acres of land

Resources Needed

The Accokeek Foundation is poised to expand this program, on a nearby site, to train five times (20 total) the current number of apprentices. This effort would provide a high-value organic vegetable farming alternative to local farmers faced with the loss of tobacco crop revenue and the sale of land to developers.

Champion Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Champion Partner: U.S. Department of the Interior

Other Initiatives Supported

Protect and restore water quality and living resources. Promote enjoyment of natural, recreational and heritage assets. Foster sustainable economic development. Natural resources conservation.

Contact Person

Lynn C. Brownley
Chairman, Board of Directors
Friends of the Potomac
(804) 493-9731, (voicemail: x205)
lbrownley@potomacsupply.com

Dan Nees
Executive Director
Friends of the Potomac
(301) 466-9964
dannees@earthlink.net

River Navigator

Potomac River - 3

Naturally Nanjemoy: A Shared Vision for the Nanjemoy Peninsula

Project Summary

Nanjemoy, only 45 minutes from the Nation's Capital, is the least populated area in Maryland. The wetland and forested peninsula, bounded by the Potomac River and Nanjemoy Creek, is home to approximately 3,000 people, 1,000 nesting pairs of herons, and numerous historical/cultural sites including one of the largest sunken ship graveyards with boats from every period of American history dating as far back as the Revolutionary War. Faced with change from pressure to mine a 1,300-acre tract of land and recent purchases of shoreline property by Bureau of Land Management and Maryland's Department of Natural Resources to the disappearance of the local agricultural and fishing economy, the community is creating a collective vision for the future. This "Naturally Nanjemoy: A Shared Vision" for the Nanjemoy Peninsula" will guide the future of this unique riverside community.

Project Benefit

Development of a vision document which will serve as a plan that directs growth in Nanjemoy in ways that will enhance the natural resources, build a sustainable economy, meet the social needs of the citizens, provide leisure and recreational opportunities for local citizens and visitors, and preserve and protect Nanjemoy's heritage and rural charm over the next 30 years and beyond.
Attracting a full-time sustainable economic development coordinator to develop a plan consistent with the community vision.
Helping small farmers in the broader community.

Current Partnerships

Project Partner	Contact Name	Telephone
The Nanjemoy Citizens and Community Stakeholders
Nanjemoy Potomac Environmental Coalition
Charles County Planning and Growth Department
Charles County Commissioners

Bureau of Land Management

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Charles County Office of Tourism

The Nature Conservancy

Southern Maryland Trail Riders

Southern Maryland Audubon Society

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Friends of the Potomac

Project Stage/Status

This project is operational. The community held its first visioning workshop in March 2002, after months of research, information and data collection. A draft plan has been written, and the group is finalizing this initial plan. This document will serve as the central coalescing force as the community expands its group of stakeholders, and involves its partners and others in ongoing community meetings. A full-time sustainable economic development coordinator will help the community address economic needs while sustaining the rural character for the future.

Cost Estimate: $70,000

Funding Analysis

Funding for: a full time sustainable economic development professional; a study of regional and national tourism trends; review of local economic and demographic data; sustainable economic development master plan; ongoing community stakeholders meetings facilitated by a professional facilitator; and the creation of written and electronic materials used in communicating the vision to a wide audience.

Champion Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior

Champion Partner: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

Other Initiatives Supported

Protect and restore water quality and living resources
Promote enjoyment of natural, recreational and heritage assets
Encourage more citizen involvement in community decision-making
Foster sustainable economic development

Contact Person

Lynn C. Brownley
Chairman, Board of Directors
Friends of the Potomac
(804) 493-9731, (voicemail: x205)
lbrownley@potomacsupply.com

Dan Nees
Executive Director
Friends of the Potomac
(301) 466-9964
dannees@earthlink.net

River Navigator




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