What nature can teach us in this moment of transition
Reflections from our President
Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program
Nature teaches us that periods of transition can be challenging, but they can lead to transformational change if we adapt, lean on each other, and plant seeds for the future.
While schisms in our society and a rocky presidential transition are deeply worrying, our team finds hope in belonging to a diverse and ever-growing community of people who care about the Potomac River and the natural places it supports.
As individuals, we come from different neighborhoods, backgrounds, political leanings, and cultures, but we share common ground as nature lovers and stewards of the environment.
The Potomac River – its lands, streams, wildlife, and people – connect us.
United as a movement, we are getting things done for clean water!
Together with conservation partners, we’ve successfully defended local water quality protections during a time of unprecedented attacks on federal environmental policies. In the past four years we've:
Stopped the Trump administration’s attempts to defund the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program;
Passed the bipartisan America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act expanding Chesapeake Bay restoration funding;
Passed “no net loss of forest” laws in Frederick County, the strongest forest protection laws in all of Maryland;
Worked with rural landowners and community funders to save 1,700-acre White Horse Mountain, one of the largest remaining tracts of riverside forest in the Mid-Atlantic region;
Mobilized 2,900 volunteers to remove 61,500 pounds of trash from the Potomac River and local parks;
and much more!
Building off these successes, we must press on.
The Potomac River is in the middle of a comeback, but as we know from our recent Report Card findings, that progress is fragile. If we fail to act now, decades of progress will be threatened.
This moment of transition presents an opportunity to not simply reverse irresponsible rollbacks, but to implement transformative policy changes at the local, state, and federal levels that will make the health of our environment and communities a top priority.
We look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration and elected officials on both sides of the aisle to restore environmental protections, enact bold measures to address the climate crisis, and advance equity and justice broadly and within the conservation space.
As a member of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, Potomac Conservancy is calling on the Biden-Harris administration to support a strong clean water agenda.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our local clean water initiatives. Together, we’ll face the challenges and seize on the opportunities of the year to come.
With gratitude,
Hedrick Belin
President of Potomac Conservancy