How are you staying connected to nature this spring? Share your story!
/While we keep a safe distance, here’s how our team is connecting with the Potomac River
Image courtesy of Mike Maguire/flickr.
When local officials in the DMV released stay-at-home orders for the good of public health, they counted getting outside, fresh air, and exercise as “essential” activities. We agree!
Whether we’re taking in the roaring rapids of Great Falls, jogging through our local park, or watching the entertaining antics of a squirrel outside a window — the Potomac River and our natural world unites us. Getting outside in nature while practicing safe distancing is more important than ever for our sense of well-being!
That’s why we want to hear from YOU about the creative ways you’ve been staying in touch with nature.
Share your spring outdoor stories, photos, and videos with Team Potomac!
Send to info@potomac.org!
Then follow us on social media to see if we use your stories as inspiration for others!
(Please feel free to note in your email if you’d like to keep your story and content private.)
From eating invasive plants to camping inside,
here’s how Team Potomac has been staying connected to nature this spring:
Emily Warner
“Dolly Sods Wilderness is perfect for social distancing—especially when the road is gated 3 miles from the parking area! My beau and I spent hours out there and didn’t see a soul—except for two ruffed grouse, three ducks, four deer, a huge tom turkey, and lots of evidence of beavers and something that eats small furry things. (I’ll let you figure out how we came to that conclusion!) Dolly Sods sits on the Allegheny Front, a long escarpment that generally separates water flow east to the Chesapeake Bay or west to the Ohio and Mississippi drainages. It’s so cold and windy up there that many trees only grow branches on their east sides (away from the wind). Spectacular spot for some solace.”
Mindy Kania
“The window bird feeder attached near our dining table was a whim purchase of mine on Christmas to get my family a present we could all enjoy. I had no idea it would turn my 8 year old son into a birder! Luckily I had checked some bird books out of the library before MD schools closed. My son pours overs bird facts and bird-calls and territories, making me choose my favorite warbler or finch or hawk. We have observed cardinals pecking sparrows away from the feeder and vice versa. Titmice flying in only after a nuthatch has landed first. Blue jays flying just past but never trying our food. And the male cardinal grabbing a seed and delivering it to the female waiting on a nearby fence. My children named the sparrows and visiting doves before I even realized they could tell them apart. Malivia and Malivian, Fuzzy and Face. The rapid memorization has replaced the need for a research project from school.
Mary Vasse
“I walk my dog on the Sligo Creek trails near my home every day. Longer walks now. Blue chases rabbits, sniffs everything, and eats lots of things that he should not. So, in order to keep trash out of the river and out of Blue’s mouth, I’ve been doing some one-person neighborhood cleanups!”
David Byers
“Sure, we could all use a couple nights roughing it in the woods these days. But who really wants to deal with packing the car, getting rained on, and pulling ticks off when you get home. My wife and I have been taking the opposite approach and figuring out how to bring the great outdoors to us… When we truly need to unplug and escape the daily madness, we open all the windows, disconnect all the electronics, improvise a fire, and cozy up in our tent in the living room. It’s dark and peaceful, we can see stars through the window, and best of all, when it starts to rain, we don’t have to put on the rain fly. We’ve found our new passion… exploring the great indoors!”
Katie Blackman
“Fighting invasives and an easy lunch? Yes, please! My daughter Cecilia and I have been harvesting garlic mustard to make a variety of yummy (and freezable) recipes. We’ve also been hitting the trails for four senses hikes. We aim to hear 5 kinds of bird calls, touch 4 natural textures, smell 3 kinds of flowers, and see two kinds of mushrooms. No tasting, please!”
Willis Kliefoth
“My dogs, Edna and Tommy, and I have been using our daily walks to explore the outer limits of social distancing. When the canal towpath proves too narrow to keep six feet between us and other hikers, we explore the myriad side trails by the river that ebb and flow with the water level and take us through vast fields of wildflowers. In places where the water is low, we can even scramble across to small islands and pick up the litter that has washed ashore.”
Hedrick Belin
“I’ve always enjoyed running on the trail along Sligo Creek, a tributary of the Potomac (via the Anacostia). It is a lot quieter now that I cannot run with a group, but that means I can hear woodpeckers and even owls in the early AM. You’ll see the trail on the other side of the stream, and if you look really carefully, you can see some of the recently completed stream restoration on this reach of Sligo Creek. How has your backyard stream changed in the last few weeks?”
Melissa Diemand
“My son Willem (8 months) and I found a field of beautiful purple flowers blanketing the slopes of Black Hill Regional Park; we head out on a walk just before twilight each evening to avoid the crowds and enjoy the quiet ritual of "forest bathing." My interest piqued, I scanned our wildflower blog and other online resources to identify the plant. Turns out it's Periwinkle (aka Vinca Major), a non-native plant that invades sensitive floodplain habitats. *sigh* Oh, well. It was fun to do some plant detective work anyways!”
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