Stephanie Flack, an avid nature champion, is leaving her mark on the Potomac region.

STEPHANIE FLACK ALONG THE POTOMAC RIVER AT GREAT FALLS

For Stephanie Flack and her family, the Potomac River has been a central part of their lives for decades. Its shores have been their gathering place to enjoy holidays, spend weekends, share laughs, and explore.

Creating memories on and along the river

One of Stephanie’s favorite ways to connect with her loved ones and with nature is to savor the natural beauty the Potomac River provides. Her weekends are filled with walks along the C&O Canal and visits to the Olmsted Island overlook, where she takes in the fresh air, watches wildlife, and admires the tranquil scenery.

Stephanie’s love for our region is a special bond she shares with her children. They delight in visits to Great Falls, finding particular joy in investigating the area’s natural “potholes” created thousands of years ago.

But Stephanie knows the best way to appreciate our local waters is to see them up close. She recounted a particularly impactful experience at a Potomac Conservancy paddle one summer. While floating along the river in a canoe alongside fellow nature enthusiasts, Stephanie watched the Fourth of July fireworks illuminate the Key Bridge.

“I will never forget the sight of the lights and colors reflected on the water.”

"The river is quite literally part of our family”

Over the years, Stephanie’s recognition of the Potomac’s importance to local life has deepened. She has witnessed how the Nation’s River is one of the region’s greatest unifiers, bringing people from all over the watershed together for recreation and celebration. That kind of unique common ground can make a real difference for our communities and the nature we depend upon:

“Everything that happens in the watershed upstream affects the health of the river where we live, and everything we do affects the river’s health for people and species downstream.”

“About 60% of our body weight is water. Having raised three kids in the Potomac watershed, the river is quite literally part of our family.”

In recent years, Stephanie has been proud to pitch in during fall acorn collections through our Tomorrow’s Trees program, even getting her whole family and their friends involved.

“It’s exciting to know that the seeds we collect will be grown into seedlings, and that those seedlings will be planted in the watershed. They’ll protect and restore air and water quality while improving fish and wildlife habitat. Knowing that our work will help combat the climate crisis by producing more trees that absorb carbon dioxide is satisfying.”

Putting a love for the river into action

Stephanie is determined to continue championing our clean water mission in every way she can. That’s why she has included Potomac Conservancy in her estate plan.

“While it’s important to me to support the work of Potomac Conservancy during my life, I also wanted to designate a gift to the organization when I’m gone. It’s a way to provide a legacy of support for work that is essential to us—protecting clean water, a healthy watershed, and natural areas critical to our quality of life. It’s also making a statement that what Potomac Conservancy does and stands for is a priority to me and congruent with my values.”

Over the next 20 years, Stephanie hopes to see a huge leap forward in the Potomac’s water quality. She envisions extending protections to a full third of the Potomac River region by designating sustainably managed natural areas for conservation and recreation.

Stephanie is doing her part to ensure that her vision for the Potomac River is achievable. Making her dream a reality will require hard work and cooperation, but everyone joining Stephanie and Team Potomac in the fight will make a genuine difference for our local environment and shared future.