Message from the Chairman of the
Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee


Eskin Image

Dear Friends of the Anacostia Watershed,

This is a summary report to the citizens of the Anacostia watershed on both the ongoing Anacostia restoration efforts and changing environmental conditions. During the past decade, the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee has maintained its commitment to the restoration and protection of the watershed through the six goals it established in 1991. The six goals call for:

1. Reduction of sediment, nutrient and toxi pollutant loads to the tidal river through retrofits, management practices and the control of trash and debris;

2. Improvement in the abundance and diversity of urban fisheries through stream restoration and protection;

3. Restoring the quality of fish habitat through the removal of fish barriers, and installation of fish habitat structures;

4. Enhancement of tidal and nontidal wetlands through their protection, restoration and creation;

5. Restoration and expansion of forest cover through protection, and watershed and riparian reforestation; and finally an

6. Increase in public awareness, stewardship, and volunteerism in watershed restoration activites through education and outreach, and through opportunities to actively participate in the restoration.

Over the past several years significant progress has been made toward all six goals. We are especially pleased with a number of recent efforts undertaken to help promote restoration through increased public involvement and awareness of the Anacostia, and in efforts to promote watershed restoration through new public/private partnerships. The first of these is being addressed, in part, under a recently established Anacostia Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee. In a continuing effort to enhance restoration progress, the AWRC will also work with business leaders, elected officials, and citizens to identify and explore new restoration partnerships and opportunities. These efforts and others during the period from 1990 to 1997 are the main focus of the report.


It is through our combined efforts and commitment that we are making a difference. However, we are clear in our understanding that much more remains to be done and our commitment must continue into the foreseeable future. We look forward to the continued restoration and the challenges that will follow, for each one will bring us closer to our ultimate goal of a restored and balanced Anacostia watershed, a watershed that all citizens of the region, as well as its future generations, can enjoy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard Eskin, Chairman
Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee