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/ Our River: The Anacostia /
A NEW CITIZEN LEADER ALONG OUR RIVER
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by Bill Matuszeski
he Anacostia Watershed stream clean-up and restoration, wildSociety (AWS) is an imlife balance and fish recovery, trails and portant player in the efboating, development controls near the fort to clean up Our Rivwaters of River and streams, environer. It is the oldest and mental education, and equitable restolargest of the citizen-based organizaration to right historic wrongs and to tions dedicated to the restoration of assure the future benefits all. These are the entire River and its watershed and all challenging efforts and they each afcontributing streams. And it now has fect many of the others, so there need a new leader who brings an interesting to be clear and fair plans. The Anacosbackground to the effort. tia Watershed Society is a key player in Chris Williams is the recentlymaking sure this happens. named AWS President and Chief ExAs the ASW leader, Chris Wilecutive Officer, and has settled into liams has his work and that of his their offices in an historic building organization cut out for him. The near the River in Bladensburg. He has landscape of engaged players is comlived in the DC region for over twentyplicated: many local governments; the Releasing mussels into the Anacostia. Photo: Chesapeake Bay Program five years and in the Anacostia waterState of Maryland and the DC Governshed (with one brief interruption) for ment; neighborhood groups, Federal AWS and its partners are ambitious – a fishable and the last fifteen. He raised his kids in agencies including the National Park swimmable River by 2025 – and giant steps are bethe upper watershed, and the family still enjoys bikService, environmental groups from national officing taken right now to achieve them. A massive pubing along and paddling the River. He comes to AWS es down to small watersheds, education institutions lic works project in the District from American Rivers, where he was Senior Vice of all types – the list goes on to prevent sewage from pourPresident for Conservation; before that he was Diand on. Finding those places ing into the River during heavy rector of the Freshwater Program at the World Wildand those activities where the rains is coming on line and allife Fund where he guided and supported watershed Anacostia Watershed Society ready showing great progress conservation efforts across the US, Latin America, can be most effective in movat reducing pollution. A major Africa, and Asia. ing the right things forward initiative to clean up toxic sediChris grew up around rivers in dry eastern and holding the wrong things ment in the bed of the AnacosWashington state, where the Columbia, Snake, and back will be a challenge for the tia River is getting under way, the Yakima Rivers meet. There was a range of user new leadership and hopefully and work to restore tributary conflicts, with farmers needing water for crops, salmlead to new partnerships and streams in Maryland is rapidly on fishermen wanting uninterrupted flow and power new ideas that benefit the efexpanding. Wetlands and wildcompanies wanting to build dams. Not the same isforts of all. life restoration is ongoing in the sues that we have here but just as tough to deal with. upper river, and the DC-funded Bill Matuszeski is a member of He went on to college at the University of Washington the Mayor’s Leadership Council Kingman Island and Kingman in Seattle, and got his masters and law degrees from for a Cleaner Anacostia River, Lake effort seeks to return an the Vermont Law School, which is known for its emand the retired Director of the overrun urban island and wetphasis on environmental restoration and protection. Chesapeake Bay Program. He land to a natural state with allalso serves on the board of He is now eager to apply his learning to his home wanative plantings. Friends of the National Arbotershed in an urban setting. retum and on Citizen Advisory Chris Williams arrives to lead the The priorities for the AnChris sees this as a particularly exciting time for Anacostia Watershed Society. Photo: Committees for the Chesapeake acostia are many and varied – the Anacostia recovery. The goals being pushed by Anacostia Watershed Society and the Anacostia. u
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