10 wedNesday, augusT 8, 2012
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ZOO: Seals and sea lions get new homes on trail From Page 1
exhibits that are more natural and stimulating for the animals, and also offer an improved, “multi-sensory” experience for their human visitors. The new trail, on the Zoo’s steep south slope, focuses on habitats where land and water meet, replicating both a forest stream and rocky coastline. It features falling water, an underwater sea cave and an artificial tide pool where visitors can get their feet wet. Seals and sea lions will experience the most dramatic changes, with their former flat, somewhat artificial habitat transformed into a wave pool that will keep the water moving, with underwater features for the marine mammals to explore. Viewers will get many new vantage points for observation, below and above the water. “It’s a totally redesigned area, more realistic, and reflecting natural habitat,” said Zoo spokesperson Jen Zoon. But the stretch of trail will see other changes, including more ecominded habitats for all the animals. The wolf yard has been enlarged and
Photo courtesy of the National Zoo
The Zoo’s new “American Trail” includes a space for bald eagles, among other species. Exhibit areas will offer varied vantage points. flattened for better viewing, though the wolves will still have places to hide and rest, Zoon said. Zookeepers have also added a raven exhibit, behind the otters. The design is similar to the outdoor flight cage further east in the Zoo, with a mesh cover so it is not perceived as cage. The National Zoo’s website, nationalzoo.si.edu, features a virtual tour of the new trail. Zoon said members of the Friends of the National Zoo, which helps fund Zoo improvements, will be offered the first tours. Part of the Smithsonian
Institution, the Zoo is funded by both private and public dollars. The next big project is renovation of the birdhouse at the west end of the Zoo, off Connecticut Avenue. And bigger changes are still off in the future. Although the master plan includes construction of a large garage to address perennial parking shortages, and of an overhead tram to help visitors traverse the Zoo’s steep slope, those projects are “a few years down the line,” Zoon said. “Like everybody else, we’re watching the federal budget.”
HARDY: PTA committee going after grants From Page 5
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National School Lunch Program. Among the other funding sources the committee is pursuing is a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant, which focuses on facility and building enhancement projects, and a Target Foundation grant that supports arts and culture programming. While many local schools’ PTAs apply for grants, Cohen said he believes the extent to which Hardy’s committee has focused the application effort is a unique approach. The effort is taking off from previous grant successes at the school. Last year, Hardy received the River Smart Schools grant from the D.C. Department of the Environment for a new wetland, gardens and outdoor
learning area. The school also received a grant from the Target Foundation to support a drama production — a student poetry slam likely to happen this fall. Cohen said the PTA has received full support for the grants committee from Hardy administrators, including principal Mary Stefanus, who joined the school last year. “I’m so impressed with the work that our PTA has done and is ready to do for the upcoming school year.” Stefanus said in an emailed statement. “They’re so vested in our students, in our teachers and in D.C. public schools.” The grant committee will be working closely with school staff, Cohen said. Volunteer grant writers will be required to meet with teachers or administrators on proposed projects before completing their grant applications.
LANDSCAPING: Chevy Chase, Petworth targeted From Page 1
cities away from “gray infrastructure,” in which storm sewers collect rainwater as well as sanitary waste. During periods of heavy rain or snow, these sewers are designed to overflow directly into bodies of water instead of sending their contents to a water treatment plant. When rain overwhelms the sewer — as has happened frequently during recent summer storms — local waterways such as Rock Creek and the Anacostia River receive stormwater combined with untreated waste because the sewers are overflowing. “The [sewer] systems can get easily overwhelmed,” Phipps said. “Rock Creek has been suffering for probably about 100 years now.” But more recent developments are driving the latest efforts to clean up local waterways. In 2005, the federal government ordered the city
to reduce raw sewage in its creeks and rivers. The agreed-on solution, three huge tunnels to hold tainted stormwater until it can be treated, relies on residents paying higher water bills to cover the $2.6 billion project. With one tunnel already under construction, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is considering low-impact technologies such as permeable paving and more in order to fulfill the federal mandate without the two additional tunnels. As of late last month, 16 properties throughout Chevy Chase and Petworth received permeable pavement and 30 have received rain gardens. Phipps said it was a “long process” to find owners interested in participating in the program. Following a 2010 survey of the two neighborhoods, the conservancy worked with advisory neighborhood commissions to reach out to residents. If a home or business owner
expressed interest, the District’s environmental agency audited the property, and contractors were allotted up to $5,000 of grant money to install the green landscaping. The Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative recently received permeable pavement in the parking lot of its building on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Allison Street. The conservancy’s contractor is in the process of planning a rain garden as well. James Cunningham, the collaborative’s community resource director, said the program has worked well. After the Georgia Avenue installation, the District Department of the Environment organized a demonstration in which 390 gallons of water were dumped on the new parking lot. “No water ran off the pavement,” Cunningham said of the demonstration. “No puddles or anything. It just went right though.”