Stewardship Programs

Invasive Plant Management

AWS helps maintain local plant and wildlife populations by identifying and removing certain types of non-native vegetation. Imported plants have no natural predators or diseases in this region to control their growth, so humans must remove them before they overtake the native region. AWS offers volunteer opportunities to participate in an invasive weeding program that helps protect several area parks from invasive threats. Learn More

Native Plant Restoration

An important component to habitat restoration is reintroducing native plants. Native Plant Restoration is the AWS effort to revegetate the native plant population in the watershed, in turn increasing the native animal species population.  These efforts include tree planting, wetland restoration, and the Anacostia Riparian Meadow Restoration (ARMR).  Learn More

River & Community Cleanups

Trash pollution is a chronic problem along the Anacostia River and in neighborhoods throughout its watershed. In order to address this issue, AWS runs River & Community Cleanup programs throughout the year to raise awareness of the region’s trash problem and build grassroots support for changing peoples’ beliefs about trash disposal and recycling. Learn More

Water & Pollution Monitoring

Certain materials cause water to become polluted with chemicals, others lower the amount of oxygen available to fish and other aquatic life, and others release large quantities of harmful bacteria and viruses. Throughout the year, AWS monitors the Anacostia River and all its tributary creeks and streams for the presence of polluting substances. If a pollutant is found, we attempt to locate the source and initiate a cleanup action. Learn More

Green Roofs

The Green Roofs program is funded by the EPA to build green roofs in the District. Rooftop gardens provide shade and remove heat from the air, reduce temperatures of the roof surface and the surrounding air. They also contribute to water quality of stormwater that runs off into nearby water sources. Learn More

Past Programs

Since 1989, AWS has initiated and concluded several other environmental stewardship programs that have ceased operating. Although those programs are currently inactive the results they achieved may be of interest. Learn More