The Anacostia River has nowhere to go but up. Long dismissed simply as Washington's "other river," it has been so mistreated and abused that its waters, laden with toxic sediments and swarming with harmful bacteria, have served mostly as a trash transfer service, carrying an endless stream of plastic bottles, rags, and other junk downstream toward the Chesapeake Bay. But under the new mayor, Anthony Williams (a loyal Audubon member), the city is starting to look east, to visualize the Anacostia as it can be -- "a constant source of natural enjoyment, urban orientation, and visual delight."

An impressive coalition of local and federal government agencies (including the US Navy, National Park Service, and EPA), local residents, private interests, and practically every environmental group you can name (including one of your favorites, the Audubon Society of DC) has formed to transform the vision into reality. Progress is being made on several fronts. In May, the DC Planning Department sponsored an exciting three-day planning session in which city planners from all over the country (representing the Congress for the New Urbanism) met with residents, environmentalists, and other interested parties to begin to develop a plan for the M Street corridor. This meeting was tinged with a sense of urgency, because economic development of this area, home of the Navy Yard and the SE Federal Center, is already underway. Participants left the session full of hope and optimism. We were given a clear vision of how this part of our city can be made both more beautiful and more functional.

Progress also has been made in improving water quality. Last month, the Anacostia River acquired its own Riverkeeper, a privately-funded position held by an environmental lawyer. The job of the Riverkeeper is to track down violators of anti-pollution laws and to hold them responsible for remediation. In August 2000, the Anacostia Watershed Toxics Alliance announced that a sophisticated research vessel owned by the US Navy will be collecting water quality data to aid cleanup plans. Both these developments were announced at the headquarters of the Earth Conservation Corps, located in a beautifully renovated pumphouse overlooking the river, at 1402 First Street, SE. Visit the headquarters, admire the restoration, and ask ECC about its ambitious programs. You'll be surprised and pleased at the scope of their efforts.

The DC Planning Department recently held the first of a series of meetings to design a river walkway, planned to run from the ECC headquarters all the way to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. What a great hike or bike-ride that will allow! And did you know that the new boardwalk across the tidal gut at Kenilworth is open? That's worth a trip, too. For another field trip, drive across the Whitney Young Bridge (East Capitol St.) and check out the new wetland restoration. Vegetation is thriving, and birds are visiting.

Planning sessions are being held for the portion of the river around Kingman Island and RFK Stadium, and a vision for the entire DC portion of the Anacostia will emerge. Wouldn't it be wonderful if plans for the area included a first-class nature center, serving the needs of NE and SE Washington in the same way that the Nature Center in Rock Creek Park serves the NW? If this project interests you, please call or email Judy Schaefer: (202) 543-6672; judyschaefer@attglobal.net.

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