D.C. River Project Dedicated to Terrorism Victims

National Geographic News

November 13, 2001

Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams, announced a new Environmental
Education Program on Tuesday that will serve as a living memorial to the
students, teachers and National Geographic Society staff members who
were killed in a hijacked airliner on September 11.

Three
students, three teachers, and two Geographic staff members who were
accompanying them on an educational field trip sponsored by the Society
were on the airplane that crashed into the Pentagon.

The education program in their memory will center on the revitalization and stewardship of Kingman and Heritage Islands in the Anacostia River, which flows through an area of D.C.

Used for years mainly as a dumping ground, the islands were nearly transferred to entrepreneurs for business development.

The program aims to increase the environmental education of students in grades four through six. It will be run as a joint project of the Mayor, the Public Schools, and the Department of Parks and Recreation of Washington, D.C.; the National Geographic Society; the Anacostia Watershed Society; and the Earth Conservation Corps.

"This is a wonderful way to honor the lives of the D.C. public schoolchildren and teachers and National Geographic staff who were victims of the tragic events of September 11," said Williams. "The Environmental Education Program will not only help to revitalize the Anacostia River, but will teach our young people about the value of our city's natural resources."

Eight evergreen holly trees were planted on the banks of the Anacostia River in memory of the crash victims. Students from the victims' schools attended the ceremony.

River Revival

The D.C. Parks and Recreation Department was given jurisdiction of Kingman and Heritage Islands a year ago after neighboring communities won a battle to prevent the islands from being commercially developed.

U.S. Navy Seabees paved the way for Tuesday's launching of the Environmental Education Program by reconstructing two long wooden bridges that link the islands to the city's mainland. One of the bridges had burned down in 1998.

After decades of being enveloped in serious pollution, the area around the islands is making a strong comeback as an urban nature park. As officials delivered their speeches during Tuesday's ceremonies, a beaver could be seen swimming toward the bridges while herons and other water birds waded in the shallows.

"These islands are hallowed ground," said Robert Nixon, executive director of the Earth Conservation Corps, a nonprofit organization that gives D.C. children opportunities to participate in environmental programs.

Nixon described the eight people who lost their lives on Flight 77 as "friends who shared strong bonds through their love of nature." Their families, he said, should realize that the islands are more important than Yosemite or Yellowstone parks to the people who live in the neighborhood.

Lessons in River Ecology

The new educational program will help students learn about the Anacostia River and Kingman and Heritage Islands as vital natural resources and will support the geography and science curriculums of D.C. Public Schools.

Students will study river ecology, plants and animal identification and classification, issues that affect the Anacostia River, and the relationship between people and the natural environment. The goal is for every fourth- through sixth-grade student to spend at least one day taking part in hands-on environmental activities on the island.

"This Environmental Education Program is an excellent memorial to commemorate the life and legacy of our students and teachers who exemplified the best in teaching and learning," said D.C. Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vance.

National Geographic Society President John Fahey announced that the Society will contribute U.S. $50,000 to the program and will be involved in helping to develop it.

"Since the September 11 disaster, the Society has rededicated its efforts to promote and improve geography education," Fahey said. "We hope that our partnership with the Mayor, D.C. Public Schools, Department of Parks and Recreation, Anacostia Watershed Society, and Earth Conservation Corps will help many generations of District schoolchildren become caring and responsible stewards of their neighborhood and environment.

Fahey said National Geographic has been reviewing the mission that the Society established when it was founded 113 years ago: the exploration of the world.

"We've been revisiting that, and what's really important today is to gain greater clarity and understanding of the environment," Fahey said. "We want to foster a keen understanding and appreciation of the world's natural assets, like these that surround us today."

The new program was launched during the Society's Geography Awareness Week, observed the week of November 11 through 17. The theme this year is rivers.

Geography Awareness Week marked the close of "Geography Action! Rivers 2001," a six-month program that urged students, teachers, families, and communities nationwide to take part in projects aimed at preserving rivers and watersheds and conserving water.