Wildlife Promise » Washington DC

Thousands Rally at White House to Stop Keystone XL

Peter LaFontaine — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:51:37 +0000

This past Sunday, instead of my usual routine of sitting on the couch watching the NFL and eating celery sticks (which is what I call leftover pizza), I joined a few thousand of my closest friends at the White House to speak out against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Activists carry a 500-foot inflated “pipeline” at the head of the crowd (Photo: Avelino Maestas/NWF)

Despite the chilly weather, the crowd was energized and ready to go, chants ringing out and, just past the Treasury Building, a boombox appropriately thundering anthems by Rage Against The Machine. A year ago many of the same people had rallied here and formed an enormous ring, three deep, all around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—we were there to give the President support (“a big hug around the White House” as 350.org founder Bill McKibben put it) for his decision to reject KXL—and it worked. This time, following rumors that the pipeline might be the next domino to fall, we wanted to remind him that we are still paying attention, still fighting for our right to a healthy planet, clean water and fresh air.

Often, inside the Beltway, it can be hard to separate the noise and chatter out from what what Americans really care about, and Keystone XL definitely falls into that category. The oil industry has spent years fabricating a series of myths around the pipeline: that it will boost U.S. energy security, for example, or take a big bite out of the unemployment rate, or that it’s an environmentally safe project. None of those are true, of course, but they somehow gave Congress the idea that Keystone would be a great idea, and put President Obama in between a rock (Big Oil and their bottomless wallets) and a hard place (the coalition of conservationists, tribes, and landowners who oppose the pipeline).

Photo: Peter LaFontaine/NWF

After the election, National Wildlife Federation and Zogby International released a poll that showed that Americans—and, overwhelmingly, independent voters—would much rather commit to renewable energy than Keystone XL and other polluting projects. On Sunday, surrounded by older activists, kids in oversized “NO KXL” t-shirts, and enthusiastic college students waving signs, I saw a cross-section of the United States: the real grassroots United States, not the “astroturf” advertising that Big Oil has used to push its agenda. After all, when was the last time you heard 10,000 people chanting “We want KXL!” as they marched past the Washington Monument?

Last week we told you why we think President Obama will make the right call and stand strong against tar sands, but it’s crucial that we don’t turn the volume down yet. Already, groups are planning another rally for Presidents Day (February 18th) so keep an eye out for more information soon…Because who knows? Maybe your voice will be the one that scraps this project once and for all. Even better, the NFL season will be over by then so I won’t have to choose between ~~pizza~~ celery and keeping the world safe for people and wildlife.

Stand up against tar sands! Tell President Obama to say “NO!” to the Keystone XL pipeline.

Celebrating the Clean Water Act as We Restore the Anacostia River

Guest Author — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:39:44 +0000

This is a guest post by Kellie Bolinder.

Kayakers, SUPers and boaters join together for a Clean Water Act celebration on the Potomac River. NWF Photo by Jan Goldman-Carter.

Restoring the Anacostia River here means more than just clean water to the Earth Conservation Corps. The heavily polluted Anacostia River flows through some of the most disadvantaged communities of the nation’s capitol. For over 20 years, the challenge and promise of restoring the Anacostia has been at the heart of our work to reclaim two of America’s most endangered resources — our youth and our environment.

Mike Bolinder, Anacostia Riverkeeper, speaks at the recent Clean Water Act rally on the Potomac River. NWF Photo by Jan Goldman-Carter.

Some folks along the Anacostia remember a time when they could swim in the river…and they are proud of the efforts of their children and grandchildren to reclaim it. Our history is inspiring. In 1992, a small group of unemployed youth from the Valley Green public housing community in Southeast Washington, D.C., volunteered to change their lives by restoring the Anacostia River. Motivated by the belief that their strong hearts, minds, and muscles could reclaim the Anacostia –America’s forgotten river — they banded together under an ambitious name, the Earth Conservation Corps. Since then, thousands of community leaders from the troubled neighborhoods near the Anacostia River have become the cornerstone to the solution to the city’s twin problems of pollution and poverty.

Fast forward to 2012 and a beautiful September Saturday when ECC joined the National Wildlife Federation, Anacostia and Potomac Riverkeepers, and Water Keeper Alliance nationwide in honoring the 40^th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act–and recommitting ourselves to clean rivers and clean water for all—here along the Anacostia and nationwide.

Since Congress passed the Clean Water Act in October 1972, we have made incredible progress in cleaning up our rivers and streams. The Potomac River is our source for drinking water and many people are using the Anacostia and Potomac rivers to canoe, kayak and fish.

But we have much more work to do to restore the streams and wetlands that flow through the District of Columbia and on to the Chesapeake Bay. Please join the Earth Conservation Corps, the National Wildlife Federation, and our local, regional, and national clean water partners in celebrating the 40^th birthday of the Clean Water Act and standing up for a strong Clean Water Act, and fishable swimmable waters for all.

Kellie Bolinder is Executive Director of Earth Conservation Corps. She has been working with the organization for over nine years. Earth Conservation Corps became the DC affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation in 2008, joining the network of 48 state and territorial affiliates across the country.

Keeping My Cool

Ian Evans — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 20:25:32 +0000

It’s been a hot year so far in D.C. (Photo: Trishhhh – Flickr)

As a California transplant to Washington D.C., my first six months have been full of new experiences. Riding the subway to and from work every day? Check. Deciphering the grid layout of streets? Got it down (with the help of smart-phones). The ever present sounds of traffic and the not-so-dark night times? Took a while, but I’m used to it. However, the one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the heat. I expected at least a couple months of chilly temperatures in February and March, but instead I found myself constantly overdressed and uncomfortably hot. April and May seemed to skip spring and jump straight to sweltering summer days.

As it turns out, I arrived just in time to experience D.C.’s warmest recorded spring, with March, April, and May averaging 5.4 degrees hotter than normal (and 1.5 degrees higher than the previous 1977 record). Like most cities, D.C. suffers from the urban heat island effect: the high concentration of materials like concrete, steel, and asphalt retain the sun’s heat much more than natural surfaces, raising the average temperature of the city and surrounding area. Combined with the already increased temperatures due to climate change, D.C. was practically boiling this “Spring.” So what could we really expect from Summer other than a record-setting 9-day streak of 95+ degree temperatures in June and the second hottest July on record?

Visitors to the National Mall look to to beat the heat in the shade of trees and the Washington Monument (Photo: david_jones – Flickr)

To put it simply, it’s been a sweaty start to my life in the District, and to compensate I’ve been constantly seeking shade. I’m definitely not the only one looking for ways to cope with the realities of our the new climate. As the temperature rises, many cities are relying on nature-based solutions, like green infrastructure, to be better prepared for the impacts of climate change. D.C., for example, has committed to maintaining and expanding its population of trees, and hopes to reach 40 percent coverage by 2035. Everyone knows that shade from trees helps beat the heat immediately beneath the leaves, but an increased urban tree canopy can actually help combat the urban heat island effect and lower the overall temperature of the city. More trees also means more carbon absorbed from the atmosphere, helping lessen the extent of climate change yet to come. But humans aren’t the only ones receiving these benefits: a healthier and larger urban canopy means more habitat and cool places for wildlife like Northern cardinals, green herons, and cerulean warblers (a highly-threatened migrant species).

Urban tree canopy enhancement is just one of many strategies that cities across the country are adopting to prepare for the ongoing and future effects of climate change. If you’d like to learn more about what NWF is doing to help cities and towns become better prepared for the future, check out the new Climate-Smart Communities page on our website.

Make Way for Ducklings in Washington, DC [VIDEO]

Mary Burnette — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:08:02 +0000

A wonderful children’s classic, Make Way for Ducklings, tells the story of a family of mallard ducks who make their home in Boston and face some challenges dealing with Boston traffic. This video, taken during the lunch hour on March 22, shows caring citizens helping a momma mallard and her chicks cross busy Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. It’s always heartwarming to know that people want to help wildlife in whatever way they can.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Later on the ducks’ path diverted to the White House where uniformed Secret Service agents scooped up the ducklings and helped them make their way through the fence. Presumably they are now meeting with President Obama on traffic safety laws and a “complete streets” plan.

Ironically Enough, Teddy Roosevelt Thwarted By Wildlife

Miles Grant — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:35:10 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Does this need rational explanation? I feel like maybe it should stand alone as a work of surrealist art.

OK, fine: So the Washington Nationals baseball team has a nightly Presidents Race among George (George Washington), Tom (Thomas Jefferson), Abe (Abraham Lincoln) and Teddy (Theodore Roosevelt). The gag is that Teddy never wins and is often thwarted near the finish line in comical ways.

According to Let Teddy Win, a “rivalry” had been brewing between the Nats’ presidents and their minor league affiliate Harrisburg Senators’ racing monkeys. So one of them – I’m not clear if this was Bingo, Bongo or Steve – took revenge on Tuesday night by giving Teddy a flying shoulder-block, costing him the win.

Teddy Roosevelt, National Wildlife Federation Conservation Hall of Famer, done in by wildlife.

Via Deadspin

NWF Intern Alex Costakis: “My first time at Power Shift”

Alex Costakis — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:56:21 +0000

I’ve spent the last week or so attempting to capture the essence of my Power Shift 2011 experience in little more than a thousand words. Quite frankly, this is one of the hardest things I have ever done. As a first time Power Shift conference attendee, I now know that no amount of pictures, personal stories, or descriptions could possibly prepare you for what I can now only describe as a truly life changing experience.

As I think back on all that happened that weekend, my brain is constantly reassessing and recalculating, struggling to understand the magnitude of what we accomplished over those fleeting four days in DC.

At first, the scientist in me clung to the numbers of the event as a way of understanding. I knew what a room full of 200 people looked like; I could imagine it in my head. I tried desperately to multiply that room to prepare myself for what a crowd of 10,000 people would look like. I probably got close to imagining the numbers correctly; however, what I didn’t account for was the simply enormous amounts of energy that can only come from thousands of people gathering together to fight for one, collective cause.

Next, my mind focused more narrowly on the individuals attending Power Shift. A farmer’s son who drove 20 hours from Minnesota on his own dime; a privileged and wealthy university student who lives by the motto “To whom much is given, much is required”; a resident of Louisiana who walked to DC in protest of the gulf coast oil spill disaster; a youth leader just like me attending Power Shift for the first time, eyes wide, taking in all that they possibly can.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To this day, my head is still swimming with all the different stories I heard from people that weekend and the diversity and dedication of the individuals within our movement stood out like a shining beacon of solar power.

In the end, the thought that absolutely blew my mind was the connection between the massive numbers I saw and experienced with the personal stories I heard. Listening to each of those story tellers, I realized that each of them planned to go back to their homes, their campuses, their communities and continue to the fight for clean energy, for our planet. All of the sudden I was overwhelmed with an image of 10,000 dots spread across the country, slowly mushrooming larger and larger until the entire map was completely covered.

And you know what, it was beautiful. It was Green.

Urban Wildlife Inspires Greater Need for Healthy Communities

Miguel Mejia — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:51:10 +0000

This past weekend, I was inspired by one of the most awesome spectacles I’ve witnessed since moving to the nation’s capital:

On my ride home from some Christmas shopping, I took a look across a reservoir in northern Washington, DC where I spotted what looked like a very large seagull on the ice. As I got closer to the bird though, I realized that it was no gull but was, in fact, a magnificent bald eagle. I watched the bird for several minutes before a smaller second eagle arrived and I realized that I’d never seen a bald eagle before out in the wild (let alone in a big city like Washington, DC.).

Why was this moment so inspiring to me? Well, living in a big city, I don’t typically get to see too much ‘wildlife’ outside of a few squirrels and the occasional deer. To me, the presence of wildlife in my community makes me feel a little bit healthier about my living environment because, hey, if a bald eagle wants to live here then it must be a pretty good spot, right? I think we all need this ‘wildlife connection’ every now and again to help us realize just how important our natural surroundings are to our well being.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The National Wildlife Federation has a 75 year history of caring for wildlife, but we also care deeply about our communities because we understand that the health of both are dependent upon one other. Clean air, clean water, and healthy habitat are just as important for people as they are for wildlife but, unfortunately, we are not always guaranteed these necessities in our communities.

As Americans, we have the wonderful ability to come together in great times of need and, right now, we are all in need: Special interest groups continue to fight for their right to pollute in our communities and make us, the planet, and all of our critter friends sicker. They are targeting bill’s meant to protect the public health, like the Clean Air Act, and cutting out giant loopholes for themselves. Instead of talking about the health of our children and the environment in which we raise them, these public-health-haters are attempting to politicize the issue.

So go take a look out on your street: see any wildlife? Wouldn’t it make you feel a little bit better about your health, or the health of your children, if a few more geese, deer, or eagles were wandering around in your smog-free neighborhood? Let’s protect the health of our communities, and the health of local wildlife, by rallying behind one of the greatest public health laws ever enacted, the Clean Air Act, and ask the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold polluters accountable.

Learn more about the Clean Air Act (CAA) and NWF’s Fair Climate Project which engages a diverse network of underserved and low-income community leaders on the CAA and climate change.

Extreme Heat in Summer 2010: A Window on the Future

Miles Grant — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:07:38 +0000

Could the sweltering summer of 2010 be considered mild compared to the typical summers of the future? It depends on whether America & nations around the world act now to curb our global warming pollution.

That’s the conclusion of a new National Wildlife Federation report, Extreme Heat in Summer 2010: A Window on the Future:

In 2010, New Jersey, Delaware & North Carolina had their hottest June on record, while Rhode Island & Delaware had their hottest July. Sixteen other states had Junes or Julys that ranked in the top-five hottest. That means upward of 70 million Americans experienced extreme heat these two months. Hundreds of daily temperature records were broken across the country.

Not surprisingly, this hot spell has brought many days where the thermometer topped 90°F. Our analysis of large cities in the eastern United States shows that most locations have had about twice as many days with temperatures exceeding 90°F than they typically would by the end of July. For example, Washington, DC , had 39 days
with temperatures in the 90s by July 31, 2010, compared to 18 days for the same period in an average year. If conditions continue to stay warm, or even if we return to more average conditions in August, Washington and several other cities are on track to meet or break records for the total number of days exceeding 90°F in a single year. Cities in the south-central United States are also running hot: many have had about 50 percent more days over 90°F than average.

While the House passed the American Clean Energy & Security Act, obstructionists in the Senate have blocked action on clean energy & climate legislation. What could happen if the deny & delay crowd continues to block pollution limits?

Summers like the current one, or even worse, will become the norm by 2050 if global warming pollution continues to increase unabated. Alternatively, taking steps to reduce emissions can help avoid some of this increase in extremely hot days. For example:

Washington, DC, is projected to have about 55 days over 90°F by midcentury under a lower-emissions scenario and about 100 such days if emissions are higher. For comparison, the city will likely have about 50 days above 90°F in 2010 if August and September have an average number of very hot days.

Philadelphia, PA, is projected to have about 40 days over 90°F by midcentury under a lower-emissions scenario and about 60 such days if emissions are higher. Through the end of July, the city had 25 days exceeding 90°F in 2010 and is on track to have about 30 or more such days for the year.

St. Louis, MO, is projected to have about 60 days over 90°F by midcentury under a lower-emissions scenario and about 80 such days if emissions are higher. This year, the city is on track to have 45 extremely hot days, about 10 more than average.

Read the full report (PDF), then take action. Tell your senators we need comprehensive climate & energy answers now.

Park picture via Flickr’s vasofoto.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

Still Think Climate Change Is Just For Treehuggers?

Larry Schweiger — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:17:05 +0000

For those who might still think that climate change only matters to treehuggers, check out what some courageous leaders from communities on the front lines of climate impacts said as they are in Washington, D.C. today to ask their Senators to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill:

“Climate change is a civil rights issue and the most vulnerable people to its dangerous impacts are inner city African-Americans,” said Hilary O. Shelton, senior vice president for Advocacy and director of the NAACP DC Bureau. “The time is now to enact comprehensive climate change policies.”

“Across the nation, we are already feeling real and growing impacts from climate change,” said Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president and CEO, Hip Hop Caucus. “We need fair and equitable solutions to propel the clean energy economy, reduce pollution and create millions of new jobs.”

As I spoke with these leaders and others last night at dinner, what struck me is how well they understand that climate change will affect each one of us and the places and people we love. And today as these courageous leaders share their stories with their leaders in Congress, I hope our Congressional leaders will also be reminded that climate change is going to affect the places and people they love too.

And on another good note for communities today, President Obama announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history. This will help promote energy-saving choices for consumers.

Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth

Larry Schweiger — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:07:18 +0000

I will be continuing to speak in December and in the coming year in the cities below on my recently published book Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth.

I believe that we have little time to act to protect the nature of tomorrow. In the book I have attempted to cover the latest science behind the fast-approaching threats and to make the case for wildlife, to offer practical solutions, and to suggest actions we can all follow.

To help get the essential message of the book out to an even wider audience, I will be speaking in the cities below. I hope you will come to a presentation and share your views on the important steps we must take together to preserve life on earth and safeguard wildlife for future generations.

In order to help protect our natural resources further I’m donating all author proceeds to National Wildlife Federation, which is inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Book Tour Schedule

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Saturday, December 12 2009 @ 5 pm
UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
Bella Centre
http://en.cop15.dk/

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Sunday, January 7, 2010
Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming
Grand Opening of Climate Change Interpretive Facility: “For Future Generations: Yellowstone Gifts”
http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/press-releases-217_2883.html

DENVER, CO

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 @ 7:30 pm
TATTERED COVER COLFAX AVENUE
2526 East Colfax Avenue
http://www.tatteredcover.com/

Thursday, February 4, 2010
DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE
http://www.dmns.org/main/en/

ST. LOUIS, MO

Monday, February 8, 2010
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
http://www.mobot.org/

WASHINGTON, DC

Tuesday, February 23 2010
GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA
http://www.gcamerica.org/