Wild New Jersey Correspondent Dana Patterson holds an Eurasian Eagle Owl at the

Earth Conservation Corps, Washington, D.C.

Correspondent Dana Patterson attended the recent Powershift ’09 summit in Washington, D.C. where she gathered with over 12,000 like-minded, energetic youth -including numerous college groups from New Jersey- to address issues such as new climate and energy legislation to benefit wildlife and conservation, investing in a green economy, and working together to lead the world to a clean and equitable energy future.

During her visit to the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), a nonprofit organization that engages the strong minds and muscles of Anacostia's youth in the restoration of the Anacostia River, she spoke with ECC members about rebuilding the environmental, social, and economic health of their communities.  She was introduced to a rare Eurasian Eagle Owl, “Mr. Hoots,” and a Harris’s Hawk named “Harriet” which were donated to ECC after being injured in the wild.

Ms. Patterson’s tour continued with a boat ride down the Anacostia River to see the site of a train crash where coal was spilled into the river.  Like many rivers and lakes in New Jersey, from the Delaware to the Passaic to the Raritan, the Anacostia River does not fully meet any federal water quality standards, other than navigability, established by the Clean Water Act.  It is not safe for swimming or eating its fish and crabs, and about two-thirds of the brown bullhead catfish in the river have cancerous tumors or lesions. 

The good news for the Anacostia, as is also the case for New Jersey's rivers, is that bald eagles have rebounded along the river.  Since 1992, the ECC successfully reintroduced 16 bald eagles, an endangered species, back into the nation’s capitol.  As in New Jersey, the bald eagle is proving to be a national poster child for the Endangered Species Act. 

                            
                                    "Harriet", a rescued Harris's Hawk, Earth Conservation Corps.


                                     
                                         The site of train crash where coal spilled into the Anacostia River.
                                                                        Washington, D.C.