Ward 8 Woods
Ward 8 Woods Conservancy is a grassroots nonprofit organization that works to rejuvenate and enhance the beauty, ecological health, and public enjoyment of the more than 500 acres of forest in the Ward 8 section of Washington, D.C. They envision a future in which all Washingtonians enjoy clean air, clean water, and connection to the natural world in safe, well-maintained public lands.
Ward 8 Woods engages residents as paid staff and as volunteers to restore the woodland ecology, build trails, and promote healthy and sustainable living. The organization utilizes the woods as a tool for healing and empowerment.
Ward 8 Woods grew out of the Committee to Restore Shepherd Parkway, an all-volunteer effort begun in 2011 as part of the Congress Heights Community Association. During volunteer trash clean-ups, residents frequently asked about paid employment. The obvious demand for work opportunities inspired what became Ward 8 Woods’ signature Park Steward program, which employs Ward 8 residents who face barriers to employment in the hard work of forest remediation and trains them for these and other green jobs.
The success of the 2018 pilot program, sponsored by the Anacostia Coordinating Council, led to incorporation of the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy as an independent nonprofit organization. In four years of work, the Ward 8 Woods crew and volunteers have removed more than 1.2 million pounds of trash and cut invasive vines from over 5,000 trees.
Ward 8 Wood's mission is to to preserve the ecological health and public use of the more than 500 acres of forest in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 8 section
Ward 8 Wood's Work
The following are a couple highlights of the impactful work of Ward 8 Woods.
#CleanItClaimIt Campaign
Ward 8 has long suffered from waste-management problems tied to disinvestment and neglect, leading to trash on streets, in parks, and in streams that contaminates and poisons soil, water, and air. The #CleanItClaimIt campaign aims to interrupt the cycle by changing circumstances and attitudes behind littering and dumping, leading to cleaner, more attractive streets and green spaces.
Scholarship and Ward 8 Woods' surveys have found that littering rises in the absence of a sense of ownership or control in places where residents struggle just to survive. Proper trash disposal may be the least of their concerns, and any extra effort it requires may not feel worth the time. The #CleanItClaimIt campaign confronts this tendency head-on with the message, Our Community: Clean It, Claim It. The campaign’s three parts are: (1) Adopt Your Woods; (2) Waste Disposal Advocacy; and (3) Signage.
Martin Luther King Elementary School is a D.C. public school in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8, serving about 400 students in grades Pre-K through 5. Each growing season (April to November), Ward 8 Woods engages more than 100 children in garden-based learning. Students plunge their hands into the soil to plant, water, weed, harvest, cook and eat vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The garden has produced more than 50 pounds of greens, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, squash, pumpkins and more in each of the last five seasons. This nutritious, organic food is shared among students, parents, teachers, and neighbors.
Martin Luther King Elementary School Garden Program
Join us in supporting Ward 8 Woods
75% of this month's donations will go towards our partner, the Ward 8 Woods.
This month and every month, Wild Boyz Photography will be partnering with one nonprofit. 75% of any donations that we receive during the month will go to the nonprofit. Help Ward 8 Woods continue their mission to maintain clean air, clean water, and connection to the natural world in safe, well-maintained public lands in Washington D.C.