More than a Name: A Conversation with Nature Forward

A long-time member of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, Nature Forward may look like a group you have never heard of, but perhaps you were familiar with the Audubon Naturalist Society? After a years-long process to change their name, the organization recently unveiled their new moniker, Nature Forward. With their new name, we took the opportunity to take note of the diversity of environmental education and advocacy work Nature Forward is doing, as well as look specifically at the leadership role they've taken in promoting both healthy and accessible waterways in the DC metro region of Maryland. The following is a summary of a conversation with Eliza Cava, Director of Conservation at Nature Forward.

From Audubon Naturalist Society to Nature Forward

The process for this name change was a long time in coming. Going back to 2010, the organization updated its mission and vision to better reflect their inclusion of and service to a larger and more diverse community. Executive Director Lisa Alexander thoughtfully sought to evolve the organization to ensure they were making connections with the communities around them. In 2016, they launched the first Taking Nature Black® conference and in 2017 hosted their first Naturally Latinos® conference, successfully broadening their reach to new audiences. And with these new audiences, they also began to hold focus group conversations about the idea of changing the name Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS).

Their previous namesake, John James Audubon has a troubling legacy, with a history of participating in the systems of slavery in the United States. Also, while the name Audubon is synonymous with bird conservation, ANS has grown in its 125 years to do much more than that. Additional appeal for the name change was supported by the connotations of 'naturalist' and 'society' as exclusive to particular people and groups, not welcoming to any and everyone.

The new name, Nature Forward, is approachable and memorable, and appeals to younger generations, while the new logo, a native redbud tree leaf, is drawn pointing upwards, indicating forward movement, and it is detailed with many colors, indicating diversity.

Advocacy, Education, and More

Nature Forward started 125 years ago as a conservation advocacy organization, first around bird conservation, and then branching into wider nature conservation. Starting in the 1970s, they began their environmental education program and now work with thousands of school children each year. This includes a nature preschool and summer camp on site at their headquarters at the Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

The landscapes at all Nature Forward properties are also used for teaching. After launching a capital campaign called Nature For All, they undertook an enormous effort to restore the native plants and ecosystem on 33 of their 40 acres, including shepherding more than 20 deer off the premises and keeping them out with cattle grates and a 10 foot fence. This effort was rewarded with a restored and flourishing native understory in their forest, the successful installation of many rain gardens, and native plants throughout the property now thriving including those associated with their completed "regenerative stormwater conveyance" stream restoration.

Sponsors from the 2020 Taking Nature Black Conference.

In addition to on-site restoration and education, Nature Forward has a strong program of advocacy, policy, and community outreach with the defined conservation priorities areas of (1) human health and access to nature, (2) biodiversity and habitats, (3) climate crisis, and (4) sustainable land use. A multi-year financial gift in late 2018 allowed Nature Forward to grow their conservation staff, to a team of five with full-time conservation advocates for Maryland, Washington DC, and northern Virginia.

As a founding organization of CCWC and still serving on the Steering Committee, water quality and stormwater are major focuses of Nature Forward. Advocacy around stormwater has included land use planning and park protection—where parks are often the stream valleys taking on the area's stormwater. Nature Forward is also home to a robust water quality monitoring program, launched as an all-volunteer effort thirty years ago. Today that effort has informed the Creek Critters® App—a free smartphone app guiding users through the process of a macroinvertebrate-based stream health evaluation.

The Story of Streams

Despite their successful water quality monitoring program, Nature Forward found that macroinvertebrate data is difficult to communicate to the general public. This led to the release this past summer of The Story of Streams, a community outreach and communications project to encourage the connection between local waterways and people who have the chance to be stewards of them. The project is a tool that makes it easier for communities to communicate the health and needs of local streams to their public officials, ultimately emphasizing the need for better policies to improve the health of these small streams.

Another Successful Coalition

Eliza co-chairs the Montgomery County Stormwater Partners Network along with fellow CCWC member Jeanne Braha of Rock Creek Conservancy. This was founded a little over a decade ago by advocates in Montgomery County and its creation helped build momentum to encourage the formation of watershed groups throughout the county. The group was also active in advocacy related to the Phase I MS4 permits. These early advocacy efforts placed Montgomery County as a leader in addressing stormwater. One accomplishment of note is how the Partners Network helped reverse a number of proposed budget cuts to the county's stormwater programs. The group now focuses on providing simple ways for individual landowners to install stormwater practices and serving as a watchdog on government agencies and MS4 permits.

Thriving in the CCWC

Nature Forward is an active member of the Coalition. In addition to serving on the Steering Committee, Nature Forward staff participate in the Maryland, Virginia, Equity, and Stormwater workgroups. The DEIJ Action Guide the Equity Workgroup produced is a very helpful resource to Nature Forward, and they find the Stormwater workgroup is a meaningful place to share and gain stormwater knowledge. The federal advocacy the Coalition takes the lead on, including the annual Chesapeake Bay Day on Capitol Hill, is a valued resource, especially since Nature Forward's advocacy efforts are focused mainly on local policy.

An Invitation

Visitors tour the Woodend Sanctuary. Photo courtesy Nature Forward.

There is so much great restoration work to see at Woodend Sanctuary, their nexus of managed land and advocacy. You really should visit! They offer basic tours on a regular basis, but can also arrange for more "nerdy" and detailed tours, if you want to know the minutiae of the restoration work they've overseen.

And, if you're looking for the perfect place for your staff retreat, they have very reasonable rates on midday rentals for nonprofits in a lovely, historic facility.

Marisa Olszewski is Maryland League of Conservation Voter’s Environmental Policy Manager and the Choose Clean Water Coalition’s Maryland State Lead