About the Riverside Park Project
The Riverside Park Project is a vision for collaboration between individuals in Stratford Landing and other neighborhoods along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the National Park Service, and other organizations interested in improving the Park and also our backyards. The first goal is to hold educational talks at Riverside Park to help people understand what a healthy ecosystems look like and what challenges plague them. The second goal is to bring volunteers and other resources together to “Free the Trees” in Riverside Park in 2016. This campaign will address the invasive vines that threaten trees and detract from the beauty of the Riverside Park and the southernmost portion of the Mount Vernon Trail.
Liz Halford
Liz Halford is a retired Army Officer who went back to school on the Post 9/11 GI Bill to start a new career. She started volunteering as a Weed Warrior to escape the books during the first year of her MBA at The George Washington University. The Weed Warrior training by a Biologist of the National Park Service (George Washington Memorial Parkway) opened her eyes to the real threat of invasive plants in our parks, and also our backyards.
Motivated to learn more, she found the Sustainable Landscapes Certificate Program at GW. The program requires in depth study of a local watershed, and she selected the watershed surrounding Riverside Park. Through courses on sustainability, ecology, native and invasive plants, she learned about the issues affecting ecological systems – and measures we can take to improve them.
The George Washington University’s Sustainable Landscapes Program
The George Washington University’s Sustainable Landscapes program will allow you to build your practice with the latest knowledge and sustainable design skills: urban ecology, stormwater management, soil conservation, native plants and urban food production. The program is suited for designers, grounds managers, natural resource managers, watershed stewards, planners, architects and green industry business professionals.
Learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Landscapes.
Sarah Vandenberg
Sarah designed the Riverside Park Project website. An alumna of the George Washington University, Sarah works with nonprofits, small businesses, and professionals to create communications strategies, carry out marketing campaigns, design and launch websites, and lots more. She approaches her work with a focus on analytics and smart project management: finding the most efficient and flexible way to engage your supporters based on all the data available to you. She’s currently a member of the Digital Analytics Association and a board member of Paramedics for Children.
Learn more about her work at Vandenberg DC, add her on LinkedIn or Twitter, or email her at Sarah@VandenbergDC.com.