"WETA Hometown Heroes" Features Byron Williams
Contact: Julie Nguyen
Phone: 301.283.2113 ext. 20
Email: outreach@accokeek.org
Williams, former board member for the Accokeek Foundation, has been active with the group over the past 20 years. He played an instrumental role in starting the river cleanup, which is now known as the Potomac River Cleanup, and in having the Potomac River named an American Heritage River by President Clinton in 1998. Williams, a retiree from the Federal Government, having worked for the Peace Corps and the Federal Emergency Management Administration, majored in animal husbandry in college and had his own farm in the state of Washington. Over the years, he has learned colonial-era skills, including birdhouse building, furniture making and basket weaving. When he moved to the Greater Washington area, he was drawn to the Accokeek Foundation because of its history and focus on nature. Williams began volunteering as a tour guide and costumed interpreter; his role there has evolved ever since.
"He's a real community activist, and he's very involved with the environment," said Annmarie Buckley, Director of Education at the Accokeek Foundation. "He loves the land and really is a great example of a connectedness with the land, both in the way that he lives and shares his ideas."
Founded in 1957 to protect the view from Mount Vernon across the Potomac River, the Accokeek Foundation, an educational nonprofit, became one of the nation's first land trusts. Today, the foundation stewards more than 200 acres of Piscataway National Park in Accokeek, Maryland, where visitors can hike a network of trails winding through wetlands, visit a native tree arboretum and observe an award-winning forest restoration project. The foundation also runs the organic Ecosystem Farm, producing organic produce for local purchase; the National Colonial Farm, a living history museum that depicts a Maryland middle-class family farm on the eve of the American Revolution; and heritage livestock breeding and seed saving programs, allowing the preservation of nearly extinct heirloom animals and crops.
Each year, Williams leads the Presidents' Day Shoreline Walk, which is open to the public. The guided nature walk along the river begins at Marshall Hall House, which is nearly three and one-half miles downstream of the Accokeek Foundation. During the walk, Williams provides stories about the history and geology of the river and the nature that surrounds it along the way.
"I'd like them to get a sense of what things were like before Washington, D.C., was what it is today," Williams said. "I'd like them to get a sense of the various historical aspects of it, as well as the natural aspects of it, the environment, the trees, the plants, the animals, so that they can have a better sense of their heritage."
Now in its eighth year, "WETA Hometown Heroes" is an Emmy Award-winning multimedia project that heralds individuals who improve their communities and encourages others to volunteer service. This year, "WETA Hometown Heroes" honors individuals who are impacting the regions' environmental issues through work in many fields, including the arts, literacy, health and education. WETA produces television profiles on selected individuals and their work in the its services, visit www.weta.org.