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Potomac Gorge Programming Intro
Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region, in partnership with the National Park Service, has developed a resource guide to help educators in the DC Metro Area teach 2nd through 4th graders about the amazing biodiversity and rich habitats found within the Potomac Gorge. Background on Potomac Gorge: The Potomac Gorge extends into Fairfax County, VA; Montgomery County, MD; and the District of Columbia. Historically it contained more than 240 rare species and natural communities. Of these, 134 still remain; sadly the other 113 no longer exist in the Gorge. The Gorge contains rare groundwater invertebrates found almost nowhere else on Earth, and supports the highest concentration of rare plants in Maryland. It contains the largest intact block of forest in Maryland's Piedmont and one of the most significant hardwood forests in all of Virginia. On its passage through the Gorge to tidal water, the Potomac has one of the steepest and longest fall zones of any American river draining to the Atlantic. An incredible diversity of migratory birds spend part of each year in the Gorge. More than two million people live in the jurisdictions which contain the Gorge, so the Gorge's special values come with special challenges and opportunities. As America's metropolitan areas expand further outward, we are challenged to do more than preserve some open space for recreation. The bigger challenge is to preserve the natural systems that support life. If we can successfully maintain and restore the Potomac Gorge's natural systems, we will know much more about how human and natural communities can share the same neighborhoods. Teachers: The resource guide will enable teachers to use the Gorge and related national parks as an outdoor, hands-on learning environment for their students through a variety of scientific topics. In addition, the guide will help increase teachers’ and students’ local knowledge of, and interest in, the Potomac Gorge. Through the activities and links below, students will begin to develop a connection with the land that promotes a sense of stewardship and responsibility towards preservation of the Gorge. Lesson Plans by theme:
For more information on the resource guide and Potomac Gorge programming, please contact Jeanette O'Connor.
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