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Nature Forward’s mission is to inspire residents of the greater Washington, DC region to appreciate, understand and protect their natural environment through outdoor experiences, education and advocacy. We seek to create a larger and more diverse community of people who treasure the natural world and work to preserve it.
Program Summary
GreenKids environmental literacy lessons for Pre-K to Grade 12 students in northern Virginia, DC and Maryland, and professional development training for teachers to be able to lead environmental education and Green School certification efforts.
Water quality monitoring at 25 stream tributaries of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers for over 30 years. We provide consistent, reliable water quality data to policymakers and the public.
Flood preparedness and resilience outreach and education for highly flood-prone neighborhoods in DC’s Wards 7 and 8.
Data center guidelines to protect the environment.
Planting thousands of native trees and installing rain gardens and other green infrastructure in high-density urban neighborhoods to increase tree canopy, reduce urban “heat islands” and mitigate stormwater runoff during heavy rain events.
Leadership, civic engagement and advocacy training for underserved communities in Fairfax County and Washington DC. Trained Conservation Ambassadors are equipped to be effective voices for their communities on issues that impact environmental and human health.
Wheelchair-accessible nature trail through the woods, nature play space and bathrooms at our 40-acre Woodend Nature Sanctuary just north of DC, and school field trips that are hosted at Woodend and at Rust Nature Sanctuary in Leesburg, VA.
Native plant kits to help with stormwater management and to support pollinators, native plant garden consultations, and best management practices on display at Woodend.
Popular Woodend summer camp and days off camps; nature preschool.
Impact Statement
FY2026 ACCOMPLISHMENTS: OVER 35,000 PEOPLE SERVED
Planted 960 native trees at schools and other Justice 40 communities, and 8,868 native shrubs, grasses, sedges and perennials in soft landing gardens.
Distributed over 250 pollinator garden kits with instructions and support to residents of the Northwest Branch and Northeast Branch of the Anacostia.
Assisted 70 schools in becoming Green Schools since the program began and reached 11,968 students and 406 teachers in the DC metro area with GreenKids hands-on environmental literacy lessons.
Successfully advocated for natural resource parks and trails maintenance budgets to be restored in Fairfax and Montgomery Counties; made progress on data center regulations and education.
Engaged Spanish-speaking residents of the Route 1 Corridor in Fairfax County in contacting their elected officials.
We broke a Nature Forward record with the highest number of perfect scoring streams in over 30 years of the Water Quality Monitoring program’s existence, when 6 of 27 sites scored a 5.00 on the Index of Biological Integrity.
Held successful Taking Nature Black #6 and Naturally Latinos #5 with rave reviews.
What ways can the public get involved?
Founded and run by volunteers for many years, Nature Forward continues to rely on their help in all areas of our mission. Nature Forward offers a range of volunteer opportunities to fit a variety of schedules, interests and abilities.
For more information about how to become a volunteer, please email Volunteer Coordinator Peihan Orestes at peihan.orestes@natureforward.org. To fill out an application, click here.
Master Naturalists train with experts to become key players on Nature Forward’s volunteer teams.
Teens: MCPS students can earn service learning hours through our camp programs or by participating with an adult in our water quality monitoring program.
How are charitable dollars spent? Where does my donation go?
