Justice Staffers Celebrate Earth Day with Anacostia River Cleanup

Earlier this month, attorneys and professional support staff members of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) donated their collective efforts to clean up part of the shoreline of the Anacostia River, as part of the component’s annual Earth Day service project.  

“Coming together for a service project on Earth Day is one of ENRD’s finest traditions,” remarked ENRD Chief Jeff Clark, addressing a dedicated group DOJ employees who donated their time to assist with the cleanup.  “We are all stewards of this Earth, taking care of it as best we can so that it can continue to be an inspiration and blessing for our children and for many generations to come.”

Earth Day service projects have been a long tradition at ENRD dating back to April of 2004. For the inaugural service project, staff helped to cleanup Watts Branch Park, a vibrant and living community park in Northeast Washington, D.C. Since then, ENRD has administered an annual stewardship project to honor Earth Day and give back to the local community — with the exception of last year, where the event was unfortunately cancelled due to inclement weather.

This year, ENRD staff headed to the Anacostia Park to help cleanup in anticipation of the National Chery Blossom Festival that takes place, in part, along the Anacostia River. The cleanup crew consisted of staff from the Division’s numerous sections, and Assistant Attorney General Clark commends their unified efforts.