The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Stephanie Flack

Potomac River Project Director

Bethesda, Maryland

Brief Biography

Stephanie has worked for The Nature Conservancy for 16 years, and in recent years her focus has evolved from restoration and protection within the Potomac Gorge to partnerships and policies affecting the entire Potomac River basin, which spreads through four states and the District of Columbia. She works with a wide range of science and resource-management partners to foster understanding of how much water the river needs and when those flows are needed to sustain the Potomac River’s natural services and rich ecological diversity.

Stephanie on Why Her Work Is Rewarding

“The first thing that captured my heart was just the incredible beauty of the Potomac, and when I learned how exceptionally biologically rich it was, that also was exciting. From working on the Potomac for the last decade, I knew how important the river is for our quality of life in this region. That became even more apparent to me when I had children and realized this is the water that they drink. I really want the river to be there in the long run to support their health and quality of life.”

Project Benefits

Keeping the river healthy and functioning naturally will sustain a range of benefits to nature and people:

• Clean and abundant water supplies
• Flood control
• Wastewater assimilation
• Recreational uses
• Aesthetic values
• Habitat for wildlife and aquatic animals

Stephanie’s Hopes for the Next 3-5 Years

• Improved scientific information that guides water- and land-use policy and management decisions
• River and environmental flow needs incorporated into regulatory and permitting processes
• More acres of significant natural areas protected to safeguard water quality and quantity
• Coordinated water management across the river basin’s five jurisdictions

Recent Opinions and News Coverage

• Potomac: The River Runs Through Us (documentary)
• Watching the River Flow (interview)
• Our Nation's River: A System on the Edge (video)

Key Project Partners

• National Park Service
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
• Resource agencies in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Credentials

• M.S., Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
• B.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

 

Stephanie Flack

Potomac River Project Director

Read Stephanie Flack
's Full Biography

Read Stephanie Flack
's Full Biography

Read Stephanie Flack
's Full Biography