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VOICE ONE:
This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program,Explorations. Join us today as we travel along the Potomac River inthe eastern United States. The Potomac is one of America’s mosthistoric waterways.
((SOUND: River noises)
VOICE ONE:
The Potomac River flows more than six-hundred kilometers from theAllegheny Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, on the Atlantic Oceancoast. The river flows through West Virginia, Maryland, andVirginia. It also flows through the United States capital,Washington, D-C.
The Potomac is the wildest river in the world that flows througha heavily populated area. It supplies water for more than eightypercent of the four-million people who live in the Washington area.Millions of people use the river and the land nearby forrecreational activities. These include boating, fishing, hiking andbird watching. The area is home to important birds such as the greatblue heron and the American bald eagle.
The Potomac River has played an important part in Americanhistory. For example, America’s first President, George Washington,lived for many years along the Potomac in Virginia. He urged thatthe river be developed to link Americans with the West.
VOICE TWO:
We will explore the Potomac River in a small boat called a canoethat we move through the water using sticks called paddles. Our tripwill take seven or eight days. The boat has only enough space fortwo or three people. But we will not be alone on the water. Othercanoes float nearby.
We start in the calm waters of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Aguide in the boat next to us says people lived here fifteen-thousandyears ago. The Potomac River was a meeting place for AmericanIndians long before Europeans arrived. The Indians gathered to tradefood and furs. Today, people often find objects that the Indiansleft behind.
VOICE ONE:
We work hard to paddle our canoe, and are happy to stop and restat Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. During the nineteenth century, thisvillage was an important transportation center for the river, asmaller waterway and a railroad. At Harpers Ferry, the Potomac flowsthrough the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here it meets the ShenandoahRiver. From our boat we can see the water flowing toward huge rocks.Green trees cover the mountains on either side. Round white cloudshang low against a blue sky. It looks very peaceful.
VOICE TWO:
But this area is not known for peace. In eighteen-fifty-nine, theUnited States was close to civil war between the northern andsouthern states. The federal government had a weapons center atHarpers Ferry. John Brown, a militant who was against slavery,decided to raid it. Historians believe he did this to provide slaveswith weapons for a rebellion.
John Brown and eighteen of his supporters captured the weaponscenter. However, federal troops recaptured the center the next day.John Brown was later hanged. But his name was made famous forever byAmerican writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson wrote that althoughBrown had died, his spirit would march on.
VOICE ONE:
Harpers Ferry became a national historical park innineteen-forty-four. Today the park welcomes visitors who come tolearn about life along the river. The park also operates a programto restore an important bird, the peregrine falcon, to the area.About fifty years ago, the use of the insect-killing chemical D-D-Thad almost killed all these large birds. D-D-T was banned innineteen-seventy-two. Wildlife experts now bring baby peregrinesfrom the Chesapeake Bay area. Then they place the birds in rockyareas high above the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry.
The baby birds wear a device that sends signals telling wherethere are. The devices let wildlife experts follow the birds’movements. They hope that before too long, many peregrines againwill fly in these skies.
VOICE TWO:
Most of the time we paddle smoothly over the Potomac. Butsometimes the river is wild. George Washington understood that thePotomac was difficult to travel on, even for much bigger boats thanours. He proposed a waterway to avoid dangerous places on the river.But he did not live to see it built. Washington died inseventeen-ninety-nine. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built morethan twenty-five years later.
VOICE ONE:
Over the years, continued flooding from the Potomac damaged theChesapeake and Ohio Canal. Today it no longer carries goods.Instead, the C-and-O Canal is a national park. Kayaks and bargesfloat on the waterway, passing through devices called locks. Thelocks close off the canal and use special gates to raise or lowerthe boats. They do this by raising or lowering the water level.
The area between the Potomac River and the canal is called atowpath. The towpath extends about three-hundred kilometers fromWashington, D-C, to Cumberland, Maryland.
Today we see families walkingtheir dogs along the towpath. Other people are running or ridingtheir bicycles. Still others are fishing.
VOICE TWO:
Now we are getting close to Washington, D-C. Here the riverbegins to look dangerous. Signs warn boats away from the twenty-fourkilometers of the Potomac Gorge. So we leave our canoe to walk alongthe towpath.
Water moves fast in the gorge. There are many rocks andwaterfalls. The gorge begins above a large waterfall called GreatFalls. Here the water drops to sea level. The gorge then extends toTheodore Roosevelt Island, named for America’s twenty-sixthpresident. Here we get a quick look at a blue heron. This beautifulbird stands for a minute on a rock on one long, thin leg. An eaglespreads its wide wings in the sky, but does not land.
VOICE ONE:
We take land transportation to follow the river into America’scapital. Washington, D-C was built on a low wetland area ineighteen-hundred. The British burned the city in eighteen-twelve.But Americans soon rebuilt it.
While in Washington, we decide tocontinue our trip on the Potomac River in a larger boat forvisitors. This will take us past George Washington’s home inVirginia. He helped design the big white house, called Mount Vernon.George Washington and his wife, Martha, are buried on the property.
Today we see sheep and goats eating grass on the hill between theback of the house and the river. This sight probably looks about thesame as it did when George Washington supervised his beautifulriverside farm.
After passing Mount Vernon, we endour trip on the Potomac River as it flows toward the Chesapeake Bay.By now, we have a deep feeling for the beauty of the river. But thebeauty always exists under threat.
VOICE TWO:
Over the centuries, industry, agriculture and human developmentseverely damaged the environment of the Potomac River. By thenineteen-seventies, people described the river’s condition assickening. Then Congress passed the Clean Water Act innineteen-seventy-two.
The river has been improved greatly since then. Still, coal minesin West Virginia drop harmful acids into the water. Waste materialfrom the Anacostia River floats on the Potomac. Sediment materialthat falls to the bottom prevents traffic on some areas of theriver. Pesticides and fertilizers pollute the water. Manyenvironmental activists worry especially about the building of newhomes and businesses along the Potomac.
VOICE ONE:
The Potomac River faces many environmental problems as a resultof population growth and its resulting pressures on land and waterresources.
The river flows through land controlled by developers, privateowners and state and local governments. These groups often haveconflicting ideas about what is good and bad for the river. Severalorganizations work to protect and improve the Potomac River and theland near it. The Potomac Conservancy is one of them. It carries outa land protection program, develops land and water restorationprojects, and provides education programs for adults and youngpeople.
VOICE TWO:
We have enjoyed our trip on the Potomac River. The trip wassometimes peaceful and sometimes exciting. We learned a lot aboutthe river and its history. We hope that Americans will always takegood care of their historic Potomac River.
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VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written by Jerilyn Watson andproduced by Paul Thompson. This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for anotherExplorations program on the Voice of America.