To the editor:

I am a neighbor of River Farm, one of George Washington’s farms purchased more than 260 years ago and currently owned by the American Horticultural Society.

I am also a mom of three curious, nature-loving and adventurous children whose thirst for learning and exploring is not easy to quench. For years, River Farm has been an exceptional place in our community to explore and treasure. Whether it is at the annual Easter Egg Hunt or an impromptu lunch picnic in the Children’s Garden, River Farm is the site of many fond memories with my children.

It is where we observe pollinators moving from bed to bed, where butterflies often alight on our arms and where we get down on our hands and knees in the grass and spend 30 minutes merely following a grasshopper.

The American Horticultural Society’s recent decision to list River Farm for sale to the highest bidder is a betrayal to our community. It betrays the intent behind Enid Annenberg Haupt’s gift, which allowed AHS to purchase the property in the first place, and it betrays common sense. Throughout the process, the AHS board has failed to give any reasonable explanation of its decision.

For nearly 50 years, AHS used this historic property as intended. But its hurried, secretive attempt to sell the property not only betrays the covenant with its generous donors but also its own stated goal for River Farm, enshrined on the AHS website even today: “To ensure the preservation of River Farm and its contributions to American horticulture for generations to come.”

If a developer buys River Farm, how long before the eagles and ospreys no longer fly close enough for us to watch them fly over the Potomac? How long will it take for River Farm’s rich history to become a construction site?

I hope it never happens, but it’s up to the AHS board to make the right decision by ensuring our beloved River Farm remains open to the public forever. As the COVID-19 global pandemic has taught us, the experience of nature has never in our lifetime been so comforting and needed.

-Lauren Keene, Alexandria/Fairfax County