ARMN lost one of its most dedicated members, Martha “Clare” Hayden, on October 13, 2015, following a brave fight with cancer. Clare came to this area from Wisconsin and worked as a translator for the Embassy of Spain, the International Monetary Fund, the Pan American Health Organization, and the World Bank.
Clare was a dedicated champion of nature who worked to restore native habitats. As a resident of Arlington Village, she cofounded their Environmental Resources Committee, which worked to restore the five-acre Oak-Hickory woods along a stream in the village. She also was on the board of the neighborhood association, served on the village’s Grounds Committee, and advanced the use of native plants in the townhouse community.
As a certified Arlington Regional Master Naturalist and Tree Steward, Clare was involved in many restoration projects and was active as a volunteer at Earth Sangha Native Plant Nursery in Springfield. Clare was especially interested in protecting and maintaining the native tree canopy in Arlington County, and her many naturalist friends admired her forceful advocacy and frequent intervention to save endangered trees. Clare also devoted her time and talents to Arlington Independent Media and the DC Books to Prisons program.
Clare’s friends, family, and the Arlington environmental community will miss her tremendously. Arlington Village has planted a white oak (See https://avgreenteam.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/c-hayden-tree-dedication-and-invasive-pull/) and the Tree Stewards also plan to install a tree in her honor. There are plans as well for a Martha Clare Memorial Meadow in Sharon, Wisconsin. Should you wish to make a contribution in Clare’s memory, please do so to Earth Sangha (http://www.earthsangha.org).