Rock Creek Park has been an oasis for many of us during the long months of the pandemic. This weekend is a good time to return the favor. The Martin Luther King Day of Service is usually Rock Creek Conservancy’s second largest cleanup event of the year (after the springtime Extreme Cleanup). This time, a […]
Volunteers needed for rain garden maintenance at Forest Hills Park on Nov. 21
Did you know? Forest Hills Park (at 3200 Chesapeake Street) has two rain gardens. One is tucked alongside the basketball and tennis courts on Brandywine Street. The other is next to the amphitheater across the footpath from the tennis courts. They were installed to help capture and filter stormwater that otherwise might pollute Rock Creek […]
Rock Creek Park volunteers are seeking feedback on their informational project
by David Cohen John Burwell is passionate about Rock Creek Park. A volunteer in the park since 2007, John created and shepherds The Pinehurst Project, “a volunteer effort to restore the forest and meadow of Pinehurst Tributary in Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC, by removing invasives and planting native trees.” Now John and I would […]
Photos: Linnean Stream’s walking path and ponds get a trim
by Marlene Berlin Invasive plant species have had a field day at the daylighted streams, Broad Branch and Linnean. Last year, the Broad Branch section got a thorough cleanup from Department of Energy and the Environment contractor Daylily Landscaping, a woman-owned, Black-owned company in DC. Recently, the Daylily crew was out working hard at the […]
Watch: Broad Branch flooding time lapse after Thursday’s rain
by Marlene Berlin Last Thursday’s heavy rain caused local waterways to overflow and led to dramatic water rescues across the region. Thankfully, no drivers were trapped on Broad Branch Road this time, but Rock Creek and tributary streams such as Broad Branch did flood local roadways. WTOP captured the dramatic power of the water on […]
Backyard Nature: More wild and wonderful mushrooms
by Marjorie Rachlin This is a great summer for mushrooms. A walk in the neighborhood or in the woods of Rock Creek will show you an amazing variety of shapes and colors. My recent article in Forest Hills Connection (“The wild and wonderful world of mushrooms”) sparked interest, and friends began to send me interesting […]
Is it safe to splash in Soapstone or Rock Creek? Volunteer scientists are collecting samples each week to find out
by William J. Sittig Is it safe to swim or engage in other water recreational activities in Rock Creek and its tributaries? First of all, it is important to know that swimming is currently illegal in DC waters and has been since the 1970s. But, to assist in answering the question of whether or not […]
Covid-19 is taking a toll on Rock Creek
by Jeanne Braha With COVID-19 limiting our indoor activities, Rock Creek Park has been a popular escape as many of us are enjoying and rediscovering the health benefits of time in nature. However, that increased visitation is taking its toll on Rock Creek’s nearly 3,000 acres of green space. We need your help to take […]
On 36th Street, an oasis reopens
In 2013, Margery Elfin wrote about the “secret park” at 36th and Yuma Streets NW (map). She and her late husband Mel enjoyed taking their dog, Emmy, on walks through the pocket park’s shaded paths. But they were concerned that the park had been forgotten by its caretakers. The walkways were littered with broken flagstones. […]
What an early July deluge did to Soapstone Creek, and who comes to repair the damage
by Marlene Berlin The storms that rolled through the area late on Monday, July 6th and early the next morning produced quite a light show. They also pummeled the region with rain. Trees fell, thousands lost power, roads flooded and Metro suspended service between Van Ness and Dupont Circle as water poured into the Cleveland […]