Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood
Covering Forest Hills, Van Ness, North Cleveland Park and Wakefield
by Marlene Berlin Many of us might prefer to see our local streams in their spring and summer blankets of green, or in the winter, blanketed in snow. But there is beauty to be found there even now. It’s been fairly mild, but in late December it was cold enough to see ice in the […]
by Marlene Berlin Last Friday, two men met at Broad Branch Stream. One was Tony Donaldson, Jr., a Ward 3 representative from the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services. The other was John Burwell, who has been leading with teams of volunteers clearing invasive plants from the daylighted stream. Burwell is a certified Weed […]
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 […]
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 […]
by Marlene Berlin If there’s an upside to the cold wintry blast this week, it’s that the ponds in Broad Branch and Linnean Streams begin to ice over, and the patterns they create can be exquisite. The varied ice formations show how the water moves through these streams. Overnight freezes should enhance this ice show […]
The next few weeks bring opportunities to beautify and protect local parks and streams. One gives you an opportunity to add “warrior” to your title! And they all present a chance for students to knock out some service hours. Saturday, November 23 – Weed Warrior Training: Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service will […]
by Marlene Berlin I went to explore our creeks after a storm dropped just under 1.5 inches of rain overnight Saturday and Sunday morning. Here’s what I found. After a long dry spell, it felt refreshing to be out on wet trails. Streamlets reappeared. And the sound of roaring water made a comeback. Rock Creek […]
by Marlene Berlin The daylighted Broad Branch stream is a nice place to walk and soak in the sights and sounds of nature. Or was, until wild overgrowth overtook the trail this summer. The trail is now walkable again. On the afternoon on September 17th, representatives of the District Department of Energy and the Environment […]
by Marlene Berlin Putting out an SOS for Broad Branch and Linnean Streams. These two streams in our neighborhood, which have developed into a frog haven, a peaceful place to walk your dog, and a place to find and hear birds and insects, need a group of friends to take care of it. One way […]
by Marlene Berlin It is time to visit Broad Branch Stream to see the tadpoles. When they are young, it is difficult to identify their species. Two species I have heard, the spring peepers and American toad (which made a debut performance during the Forest Hills Connection Broad Branch Stream tour in April), look similar […]
