by Marlene Berlin Let’s start with some good news: After 15 years of study and advocacy, Chesapeake Street at Connecticut Avenue finally has a fully operational traffic light. Installation started in December, and the signal was activated on March 10th, but its origins go all the way back to 2010, when Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action, […]
Stream and stormwater updates: Broad Branch’s bad report card, Linnean trail work, and the late arrival of some of our favorite seasonal neighbors
Broad Branch stream health Alicia Ritzenhaler, environmental protection specialist at the DC Department of Energy and the Environment, says the stream has a new water quality sensor. The data it collects is used to score the stream’s health. DOEE’s Stream Condition Index assigns A-F letter grades, and the Broad Branch report card not looking good. […]
Opinion: RFK Jr.’s Rock Creek tributary swim calls attention to the parks’ pollution – and public communication problems
by Marlene Berlin I’ve been sounding the alarm for a while now, and I’ll say it again: Don’t let your children, your dogs, or yourself swim, wade, play, or otherwise come into contact with the waters of Rock Creek and tributaries including Soapstone, Reservation 630, and Broad Branch. On a good day, they are polluted […]
Backyard Nature: A cottonwood storm and other joys, courtesy of Mother Nature
by Marlene Berlin I first noticed the storm as I walked down Davenport Street toward Rock Creek Park. White balls of fluff were dancing and floating in the air all around me. The cottonwood storm overtook me again as I walked along the Broad Branch daylighted stream. Any other time of year, the fluff might […]
April evenings are the perfect time to enjoy the romantic songs… of frogs
by Marlene Berlin One of my favorite seasons of the year has begun: frog mating season. I was walking the Western Ridge Trail this week when I heard it: a familiar faint hum. I knew at once it was the American toad. And as I approached level ground at creek level, I heard two toads […]
Eagle Scout service projects are to thank for some recent Broad Branch park improvements
If you walked the daylighted Broad Branch stream over the summer, you may have noticed a few improvements. Those are courtesy of two Eagle Scout projects. John Burwell, a longtime Broad Branch and Linnean Park volunteer, explains: Last June, I welcomed and was happy to collaborate with two Life Scouts, who endeavored to gain their […]
Backyard Nature: Weed or wildflower? Birds, bees and butterflies know the answer
by Marjorie Rachlin Wildflower or weed? That can be in the eye of the beholder, but “weed” is gradually disappearing from the lexicon as we recognize that many wild plants are native to the area, and play a critical part in the ecosystem. In many cases, humans have also found ways to cultivate and use […]
This dirty job results in cleaner streams
by Marlene Berlin Urban streams need maintenance, particularly those that have been restored after being buried for decades, and engineered to capture, filter and slowly release stormwater. At the daylighted Linnean stream, a contraption called a “bubbler” is fed by heavy and powerful rainstorms. The bubbler consists of a vertical pipe that takes the water […]
Backyard Nature: Lucky ducks
by Marlene Berlin Everywhere I go, ducks appear. One day recently, that was no exaggeration. I went for a walk, and ducks seemed to be everywhere. I saw the handsome wood duck pair above, enjoying a swim in Rock Creek. And, as I was exiting the Western Ridge Trail to walk along Ridge Road, I […]
Backyard Nature: The love song of the American toad
by Marlene Berlin One day in early April, I was treated to a thrilling duet. This American toad, from its perch on a Broad Branch stream pond, was calling out for a mate – and getting a response. I had been walking nearby, lost in thought, when I heard a faint hum. It took me […]