by Marlene Berlin On Wednesday morning, I set off early on a hike through Rock Creek Park. I wanted to beat the heat and the sun, but ran into some rain instead. Soon after I started, around 6:45 a.m., I started to feel a light misty rain. It soon turned into drops. I could have […]
A new addition to Linnean Park is an Eagle Scout service project and an ideal ‘shinrin-yoku’ spot
by John Burwell Scout Troop 100 has once again contributed an amenity for the enjoyment of visitors in Linnean Park, thanks to a recent Eagle Scout service project. On May 3, Life Scout and Sidwell Friends junior Ian Condon led almost 20 scouts from his troop in assembling and installing a heavy-duty metal park bench, […]
Backyard Nature: Fleeting ephemerals and amorous amphibians
by Marlene Berlin American toads have a distinctive sound, one I listen for beginning in March. Their song is barely imperceptible early in the season, and it took longer to make it out this year. I first heard them the morning of April 1, while on the Rock Creek Valley Trail north of Military Road. […]
Local park updates: The fix-it edition
Our well-loved parks suffer wear and tear of both the natural and manmade variety. And over the past few weeks, DC agencies and volunteers have been tackling many of the issues. New drinking fountains for Forest Hills Park These friendly workers, from the DC Department of General Services, swapped out the park and playground’s old […]
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 […]
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 […]
The most recent Linnean Park trail work was also a teaching moment
If you’ve walked the Linnean Park trail in the past couple of months, you may have noticed some improvements. For those, we can thank volunteers who have adopted the park, a pair of trail maintenance experts, the DC Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE), and a group of young people being trained in the […]
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 […]
You’re Invited: David Cohen’s wildlife photos on exhibit
For many years, Forest Hills neighbor David Cohen has contributed photo essays about birds and other wildlife to Forest Hills Connection. In recent years, posters featuring his photos have helped people identify wild creatures they might see in Linnean Park and other parts of Rock Creek Park. In August, we’re invited to visit the Patuxent […]