by Adam Sieminski Winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei) is a tenacious, perennial, and evergreen plant that grows as a sprawling groundcover or climbing vine. Those qualities make it attractive to many local gardeners – but the plant is invasive and damaging to trees. Introduced from Asia more than a century ago, this species is becoming a pest […]
Meet Your Neighbors: Thanks to this Weed Warrior, invasive plants don’t stand a chance
by Marlene Berlin John Burwell has appeared on our pages several times over the past three years for his work as a volunteer caregiver of our daylighted and restored streams, Broad Branch and Linnean. For example, we recently wrote about the signs he designed, built and posted at these two parks. Burwell’s home is actually […]
Rock Creek Conservancy: Protecting a DC oasis – and the “lungs” of the city
by Mark Moran Rock Creek Park is an oasis in the city, in more ways than one. “One of my greatest pleasures is to go alone into the peaceful setting at Reservation 630 West in Rock Creek Park, planning for volunteers who will help with the removal of invasive plants that will allow native plants […]
August in the Neighborhood: Play tourist, learn to do-si-do, and watch someone else do the dancing
We’ve noticed a change in around the neighborhood over the past couple of weeks: There’s hardly any traffic. We’ve seen fewer drivers and fewer pedestrians. Even during rush hours, there are plenty of seats on the bus. Local businesses have seen the change, too. At the July 18th ANC 3F meeting, Van Ness Main Street […]
June at Peirce Mill: West African dance, artist-led “Create by the Creek” workshops
by Angela Kramer The Friends of Peirce Mill and Rock Creek Park have put together a full calendar of free events for the 2023 milling season. Our new summer dance and performance series kicks off on June 3rd with a performance by KanKouran West African Dance Company. Company co-founder Assane Konte will be sharing the […]
How DC’s oldest Boy Scout troop built a new bridge in Linnean Park
by John Burwell One weekend in early January, William Wales, a junior at Jackson-Reed High School, led Boy Scout Troop 100 in building and installing a boardwalk bridge over a small waterway in Linnean Park. This fulfilled the requirements for his Eagle Scout service project. As regular park visitors know, the old log footbridge was […]
Local MLK weekend service events include Rock Creek Park cleanups
As they have done for the past 12 years, volunteers will spend the Martin Luther King holiday weekend sprucing up Rock Creek Park and its tributaries. Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service are hosting nearly a dozen trash and invasive species removal events on Saturday, January 14th and Monday, January 16th. Nearby cleanups […]
Young volunteers are replacing a rotting bridge on the Linnean Park trail
by John Burwell Visitors to Linnean Park the weekend January 7th and 8th will be unable to cross the old cut log footbridge, as a new boardwalk bridge will be under construction. A member of Boy Scout Troop 100 will be leading the troop in building a level and safe water crossing as his Eagle […]
Whether we whack ’em, or wrangle ’em, we can do something about invasive, overgrown weeds
by Ken Sands Forest Hills residents who’ve used the sidewalk on Albemarle between Connecticut and the entrance to Soapstone Valley know the perennial problem of tall weeds choking off access to the sidewalk. It’s a small slice of city sidewalk at the entrance to National Park Service property, and it’s infrequently maintained. So local residents […]
Neighborhood August to-do list: Learn about trees, frogs and the moon, and picnic like a Hillwood heiress
Rock Creek Conservancy’s 2022 summer fellows put their own spin on the organization’s community engagement efforts in July, organizing a spoken word performance and a “full moon gathering.” They’re not done yet. On Thursday, August 11th, when the “Sturgeon Moon” will be making an appearance, the conservancy is hosting another gathering and discussion of the […]