If there’s a young street tree on your block, it’s going to need your help. Casey Trees is out with a timely reminder that new trees need 25 gallons of water every week to survive. Under the current dry conditions, we can’t count on the rain to do the watering, and even if DC weren’t […]
The other Soapstone Valley sewer project is a complex operation
by Marlene Berlin Our reporting on DC Water’s Soapstone Valley sewer project has largely focused on the relining of the greater-than-century-old sewer lines. Another, and important, part of the project is protecting the lines from the next century of erosion and damage. DC Water calls it stream restoration work. I would call it stream reconstruction, […]
No geysers? No problem. Geothermal energy is heating and cooling homes in Forest Hills
by Karl Driessen Some people may have heard about harnessing the heat stored in the earth’s crust, in places like California, Nevada, or Iceland. Such geothermal fields are often located around places with volcanic activity. When you see hot springs or geysers, there is definitely something geothermal going on. And this can be tapped for […]
Unaware of E. coli pollution, schools bring kids to Rock Creek; ANC 3F urges NPS to post warnings
by Marlene Berlin While hiking in Rock Creek Park one day in mid-March, I encountered two school groups. One, which looked kindergarten age, was there to learn about stream ecology. I overheard a teacher telling the students he’d be showing them what was living under the rocks. Hearing this disturbed me, and I told the […]
Opinion: The problem with leaf blowers
by Kathy Sykes I must admit I’m not a fan of leaf blowers. I understand why people use them – from removing leaves from lawns to clearing walkways, sidewalks and driveways. It seems they make our world tidier. But the truth is, they cause more harm than good to our environment – and to our […]
You’re Invited: Turn out the lights on March 25 during “Lights-Out Hour DC”
by Julia Kampelman Stevenson Dear Neighbors, I hope you will join me and other equally concerned individuals and families for Lights-Out Hour DC on Saturday, March 25th, at 8:30 p.m. This is intended as a high-profile voluntary event throughout the DC metropolitan area, in which residents, building managers, and custodians of public monuments dim or […]
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 […]
Rock Creek Park deer hunt under way for tenth season
If your travels take you through Rock Creek Park after dark, you might encounter road closures from now until the end of March. That’s because the park’s annual “deer management” operation is now under way. In simpler terms, it’s a deer hunt. During the first one, which occurred over a few nights in 2013, sharpshooters […]
Courtney Carlson’s upcycled and leafy ANC campaign
by Marlene Berlin Courtney Carlson ran for ANC 3F06 and won, earning just shy of 50% of the vote against two opponents. Carlson’s signs and handouts proved her to be a creative and truly “green” campaigner, foregoing the types of promotional signs. One day in October, I passed her on the street, and she told […]