One recent Sunday, Van Ness Main Street’s Good Clean Fun initiative hosted a dance party at Forest Hills Park.
And this coming Saturday, May 10th from 9:30am to noon, GCF is leading an all-ages cleanup at the park. (Volunteers can sign up here.)
These events serve as reminders that so much the quality of life is our neighborhood is determined by the activism of our neighbors. And the volunteers looking after Forest Hills Park are the latest in a long line of activists who have nurtured this community gathering place over the years.
The Good Clean Fun initiative has been doing a lot of problem-solving work of late, too, and sent us this dispatch:
Good Clean Fun co-founder Tracy Zorpette recently met with representatives of several city agencies to assess the unkept state of 3100 block of Brandywine and discuss potential improvements. The sloping parcel of land, part of Forest Hills Park, is not regularly maintained by the city and attracts litter and dumping.
The problem area was even a problem in 2014, when this photo was taken. (Forest Hills Connection photo)
City officials concluded that the site is difficult for two reasons: the extent of the aggressive invasive plants and the steep grade. Forest Hills Connection previously covered the problems caused by these pesky plants.
Left to right:
Elaine Vidal, Watershed Protection, Restoration Branch
Mary Farrah, Invasive Plant Manager, FWD DOEE
Joseph Burckle, Urban Forester, DDOT
Erica Carlsson, Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructure, DOEE
Damian Ossi, Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries and Wildlife Division, DOEE
The invasives include multiflora rose, Italian arum, English Ivy, and large swaths of bush honeysuckle that extend from the property of the Capital Memorial Church, whose property also stretches to Brandywine Street. Staff from the Fisheries and Wildlife Division at the DC Department of Energy and Environment are assessing whether the site meets the criteria for the agency’s funding for invasive plant management. Volunteer work through a “Weed Warriors” event would be limited to flat areas and not on the steep slope, and during the winter to avoid poison ivy exposure.
The slope of the property limits the ability to remove invasive trees and bushes. While many native healthy trees are present, including the white-flowering black locust, black cherry, and black walnut, others are undesirable such as invasive white mulberry. Removing all of the invasive plants could cause the steep hillside to collapse, although pruning and removal of one or two Mulberry trees could be possible. Dead trees were identified and will be removed. New trees could be planted in six to eight months where there are removals, but they would need to be fast-growing, with aggressive root systems, which leaves out smaller, native flowering varieties like redbuds.
Finally, there are a lot of cooks in this city government kitchen:
- DC District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is responsible for the sidewalk.
- Street cleaning falls to DC Department of Public Works (DPW).
- Limited invasive plant management is managed by the Fisheries and Wildlife Division at DOEE.
- The Urban Forestry division of DDOT manages all trees on District land, including pruning and removal as necessary.
- And the overgrowth along the sidewalk should be trimmed regularly, at least three feet back from the sidewalk, by DC Department of General Services (DGS).
While long-term improvements to this wooded area may take time, residents are encouraged to submit a 311 request for “Grass Mowing Services Missed” (DGS) when it appears that the vegetation has not been trimmed and is growing into the sidewalk.
Learn more about Van Ness Main Street’s Good Clean Fun initiative and support the effort here.
Forest Hills Connection is also a program of Van Ness Main Street. We maintain our editorial independence.
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