Linnean Park trail improvements are getting under way

The trail alongside the rehabilitated Linnean Park stream is getting some much-needed TLC.

Last week, volunteers Ben Aurbach, John Burwell and Steve Lukaczer, under the watchful and knowledgeable Potomac Appalachian Trail Club volunteer Mitch Baer, removed built-up mud and silt from under a footbridge to allow easy stream flow.

The main work on the trail will be July 2nd and 3rd, when waterbars and rolling grade dips will be installed as a joint project between the Departments of Energy and the Environment and Parks and Recreation, and with the help of Student Conservation Association members.

Frequent visitors are probably familiar with the unfavorable conditions of the steep portion of the trail near Broad Branch Terrace. Erosion has turned the trail into a gully with uneven footing that can be difficult to navigate. After snow and ice melt or a heavy rain, the trail becomes a running brook. These devices will channel water off the trail to prevent further erosion.

The lower part of the trail near Linnean Avenue will also get an upgrade. The trail will be better defined by the placement of logs from a fallen tree, and placement of flagstone for easier navigation when the rainier weather turns this section into a swampy wetland area.

Those friends and neighbors interested in participating in this rehabilitation are encouraged to email John Burwell at pinehurstprojectdc@gmail.com. No experience required but this will be a task that requires physical strength.