Rock Creek Conservancy branches out this month with a full moon talk and spoken word performances

Rock Creek Conservancy has hosted several free events in Rock Creek Park over the years. But few, if any, were moon themed.

On Wednesday, July 13th, the conservancy is hosting “a full moon gathering and discussion” at Rock Creek Park Trail 9, where Beach Drive and Broad Branch Road meet. It’s also the site of a Rock Creek Conservancy “mini-oasis,” where volunteers and the Rock Creek Conservancy Conservation Corps have worked extensively to clear invasive plants.

The moon will indeed be full that night, but there will be plenty of daylight for the hour-long gathering, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs for the talk on “the importance of moon cycles, how they relate to plants, water, wildlife, and humans, and the significance of July’s Buck Moon.” Registration is required. And you’ll find more details and directions here.

This and another new RCC event, “Freestyling in Nature,” are the work of Rock Creek Conservancy’s summer fellows, hired with funding from the DC Department of Energy and Environment. The money is from DOEE’s Restoring Natural Areas Program, which the conservancy says was not funded in the 2023 budget.

This summer, six of the seven fellows are assigned to perform restoration and community engagement work at Fort Slocum Park (Darrien Davis, Daris Delph), Trail 9 (Lucas Roemer, Sydney Shaw), and Broad Branch Stream (Ruth Wielgosz, Isaac Wilson). Duties of the seventh RCC fellow, Linstrum Terry, include leading one of the Rock Creek Conservancy Corps crews. Linstrum works at Fort Circle Park.

“Freestyling in Nature,” taking place at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 22nd at Broad Branch Stream, will feature spoken-word performances. You might want to bring a chair or blanket to this one, too. And, you can sign up to participate as a performer. Here are more details and directions. And again, registration is required.

“We are delighted that thousands of volunteers engage in people-powered restoration with the Conservancy throughout the year, but also recognize the importance of offering additional programs like these to connect community members with the Conservancy and the park,” said RCC spokesperson Kelsey Pramik in an email.

“The Fellows have brainstormed these ideas to leverage their passions and the unique ways they personally connect to the parks.”

Pramik said Rock Creek Conservancy’s hope is that attendees come away with a new appreciation of the park’s beauty, and an understanding of the many ways to engage with it.

These events and upcoming RCC cleanups are listed on the organization’s calendar. Broad Branch fellows are leading volunteers through invasive species removal projects the mornings of Wednesday, July 13th, Sunday, July 17th, Wednesday, July 20th and Sunday, July 31st. Trail 9 fellows are leading invasive removal events the next three Sundays: July 17th, July 24th and July 31st. You can support RCC’s mission by volunteering at these and other cleanups, and by donating to the nonprofit. Donations will be matched through July 31st.