Rock Creek Park has been an oasis for many of us during the long months of the pandemic. This weekend is a good time to return the favor.
The Martin Luther King Day of Service is usually Rock Creek Conservancy’s second largest cleanup event of the year (after the springtime Extreme Cleanup). This time, a scaled-down version of the event is planned, with trash cleanups and invasive plant removals scattered throughout the long weekend. These are the cleanups listed in our neighborhood.
On Saturday, January 16th: Remove invasive porcelainberry near Peirce Mill.
On Sunday, January 17th: Pick up trash at Melvin Hazen West.
On Monday, January 18th: Volunteers are removing invasive plants from Melvin Hazen East (the event is full) and Melvin Hazen West (spaces were available when we last checked).
The groups might fill up fast – Rock Creek Conservancy is keeping them small to make it easier for volunteers to keep a proper distance. If you don’t see an open spot, or simply want to pitch in at another time, date and place of your choosing, the conservancy is encouraging us to take part in individual cleanups. Register here and then let them know how many bags of trash you picked up so they can track and celebrate your achievement. You could pick up trash in the Soapstone Valley, Melvin Hazen East, at the Broad Branch and Linnean streams, or on your own street.
And you can learn how to organize and lead trash cleanups during Rock Creek Conservancy’s online stream team leader training on February 3rd.
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