Community Corner

Volunteers Tackle Worst Washout In 41 Years

Dumbarton Oaks Park suffered soil erosion from storm water runoff.

A group of high school students spent three days this week helping Dumbarton Oaks Park recover from the extreme impacts of a July 10 storm.

Dumbarton Oaks Park, a 27-acre naturalistic park in Georgetown, is part of the larger 3,100 acres Rock Creek Park.

A storm that dumped heavy rain on the DC area July 10 proved particularly harsh for Dumbarton Oaks, already in need of serious rehabilitation.

Ann Aldrich, the executive director of the Dumbarton Oaks Conservancy, said the damage was the worst storm water damage in more than 40 years. She said last year at almost the same exact date there was a storm that at the time resulted in the worst damage in 40 years. This year's storm was double the damage as last year's she told Patch.

Luckily the Dumbarton Oaks Conservancy had already received funding through the Georgetown Garden Club to fund a grant with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to have a group of about 20 high school-age students do some work in the park. 

While one group tackled invasive vines, including one wisteria vine that was about 60-years old and was so thick that it looked like a thin tree trunk, another stamped in extra soil and ground layer to fill in trail areas washed away in the storm. 

Matt Briggs, and SCA Community Crew Leader, said his team of students have been tackling vines and rebuilding walkways since Monday. Wednesday was their last day on the project. 

The students, who live throughout the DC region, are selected through a competitive application process for a summer program that lasts from July through mid-August. For many this is their first job, explains Briggs.

In addition to working on area parks, students receive training on job applications and resume building. They also have environmental education days where the have guest speakers, visit urban community gardens or explore the USDA Farmer's Market. 

The annual Georgetown Garden Tour, hosted by the Georgetown Garden Club, helped fund the three days SCA spent in Dumbarton Oaks, working alongside volunteers from the conservancy and a National Park Service expert on invasive species. 

As the sweltering morning wore on, Aldrich cheered on groups of three and four students, reminding them to bend their knees as they tugged together to unroot a wisteria vine several meters long. 


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