“Tell the National Park Service (NPS) not to cut down 1,200 trees in Rock Creek Park by submitting comments on their plan to rehabilitate the Rock Creek Golf Course.”

“Proposed NPS plan that includes removal of 1,200 trees.” via Casey Trees

Thanks to J. for passing on from Casey Trees:

“Calling all Casey Trees Advocates – Save Trees in Rock Creek Park

Your Advocacy is Needed TODAY:

Tell the National Park Service (NPS) not to cut down 1,200 trees in Rock Creek Park by submitting comments on their plan to rehabilitate the Rock Creek Golf Course. Your comments are easily submitted through NPS’ online form.

Guidance on how to provide comments and a recommended template are provided further down in this article.

What is Happening:

Rock Creek Park is an oasis of natural resources within the District. Sometimes called the “Lungs of DC,” the tree canopy in Rock Creek Park cools, protects, and shelters people and wildlife. Recently, the National Park Service (NPS) published an Environmental Assessment on a proposed rehabilitation of the Rock Creek Golf Course. At this stage, the plan calls for the removal of over 1,200 trees – amounting to the loss of approximately 8 acres in tree canopy.

While the golf course is a valuable recreational space for the District, surely it can be rehabilitated without the loss of so many trees. The proposed plan will eliminate swathes of forest cover, including significant portions of the densest forest patches in the site. This will have profound negative effects on ecosystem services like stormwater management and impact habitat cover for some of Rock Creek Park’s most sensitive residents. Endangered Species like the Long Eared and Indiana Bats – whose populations have already been significantly harmed by the fungal white-nose syndrome – currently use these forests to roost and forage. Additionally, the Hay’s Spring Amphipod, which is only found in Rock Creek Park, shares habitat with the golf course and relies on forest cover for stormwater treatment. These species and many others will lose the valuable habitat they need to survive. In the map below, all the areas covered in red hatches will be cut clear of trees.

NPS formulated this plan by evaluating existing conditions such as invasive plant spread, impacts of the trees on desired turf areas, and overall health and conditions of the golf course forest cover. Utilizing these criteria, the study found that over 1,200 trees would need to be removed. It is rare that removing declining trees can be beneficial to the overall health of a park; trees provide valuable habitat and resources for wildlife through the very end of their lifespans. Additionally, in our experience, trees can often be saved rather than removed. For example, English Ivy vines covering a tree do not always indicate that the tree below is dead or dying, just that it needs some vine treatment and extra care.

How you can help:

The comment period for this project closes on Tuesday, October 24th, at midnight. You can submit a comment on this page telling the National Park Service to reconsider and re-evaluate the extensive loss of tree cover. If you need pointers on what to say in your comment, feel free to use this template below:

“The forest cover in Rock Creek Golf Course provides significant ecosystem services and habitat benefits to visitors and wildlife. Removing over 1,200 trees will surely harm the ability of this area to support these vital functions and the species that call it home, to the detriment of all of us that call DC home. I am asking the National Park Service to extend the comment deadline, and to reconsider the proposed plan and re-evaluate the metrics used to determine how many trees must be removed. The plan should prioritize saving trees that form the cores of forest patches that are designated for removal. Losing this many trees at a time when the District’s canopy is already shrinking would be a terrible loss.”

From the National Park Service:

“The public comment period concerning the Environmental Assessment (EA) for rehabilitation of the Rock Creek Golf Course has been extended to Nov. 4.

The EA proposes improvements that will address the golf course’s maintenance needs, increase playability, and broaden course appeal while focusing on historic preservation, environmental sustainability, diversifying golf programming and creating a vibrant community resource.

The Rock Creek Park Golf Course represents a significant period in the history of golf in the United States and the development of municipal recreation in Washington, DC. Additionally, it is an important local work of golf course architect William S. Flynn and a largely intact example of a course designed during the period referred to as the Golden Age of golf course architecture. The golf course is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Rock Creek Park Historic District.

Today, the golf course retains much of its integrity but is experiencing overgrown, encroaching vegetation that has narrowed the fairways and decreased playability; a lack of clear pathways for pedestrians and golf carts; the lack of a driving range; the deterioration of turf grass throughout the course; and limited facilities to accommodate golf course operations, golfers and non-golfers.

To restore the course, the National Park Service is proposing to remove more than 1,200 trees, of this total, more than 366 were determined to be in poor health or already dead, and nearly 190 are non-native, invasive species that pose a threat to native plant species, and nearly 291 are being removed to promote forest health. To mitigate for these tree removals, up to 200 native species trees would be planted in the course. Also, more than eight acres of meadows would be rehabilitated throughout the golf course, and an additional 4.5 acres would be planted in the northern section of the course. This would significantly increase the amount of meadow habitat in Rock Creek Park, a critically important action for the preservation of native pollinator species such as the Monarch butterfly and the many bee species that live in the park.

The EA describes two potential plans — no-action or golf course rehabilitation — and analyzes the potential impacts of either alternative on the natural, historic and human environment, consistent with the treatment recommendations outlined in the 2019 Cultural Landscape Report.

In October 2020, the NPS signed a 50-year lease with National Links Trust (NLT) to operate three historic golf courses in Washington, D.C., including Rock Creek Park Golf Course. NLT will fund the improvements.

How to Comment:
To submit comments online or get additional information about the EA, visit here.

If you prefer to mail your comments, be sure they are postmarked by Nov 4. to receive consideration. Mail comments to:

Superintendent
Rock Creek Park
Attn: Golf Course Rehab
3545 Williamsburg Lane NW
Washington, DC 20008

Please be aware that the entire comment submitted, including personal identifying information such as address, phone number and email address, may be made publicly available. We will consider requests to withhold such personal identifying information from public release, but there is no guarantee that it will be withheld.”