Volunteer

Volunteers in the Fort Dupont Community Garden

There are many reasons why you might consider volunteering in Fort Dupont Park, and there are a variety of ways in which to help. Perhaps you'd like to see a cleaner local community park Or perhaps you'd like to see the vegetation of this beautiful park restored to its natural state. Maybe you wish to help with the community garden, or enjoy the fresh air and exercise required to maintain our trails. We can always use help with traffic control and other tasks during the popular summer concerts. You might think of other ways to help, as well.
The National Park Service's Volunteers-In-Park (VIP) program was authorized by public law enacted in 1970. Anyone can be a volunteer. Volunteers are accepted from the public without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability.
For volunteer information contact the Fort Dupont Activity Center at 202-426-7723. Projects are available for individuals and groups of any size!

 

Invasive Plant Removal

Join us to help remove invasive plants from the park. This partnership with the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) involves identifying and removing different invasive plants in the park, such as garlic mustard, English ivy, and Japanese honeysuckle. This hands-on volunteer project has been very successful as a result of the leadership of AWS conservation biologist Jorge Bogantes Montero.

Through the efforts of volunteers from many organizations and the general public, Fort Dupont is restoring the vegetation to its natural state so that future generations can experience the natural environment the way it appeared to the first European settlers 400 years ago. This experience will hopefully be achieved here in a highly urbanized environment. This volunteer activity is not a difficult or dangerous task.

If you wish to assist with one or more of these invasive plant removal activities, please contact Jorge at AWS by email at [e-mail] or by phone at 301-699-6204.

 

Volunteers at Fort Mahan Park

Thomas Safranek

Trail Maintenance, Tree Planting, Stream Cleanup

In the natural world, trees continuously drop their dead branches, and in the civilized world, people are sometimes careless with their trash. Consequently, we can always use help with trail maintenance of the beautiful trails within Fort Dupont Park, and along the 7-mile hiker/biker trail that runs from Fort Mahan to Battery Ricketts.
Sometimes both the natural and non-natural items work their way to the Anacostia Watershed, and block the flow of water, necessitating the need to clean the feeder streams.
At the edges of the trail, where the urban streets meet the trail, we occasionally plant trees and other vegetation to make these sections of the trail more pleasing to the eye.
We have partnered with Anacostia Groundwater, DC for all the above actives, and we are achieving success as a result of the leadership of director Dennis Chestnut.
If you wish to assist with one or more of these activities, please Groundwork Anacostia's website or to reach someone by phone call 202-286-4970.

 

Volunteers planting a tree at Fort Mahan Park

Ranger Kevin Barry

Tree Planting

Everyone can pitch in and help beautify the urban area by restoring some of the tree canopy in Washington.

At the edges of our beautiful parks, where the urban areas border the parks, we occasionally plant trees and other vegetation, providing us with shade and beauty.

One of our park partners is Casey Trees, which is successfully beautifying our parks and urban areas.

If you wish to help with this type of activity, please contact Carol Herwig at 202-349-1907, or you can sign up online at http://www.caseytrees.org