National Park Service Seeks Comments on Invasive Plant Management Plan for National Capital Region Parks

Date: May 10, 2016
Contact: Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, 202-619-7177

WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) is accepting public comments on an Invasive Plant Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (plan/EA) for 15 national parks in the greater Washington D.C. region through June 9, 2016. Comments are accepted online or by mail.

While the parks throughout the National Capital Region protect many different ecosystems, they all face threats from nearly 200 species of damaging, invasive plants. The plan/EA identifies long-term strategies to reduce the impacts of invasive plants as the NPS works to ensure a healthy future – for people and nature, and well-preserved history in national parks.

The final plan/EA establishes management guidelines, action options and best practices. Whether the concern is invasive plants on land or in the water, park managers will be able to choose the methods that fit their specific needs and provide the most value in terms of cost and effectiveness. The plan also helps to identify the most urgent needs so the NPS can focus attention where threats are most dire.

Comments on the plan/EA will provide the NPS with the public’s feedback regarding the project’s potential effects on park resources, visitor experiences, and park operations. The NPS will address comments on the plan/EA before a final decision is made.

How to Comment
Members of the public, agencies, and organizations are encouraged to provide comments online through the National Park Service Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website, which is used by the agency to manage official correspondence and analyze public comment in the planning process. To provide comments, visit the project website, navigate the menu on the left side of the page to select “Document List,” then select “IPMP/EA,” and Comment on Document.”

Comments may also be submitted in writing to:

National Park Service
National Capital Region
c/o Mark Frey, Exotic Plant Management Team Liaison
4598 MacArthur Blvd. N.W.
Washington, DC 20007

Comments must be entered into the website or postmarked by June 9th to receive consideration. Please be aware that the entire comment, including personal identifying information such as address, phone number, and e-mail address, may be made publicly available. Requests to withhold such personal identifying information from public release will be considered, but there is no guarantee that this information will be withheld.

More About the Project
Invasive species issues in the following parks are addressed in this plan:

• Antietam National Battlefield (Md.) 
• Catoctin Mountain Park (Md.) 
• Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (D.C., Md., W.Va.) 
• George Washington Memorial Parkway (D.C., Md., Va.) 
• Greenbelt Park and Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Md.) 
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (W.Va., Va., Md.) 
• Manassas National Battlefield Park (Va.) 
• Monocacy National Battlefield (Md.) 
• National Capital Parks-East (D.C., Md.) 
• National Mall and Memorial Parks (D.C.) 
• Piscataway and Fort Washington Park(D.C., Md.) 
• Prince William Forest Park (Va.) 
• Rock Creek Park (D.C.) 
• President's Park (D.C.) 
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (Va.)