The cherry blossoms are at peak bloom!  How beautiful they look in East Potomac Park, right across the Channel from the Titanic Memorial.  Now that Spring is here, it's time to get our Park spruced up for the season.

Titanic Day of Service

Our big event this Spring is our annual Titanic Day of Service:

April 13, 2019
9 am - 12 noon
Meet at the Titanic Memorial

This is the Saturday closest to the date the Titanic sank.  We’ll touch up the benches, a regular event to keep them well-maintained.  We'll also do a survey of the landscape and hardscape against the newly-found historic drawings. (More on that below.) 

What to bring the day of the project:

Water and snack
Closed toed shoes and appropriate clothing
Sunscreen and other personal needs

Public bathroom facilities are available; however, it is a long walk to them, so be prepared for that. All the other tools and equipment needed will be provided for you.

Please sign up on our Events page. 

City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge will be held:

April 26 - 29, 2019

If you can make one nature observation any time Friday the 26th through Monday the 29th, you will help make CNC a success!

We will provide an overview of CNC and the iNaturalist app that is used at 11am during our Titanic Day of Service:

April 13, 2019
11 am - 12 noon
Meet at the Titanic Memorial

Please sign up on our Events page. 

It’s not too early to get familiar with iNaturalist! Here are a few things you can do any time between now and April 13:

• Sign up with iNaturalist and download the iNaturalist app
• Join the City Nature Challenge - DC project on iNaturalist
• Practice taking photos of naturally occurring plants and animals and posting them in iNaturalist. Jump right in, or look at their online tutorials

Historic Find

We found the historic drawings of Titanic Memorial Park in the National Archives! These historic plans, which include both architectural and engineering drawings, will provide us with more complete information on the original design and construction of the park. The plans will both help inform future park restoration projects and assist the Park Service in its investigation into the current lack of water service throughout the park.

National Park Service - Partners Conference

The National Park Service - Partners Conference, hosted by the National Parks Foundation, was held in DC in March.  Three members of the Friends Steering Committee were able to attend, and we learned a lot about how Friends groups across the country are building effective partnerships with the Park Service and preserving and improving their parks.  We’ll be working to incorporate some of those ideas over the next few years.

Hope to see you on April 13!