As we all work to define our "new normal" of social distancing and protection from the threat of the novel coronavirus, the Friends Board is grateful that Titanic Memorial Park remains a place where we can all exercise and enjoy the beauty of nature.  It has been wonderful to see the increased use of the Park (with proper social distancing) as Spring unfolds. 

City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge has undergone major modifications in light of the global pandemic.  The focus now is on observing nature in your own backyard, and this can be done through entire month of April, not just the last weekend.  DC's 2020 City Nature Challenge leaders will provide on-line webinars to teach participants how to become involved.  The first webinar, iNaturalist 101,  will be held:

• Friday, April 9, 2020
• 12:00 noon

We'll send an update next week with information about how you can connect to this webinar through Zoom.

iNaturalist 101 will cover the basics of using the iNaturalist app and provide more details about the re-vamped City Nature Challenge.

We hope this e-blast finds you all safe and well.  We wanted to share some updates from the Park Service and from the Friends Board:

Spring Activities

It accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the District of Columbia, and the National Park Service, we are making major changes to our Spring activities.  

Titanic Day of Service

Our second annual Titanic Day of Service is cancelled.  We will schedule work parties again once social distancing guidelines allow for them.

City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge is undergoing major modifications in light of the global pandemic.  DC's 2020 City Nature Challenge leaders have provided guidance about ways we can re-tool the challenge to help participants:

• Learn about our local plants and animals
• Enjoy nature’s restorative power in troubled times
• Promote everyone’s health & safety

We'll send an update in the next week or so with our updated plans.

Thanks to everyone who answered our Engagement Survey this month!  The survey results show that you want more events in the Park, and we're going to work toward that in 2020.  On that theme:

Help us win some Pocket Change

We are a finalist for the SWBID's Pocket Change!  The Friends' idea is to host a free community picnic featuring food, drinks, and family-friendly activities.  We plan to hold the event in Titanic Memorial Park in May or June, and winning the Pocket Change grant will really help. Come vote for us at the Pocket Change Pitch Event:

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Riverside Baptist Church
699 Maine Avenue Southwest Washington, DC, 20024 (map)

Watch this space for more details about event.  Will you help us to plan it?  Email Claire Adrian-Tucci to volunteer!

Happy 2020, Friends!

As we start the new year, we are interested in how best to connect with you!  We want to make sure our supporters are getting the news they want without being overburdened by too much contact.  We also have a few ideas and suggestions where we want to get your input.  

In that spirit, we would appreciate you answering this 6 question survey.  It should only take 2 minutes.

Please complete the survey by February 7, 2020.

Thank you so much for all your support and friendship! 

The Winter Solstice has passed, and we are in the midst of celebrating the light in the darkness through Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the twelve days of Christmas.  However you celebrate as we approach the turning of the year, we wish you a very happy 2020.

Winter Waterfowl

Titanic Memorial Park is once again the winter home for waterfowl.  Look for ring-billed seagulls, cormorants, coots, buffleheads, ring-necked ducks, and more as winter progresses.  Read this DCist article, DC Doesn't Have One Hot Duck, It Has Many, to find out more about our winter visitors, and see if you can identify different species of waterfowl as they arrive.  Bonus:  Record your observations using the iNaturalist app...that will be good practice for the City Nature Challenge in the Spring!

As part of our Community Science Program, we will test Washington Channel waters throughout the winter to understand how much road salt travels into our waterways after storm events.

We are testing the waters in partnership with the Izaak Walton League, who explains:

Road salt (sodium chloride) is everywhere during winter months. It keeps us safe on roads and sidewalks, but it can also pose a threat to fish and wildlife as well as human health.

Fish and bugs that live in freshwater streams can't survive in extra salty water. And many of us (more than 118 million Americans) depend on local streams for drinking water. Water treatment plants are not equipped to filter out the extra salt, so it can end up in your tap water and even corrode your pipes.

This Thanksgiving week, we are grateful to all of our supporters.  We continue to grow in terms of donors and volunteers, and it shows in the improved condition of Titanic Memorial Park.

Donors:  We are one week into our end-of-year Donor drive, and have met over 20% of our donor goal.  That's a great start!  Donors are essential for us to continue the work we do in the Park, and take on larger restoration projects in the coming years.  If you haven't donated yet, please consider a year-end gift to help us help the Park.

Thanks to you, Titanic Memorial Park and our Friends group had a great year! Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help us continue to restore this gem on the Washington Channel.

You probably remember how the Park looked before we all came together as Friends of the Titanic Memorial Park— crumbling tiles, overgrown, rotting benches…hardly a welcoming place for our community and visitors to enjoy.

It was great to see some Friends at the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly (SWNA) Picnic in Titanic Park at the end of September.  We have several updates to share with you for October:

Work Party, October 19, 2019

Our next work party is scheduled for:

Saturday, October 19
9:00 - Noon
Meet at the Titanic Memorial

We hope you've had a great summer!  We've got some events to announce and organizational news:

SWNA Picnic in the Park

Our friends at SWNA are sponsoring a Picnic in Titanic Memorial Park on:

Friday, September 27
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Bring your blankets, chairs, snacks, and drinks to enjoy one of our community's most cherished places with your SW neighbors!

Light refreshments will be provided.