After a long lull in Park activity, things are ramping back up!
Fall Work Party
The Park Service is beginning to allow volunteer-led events, under restrictions due to COVID-19. We should to be able to have a fall work party (or two) to paint park benches. Participation will be limited. Expect that no more than 10 volunteers will be able to paint benches with social distancing, masks, and other precautions in place. Stay tuned for details!
Water Quality Monitoring
While volunteers were not able to start doing water quality monitoring due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Anacostia Riverkeeper has been doing all of the monitoring in the Anacostia, Washington Channel, and Rock Creek since April. The Washington Channel has had good water quality so far.
COVID-19 restrictions were lifted enough to allow volunteers to help out, and Friends started monitoring the site at the Wharf on July 22. You can see water quality monitoring results at the Anacostia Riverkeeper website. You can also download the SwimGuide app to view maps like the one pictured here. (The app is available through the Riverkeeper website and your App Store.)
The Anacostia Riverkeeper is planning to do additional training later this summer. If you are interested in future training, contact the Anacostia Riverkeeper directly.
National Park Service Update
The National Park Service maintenance crews are still working at just a fraction of regular "in-the-field" staff due to COVID-19. This means work like restoring the tiles in the South Play Area will not be completed in the near future. Graffiti removal is a priority, and NPS is aware of the recent graffiti on the Titanic Memorial and will address it very soon. Please let us know if you see something amiss in the Park! We will let NPS know so that they can address it.
Meanwhile, NPS is conducting a Cultural Landscape Inventory of the Park. This formal study will inform future restoration efforts in the Park. And, we have a new, 5-year partnership agreement with NPS. This one replaces the original agreement we had, which was under the auspices of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly. The Partnership Agreement spells out commitments of both the Park Service and the Friends as we work together to protect, preserve, and restore the Park.
The latest National Park Service Public Health Update is posted here. Please continue to visit this page for the latest status as you plan trips to any of our National Parks in the region.
Hope to see you from a safe distance in the Park!
Corinne Irwin, Chair
Friends of Titanic Memorial Park
Proud partner of the National Park Service