Nature Center Mini-Oasis
Located at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, the Nature Center Mini-Oasis is an island of forest sitting in the middle of the parking lot. Despite its position between an active roadway, it is an excellent place to observe birds and wildflowers and find quiet in the heart of the park.
Fun Fact
The Rock Creek Park Nature Center is the location of the only planetarium in the National Park Service.
Size: 1.59 acres
Status: Restoration in progress
Primary issue: Invasive plants colonizing emerging light gaps created by dying oak trees
Site Description
The Nature Center Mini-Oasis has been stewarded by volunteers through the Conservancy’s private volunteer events since 2024 and as of 2025, is close to achieving less than 5% cover by invasive plants, the benchmark by which we measure successful control of invasive vegetation.
In the heart of Rock Creek, the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium is, for many park visitors, a gateway to exploring the trails throughout the park’s 1,800 acres of forests.
Upcoming Work
Invasive Plant Removal: Volunteer groups will continue serving the Nature Center through private events, removing invasive plants like bush honeysuckle, wineberry, and the locally spreading Japanese angelica tree.
Restoration History
Invasive Plant Management: Volunteers at private events in 2024 helped to manually remove invasive plants including Japanese and bush honeysuckle, wineberry, English ivy, linden viburnum, and Japanese angelica tree. In just one year, these volunteers have almost entirely restored the mini-oasis - just a few more sessions of work remain to eradicate the small remaining infestations.
