National Capitol Weed Wrangle
Our fourth annual National Capital Weed Wrangle ran September 14 through October 12 and was a huge success! Thanks to all of the 452 volunteers who took part in this amazing people-powered restoration.
The National Capital Weed Wrangle is an annual area-wide volunteer-powered effort to protect our natural areas through removal of invasive plant species. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s event, and in the meantime, thanks to everyone who comes out to wrangle at other volunteer weeding events throughout the year!
In celebration of National Public Lands Day, we hosted our annual National Capital Region Weed Wrangle from September 14 to October 12. During this month-long community service event, we focus on removing invasive plants from Rock Creek and parks throughout the DC region with partners including Montgomery Parks, Arlington County Parks, and many of the national parks in DC and beyond.
We are excited by the Weed Wrangle achievements of our volunteers and partners. Here is what we achieved around the National Capital Region:
Woodend (Nature Forward) held 5 events with 14 total volunteers who notched up 28 volunteer hours, removed 10,000 square feet of invasive plants, and freed 10 trees (mostly young saplings). Species of focus: porcelain berry, multiflora rosa, bush honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle, wineberry, wisteria, Japanese snowball viburnum, burning bush.
Rock Creek Conservancy organized 26 events with 452 volunteers who spent a combined total of 808 hours protecting our forests by removing 148,925 square feet of invasive plants.
Montgomery Parks hosted 342 volunteers who spent 1,015 hours freeing 1,201 trees during 39 Weed Warrior events.
Arlington County Parks hosted 21 events with 140 volunteers.
Volunteers at various other National Capital Region parks, including Prince William Forest Park and George Washington Memorial Parkway (Friends of Theodore Roosevelt Island) held 4 events and mobilized 44 volunteers who spent 90 hours removing invasives from roughly 108,000 square feet of parklands.
Get Involved with Weed Wrangle
Volunteers help restore Rock Creek’s fragile forests! Details on events and registration are coming soon.
If you are a Weed Warrior Leader interested in hosting an event during this timeframe, please email volunteer@rockcreekconservancy.org.
Are you a PRISM member or other natural resource manager interested in hosting a volunteer invasive removal event in your park/garden/natural area? Please email volunteer@rockcreekconservancy.org with “PRISM Weed Wrangle Interest’ in the subject line.
Can't make it but want to keep the weed wrangling going? Please take the Free-A-Tree pledge to remove invasive plants from your private land, protecting our parks from the outside in.
Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Please contact volunteer@rockcreekconservancy.org.
