Celebrate Summer in the Woods of Ward 8

For the first time in recent memory, Shepherd Parkway has its very own sign identifying it as a unit of National Park Service (NPS).  The sign pictured here was erected in February at the corner of 2nd and Chesapeake Streets SW. More of these are expected at several locations by the end of the year, along with new informational panels known as "waysides." For the past year, Ranger Vince Vaise has worked with the NPS's Northeast Region headquarters in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to create the new signs. The Committee to Restore Shepherd Parkway has been arguing for five years that high quality, well-placed signage is key to helping residents and visitors see the park as a valuable resource rather than a foreboding, and inaccessible dead zone. The Park Service has been slow to make the improvements we seek, but our persistent advocacy has finally born fruit.  The new signage is an important step along the way to reengaging the public with their public land.  But what's that awful mess? It's just some of the junk that's still laying in the woods, fouling the soil and water and visually scaring a lush and otherwise beautiful landscape. We need your help to clean it all up.   Please join our next Community Clean-Up Saturday, June 10 10:30 am - 1 pm -Meet opposite 555 Newcomb Street SE, in the park in the corner of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Avenues SE -Wear boots, pants (not shorts) and clothes you don't mind getting dirty -Gloves, bags, tools and water will be provided -Documentation of community service hours provided upon request -School, church, and workplace groups are welcome with RSVP -For more info contact Nathan at nbharrington@yahoo.com or 301-758-5892