Location: SoDaRiggs Park on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE
Join ANC 4B & 5A Commissioners,* the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association, and The Parks Main Street for a clean up day and park concept plan review on June 28, 2025!
Meet at the green space on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE to help mulch and pick up trash around the green space or along your street. Water, trash bags, rakes, and grabbers provided.
RSVP to ANC Commissioner Keith Sellars (5A01) at 5A01@anc.dc.gov and ANC Commissioner Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) at 5A09@anc.dc.gov.
*ANC Commissioners Keith Sellars (5A01), Shelagh Bocoum (5A09), Garrett Moore (4B08), & Danielle Geong (4B09). Assistance provided by The Parks Main Street Clean Team, Casey Trees, and DC Department of Public Works (DPW).
If you have newly planted street trees in front of your house, please water them. Last summer was pretty dry and a bunch of the newly planted trees suffered. If we want a healthy tree canopy to help us breathe and provide shade in the heat, we need to take care of the street trees.
Celebrate Land Conservation Day at Hellbender Brewing Company with:
Tree Tours
Live Music
Raffles & Games
BBQ Food Truck
Casey Trees Merch
And try the exclusive Casey Trees Serviceberry seasonal beer!
Tickets not required. Registration encouraged to help predict attendance. Also, there is a donation link in the event checkout to support Casey Trees.
Schedule
Event runs 2:00 pm-7:00pm.
Hellbender Beer Hall and outside patio open for the duration of the event, as well as BBQ food truck, raffles, partner tables, and several games all open 2-7pm. Exclusive seasonal Serviceberry beer brewed with berries picked from local Serviceberry trees. Proceeds from this beer support Casey Trees’ efforts to restore, enhance, and protect DC’s tree canopy.
Gather with neighbors for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B’s Second Annual Earth Day Fair at Takoma Elementary School (7010 Piney Branch Road, NW) on Saturday, May 18, 11 am-2 pm. Join government agencies, non-profits, neighborhood groups, student organizations, and more with the goal of sharing resources and opportunities for engagement around environmentalism!
Join neighbors, community associations, main streets, schools, local businesses, and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners for community cleanups across the neighborhood over spring break week: April 13th – April 21st. Join one cleanup or all of them, and collect prizes along the way!
In addition to cleaning litter, we will share details on how to submit 311 requests for city services, support our local schools and small businesses, and build community along the way.
All are welcome! There is no need to bring anything – we will have supplies on hand. This is a great event for local students looking for community service hours.
Last year we picked up over 150 bags of litter! And this year we hope to pick up even more.
Check out the details for each cleanup:
*Saturday, April 13; 10 AM; 1st St & Riggs Rd, NE: Join Commissioner Alison Brooks (4B08), South Manor Neighborhood Association, andFood & Friends to clean the neighborhood. Donuts, coffee & good company provided.
*Sunday, April 14; 10 am; Fort Slocum (Pavilion): Join Commissioner Tiffani Nichole Johnson (4B06) and Rock Creek Conservancy to keep Fort Slocum beautiful. “Manor Park” lanyards for participants. Coffee & snacks provided.
*Monday, April 15; 3 pm; Van Buren & Piney Branch, NW: Join Commissioner Erin Palmer (4B02) and Safeway to clear litter in the streets around the store. Safeway will provide water and snacks. Erin will bring Donut Run donuts.
*Tuesday, April 16; 11 am; Butternut & Georgia, NW: Join East Rock Creek Village to clean the area by the DC Fire Department’s Engine Co. No. 22. Enjoy lunch after the cleanup at Ledo Pizza (7435 Georgia Ave, NW), including a 20% discount for cleanup participants.
*Wednesday, April 17; 11 am; Busboys & Poets: Join Commissioner Evan Yeats (4B04) and the MainStreet Takoma to help the Main Street sparkle. Grab breakfast at Busboys & Poets (235 Carroll St, NW) with neighbors before the cleanup at 10 am.
*Thursday, April 18; 4 pm; 5th St & Tuckerman St, NW: Join Commissioner Zurick T. Smith (4B03) to clean the area around Coolidge High School, Ida B. Wells Middle School, and Whittier Elementary School. Lemonade and cookies provided.
*Friday, April 19; 10 am; Quackenbos St & Georgia Ave, NW: Join Tamira Benitez and to support our Georgia Avenue businesses through beautification. We will grab lunch after the cleanup. Additional details to be announced.
*Saturday, April 20; 10 am; 9th & Quackenbos, NW: Join Commissioner Kevin Gilligan (4B05) and MPD 4th District to keep our neighborhoods clean. Enjoy food & drinks after the cleanup at Oohhs & Aahhs (5933 Georgia Ave, NW).
*Sunday, April 21; 4 pm; Cedar St & Piney Branch Rd, NW: Join Jenna Cevasco to make Takoma Elementary shine. Takoma Elementary tote bags for the first 10 participants. Enjoy food, drinks & PRIZES after the cleanup at Takoma Station Tavern (6914 4th Street, NW).
Attorney General Brian Schwalb and At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson will lead a community discussion on the environment beginning at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE.
Join Casey Trees as we celebrate Land Conservation Day at Hellbender Brewing Company!
Sunday June 25, 2023, 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Celebrate the end of Land Conservation month at Hellbender Brewing with:
🌳 Tree Tours
📝 Tree-via (Tree based trivia!)
🎸 Live Music
🎟 Raffles & Games
🚛 BBQ Food Truck
🍺 And try the exclusive Casey Trees seasonal beer!
Casey Trees’ land conservation program aims to restore fragmented patches of urban forest, enhance urban ecosystems and public health, and protect green space for trees to grow and neighbors to connect with nature. We work with local landowners to steward natural areas and improve the conditions of those sites.
Green spaces, such as our conservation easements, work as protective buffers to slow down and retain stormwater runoff, reduce ambient air temperatures, improve air quality, provide habitat for wildlife and reduce heating and cooling costs. In addition, they provide gathering places for communities to recreate and connect with one another.
Join us on our conservation easement “Hellbender Hill” to celebrate all the benefits of protected green spaces!
Note: This is a public event – you do not need a ticket. However, registering for a free ticket helps us predict attendance, and donating in the event checkout directly supports Casey Trees’ efforts to restore, enhance, and protect DC’s tree canopy.
Schedule
Event runs 1:00pm – 7:00pm.
Hellbender Beer Hall and outside patio open for the duration of the event, as well as BBQ food truck (Beef Space BBQ), raffles, partner tables, and several games all open 1-7pm. Exclusive seasonal beer, “Fruit for Thought” Serviceberry Saison served – a saison brewed with berries picked from local Serviceberry trees. Proceeds from this beer support Casey Trees’ efforts to restore, enhance, and protect DC’s tree canopy.
Other activities are scheduled at:
1:00pm – Tree Tour of Hellbender Hill (first tour)
A couple of updates on the soil testing saga at Fort Totten Park. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is working with the National Park Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers to determine the scope of further soil testing in the park.
Recall back in 2017, National Park Service officials informed the ANC and elected officials in the city that a Metro contractor brought in soil from a toxic World War I munitions testing site in Spring Valley to rehabilitate NPS parkland on the west side of Fort Totten Park. That parkland had been used as a staging area for construction of Metro’s green line in the 1990s. NPS stated that the contaminated soil had been removed from the park and that soil testing in that area did not show any cause for concern.
In July 2020, an unexploded ordnance was found on the east side of the park where a pedestrian trail was planned between Gallatin and Galloway Street. Residents expressed concern that NPS likely did not know the extent of where soil from Spring Valley was taken in the park. Emails and concerns went unaddressed and residents simply received assurances that everything was okay.
In April 2023 two canisters were found on the west side of the park. The US Army Corps of Engineers is still testing those canisters and the area on the west side of the park remains closed.
The more recent discoveries of munitions in the park led Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, at the urging of residents and ANC Commissioner Zachary Ammerman (5A09), to start periodically requesting soil testing throughout the park. Commissioner Ammerman has created a timeline of events at https://www.anc5a09.com/trackers/fort-circle-park-toxic-waste-timeline.
On April 26, ANC 5A passed a resolution supporting further testing in the park. On May 10, 2023, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton sent another letter to NPS and the Army Corps of Engineers regarding soil testing. That letter requested a response by May 24. (See Congresswoman Norton letter dated May 10). Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker also sent to NPS a letter regarding soil testing. (See CM Parker letter dated May 19).
I reached out to Congresswoman Norton’s office on May 31 to find out if her office had received a response. On June 1, her office informed me that they did not receive a response but that they did receive a briefing on May 25. Her office sent another letter on June 1.
It appears there will be some type of investigation to determine what NPS lands were impacted by Metro’s green line construction and where soil from Spring Valley may have been delivered by Metro’s contractor. Congresswoman Norton’s office is still working with NPS, Metro, and District officials on the scope and timeline for getting all of this done. Her office is also working on a couple of different strategies for getting to the bottom of this issue. I offered a few suggestions to Congresswoman Norton’s office, one of which just involved better communication with residents. We should be getting more information about what is planned in the coming weeks.
On June 6, 2023, DPW’s Fort Totten transfer station will reopen at 4900 John McCormack Road NE for residential dropoff for bulk, trash, and recycling only (trash, recyclables, bulk items, yard waste, metal, tires, and appliance disposal). More info at https://dpw.dc.gov/service/fort-totten-transfer-station.
The Benning Road transfer station will be closed starting June 4, 2023, until further notice.
Join neighbors for an Earth Day Resource Fair on April 29, 2023, from 11 am – 2 pm at Whittier Elementary School. Hosted by ANC 4B’s Executive Committee.
The Resource Fair is co-sponsored by Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson. It will include dozens of government agencies, non-profits, neighborhood groups, and more – with the goal of sharing resources and opportunities for engagement around environmentalism. There will be food trucks, activities for kids, and cherry-blossom themed raffle prizes, so it should be both informative and fun!
Sign-up for the curbside composting pilot program begins tomorrow April 22 at 9:00 am. If someone in the neighborhood signs up and is selected, please let us know how the experience goes!
The U.S. Army safely removed the two metal canisters yesterday evening and are currently analyzing them off site. The NPS is working to determine the next steps to evaluate this area. Additional information on the canisters is not available at this time.
Fort Totten Park is open for recreation, but visitors should stay on the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the grassy areas of the fort itself (near Fort Totten Dr. And Crittenden St. NE). Visitors should not use unofficial trails through the woods.
Original post
Yesterday evening, Metro trains bypassed Fort Totten Metro station “out of an abundance of caution” after a National Park Service (NPS) employee apparently found “metal canisters” in Fort Totten Park. NPS states that the canisters were found “in a large mound of soil along Farragut St. that appears to have been pushed into the park from the road.” The U.S. Army is testing the canisters. The park is closed “east of Fort Totten Drive, south of Gallatin Street, and north of Brookland Ave NE/Farragut St.”
As noted previously on the blog, Metro alerted NPS several years ago that contaminated soil was brought in from Spring Valley (a former WWI munitions testing site) to rehabilitate land on the west side of the park that had been used as a staging area for construction of Metro’s green line. NPS stated it conducted testing out of an abundance of caution and found nothing of concern. Several years later, NPS found a WWI ordnance on the east side of the park during construction of a pedestrian trail. NPS stated it did more thorough testing and found nothing of concern. NPS had to abandon the planned trail location after running into infrastructure for Metro’s tunnel.
During this time, residents shared concerns with both NPS and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office about the possibility of contamination from Spring Valley. NPS assured residents that the contaminated soil was removed (from the west side of the park) and stated that there was no reason to believe that contaminated soil was brought to other areas of the park.
On February 7, 2023, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton belatedly expressed concern and requested that NPS conduct more thorough testing of the park. NPS officials attended ANC 5A’s meeting on February 22, 2023. At that meeting, officials stated that they would have a statement in response to Congresswoman Norton’s letter by the next day (February 23) or no later than Friday (February 24). I have not seen any communication from NPS since the ANC 5A meeting. It is completely possible I missed a statement. I reached out to Congresswoman Norton’s office a couple of times in March to find out if NPS shared any communication or plan with her office. No one from Congresswoman Norton’s office responded to my emails.
It is entirely possible that these recently found canisters are just waste. But it is really baffling how elected officials in this city are just shrugging about all of this and making residents do their work.
The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) is making improvements at the Fort Totten Transfer Station. Due to ongoing construction of the drop-off ramp, this location will not available for bulk and residential drop-off until June 1, 2023.
DPW is extending residential services at the Benning Road Transfer Station located at 3200 Benning Road, NE, through May 31, 2023, Wednesday through Friday from 10 am until 2 pm. Residential drop-offs are an alternative to scheduled bulk pick-ups.
DPW recommends that residents use 311 to schedule a bulk pick-up at a time convenient for them. Residents may schedule up to seven items per service request. Pick-ups are collected within 14 days of a scheduled service request.
Household Hazardous Waste drop-off will continue Saturdays from 7 am until 2 pm. Shredding will take place on the last Thursday of the month from 10 am – 2 pm, and the first Saturday of every month from 7 am until 2 pm. Household Hazardous Waste and E-Cycling services will also be offered at Benning Road on the Thursday preceding the first Saturday of the month.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) Office of Waste Diversion is developing the Zero Waste DC Plan in pursuit of the Mayor’s Zero Waste goal of diverting 80 percent of the District’s waste away from landfills and incineration by 2032. We need input from YOU to help us develop programs and policies to reach this ambitious goal.
Starting August 1, DPW invites DC residents to attend virtual community engagement events to voice their concerns, share their ideas, and help us build a Zero Waste future. There will be one meeting for each of the District’s eight wards, one for the business community, and one for the government.
To learn more about this exciting plan, and to access the entire engagement schedule of events and corresponding public comment periods, please visit zero waste.dc.gov/zwdcplan.
Can’t make it to any of the meetings listed above? No problem! Additional engagement opportunities can be found here. You can also stay in the loop by signing up for our Zero Waste DC newsletter (coming soon).
Next Stop...Riggs Park 