Help the birds - Comment on DC Rock Creek Park Golf Course Rehab
Denise Ryan
If you have ever birded in Rock Creek Park please consider adding your comments to the Rock Creek Park Golf Course Environmental Assessment due Saturday, Nov. 4.
Most of you know what a great bird magnet the park is during migration, and home to many breeding birds. I've been a CBC volunteer and organizer in the park for over 20 years, and a volunteer on the Breeding Bird atlases. The golf course always contains great numbers of birds during the CBC. Occasionally we get an amazing year of bird diversity with a Northern Harrier, or a kestrel, bald eagle, Savannah sparrow or a woodcock. Finding wild turkeys in the past decade has become more common. In the past few years Great Horned owls have begun nesting at the edge of the golf course. Just check out eBird to know it is a treasure.
My life as a 10-year resident of DC was greatly enhanced by my access to this park and volunteering for the birds and the breeding bird atlas.
I am concerned about the long-term impacts to birds, bats and endangered species if the selected Preferred Alternative moves forward. The National Links Trust, a new nonprofit stacked with well-heeled Blue Chip company folks, was awarded a 50-year lease of the Golf Courses of Rock Creek Park, Langston Golf Course, and East Potomac (Hains Point).
As a part of the lease, they are going to rehab the Rock Creek Course. You may have seen press on their plans to remove 1200 trees to clear the greens to their historic size. Including dead or dying trees, which we know provides important habitat for birds, bats, and flying squirrels.
They plan to change the course and add a driving range that will be lit up until 10 pm. I suspect they will also want to light up in the early morning as well, which I fear will have an impact on migrating species and collisions with glass in the new clubhouse planned to stretch the length of the southern end of the driving range. To their credit, they do note some of the windows in the new clubhouse will have bird decals on them. Why not every single window of new construction on the golf course? A disoriented bird blinded by the stadium-like lights of a driving range won't know which side of the building they are on when they try to fly at the window reflection. How will that light effect birds that might otherwise fly into the grasses in Military field (dog run) or the Maintenance yard?
There is at least one endangered species found only in the park, the Hay's Spring amphipod.
They are considering a groundwater well to supplement the irrigation from the city water, without prior testing to the effects of groundwater connections to these springs and seeps, and how it might effect this endangered species.
They plan to change the course and add a driving range that will be lit up until 10 pm. I suspect they will also want to light up in the early morning as well, which I fear will have an impact on migrating species and collisions with glass in the new clubhouse planned to stretch the length of the southern end of the driving range. To their credit, they do note some of the windows in the new clubhouse will have bird decals on them. Why not every single window of new construction on the golf course? A disoriented bird blinded by the stadium-like lights of a driving range won't know which side of the building they are on when they try to fly at the window reflection.
Your help is needed, especially if you have birded in the park. Please take a few minutes to provide your thoughts on this EA.
There are two choices in this Environmental Assessment - No change or give the National Links Trust what they want.
There has to be some other choices between the two. The National Park Service needs to develop more alternatives.
They do want to remove invasive trees, vines and plants. Of the 1200 trees, 700 are invasive. That is great. But they don’t address how they will preserve and keep DC heritage trees. Those are trees with a circumference of more than 100 inches.
The links below are to local press about the issue. I have also included a link to the Rock Creek Conservancy’s comments, which are helpful if you don’t have the time to dig in. Thank you for reading this far and please consider making your voice heard.
Rock Creek Park is a NATIONAL Park. Let’s not treat is like a city park. It is due the same respect and managed by the same laws as the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Rehabbing the golf course is a good thing, but not at the expense of the biological resources they must protect. Let’s remind them of that.
https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/11/01/rock-creek-park-golf-course-delay-trees
https://caseytrees.org/2023/10/update-rock-creek-golf-course-save-trees-in-rock-creek-park/
https://www.popville.com/2023/10/rock-creek-park-golf-course-trees-advocacy/
https://www.rockcreekconservancy.org/eagolfcourse
With my sincere appreciation,
Denise Ryan
Screechowl at gmail.com
Cass
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Sarah Lister
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Lorie Leavy
Cass
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Alex Rose
https://wapo.st/44o6U9u
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