Continued Shutdown to Move MLK Weekend of Service Off of Federal Land and Into Your Neighborhood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Continued Shutdown to Move MLK Weekend of Service Off of Federal Land and Into Your Neighborhood

BETHESDA, MD, January 8, 2018 – Due to the government shutdown, Rock Creek Conservancy may be moving their MLK Weekend of Service events out of Rock Creek Park (overseen by the National Park Service, a federal agency) and into the park’s nearby neighborhoods.

From Saturday, Jan. 19 to Monday, Jan. 21 the Conservancy will host its annual MLK Weekend of Service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In years past, Conservancy volunteers gathered at sites in Rock Creek Park and Montgomery Parks to serve their communities by picking up trash and removing invasive plants. However, as the government shutdown continues this year, the Conservancy may be forced to move volunteer events out of Washington, D.C.’s beloved federal parklands.

“We have ambitious goals for Rock Creek in 2019 and we will not let the government shutdown slow our progress,” stated Jeanne Braha, executive director of Rock Creek Conservancy. “Most of the litter we find in Rock Creek Park has washed there from the city. By moving these events out of the park and into the surrounding neighborhoods, we are stopping pollution before it has a chance to reach our public lands while continuing to make a positive impact on Rock Creek.”

The Conservancy is encouraging community members to find a volunteer site near them and join their neighbors in service. Last year, the event mobilized 607 people who removed English ivy from 250 trees to protect Rock Creek’s tree canopy and cleaned up around 300 bags of litter that had accumulated in and around Rock Creek and its tributaries.

Rock Creek Conservancy works throughout the Rock Creek watershed, including within Montgomery County, MD. Volunteer sites within Montgomery County Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), are not affected by the government shutdown and will remain at their original location.

Any changes to the volunteer sites times or locations will be reflected on the Conservancy’s MLK Weekend of Service webpage. For more information, to find an event near you, or to learn how to host your own volunteer event with the Conservancy, click here.

ROCK CREEK CONSERVANCY – Rock Creek Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that exists to restore Rock Creek and its parklands as a natural oasis for all people to appreciate and protect. As the only organization dedicated solely to Rock Creek and its parks and a philanthropic partner of Rock Creek Park, the Conservancy is uniquely positioned to foster outreach, education, and efforts to overcome threats to Rock Creek. For more information, visit www.rockcreekconservancy.org.

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