Lack of upkeep of green spaces in DC

[Anonymous]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that no one is mowing the big open spaces around the city. The ones I see daily are on Massachusetts Avenue at the intersection where Washington Hebrew is and on Laughboro and Foxhall. I don't know if this is a city or federal responsibility, but clearly something is wrong because these spaces are overgown. People used to use these spaces for kids to play games and for families to have picnics etc, but now they're just an eyesore.

Does anyone have any insight on what's going on? And what we can do about it?

[Anonymous]

Most of these are Park Service responsibility. They are neglected in the best of times and these are decidedly not the best of times. NPS staffing has taken a huge hit in the last few months and seasonal hiring has been slow. Your best bet is to do some rogue mowing on your own if you feel strongly about a particular space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of these are Park Service responsibility. They are neglected in the best of times and these are decidedly not the best of times. NPS staffing has taken a huge hit in the last few months and seasonal hiring has been slow. Your best bet is to do some rogue mowing on your own if you feel strongly about a particular space.

Yes. The Park Service hires a lot of temporary help during the summer months. I read an article about how bad it will be a Yosemite this year. The temp worker budget was cut. They will have problem picking up the garbage and controlling the crowds. In Olympic national Park a bridge washed out blocking access to a popular part of the park. With the Elon and Trumps cuts there in no time line for repair of the bridge and all reservations have been canceled for that area.

[Anonymous]

29% of DC's surface area is federal land that the Parks service maintains (or is supposed to maintain). Both of the locations you mention have National Park land:
Battery Kemble Park (https://www.nps.gov/places/battery-kemble.htm)
and
Glover-Archbold Park (https://www.nps.gov/places/glover-archbold-park.htm).

This is an interactive map with layers you can play with to show land use and ownership in DC:

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapTools/index.html?appid=bfe92588686d47dc9ab110f84f882a0a

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of these are Park Service responsibility. They are neglected in the best of times and these are decidedly not the best of times. NPS staffing has taken a huge hit in the last few months and seasonal hiring has been slow. Your best bet is to do some rogue mowing on your own if you feel strongly about a particular space.

Yes. The Park Service hires a lot of temporary help during the summer months. I read an article about how bad it will be a Yosemite this year. The temp worker budget was cut. They will have problem picking up the garbage and controlling the crowds. In Olympic national Park a bridge washed out blocking access to a popular part of the park. With the Elon and Trumps cuts there in no time line for repair of the bridge and all reservations have been canceled for that area.

While that's true, NPS seasonals aren't mowing the grass on federal property on DC. They contract all that out, and that's where the problem lies.

[Anonymous]

It’s all over. I’m in Brightwood and have noticed some neglected areas as well.

[Anonymous]

I’ve noticed wildflowers growing up in the places that aren’t being mowed weekly like they used to. Bees and other pollinators are having a great season. This is definitely an unforeseen benefit of not mowing as much. I like it. Who’da thought DOGE cuts would pay green dividends? I’ll take it!

[Anonymous]

Even Lafayette Park in front of the White House isn't mowed and looks like crap.

[Anonymous]

It’s not just NPS property. DC parks are also not maintained as well as usual. I assume this is because of budget cuts due to Congress screwing DC in the CR.

[Anonymous]

It's all part of Trump's plan to make America great again.

[Anonymous]

We should get those fools in the Heritage Foundation to take care of this. I'm sure it's part of Project 2025.

[Anonymous]

The field at Fort Bayard park at Western and River, where youth leagues (try to) play soccer, has had this problem for years. During Trump’s first administration I talked about it with a supervisor who was there assessing tree branches to be cut. He said his mowing staff had been cut from 14 to 3 people. There’s not much room for further cuts from that this time around…

[Anonymous]

Park service leasing one of the two homes it owns at nebraska/foxhall
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/rocr-little-house-rfp-2025.htm?utm_source=article&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=experience_more&utm_content=small

The National Park Service (NPS) is offering a long-term competitive lease opportunity for Little House, a residential building located at 3131 Nebraska Avenue NW in Rock Creek Park.

The NPS seeks business proposals addressing how offerors would:

Use the property to benefit the local community and park visitors.

Provide services and amenities.

Make improvements to and maintain the leased premises.

Preserve and protect the property.

Potential lessees are invited to submit proposals through July 31, 2025.

[Anonymous]

It looks like this all over the city. It’s mostly federal. I wish better signage could differentiate what is federal and not federal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve noticed wildflowers growing up in the places that aren’t being mowed weekly like they used to. Bees and other pollinators are having a great season. This is definitely an unforeseen benefit of not mowing as much. I like it. Who’da thought DOGE cuts would pay green dividends? I’ll take it!

Guess what else likes tall undisturbed grasses in urban areas: rats, mosquitoes, mice, and snakes.

https://dob.dc.gov/node/1620791#:~:text=You%20can%20report%20your%20service,or%20weeds%20that%20are%20dead.