Students Help the Anacostia on Friday

Forty-five University of Maryland-College Park students will be spending their first day of college removing invasive weeds to help increased visibility along the Anacostia River Trail on Friday, August 25 from 10 a.m. to Noon at 43rd Avenue and Bunker Hill. Local and state elected officials will be there to support the students’ efforts.

The trail’s traffic has increased when it was connected Washington D.C.’s trails in October 2016. To boost the trail’s safety, the students will remove vines and bush that block those using the trail to be seen from the other side of the river and from Bladensburg Road. This section of the Anacostia River Trail runs through Cottage City which has a population of 1,300 people. Cottage City is being assisted by M-NCPPC with this cleanup project.

Cottage City Commission’s Chair Sheila Butler said, “We appreciate the help that we are getting from the University of Maryland-College Park students to ensure the safety of everyone who walks and bikes this section of the trail.”

Christopher S. Garrett, Senior Park Ranger for M-NCPPC said “As a partnership, the Town of Cottage City, the University of Maryland’s College Park Scholars, and The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission will be working on the Cottage City section of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System, on August 25, 2017, removing non-native, invasive bushes and vines. Removing and clearing these non-native invasive plants will not only help the environment by taking away competition for native species but will also add to the safety of the trail system by opening up sightlines and allowing better visibility for trail users.”