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![Tim Dowdy works to remove ivy from the park.](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Weed-Warrior-Tim-Dowdy-removing-English-ivy_opt-941x1254.jpg)
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![Tim Dowdy works to remove ivy from the park.](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Weed-Warrior-Tim-Dowdy-removing-English-ivy_opt-260x174.jpg)
Are you going a little stir-crazy due to the coronavirus pandemic? If you’re looking to get out of the house and stretch your legs, but also do some good, it’s worth thinking about helping the Rock Creek Conservancy.
Jeanne Braha is the Rock Creek Conservancy’s Executive Director, and she said her group, which focuses on restoring and protecting Rock Creek and its parklands, always needs hand.
While a number of things in D.C.’s largest park are closed — like pavilions, playgrounds and exercise equipment — nature never stops.
Volunteers can help stop the spread of invasive plants.
“We’re encouraging people to take an English Ivy pledge,” Braha said. Those who take the pledge can work to free a tree of English ivy, a common invasive species.
Beyond working on the English ivy project — see photos above on how to tell the difference between benign and invasive ivy — Braha encourages visitors to pick up trash while out for a daily walk, while advising guests to be cognizant of health guidelines when doing so.
It’s something you can do on your own, and you can help make the park more beautiful for others.
“[Parks] are such important resources for our health and well-being during this difficult time,” Braha said.
For more information about how you can help the park, visit the conservancy’s website.
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