Park use is up 93% in the DC region: People are using parks to reduce stress and keep healthy.

Erin Garnaas-Holmes is the Ambassador to the Anacostia Watershed Urban Waters Partnership. He writes a monthly article on the Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative blog.

If you have been to one of the parks along the Anacostia River or walked along the Anacostia River Trail lately, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that one recent study found that park use has nearly doubled in the District of Columbia metropolitan area during the pandemic. 

The increased demand for parks is completely understandable: people are largely cooped up at home, and indoor destinations are either closed or don’t feel safe. Parks are wide open, allowing for social distancing, and they provide space for relaxation or recreation. The power of natural spaces to boost our mental health is more apparent and crucial than ever. One frequent visitor to Kingman Island said that the park provides:

“Space for my son to stretch his legs, the peace of nature, fresh air for us all. We… could almost forget the crushing and relentless anxiety that we are steeped in now."

This sentiment was shared with Living Classrooms, the nonprofit organization that manages the island and installed a QR code in the park for visitors to provide feedback on how they have used the space during the pandemic. They also track numbers of visitors, which have dramatically increased this year compared to last. 

Data provided by Living Classrooms. May 2019 data excludes the approximately 10,000 visitors to the Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival, which was canceled in 2020.

Data provided by Living Classrooms. May 2019 data excludes the approximately 10,000 visitors to the Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival, which was canceled in 2020.

Lee Cain, Director of Kingman Island with Living Classrooms, said that while there is more trash to deal with and more impact on the trails, the increase in visitors has also led to fewer “shenanigans” on the island, due to more “eyes on the park,” if you will. “People are using nature for physical and mental health now more than ever,” he said, sharing some of these testimonies from visitors: 

For the agencies and organizations that manage outdoor spaces, the flood of new visitors is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, increased visitorship means that people are leveraging parks during the pandemic, but on the other hand, management teams are limited in programs they can safely offer, and many facilities are closed. Park managers are balancing enthusiasm about visitors with concerns about safe recreation and social distancing. DOEE, who operates Kingman and Heritage Islands, welcomes new visitors to the parks but has issued new reminders about safety: 

While outdoor pools, recreation centers and other indoor facilities managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation remain closed during Phase 2 of the District’s reopening, parks and playgrounds are open and some permits are available again. “During the pandemic, our residents, while practicing social distancing measures, have used parks to help with their physical and mental health,” said DC Department of Parks and Recreation Director Delano Hunter. During the second phase of DC’s reopening, “DPR has made permits available for events of no more than 50 people, so we have a good mix of informal and permitted activities at our fields and parks.”

A mixed approach seems to be how most organizations are achieving their goals. The Anacostia Watershed Society (“AWS”) normally leads numerous volunteer events, motorized boat tours and paddling events each summer. This year, they are only hosting volunteer events and paddling events for small, pre-registered groups, and completing most of their restoration projects and tree plantings without volunteers. “Which means they take times longer that they used to,” said Emily Conrad, Director of Development at AWS. 

Much of AWS’ public engagement work has shifted online. Early on in the pandemic, AWS created an online learning page focused on K-12 students and families. Their educators led “synchronous learning” workshops with classrooms during the school year, during which students all log in at once time for a live presentation, and they also offer “on demand” content. They are continuing to update that page in preparation for a virtual school year this fall. Other programs, like their Watershed Stewards Academy and the Master Naturalist program, shifted online but “they received so much demand that we had to put a cap on the number of participants,” said Conrad.  

Despite these challenges, AWS is still helping groups enjoy the river. Recently, AWS led a socially-distanced canoe tour with Soul Trak Outdoors. “Everyone wore a mask and only sat in a canoe with members of their own household,” said Conrad. “It was one of the hottest days, but we saw a ton of wildlife, including a fox!” 

Even with the challenges and risks facing all of us during this time, you can still take advantage of the health benefits and adventures that await you outdoors. If you are interested in a free paddling event or a private motorized boat tour on the river for 8-10 people, contact AWS. If you’d like to go fishing, try one of Anacostia Riverkeeper’s Fishing Fridays. If you’d like to take a short hike without leaving the city, visit Kingman and Heritage Islands. If you’d like to see lotuses and water lilies, head to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Maybe take a bike ride on the Anacostia River Trail. There’s a lot out there!

Next month, I’ll write more about how the National Park Service is welcoming visitors in Anacostia Park. 

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