Fort Stanton Park Volunteer Day

Fort Stanton Park was created in 1926 to preserve the hilltops where the Union army constructed Fort Stanton and Battery Rickets to defend the Nation’s Capital during the Civil War. These forts never saw battle, but their earthwork remains can still be seen the woods. The park’s more than 150 acres of forest include dramatic hills and ravines, several stream valleys, and stands of towering poplar trees. Ft. Stanton is also home to a recreation center, an urban farm, a reservoir for DC Water, and the Fort Circle Hiker-Biker Trail.

Sadly, years of littering and dumping have polluted the landscape. Invasive plants such as kudzu, bittersweet, Asian wisteria, and Japanese knotweed have destroyed whole areas of forest and threaten others. Action must be taken to save this special place before it is too late.