Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy Inc

TO RESTORE, PROMOTE, & MAINTAIN DUMBARTON OAKS PARK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

RESTORATION.THE MISSION OF DUMBARTON OAKS PARK CONSERVANCY (DOPC) IS TO RESTORE, PROMOTE AND MAINTAIN DUMBARTON OAKS PARK FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. DOPC HAS RESTORED 16 OF 27 ACRES, ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH EFFORTS OF OVER 80,000 VOLUNTEER STEWARDSHIP HOURS SINCE 2011. IN 2019, 847 VOLUNTEERS, AGES 4 TO 80, CONTRIBUTED 6,431 HOURS. ADDITIONALLY, 65 TREE AND SHRUBS WERE PLANTED; INVASIVE VINES WERE REMOVED; 7 ACRES OF MEADOWS WERE MANAGED TO CONTINUE THE TRANSITION TO NATIVE WARM SEASON GRASSES AND WILDFLOWERS; ONGOING STORMWATER TRIAGE; AND PROGRESS IN DESIGNING A STORMWATER CONVEYANCE SYSTEM FOR LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF PARK RESOURCES CONTINUED. DOPC IS WORKING ON THE MASTER PLAN FOR FULL RESTORATION OF THIS AMERICAN TREASURE. FOR MORE INFORMATION REFER TO SCHEDULE O.DUMBARTON OAKS PARK IS EMERGING FROM ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS AFTER TEN YEARS OF DUMBARTON OAKS PARK CONSERVANCY'S (DOPC) DEDICATION TO RESTORATION INCLUDING THE REMOVAL OF INVASIVE PLANTS THAT HAD OVERRUN THE WOODS AND MEADOWS, REPAIRING AND PROTECTING CRUMBLING STONEWORK, AND ADDRESSING STORMWATER RUNOFF INTO THE VALLEY THAT ERODES THE HILLSIDES, UNDERMINES THE GRAND OLD TREES, SILTS UP THE STREAM AND PONDS AND UNDERCUTS THE DECORATIVE WATERFALLS. DOPC AND THE COMMUNITY, FROM NEAR AND FAR, ARE TACKLING THESE SIGNIFICANT AND COSTLY CHALLENGES. A 27-ACRE PASTORAL OASIS IN THE HEART OF WASHINGTON D.C., THE PARK IS THE WOODLAND AND MEADOW PORTION OF MILDRED AND ROBERT WOOD BLISS ORIGINAL 53-ACRE DUMBARTON OAKS ESTATE. ONE OF THE FINEST GARDEN DESIGNS IN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE HISTORY, IT IS THE MASTER WORK OF BEATRIX FARRAND, A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS IN 1899. FARRAND'S LANDSCAPE DESIGN WORK CREATED A PROGRESSION FROM FORMAL GARDEN ROOMS NEAR THE MAIN HOUSE TO LESS FORMAL AREAS DOWN THE HILLSIDE, BEFORE FLOWING INTO A NATURALISTIC WOODLAND GARDEN IN THE STREAM VALLEY. THIS "WILD" PORTION OF THE ESTATE IS A HIGHLY DESIGNED COMPOSITION OF MEADOWS, WOODS, AND STREAM, WITH WATERFALLS, BRIDGES, AND A REFLECTING POND DEFINING THE LANDSCAPE. IN 1940, THE BLISSES DONATED THE NATURALISTIC PORTION OF THE GARDEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AS A PUBLIC PARK, OVERSEEN TODAY BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AS DUMBARTON OAKS PARK.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:"LEAVE NO CHILD INSIDE" IS THE UMBRELLA PROGRAM OF DOPC'S ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING, OFFERING HANDS-ON OUTDOOR LEARNING TO PARTICIPANTS FROM INFANTS THROUGH ADULTS. SINCE 2014, "LEAVE NO CHILD INSIDE" HAS REACHED OVER 4000 STUDENTS FROM GREATER DC, AT ALL GRADE LEVELS AND A DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS. "LEAVE NO CHILD INSIDE" OFFERS " BLOSSOMS & BLOOMERS", "EXPLORERS", "EXPEDITIONS: LANDSCAPE BY DESIGN", AN ADULT LECTURE SERIES, AND AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. PROGRAMS EMPHASIZE EDUCATION, RECREATION, AND STEWARDSHIP, WHILE PROVIDING PARTICIPANTS OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH THE OUTDOORS, EXPERIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, AND HAVE FUN IN THE PROCESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION REFER TO SCHEDULE O.BY ENGAGING CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE PARK, THROUGH ACTIVE, HANDS-ON EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, "LEAVE NO CHILD INSIDE" PROGRAMS TRANSFORM THE WAY DUMBARTON OAKS PARK IS USED AND UNDERSTOOD BY THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY AND WASHINGTON AT LARGE. THE PARK OFFERS HISTORY, INSPIRATION, ACTIVE EDUCATION, AND A STAGE FOR ENDLESS HOURS OF OUTDOOR PLAY. " BLOSSOMS AND BLOOMERS" ENGAGES INFANTS, TODDLERS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS IN FUN, FORMATIVE OUTDOOR PLAY THAT TEACHES ABOUT THE JOYS OF NATURE AND STEWARDSHIP. "EXPLORERS", IN COLLABORATION WITH DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN WARDS 7 & 8 AND A LOCAL BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, ENGAGES ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE PLACED AT-RISK BY THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES IN OUTDOOR HIKE-BASED ADVENTURES THAT TEACH OUTDOOR SKILLS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION. IN 2019, WE HAVE CONTINUED OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH GED STUDENTS LEARNING CONSERVATION AND GREEN JOB SKILLS AS A STEPPING STONE INTO THE WORKFORCE. "EXPEDITIONS: LANDSCAPE BY DESIGN" OFFERS THESE SAME STUDENTS AN EXPERT LED COURSE ON THE HISTORY OF DUMBARTON OAKS PARK THROUGH THE LENS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND THE MYRIAD OF EXPERTS WHO HELP TO CONSERVE AND MAINTAIN THE PARK. DOPC ALSO OFFERS ADULT EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS. THE DOPC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM GIVES LOCAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS WITH PARK EXPERTS. OPEN TO THE GREATER DC COMMUNITY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND SUBJECT AREA EXPERTS, DOPC HOSTS AN ANNUAL LECTURE AND FIELD PRACTICUM ON TOPICS GERMANE TO CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION - 2019 MARKS THE NINTH YEAR. DUMBARTON OAKS PARK SERVES AS AN OUTDOOR LEARNING LABORATORY FOR DOPC TO PRESENT ROBUST ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING THAT ENGAGES STEWARDSHIP AND SUPPORTERS WHO WILL PROMOTE AND MAINTAIN THE PARK NOW AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.