As summer heats up, the forested Pawpaw Trail provides welcome shade from the sun. Tulip trees, oaks, and sycamores stand tall, but the trail would not be complete without an appearance by the tree that bears its name. Its long, thin trunk looks silver in the shade. Its oblong leaves bring to mind the tropics. And its light green fruit hangs too often just out of reach. It is the pawpaw. Often translated to mean place of the wild fruit, referring to the pawpaw, Accokeek itsel

In partnership with the National Park Service, the Accokeek Foundation maintains six nature trails in Piscataway Park. The Adopt-A-Trail program seeks to engage organizations and community members interested in helping maintain these trails to keep them safe and well-groomed for the park’s 20,000 visitors each year. Adopters will schedule and perform regular trails sweeps throughout the designated length of adoption, and will be responsible for reporting trail conditions to t

After 16 days of forced separation from the site, we were finally able to open the gates and return to Piscataway Park last Thursday. The two weeks of telecommuting had an unexpectedly negative effect on my morale, so it was quite a relief to arrive back on site to the satisfying crunch of fallen leaves underfoot and the fresh cool autumn air that is easily fought off with a light jacket and brisk walk. The restorative powers of this place are more apparent to me than ever, a

What a better way to introduce a new dock and kayak launch at Piscataway Park than to throw a party?! The Accokeek Foundation is very proud to present its newly rebuilt boat dock and renovated fishing pier to the community on Saturday, June 22. This site-wide celebration will be packed with music, games, tours, water activities, food and more. Celebrating the Potomac will be the perfect start to what is sure to be the best summer yet! I, for one, am extremely excited to be ab

Written by Molly Meehan, Community Outreach and Education Coordinator Pawpaw in Bloom As I journey into my third year working at the Accokeek Foundation and, essentially, my third year directing my attention toward our incredible local plant world in Southern Maryland, I am beginning to understand the mysterious and wonderful language of the local plants. The landscape is almost like one of those magic eye pictures. If you just turn your attention in a certain way long enough

Responsibilities May Include: Plant, water, and tend plants Monitor plant health and treat for disease, nutrient deficiency, and pests Keep gardens and pathways weed free and accessible Repair garden fences, gates, and interior structures as needed Provide staking, trellising, and other supports to plants as needed Maintain compost bins Harvest, process, and save seed Maintain tools, supplies, and equipment in good working order No previous experience necessary. This voluntee

ACCOKEEK FOUNDATION AT PISCATAWAY PARK ANJELA BARNES, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER OUTREACH@ACCOKEEK.ORG | 301-283-2113 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ACCOKEEK FOUNDATION AT PISCATAWAY PARK AWARDED NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION ‘TICKET TO RIDE’ GRANT TO BRING LOCAL STUDENTS INTO PARK $230,000 Grant Connects 30,000 Students with National Parks Across the Country Washington, D.C. (August 28, 2012)  –  Responding to an overwhelming need for transportation and educational programming funding from pa

As stewards of more than three miles of hiking trails in Piscataway Park, the Accokeek Foundation had much to celebrate on National Trails Day. But as plein air painters captured on canvas the sweeping fields and shaded forests of the site, as writers found inspiration in the plants and insects on the Pumpkin Ash Trail, I wondered: isn’t it time we pay some attention to the ground itself? So often overlooked—and overstepped—soil is a complex ecosystem filled with countless cr

This pair of Canada geese and their goslings were spotted in the pond that leads up to the Pawpaw Trail. The bright rump of a white-tailed deer, the snow white chinstrap of a Canada goose: both are common sites in Piscataway Park, present here year-round. Even when the animals themselves are elusive, the tracks of a deer’s graceful step or a goose’s awkward-on-land waddle can be found in our muddy fields. But as deer over-graze forests and landscaped lawns, as geese damage ag

The jack-in-the-pulpit, left, is just one of the spring ephemera that blooms in Piscataway Park. Right, a redbud and pawpaw tree are in bloom. After a short winter, April has brought with it an early welcome to wild signs of spring. The once dull Pawpaw Trail is now alive with soft greens and pinks, as new growth shoots forth from the forest floor and tall trees begin to leaf out. Spring ephemera are the first signs that warmer weather is here, although these signs do not las

Seemingly ancient barbed wire wrapped around an old wooden fencepost serves as a reminder of just one way that humans have interacted with the landscape of Piscataway Park. Hidden in a line of trees just off the Pawpaw Trail sits an old wooden fencepost, rotten with age but still wrapped with barbed wire. No longer in use, this lone piece of fence serves now to remind us of the pastures where farmers felled trees and put up their livestock in the decades before this landscape

The Pawpaw Trail offers wintertime views of Mount Vernon and the Potomac River. Whether it’s from the Saylor Grove fishing pier or the highest point on the Pawpaw Trail, one of the most cherished features of Piscataway Park is our view of Mount Vernon. In late winter, bare branches frame the blue Potomac River and the red and white of George Washington’s iconic home. But Mount Vernon’s view of Piscataway Park is just as important–and what led to the park’s authorization more

The Pawpaw Trail travels through a mature forest, offering a glimpse of what this land was like before European settlers arrived. On a walk in winter, there is so little to look at that the little things are allowed to impress. With no oppressing heat or overwhelming greenness to distract from the details, the colors and textures of a trail in winter—so alone in their ability to spark interest—stand out. The Pawpaw Trail, located at the western end of our grounds, travels thr

by Wilton Corkern On the way to work this morning I saw a single Osprey perched atop a dead tree trunk in the Accokeek Creek wetland. It occurred to me that this may be the last Osprey I’ll see in Piscataway Park this year. They begin heading south around Labor Day and have usually cleared out by the first day of fall. The realization prompted me to use my walk to enjoy the late summer wildflowers in the “back 40” between Tobacco Road and the Potomac River. The rewards were g

Inside one of the Ecosystem Farm's four honeybee hives. During this time of bright sunshine and bountiful harvests from farms and gardens all over the region, it is important to stop and thank those creatures that have helped our produce grow. Like the toads that eat up the grubs and slugs that would otherwise damage our crops. Or the parasitic flies and wasps that help growers control various pests. Or the multitude of pollinators that allow our fruits and vegetables to deve

by Wilton Corkern, President On any given day this time of year a traveler along Bryan Point Road will almost surely see a Great Blue Heron stalking the aquatic creatures in the Accokeek Creek swamp. Everything about this bird is big: its head and body are four feet long; erect, it stands five feet tall; its wingspan is six feet. Even its bill is over five inches long. Yet it is a graceful flier, able to lift its five pound frame straight into the air with a single flap

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2011 Captain John Smith Geotrail features over 40 Chesapeake sites in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware Piscataway Park along the Potomac River Annapolis – Set to launch on National Trails Day, June 4, 2011 at the Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park, the new Captain John Smith Geotrail is a journey across Chesapeake landscapes that evokes scenes and stories experienced by Captain Smith 400 years ago. Adventurers will have the chance to explore

by Wilton C. Corkern, President I always enjoy visiting my family in Louisiana. There are also a few bonuses that come with the trip: a shoe shine in Louis Armstrong International Airport, the drive across the Bonnet Carre Spillway and the Atchafalaya Basin, oyster po-boys from Chris’s diner and crawfish at Prejean’s in Lafayette, and visiting some great wildlife habitat. One regular spot we visit is Lake Martin, in the edge of St. Martin Parish. It’s a great place to see bir

Last week’s revelation that a fresh egg had appeared in one of the nesting boxes along the Ken Otis Bluebird Trail was a surprise. March is early for Eastern Bluebirds to begin nesting here, but the blue egg is incontrovertible evidence that the season is upon us. In fact, creatures all over the park have begun to display their courtship and nesting behaviors. My morning drive to work often includes detours to Farmington Landing or Marshall Hall, as well as the usual stop on