WASHINGTON — A plan to restore the historic Rock Creek Park Golf Course includes the removal of at least 1,100 trees inside the park, according to planning documents that have been approved by the National Park Service (NPS).
The course suffers from decades of neglect and overgrowth. Four of its 18 holes are closed because they are unplayable due to overgrowth and erosion. The non-profit National Links Trust, which is conducting the rehabilitation of the course, stresses that as many as new 2,400 trees will be replanted on the property, including 200 as part of the landscape plan around a new clubhouse. NLT says the result will be a .9 acre net gain in green canopy over the property in the years to come
NPS says a federal environmental assessment found "no significant impact," from the tree removal plan, which is due to begin late this year. The Park Service also said at least half the trees are dying, invasive or in poor health.
“People love Rock Creek Park and generations of golfers have played this historic course," said Rock Creek Park Interim Superintendent Brian Joyner in a statement issued in April. “We're creating links between history and nature – a place that welcomes everyone to relax and see wildlife, get some exercise, and learn, enjoy and be frustrated by the great game of golf.”
Leaders of the National Links Trust (NLT), which is directing the redevelopment of all three of D.C.'s historic municipal golf courses, say the redevelopment plan will leave the environment in better condition in the years to come despite the removal of trees.
"There's more than just tree work happening," explained Michael McCartin, a founder of NLT. "We're introducing 13 acres of various types of meadows, including five-plus acres for pollinators. These things don't exist out there now on the course and they're being added. So we're taking an 18-hole course that exists right now and shrinking its footprint."
Some environmental activists say the scale of the tree removal in the city's premiere urban park is breathtaking. In a statement, the Sierra Club called the plan "out-of-touch."
"If allowed to go forward, the plan will affect our air quality, add strain on our entire watershed, exacerbate the urban heat island effect, and further endanger the species that rely on Rock Creek Park," the statement said.
“Once these trees come down, they're not coming back," added Zach Bolton, the ANC representing nearby neighborhoods such as Brightwood.
Bolton is also a conservation biologist points out that tree cover is one of the most effective mitigators of urban heat islands and stormwater runoff. Bolton noted that many of his constituents enjoy the wild, careworn parts of the existing golf course, because it is an urban wildlife wonderland.
“When these trees are removed, and these decisions have been made, you can't undo that," Bolton said. "I know that there is an urgency to want to restore this and get the project moving and break ground, but I would like to urge everybody involved, specifically National Park Service and National Links Trust, to take pause.”
Both organizations say preserving the environment is a top priority.
Even so, the issue pits environmental concerns against other goals of NPS and NLT they try to strike a balance. The agency and organization aim to preserve the historic importance of the course, first constructed in 1909, while expanding recreational opportunity to all residents regardless of income.
“We want to be good stewards of the environment. We also want to be good stewards of the game.," said NLT Executive Director Damian Cosby. "At our core, we're a community-based organization. We want to positively impact the community and change lives and we were going to do that through golf. A rehabilitated Rock Creek will do exactly that. The balance is having a rehabilitated golf facility but also rehabilitated environment at Rock Creek. I don't think they're not mutually exclusive."
The redevelopment plan includes the construction of a lighted driving range, which was not part of the historic course design. A new updated clubhouse and expansive putting area will be centerpieces of the project.
According to an announcement from the Park Service, the rehabilitation project will:
- Create paths that provide access to the course and for non-golfers to enjoy the outdoors.
- Develop meadows with native grasses and flowers to provide habitat for important pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
- Plant hundreds of new native trees.
- Establish rain gardens, drainage and irrigation that reduce run-off into Rock Creek.
- Add climate-adapted turf, which requires less water, fertilizer and pesticides.
- Build a new, accessible clubhouse with food services, a pro shop, and areas for indoor practice and community use.
- Create a new 50-bay driving range for golfers of all skill levels.
- Remove invasive plants and hazardous trees.
- Create furniture, countertops, siding, trim and decking made from approximately 97,000 board feet of lumber from 255 of the trees removed for the rehabilitation.
- Provide the opportunity for all golfers to experience the original design features of this National Register of Historic Places-listed golf course – wide playing corridors, interesting green contours and multiple teeing areas.
Construction is expected to begin late in 2024 and be completed by 2026.