Give back to the earth, exercise your body, spend time in nature and meet cool people with the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy.

Shepherd Parkway is the largest wooded area in Ward 8 at 197 acres, covering steep hillsides that separate Congress Heights and Bellevue from I-295. The parkway’s rugged topography and hardwood forests hide numerous stream beds, a small wetland, and a bald eagle’s nest .

It includes the earthwork remains of Fort Carroll and Fort Greble, and biologists have identified rare plant and aquatic microorganisms here.

Ward 8 Woods and its precursor, Committee to Restore Shepherd Parkway, and have held the Shepherd Parkway Community Clean-Up every month since 2012. Volunteers have removed more than 200,000 pounds of trash and cut back invasive vines from 500 trees. The woods are the healthiest they’ve been in decades, but littering and dumping continue, and invasives continue to grow.

Gloves, trash bags and tools are provided. 

Please wear work or hiking boots, full-length pants, long sleeves and clothes you won’t mind getting dirty. Please bring a water bottle. 

Documentation of community service hours provided upon request.

For questions contact Nathan Harrington at nathan@ward8woods.org/202-520-2742.