• By Surina Singh
• May 02, 2018

Protecting Capper-Cramton Parks

What do the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Sligo Creek, and Anacostia Park have in common? The federal government, through the Capper-Cramton Act, acquired them, along with many of the region’s parks. This post highlights the creation of Capper-Cramton parks and describes how policy updates in the draft Parks & Open Space Element guide NCPC’s review of proposed projects within them. On March 1, 2018, NCPC released the Parks & Open Space Element draft for public review and comment through May 7, 2018. Three emerging issues influenced the update: adapting designed landscapes, balancing commemorative works within parks, and protecting Capper-Cramton parks. This is the last of the three-part blog series highlighting these topics.

What are Capper-Cramton Parks?
In 1930, Congress enacted the Capper-Cramton Act to provide federal funds to acquire and protect land on both sides of the Potomac River as an integrated park and parkway system known as the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP). Subsequent amendments to the act provided additional funds to develop a regional park and parkway system, and to acquire certain stream valley areas in the National Capital Region for natural resource protection. The GWMP and several other parks in the region, all acquired by the federal government from funding authorized by the Capper-Cramton Act, are collectively referred to as Capper-Cramton parks.

In addition to funds for acquisition, the act also authorized NCPC review and approval of any development projects in Capper-Cramton parks, or lands donated to the federal government as Capper Cramton parks, in order to protect and preserve the region’s valuable watersheds and parklands in perpetuity.

Early Capper-Cramton Acquisitions
The act’s original mandate to fund the acquisition of parkland for the GWMP included lands that are outside the boundaries of today’s National Park Service GWMP park unit and are currently part of Rock Creek Park and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. In addition to acquiring land in Virginia for the GWMP as we know it today, the act provided funding to acquire land around Great Falls and Potomac Gorge; the historic Patowmack Canal; and the portion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal below Point of Rocks in Maryland.

Within the District of Columbia, the act provided funding for land that preserved the flow of water and prevented pollution in Rock Creek and the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers; preserved forests and the natural scenery; and provided recreational opportunities. In 1938, funds from the act helped acquire the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.

Acquiring Stream Valley Parks in the Region
The act’s 1946 amendment provided federal funds to extend Rock Creek Park into Maryland and the Anacostia Park system further up the valley of the Anacostia River, Indian Creek, Paint Branch, Little Paint Branch, the Northwest Branch, and Sligo Creek. With agreements between the federal government and local park authorities, funds from the act helped acquire land buffers on both sides of streams and tributaries that carry water from the upper reaches of the watershed to the main channel of Potomac and Anacostia waterways. The act required all lands outside Washington to be titled to the respective state, thus giving the states ownership of the parks.

Similarly, federal funds also helped protect parkland up the valley of Cabin John Creek, Little Falls Branch, Willet Run, and Oxon Run. Today, more than 2,200 acres of stream valley parks in the National Capital Region were preserved and protected because of the Capper-Cramton Act. According to the CapitalSpace Plan (2010), approximately 70 percent of protected stream valley parks along Rock Creek and the Anacostia River include floodplains, wetlands, wooded areas, and land with steep slopes.

New Comprehensive Plan Guidance
In recent years, the Commission reviewed a number on projects on Capper-Cramton lands. Examples include adding wetlands and meadow areas to a stream valley park, adding a multi-use trail to improve the regional trail network, and adding a footbridge and connector trail to improve park access.

New guidance and policies included in the draft Parks & Open Space Element update establish a common set of principles that NCPC can apply when reviewing new projects in these valuable natural resource areas. The update reinforces the need to protect forested strips of land along stream banks or stream buffers as they help filter nutrients, sediment, and other pollutants from entering a stream. Vegetated buffers protect stream banks from erosion, slow the flow of water during storm events, and shade streams by preventing them from getting too warm for sensitive species.

Along with protecting the ecological characteristics of these areas, the update also focuses on protecting the character and setting of these parks. Policies encourage park use and actions that enhance ecological quality, scenic character, and waterways’ water quality. Projects that incorporate public benefits, such as improving park accessibility and park resources, are encouraged as long as they ensure protection of the natural resource areas.

Many proposed improvements in Capper-Cramton parks are related to watershed and stormwater management. The update contains policies that aim to protect the character and setting of these parks when incorporating stormwater management or transportation improvements. Since stormwater runoff is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas, green infrastructure techniques that help maintain parks’ natural character and setting are encouraged. Use of bio-retention basins, bio-swales, and vegetation as stormwater solutions are recommended. Similarly, along streams, more natural streambank restoration techniques for slope protection and erosion control are preferred.

More Information
The updated Parks & Open Space Element is available for public review and comment through May 7, 2018. You can read the text and proposed policies on our dedicated Parks & Open Space webpage.

Part 1: Adapting Designed Landscapes Part 2: Balancing Commemorative Works Within Parks Parks & Open Space Webpage Read the Document Submit A Comment