Hi Everyone -
Please join us for the next in our regular monthly series of free
Department of the Interior Library Park Ranger Speaker Series lectures,
entitled "Greenbelt Park," on Wednesday, September 22nd from 1:00 - 1:45 pm
in the Department of the Interior Library.
Long before colonial settlers appeared at what is now Greenbelt Park, trees
and flowers covered these rolling hills and wildlife roamed the woodlands.
Algonquin Indians hunted this land in competition with other smaller
tribes. A balance existed between the land and its plants, animals, and
native people. Then the colonists arrived. For the next 150 years, the
land was cleared and plowed, and tobacco, corn, and other crops were
planted, mainly by African-American slaves who worked the fields. The rich
fertile soil returned high yields. However, the land wore out, producing
less each season and farming ceased. Erosion caused many scars before
nature could slow the process with new growth. Since the early 1900's the
land has been recovering. Today the mixed pine and deciduous forest
testifies to the land's ability to recover.
Please join Park Ranger Joy Kinard for a look at the agricultural and
social history of Greenbelt Park. The lecture will include a look at
antebellum slavery in Prince George's County and its impact on Greenbelt
Park and its greater community.
All that are interested are invited. The DOI Library is located in the
Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street, NW, Room 1151 in
Washington. Space is limited so please contact the Library by phone at
(202) 208-5815 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask] to let us know you will be
coming. For more information about future DOI Library Park Ranger
Speaker Series programs, we encourage you to visit our Park Ranger Speaker
Series website at http://library.doi.gov/programs/speaker/index.html .
We hope to see you here on September 22nd!
George Franchois
Director
U.S. Dept. of the Interior Library
1849 C Street, NW, MS 1151
Washington, DC 20240
[log in to unmask]
Phone: (202) 208-3796
Fax: (202) 208-6773
URL: http://library.doi.gov
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