Share your ideas for restoring Kingman Lake

WASHINGTON - Share your thoughts. The National Park Service and DC's Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) want your input on improvements at Kingman Lake. The project will make the lake a healthier home for fish, birds, and other wildlife and your feedback will help shape its future.

The Kingman Lake Restoration Project would:

• Add tree stumps and branches along the shoreline and in the water to give birds and fish more places to live and to help mussels grow.

• Plant native plants on the mudflats so birds, fish, and mussels have healthier homes.

• Remove invasive phragmites which are tall, non-native reeds that spread aggressively in wetlands, crowding out native plants and reducing habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife.

• Create small side channels to bring water flow into areas choked by invasive phragmites. These channels will help control the invasive plants and create healthier, more diverse habitat for native fish and birds.

• Plant wetland plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife and soak up water during floods.

• Grow native underwater grasses that help clean the water and support birds, fish, and mussels.

This work would help local wildlife, including black ducks, striped bass, blueback herring, and freshwater mussels, while also making the wetlands more resilient to flooding.

Where is Kingman Lake?

Kingman Lake is along the Anacostia River, near Kingman Island, the former RFK Stadium, the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, and Langston Golf Course.

How you can get involved

Your voice matters! Share your comments between October 20 - November 17, 2025.

You can comment in two ways:

1. Online (fastest and easiest): Visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/Kingman_Lake to read the plan and share your thoughts.
   
2. By mail: Send or drop off a letter to:
   National Capital Parks-East
   Attn: Kingman Lake Restoration / NACE Superintendent
   1900 Anacostia Drive SE
   Washington, DC 20020
   (Letters must be postmarked by November 17.)

All comments will be reviewed. Your entire comment, including personal details like your address, phone number, or email, might be made public. You can request that this information be withheld, but we cannot guarantee it will be kept private.

Why your feedback matters

Public participation helps us make better plans. By sharing your ideas, concerns, or support, you can help shape the future of Kingman Lake and ensure it remains a healthy, vibrant place for people and wildlife.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's more than 430 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT (DOEE)

DOEE's mission is to improve the quality of life for the residents and natural inhabitants of the nation's capital by protecting and restoring the environment, conserving our natural resources, mitigating pollution, increasing access to clean and renewable energy, and educating the public on ways to secure a sustainable future.

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