News

The National Park Service is preparing to conduct a small, prescribed fire at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts the week of April 8, depending on weather conditions.

Join national parks in the D.C. area for National Park Week! This annual celebration of the more than 400 national parks across the country starts April 22.

Most forests in eastern United States national parks are at risk due to browsing by overabundant white-tailed deer and crowding by invasive plants, according to a National Park Service (NPS) study published in the journal Ecological Applications.

Join the National Park Service (NPS) this March for eight Women’s History Month events. National parks in the D.C. area invite the public to visit, celebrate and learn about the many stories of women’s history that happened right here in the nation’s capital!

National Park Service National Capital Regional Director Kym Hall has named Ken Bigley as the new superintendent of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. As superintendent, Bigley will work with the park’s longstanding partner, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, to provide state-of-the-art, memorable performing arts experiences at the Filene Center and family-friendly activities at the Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods.

The National Park Service is preparing to conduct a small prescribed fire at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts the week of March 14 or March 21, depending on weather conditions. The planned fire will be smaller than one acre, located in the circle parking area in front of the Filene Center.

The National Park Service (NPS) in cooperation with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, has completed the Environmental Assessment for the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Management Plan. To better meet the needs of current and future visitors, we will implement several updates to the park’s general management plan—the plan that guides park management decisions.

To better meet the needs of current and future visitors, we’ve proposed several changes to the park’s general management plan—the plan that guides park management decisions. You’re invited to submit your feedback from Nov. 18 through Dec. 30.

The National Park Service (NPS) and our partner, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, want to hear from you as we plan for the future of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

Heading to a Washington, DC, national park this Labor Day weekend? Download the free DC Area National Parks App in the Apple and Google Play stores to find, explore and learn about parks in the Washington, DC, area.

Forest regeneration in the National Capital Region continues to slowly improve, especially in parks that manage their deer populations. A look at forest regeneration capacity based on monitoring data from 2024.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts has acquired ten 100% American chestnut trees to assist in its restoration efforts after nearly going extinct in the 1940s.

The National Park Service will improve the ecological health of eastern forests in 38 parks using an array of management techniques. The NPS has selected forest ecosystems of high ecological and cultural value across multiple parks from Virginia to Maine that are at greatest risk of forest loss due to chronic and interacting stressors.

The Racial Integrity Act of 1924 banned interracial marriage in Virginia. It also required Virginians to register their race as either "white" or "colored." One of the many consequences of this discriminatory policy was the erasure of the Indigenous identity from public records. To this day, Indigenous people in Virginia have difficulty tracing their lineage due to this century-old policy.

Meet Ken Lewis, Wolf Trap's Head of the Division of Performing Arts who is retiring this November after 32 years with the National Park Service, 35 years with the Federal Government, and 50 years in the performing arts!

This finding aid describes the George B. and Helen C. Hartzog Papers, part of the NPS History Collection.

Black fountaingrass (Cenchrus purpurascens) is an invasive plant that is also a popular ornamental grass because of its red-to-purple-colored flowerhead. It can be found in plazas and housing complexes throughout the greater Washington, DC area and it spreads quickly. Learn how to identify it and how to help control its spread.

Meet Anna Tripp, the Visual Information Specialist at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts!

When one successful career ends... another one begins! Learn how Dena Lowe found her way to the National Park Service after serving as a US Air Force security police officer in the Cold War and a fire team leader in the Gulf War, all while being a single mother.

Chickadees are some of the most common birds in the National Capital Region. Both Carolina chickadees and black-capped chickadees can be found in NCR parks. Learn more about these birds and how they're sometimes hard to tell apart.