In The News

The woods are lovely, dark
and deep — perfect for forest bathers searching for a
little peace of mind.

Read about Melanie's forest bathing walk in Rock Creek Park in the summer issue of National Parks magazine (here).

Forest Bathing: A Retreat
To Nature Can Boost
Immunity And Mood

The aim of forest bathing, Choukas-Bradley explained, is to slow down and become immersed in the natural environment. She helped us tune in to the smells, textures, tastes and sights of the forest. We took in our surroundings by using all our senses.

"Close your eyes and just breathe, just breathe," Choukas-Bradley intoned. It felt a bit like a meditation retreat.

It took me a few minutes to clear out
the clutter in my brain, and tune in
to the natural world.

"When you open your eyes, imagine you're seeing the world for the very first time," Choukas-Bradley told us.

Click here to read (or hear) how forest bathing therapy is a stress-reduction strategy, as heard on NPR's
Morning Edition by Allison Aubrey.

We Had a Wheelie Great Time on our Tree Tour by Bike

Last weekend Casey Trees volunteers, members, bikers, and tree enthusiasts joined us for a tree tour on wheels to our nation’s Capitol. Nearly thirty bikers in neon vests hit the road to learn more about the trees planted on the Capitol grounds. Read about the tour here.

Teddy Roosevelt's Mar-a Lago

We set off walking in the footsteps of our 26th President along the Theodore Roosevelt Side Trail. While on the trail I was reminded of Teddy’s love for the outdoors. His favorite resort was Rock Creek Park, and he frequently led members of his “Tennis Cabinet” and foreign ambassadors on grueling hikes here. To be invited by the President to go on one of those hikes was regarded as a mark of special favor. Read more here.

Worried About the Cherry Blossoms? You May Have ‘Phenology Anxiety.’

Read more about this in Melanie's Washington Post op-ed here.

2017 Review of
A Year in Rock Creek Park
by Miriam R. Aczel, Imperial College of London, UK, Electronic Green Journal, UCLA Library

Review excerpts:

"When I walk through the bottomland forest and into the upland woods,
I may be deep in solitary reverie
but I am never alone."

With its rich descriptions but clear
warnings about the fragility of the
author's beloved sanctuary, the book serves as homage to an ecosystem,
while demonstrating its fragility.

Read the full review here.

Message from Congressman Raskin:

“Join me and my friend, author/naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley, at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 20 at Boundary Bridge in Rock Creek Park!”

To read more of Jamie Raskin’s message about the walk, click here.

In 2017, Resolve to
Appreciate D.C. Better

... get outside more.

Be one with the trees
"Thanks to its temperate clime and international citizenry, D.C. is home to about 350 species of trees from around the world, and naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley is friends with them all."

Read more of Sadie Dingfelder's article in the Washington Post Express!

November 21, 2016

23 Books Obama Should Buy On His Annual D.C. Bookstore Trip

Go here to read the whole Blog.

(Click on the image to see the story.)

Learn about DC trees -- and the Witness Tree Protection Program with Melanie Choukas-Bradley in the Washington Post Express, July 27, 2015.

A Year in Rock Creek Park
The Wild, Wooded Heart of Washington, DC

By Melanie Choukas-Bradley
with photographs by Susan Austin Roth

2015 IPPY award for regional nonfiction
Click here to read about the award

Melanie with a lace-bark pine, National Arboretum,Washington, DC
Photo by Roberta Gutman.

Melanie Choukas-Bradley is a Washington, DC author and naturalist who leads field trips and tree tours for the Audubon Naturalist Society, the United States Botanic Garden, Smithsonian Associates, the Maryland Native Plant Society, the Rock Creek Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, Casey Trees, Politics & Prose and other organizations. She is the author of the award-winning book, A Year in Rock Creek Park: The Wild, Wooded Heart of Washington, DC, with photographs by Susan Austin Roth. The book was published in two editions in the fall of 2014 by George F. Thompson Publishing. The softcover edition is distributed by the University of Virginia Press.

Melanie is the author of three other critically acclaimed books: City of Trees: The Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Washington, DC, illustrated by Polly Alexander and now in its third edition (2008), An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees: 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown (2004, 2007), and Sugarloaf: The Mountain’s History, Geology, and Natural Lore, illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown (2003), all published by the University of Virginia Press.

Melanie leads a nature walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Photo by Toni Genberg.

Melanie is also a long-time contributor to The Washington Post and other publications, has appeared as an author and guest expert on All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, and Metro Connection. In 2014, Melanie was awarded one of four inaugural “Canopy Awards” by Casey Trees, for her efforts to educate people about the trees of Washington, DC. Melanie is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide (Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, Santa Rosa, CA). 

More interviews on WAMU:

Kojo Nnamdi show with guest host Paul Brown - Local Trees

Metro Connection interview - Feb. 19, 2010 - Tree Tour of the US Capitol Grounds

Metro Connection interview - City of Trees

Kojo Nnamdi show with guest host Corey Flintoff -
Sugarloaf: The Mountain's History, Geology, and Natural Lore

Kojo Nnamdi interview - Montgomery's Agricultural Reserve at 25

Kojo Nnamdi interview - The City of Trees