Tag: mike litterst

DC’s Tidal Basin sea wall reconstruction completed months ahead of schedule and millions under budget – WTOP News

The National Park Service announced that the first step in protecting D.C.’s Tidal Basin from flooding and aging infrastructure has finished eight months ahead of schedule.

The National Park Service announced that the first step in protecting D.C.’s Tidal Basin from flooding and aging infrastructure has finished eight months ahead of schedule.

The now completed reconstruction of the Tidal Basin sea wall is one of the two phases in the project dedicated strengthening the shoreline around the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the cherry blossom trees, according to a National Park Service news release on Wednesday.

The original sea wall was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After over a century, the south side wall had settled more than five feet, leaving the famous cherry blossom trees, monuments and walkways victim to frequent flooding.

The NPS said the new sea wall has deeper foundations, wider walkways and a resilient infrastructure that can handle stronger storms and rising sea-levels.

The next phase? To plant over 400 new trees, including almost 270 additional cherry blossom trees.

The overall project is expected to finish eight months ahead of schedule and $30 million under budget in May of 2026, officials said in the release.

The south side portion of the Tidal Basin and parts of the West Potomac Park will remain closed through the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival but will reopen shortly after when the replanting is completed.

The reconstruction is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act and supporting the executive order on Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.

In 2024, the National Park Service removed over 300 trees for the reconstruction, including the famous cherry blossom tree, Stumpy.

The Washington Monument is visible behind a cherry tree affectionally nicknamed ‘Stumpy’, Tuesday, March 19, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Public outcry over the removal of Stumpy led the National Park Service to collect clippings from the tree. The National Arboretum hopes to use those clippings to continue the legacy and lineage of the iconic cherry blossom tree.

But, for all the diehard Stumpy fans out there, it doesn’t look like Stumpy will be a part of the new cherry blossom recruits in the New Year’s replanting.

Mike Litterst, the chief of communications and spokesperson for the National Park Service, told WTOP that while he does need to get an update from the arboretum, the cuttings aren’t expected to be ready for the next couple of years.

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Abigail Stuckrath

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December 11, 2025
Matt About Town: Explore the little-known history behind DC’s oldest, original cherry blossoms – WTOP News

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Uncover the history behind DC’s oldest cherry blossoms at East Potomac Golf Links

What if we told you D.C.’s oldest cherry blossoms aren’t the ones at the Tidal Basin — or any of the usual spots?

In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax put on his golfing shoes — to head to a secret location in Southwest D.C., where you can find a little-known slice of history.

You might be familiar with the story of Japan’s 1912 gift of cherry trees to the U.S. That shipment makes up the trees that millions flock to in places like the Tidal Basin and Hains Point in the nation’s capital every spring.

But it’s a little-known fact that the 1912 shipment of cherry blossoms was actually a regifting, a do-over of sorts from a previous shipment gone wrong, which came over from Japan two years before in 1910.

As Ranger Mike Litterst with the National Park Service told Matt, that shipment had to be burned. All trees were lost … except a small batch that hardly anyone knows about today.

But why did those first trees need to be destroyed? Why the secrecy? And is it possible to see D.C.’s oldest cherry trees today?

Come along with Matt on his latest adventure to find out!

“Matt About Town” airs every Tuesday and Thursday on WTOP, and runs throughout the rest of the day on 103.5 FM. His video pieces are always posted on WTOP.com.

You can also find Matt’s videos on Instagram (@wtopnews and @mkaufax) and TikTok (@wtopnews and @mattabouttown_).

If you’ve got an idea for a feature story Matt should cover, reach out via the WTOP “contact us” page to submit your idea.

You can also contact Matt directly. His contact information is listed below.

Check out more of “Matt About Town” on WTOP.

[ad_2] Matt Kaufax
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March 26, 2024
DC’s iconic cherry blossoms are enjoying the cooler temperatures – WTOP News

The beloved cherry blossom trees have reached peak bloom and the chilly temperatures this week in D.C. will help the famous flowers last longer.

Last week’s unseasonably warm weather helped D.C.’s cherry blossoms reach peak bloom ahead of schedule, the second-earliest peak bloom on record. Now, a burst of cooler temperatures will also help the famous flowers to last longer.

“This really is absolutely the ideal conditions you would ask for once you get to peak bloom,” said National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst.

Warm weather speeds up the bloom cycle, and the arrival of cooler temperatures in D.C. will help the blossoms stick around, Litterst said.

“Those blossoms are eventually going to be replaced by leaves, and that would happen much quicker if the warm temperatures had stayed,” he told WTOP. “Now that the temperatures have dropped a bit and cooled off, we’ll see the blossoms on for a little bit longer before they’re replaced by leaves.”

More Cherry Blossom Festival News

Peak bloom typically lasts for seven to 10 days, but Litterst said that could stretch to two weeks this year.

“We’re not going to have wind. We have a little bit of rain, but not much. No severe weather that’s going to bring the petals down early,” he said. “Could be by the end of next week, we’re still seeing blossoms.”

If you’d like to see the cherry blossom trees in person, Litterst recommends coming around 10 or 11 a.m. on a weekday morning for better parking and smaller crowds.

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

Linh Bui

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March 19, 2024