Record of Determination for a Partial and Temporary Closure of a Portion of the National Mall for Turf Restoration

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5, the National Park Service will temporarily close Center Turf Panels 20 and 29 on the National Mall within National Mall and Memorial Parks.Period of Closure: These areas will be closed for turf rehabilitation from the August 7, 2024 to August 23, 2024.Center Turf Panels, 20 and 29, on the National Mall require rehabilitation due to a turf disease outbreak. To facilitate efficient regrowth and prevent the spread of the turf disease, a temporary closure is necessary to protect the affected area from foot traffic. Once the turf has regrown, it will accommodate park visitors, future permitted events, and other park uses.This temporary and partial closure is not of a nature, magnitude and duration that will result in a significant alteration in the public use pattern of these park areas. Other nearby park areas will remain open to the public. The closure will not adversely affect the park's natural, aesthetic, or cultural values. Additionally, the closure will not require significant modification to the resource management objectives and is not controversial in nature.Accordingly, the National Park Service determines that publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register, is unwarranted per 36 C.F.R. § l.5(c). This finding is consistent with hundreds of earlier partial and temporary park closures, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications.Picciotto v. United States. No. 99-2113 (D.D.C.); Picciotto v. United States, No. 94-1935 (D.D.C.); Picciotto v. Lulan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C.); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C.); Spiegel v. Babbitt, 855 F.Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), affld in part w/o op. 56 F.3d 1531 (D.C. Cir. 1995).Pursuant to 36 C.F.R.§ 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure will be made through fencing and posting of signs at conspicuous locations in the affected park area. Finally, pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5( c), this determination is available to the public upon request.

Jeffrey Reinbold
Superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks