Record of Determination for a Partial and Temporary Closure of a Portion of Certain Federal Parkland at the Picnic Grove 6 Parking Lot for Human Health and Safety

Pursuant to 36 CFR 1.5(a), Rock Creek Park, a unit of the National Park Service, is temporarily closing a portion of parkland to motor vehicles, specifically the Picnic Grove 6 parking lot, to allow the safe operation of a Park Service public event.

The Picnic Grove 6 Parking lot will be fully closed to public motor vehicle use effective Friday April 10, 2026 at 8:00 pm and lasting through 5:00 pm April 11, 2026. The closed areas will be more specifically identified on site by signage and barricades. The closed areas will be accessible only to National Park Service vehicles.

The temporary closure of this park area is necessary to allow for set up and operation of this Driving Days event for the public. Less restrictive measures are not possible given the need to safely set up and operate this event. 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." Picnic Grove 6 and other nearby park areas will remain open to the public during this closure.

Accordingly, the National Park Service has determined publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 CFR 1.5(c). The partial and temporary park closure and public use limitation is consistent with hundreds of other temporary park closures, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications. ANSWER coalition v. Norton, No. 05-0071, (D.D.C. January 18, 2005, Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-1715 (D.D.C. August 22, 2002), plaintiffs’ emergency motion for appeal for injunction pending appeared denied Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-5275 (D.C.Cir. September 9, 2002) (per curiam); Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C. August 6, 1999); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C. May 30, 1990); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C. December 7, 1987); Speigel v. Babbitt, 855 F Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), affd in parr wlo op. 56F. 3d 1531(D.C.Cir. 1995), reported in full, 1995 US App. Lexis 15200 (D.C.Cir. May 31,1995).

Pursuant to 36 CFR 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure will be made by the posting of signs at conspicuous locations in the affected park area. Finally, pursuant to 36 CFR l.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request.

Brian D. Joyner
Superintendent