Kayak Clean-Up Season Starts

With daylight lasting longer and water temperatures on the rise, we are pleased to announce kayak clean-up dates for May and early June. Help keep our waterways clean, while enjoying quality time -- and company -- on the water!

Sign-ups for each date open 2-3 weeks prior to the event, so not all announced dates will be open for registration right away.

DETAILS & SIGN-UP HERE

More clean-up dates will be added, but the current schedule is:

Wednesday May 3, 5:00-8:00pm
Friday, May12, 5:00-8:00pm
Sunday June 4, 9:00am-Noon

Hope to see you out there!

 

4MR Paddle Power/Clean Stream Extreme events are made possible by grant support from Patagonia Old Town, Virginia American Water, and the Spring Creek Environmental and Preservation Fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation

Springing to Action for All-Ability Water Access

Wednesday, April 26, is Alexandria's Spring2ACTion giving day, an opportunity to support the work of local nonprofit organizations, including the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation. This year our $20,000 Spring2ACTion campaign is focused solely on the Four Mile Run all-ability kayak/canoe launch project, so please consider giving!

We are pleased to report that this project -- to build a public ADA-accessible kayak/canoe launch with wheelchair transfer platform and roller entry/exit, the first of its kind in the DC metro area -- is moving forward, with the environmental review and permitting process underway. We expect this multi-agency process, managed by the firm RK&K, to take approximately eight months, during which time we will continue to raise the balance of funds needed for construction to begin in early 2024. We currently have $375,000 in committed grant funding toward the project, and we need about $100,000 more.

2023 Annual Report

We are proud to share our 2023 Annual Report highlighting the ways the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation has been working to promote nature, culture, and community at lower Four Mile Run this past year, April 2022 through March 2023.

A few numbers:

• 2,190 hours of service by 486 volunteers
• 19 kayak clean-ups and 13 land-based clean-ups
• 5,604 pounds of litter removed
• > 200 plants planted
• 26 Nature Explorers And Restorers youth programs
• 7 pop-up nature center events
• $375,000 in grant funding raised toward a building a public, ADA-accessible kayak/canoe launch

Winter Clean-ups

Winter is a great time to get at litter before it is hidden by spring vegetation growth, and land-based litter clean-ups are on the calendar for February and March, at various locations across lower Four Mile Run. Join us for one or more of these stewardship opportunities!

• February 4, 2023 @ 1pm: Sunnyside tributary
• February 19, 2023 @ 3pm: meadow area
• March 11, 2023 @ 3pm: from 395 to the West Glebe Road bridge
• March 26, 2023 @ 10am: east side of the park

DETAILS/RSVP HERE

Clean Stream Extreme events are made possible through grant support from Patagonia Old Town, the Spring Creek Environmental and Preservation Fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, and in-kind support from MOM's Organic Market.

Thanksgiving

Low-angle sunlight shimmers off the water. Hawks are coming back down from up north and up-mountain, and open sight lines into the marsh yield views of rusty blackbirds, returned from the boreal forests of their summer.

As fall turns to winter, at Thanksgiving we are especially thankful for:

The many volunteers who have removed litter, planted native plants, helped lead youth programs and community outreach, tested water quality, and kept a watchful eye on the Run and its parks. You have shared your energy and joy throughout the neighborhood.

The individual donors who make the work possible, through monthly contributions, end-of-year giving, employer matching, Amazon Smile donations, Alexandria Spring2ACTion, and Giving Tuesday. Your generosity is vital to our events, programs, and day-to-day operation.

The partners who share a commitment to nature, culture, and community at Four Mile Run. It is an honor and an inspiration to work together with you.

The grant funders/sponsors who support community stewardship and the vision for vibrant community and nature at Four Mile Run. You provide the resources that enable our most ambitious projects and build our capacity to serve in the community.

To all, happy Thanksgiving, and come see us at the Run this winter!