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!

 

 

Dock project receives Virginia Recreational Trails Program grant funding!

The Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation is receiving a grant award of $300,000 toward a project to build a public, accessible floating launch for kayaks, canoes, and other non-motorized recreational watercraft on the tidal portion of Four Mile Run, a Potomac River tributary. The project is one of seven selected for funding by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation through its Recreational Trails Program (RTP) in 2022.

The project would be the first Washington, DC metro area launch to the Potomac River meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and it will include a transfer platform suitable for wheelchair users. The launch will also feature a roller-entry ramp, providing increased safety for unassisted or novice paddlers when launching or landing. From the new launch point on Four Mile Run in Alexandria, paddlers will be able to access the Potomac River Water Trail and areas of the Run where restoration work has enhanced wildlife habitat and ecological function.

“Access to nature, especially on waterways close to home, greatly enhances health and well-being, and seeing how demand for water recreation continues to rise, we are thrilled to be receiving this support for a public-access project we’ve worked toward for several years,” said Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation president Kurt Moser. “We still have a way to go in our fundraising, but this is a huge leap forward.”

With already-committed matching funding of $25,000 from an anonymous donor, project funding is well past the halfway mark toward the overall cost, estimated at roughly a half million dollars. The cost of the engineering design, completed in February this year, was supported by community contributions and matching grant funding of $17,600 awarded in 2020 by the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities (RPCA). The project is currently under consideration for additional RPCA matching grant funding of $50,000, with Alexandria’s Park and Recreation Commission to select grant proposals for funding at their upcoming public meeting on October 20.

Donations in support of the project are welcome at ​​https://give-usa.keela.co/4MR-water-access

The RTP is a federal, matching reimbursement program established to construct and rehabilitate recreational trails and trail-related facilities. The Federal Highway Administration allocates funds to each state and provides oversight to state agencies that administer the program. The Department of Conservation and Recreation administers the program in Virginia. Counties, cities and towns, park and recreation authorities, tribal governments, state agencies, federal agencies and nonprofit organizations are eligible to compete for funding.

Kayak Clean-up Dates through Season's End

There are still four more opportunities to join us for kayak clean-ups at Four Mile Run before our kayak season wraps up! Fall is a beautiful time to be out on the water, though sometimes brisk.... Remaining dates for 2022:

• Wednesday, October 5, 4:30-7:30pm
• Sunday, October 16, 1:30-4:30pm
• Sunday, November 6, 9:30am-12:30pm
• Saturday, November 19, 1:00-4:00pm

Volunteer registration opens approximately two weeks prior to each event. Sign up HERE.

September Kayak Clean-up Registration Open

Join us for kayak clean-up events this fall, protecting local waterways and exploring nearby nature in Alexandria/Arlington. Volunteer registration for Saturday afternoon, September 10 and Sunday morning, September 18 are now open, and October dates will be posted soon. Registration opens for each event approximately 2-3 weeks prior.

See the events calendar for details.