Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Kayak Launch Construction - Invitation to Bid

28 August 2024 -- The Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation has today issued the invitation to bid (ITB) to obtain bids from qualified bidders and enter a contract for construction of the kayak launch project on Four Mile Run in Alexandria, Virginia. Details and full ITB here.

The launch will be an accessible and ADA-compliant floating launch with transfer platform and roller entry/exit. It will be the first such access point to Four Mile Run and the Potomac River for the Washington, DC metro area. See kayak launch project page for details.

Friday, May 31, 2024

Kayak Clean-up Schedule: Summer

Days are long, and great for paddling. Join us for time on the water while keeping Four Mile Run litter-free!

  Wednesday, June 26 @5:30pm (full)
  Saturday, July 6 @ 8:30am
  Thursday, July 18 @ 5:30pm
  Saturday July 20 @ 8:30am
  Saturday August 3 @ 8:30am - sign-up is open
  Saturday August 10 @ 8:30am - sign-up is open

REGISTER HERE -- Kayak clean-up registration opens around two weeks before each event.

This page will be updated periodically as dates are added.

Friday, April 19, 2024

Support Youth Conservation Internships during Spring2ACTion!

Wednesday, April 24, 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 $7,500 Spring2ACTion campaign supports paid internships for local youth!

Four Mile Run conservation interns work as a team on such tasks as woodland assessment, photographic wildlife surveys, invasive plant removal, water quality monitoring, and assistance with outdoor programs for children/youth. Through their experience, Four Mile Run conservation interns develop skills in natural resource conservation, field research, and leadership, and they have even co-authored scientific research (see the 2020 microplastics study in the Virginia Journal of Science).

Help build the future of conservation at Four Mile Run with a Spring2ACTion donation!

Kayak Clean-up Season Starts Next Month!

More daylight and warmer temperatures mean we'll be getting back on the water to keep Four Mile Run litter-free while experiencing the amazing nature found right here in the city. Kayak clean-up dates for May are posted below, so save the date! Dates for June/July will be added soon.

  • Saturday, May 11, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 19, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Sign-ups will open at the end of this month; for each event, the sign-up opens 2-3 weeks ahead of time.

Friday, March 1, 2024

Nesting Gourds for Purple Martins!

As part of an initiative called Stretch Our Parks,  we partnered with the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia to install a Purple Martin nesting colony in the big meadow at Four Mile Run Park. Purple Martins are North America's largest swallows -- beautiful, acrobatic birds that swoop and dive, eating flying insects near water. They are migratory, spending their nesting/breeding season here, and overwintering in South America's Amazon River basin.

Purple Martins are also secondary cavity nesters: unlike woodpeckers, they do not excavate their own nests, but instead claim already-existing cavities like old woodpecker holes or natural cavities in dead trees or rock ledges. Thousands of years ago, people began providing man-made housing for the Purple Martins in the form of dried, hollow gourds. Over time, the birds nested successfully in these inviting homes, and now, most eastern Purple Martins nest in them.

More details and photos of volunteers at work installing the Purple Martin colony can be found in the ASNV news post. We hope these beneficial birds will move in at Four Mile Run later this spring!