Route 1 Dispatches: Huntley Meadows Wetlands Restoration Begins

Take a look back at this week's top headlines from the Route 1 corridor.

Each week, Patch brings you the top headlines from the Route 1 corridor. Huntley Meadows Park Wetlands Restoration Begins April 17 The Fairfax County Park Authority will begin restoring the wetlands at Huntley Meadows Park on April 17, after more than 20 years of site monitoring and project planning. The $3 million reconstruction project is funded by the Fairfax County Park bond and some grants, said Park Manager Kevin Munroe. The hemi-marsh consists of 50 percent open water and 50 percent vegetated water. During the 1980s, silt and debris that got into the park due to redevelopment projects in the area reduced the water depth and wildlife, Munroe explained. Mount Vernon Commercial Building Fire Deemed Accidental The fire that broke out …

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Huntley Meadows Park Wetlands Restoration Begins April 17

The wetlands will be restored after 20 years of site monitoring and project planning.

The Fairfax County Park Authority will begin restoring the wetlands at Huntley Meadows Park on April 17, after more than 20 years of site monitoring and project planning. The $3 million reconstruction project is funded by the Fairfax County Park bond and some grants, said Park Manager Kevin Munroe. The hemi-marsh consists of 50 percent open water and 50 percent vegetated water. During the 1980s, silt and debris that got into the park due to redevelopment projects in the area reduced the water depth and wildlife, Munroe explained. “It caused us to lose some of the biodiversity that lived in the hemi-marsh,” Munroe said. “We want to bring back that unique community of wildlife.” If it were left alone, the wetland would eventually become a …

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Kids Learn Observation Skills in Huntley Meadows Park Young Naturalist Program

Huntley Meadows Park kicks off its young naturalist program.

Kids interested in nature and wildlife can learn more about their favorite subjects, right in their own backyard. Huntley Meadows Park will kick off its winter Young Naturalist classes next week. This five-class series will be led by Park Programmer Brooke LaPorta. Throughout the series, students will work on their own naturalist's journal, where they weill sketch wildlife and document scientific observations. The class is built for students age 9 to 12, who will learn about the diverse ecosystem of Huntley Meadows Park while improving their observation and interaction skills. Students will spend a half hour in the indoor classroom before heading out for an hour-long outdoor excursion during each class. Classes will be held on Mondays …

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Huntley Meadows Park Manager to Discuss Park at Green Breakfast

Kevin Munroe will discuss history of the park Saturday in Fairfax.

Huntley Meadows Park Manager Kevin Munroe will be the guest speaker Saturday at the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Green Breakfast in Fairfax. Munroe will discuss the history of the park's wetland and the 20-year process of restoration. He will showcase the final design of the wetland, which includes restoration techniques used by national wildlife refuges.  The breakfast and talk are scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Brion's Grill, located in the University Shopping Mall in Fairfax. The cost is $10 for the breakfast buffet, which includes tax and tip. For more information, please call the Conservation District at 703-324-1460.  

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Beavers Make their Home in Fairfax County

The county says beavers are not threatening to residents.

Beavers in the ‘burbs?  Many people think of beavers as wilderness animals. Beavers do live in wilderness areas, but they also seem comfortably at home in northern Virginia. Two places in the Mount Vernon-Lee area where you might see beavers are Huntley Meadows Park and the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. Recently, beavers have been very visible in Huntley Meadows Park, said Park Manager Kevin Munroe. “This may be best time to see them because they’ve decided to build at the beginning of the boardwalk. They are very cooperative at the moment,” he chuckled. Huntley Meadows Park In 1977, beavers built a dam across Barnyard Run in the park which created a swamp or non-tidal wetland and flooded the forest.  Huntley has at least three lodges, …

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Woman Robbed in Huntley Meadows Park

An 18-year-old woman was assaulted and robbed in the park Thursday morning.

The Fairfax County Police Department is currently investigating a strong-arm robbery and assault that occurred Thursday morning, according to a recent news release. An 18-year-old woman was jogging in the park around 11:14 a.m. near the South Kings Highway and Telegraph Road entrance when two women knocked her to the ground, assaulted her and stole clothing and a cell phone. The victim was able to escape from her attackers, sustaining minor injuries. The first suspect was described as Hispanic, 15 to 25 years old, 5 feet tall, heavy set and wearing all black. The second suspect was described as Hispanic or black, 15 to 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, medium build and wearing all black. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime …

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Dyke Marsh and Beyond

Wetland Restoration Focus of Upcoming Public Meeting

Huntley Meadows Park wetland restoration plans will be presented at two upcoming public meetings.

After 18 years of worrying, planning, meeting, debating, designing and redesigning, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) will restore and stabilize Huntley Meadows Park’s central wetland, Huntley Meadows Park manager Kevin Munroe said on a recent walk in the park. Park officials will hold two public meetings to present restoration plans. Park managers and the contractor, Wetlands Studies and Solutions, will explain the proposed design and purposes. The “crown jewel” of the 1,500-acre park, according to many of its 200,000 annual visitors, is the 50-plus-acre, non-tidal wetland, the largest of its kind and a rarity in the Northern Virginia suburbs.  Accessing it by the boardwalk that winds over the water, many visitors delight in seeing…

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Wynne Kelch

8:27 am on Monday, November 26, 2012

Thanks for the update. I've been wondering about the status of the intervention.   more ›

Dyke Marsh and Beyond

Turkeys Wandering Around the Suburbs?

Wild turkeys are a common sight.

Chances are most northern Virginians did not slink around the woods to snag a wild turkey for the Thanksgiving table. Most people probably lugged a frozen 20-pounder or so from the grocery store to the car to the oven. Wild turkeys are closer than you might think. “Fairfax County has many flocks of wild turkeys,” says Jerry Sims, Terrestrial Program Manager, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), but no one knows the number. There may be 180,000 statewide. Where can you spot a turkey in the wild? "The flock has increased and there have been several excellent brooding springs which resulted in very high survival rates for poults. That of course has a significant impact on the future population,” he explained.  But …

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Sally Spangler

12:59 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012

Not unusual, City types and developers have one thing in mind - $$$$$$$$$$$$$ and more of it! The next door couple who wanted a lawn, so they bought the lot between us and cut out all of the tree stand and re-graded the land. After 40 plus years of having those trees and the wild growth under them, I was almost ready to cry!   more ›

Wild Side Ride Explores Huntley Meadows

Park staffers and volunteers work with nature to preserve Huntley Meadows Park.

Huntley Meadows’ Wild Side Rides are not known for speed. At about five miles an hour, a tractor pulls a wagon of passengers through parts of the Huntley Meadows Wetlands not easily reached on foot.  What is wild is the wildlife and nature. Huntley Meadows Park is a favorite gathering place of migratory birds. It is a stop along the flyway, the migratory paths. Migrators, coming from over the ocean or up from South America come to this place for 2 to 3 weeks in the fall and in the spring. Then they leave again. Some birds from Canada came here and found it warm and pleasant and decided to stay. The wild ride tractor route follows, approximately, the hike-bike trail. The area was once farm land, taken over by the government. As part of …

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