Trails and Streams News

July 3, 2010: Announcement - Silver Lake Open to Canoes and Kayaks

Silver Lake has just been opened up for your canoes and kayaks.  Enjoy!

June 19, 2010: Duck Splash in Historic Occoquan

A big thanks to all those who purchased tickets and to our volunteers who made the 4th Annual Duck Splash our most successful yet.  Click here to check out the News and Messenger article covering the event and here to see our video. The list of winners is below, and congratulations!

 

 

This year's winners are:
1. David Battiste
2. Kyle Genovese
3. June Smith
4. Heidi Arble
5. Petra Casipit
6. Connie Moser
7. Carolyn Jacobs
8. Teresa Hite
9. Wayne Michaels
10. Amanda

June 12, 2010: Silver Lake Workday

It was very hot on the 12th of June, but that did not sway PWTSC from performing much needed trail building and maintenance at Silver Lake Park near Haymarket.  A total of 26 volunteers gathered to lay down wood chips on trails cleared last fall, and worked to improve much of what had been damaged during the winter storms.

Another accomplishment made was the installation of trail head signage to help guide trail users around the park.  Park maps are available on the Park Authority website, but over the winter, not all were easy to find without the signs.

Trails to date accommodate those who wish to hike or have a pleasant horse ride, as well as being ideal for the young mountain bike enthusiast.  The trails wind through woodlands, cross open fields, and provide excellent views of the lake below.

PWTSC will again be gathering to work at Silver Lake on Saturday, August 14th to continue improvements with trail footing on newly existing trails, as well as adding more distance to trails in progress.  Please come join us to help improve Prince William County trails systems.

June 5, 2010: National Trails Day Event: Help Cut New Spur of Potomac Heritage Trail

On Saturday, June 5th, from 9 AM to 2 PM, Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) will team up with REI Fairfax, the Historic Preservation Division of Public Works, the Potomac Heritage Trail Association, and Prince William County Parks and Recreation to work on a new spur of the Potomac Heritage Trail at the Rippon Lodge property in Woodbridge.

When complete, the Potomac Heritage Trail will stretch from the mouth of the Potomac River to the Allegheny Highlands.  In Prince William, the trail will run from Occoquan to Prince William Forest Park.  This spur will connect one of Prince William’s most important historic properties to the trail.  

Please register for the event using this link.  Volunteers will meet at Porter Elementary School. Tools, gloves and water will be provided.  A community picnic, sponsored by Woodbridge District Supervisor Frank Principi will also be held at Rippon Lodge the same day. 

To view a map of the area, click here.

Additionally, take the opportunity to meet with your representative on the newly appointed Prince William County Trails and Blueways Council. Members of the Council, chaired by David Brickley, will be participating in work on the Potomac Heritage Trail and will provide an opportunity for you to share your ideas for public trails and blueways in Prince William County.

Please contact Zoe Vitter at 703-785-5785 or vice.president@pwtsc.org if you have any questions.

May 21, 2010:  Bike to Work Day Pitstop

Check out this article in the News and Messenger covering our first Bike to Work Day Pitstop at the Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center!  Below is information leading up to the event.

We all know that getting to work in the Metro Washington area can be a stressful, costly and time consuming effort.  What if you had a better option, like biking to work?  Biking to work promotes fitness, reduces stress, improves productivity, reduces the cost of commuting and helps the environment by lowering your carbon footprint!

On Friday, May 21, for the first time Prince William County will participate in the Metro Washington Bike to Work Day, sponsored by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Washington Area Bicycle Association.

That morning, from 6:30am-9:30am, Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition will host the Bike to Work Pit stop adjacent to the Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center; there will be a raffle, prizes, food, drink and more at the pit stop.  Free T-shirts will available for bike riders who registered for, and are in attendance at, the Manassas pit stop.  You can find more information at www.waba.org.

The Prince William County Board of County Supervisors recently proclaimed May 21st as Bike to Work Day in Prince William County, demonstrating their support for bikeable, and walkable, communities in Prince William.  There have been many organizations and businesses involved in planning and organizing the Bike to Work Pit stop.  We’d like to thank:  Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition; Prince William County Trails & Blueways Council, PW Department of Transportation; PW Police Department; Haymarket Bicycles; A-1 Cycling in Manassas, The Freedom Aquatic  & Fitness Center; George Mason University and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

We hope to see you at the Manassas, Prince William County, Bike to Work Pit stop on Friday, May 21.

Please contact Rick Holt at president@pwtsc.org for more information, and check out the flier here for registration information and here for local pit stop information.

May 18, 2010:  In the News - Bike to Work Day Coverage

This News and Messenger article provided coverage leading up to Bike to Work Day.

May 15, 2010: Andrew Leitch Workday

We’re going to have a workday at Andrew Leitch on May 15.  We’ll be completing the loop that was disconnected by the recent stream-bank mitigation work, cutting new trail and constructing a fair weather crossing.  Start time 9AM, bring gloves and hand tools if you have them, water and snacks will be provided.  Chain saw work for approved members.  Contact Zoe Vitter at 703-785-5785 or vice.president@pwtsc.org to register.

May 9, 2010: Long Park Cleanup

On Mother's Day afternoon at James S. Long Regional Park, six members of the Battlefield High School Environmental Club joined forces with five members
of the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition to remove as much of the
old trash heap as possible in a three hour period.  There was a quarter mile
to go from the trash site to the dumpster, with one Bobcat, one tractor, and
multiple smaller trailers and wheel barrels available to make the trip.
After work for the afternoon was finished, one roll-on/roll-off provided by
Cleve Benton and one dumpster provide by the PWCPA were filled with steel
and other trash items in addition to the four bags filled with recyclables.
We thank the students of Battlefield High School for their help in making
our parkland trails more beautiful.

April 24, 2010: Broad Run 5K Trail Race and 1M Fun Run

Thank you for making the first Broad Run 5k Trail Run, and Fun Run, a great success.  We look forward to hosting the run again next year. In the future the distance of the race may grow as the Broad Run Linear Trail grows.  The vision for the trail is to have it running from Lake Manassas down to Route 28.  This will provide a very scenic trail, of over 7.5 miles, for individuals and families to enjoy as part of an outdoor recreation experience.  Please check our website for more details on the Broad Run Linear Trail and other trails and streams access within Prince William County.

 You can see the race results as PDF files here and here.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for contributing to this event:

Advantage Physical Therapy, Gainesville
The Running Store, Gainesville
Athletic Equations, Inc., Bristow
Chili's, Manassas
Dick's Sporting Goods
Sport's Authority

 Also, a special thank you to all of the volunteers who supported this event, and to Old Dominion Baptist Church for letting us use their parking lot and restroom facilities.

April 17, 3rd Saturday: Earth Day Event

 Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition set up a table at the McCourt Building at 1 County Court Complex in Woodbridge on Saturday, April 17th to educate citizens on benefits to the environment and personal health of using Trails and Blueways in Prince William County.

April 10, 2010: Potomac River Watershed Cleanup

I want to thank everyone again for an outstanding clean-up effort. We had 23 boats on the water, mostly kayaks, plus Lake Jackson and Lake Ridge VFDs providing emergency support if needed.

Here is a summary of results.  Twenty kayaks and three canoes were launched at the Lake Jackson Dam put-in site to collect debris along the Occoquan River on 10 April from 9am to 4:30pm.  Another 38 volunteers cleaned up debris at the Lake Jackson Dam put-in site, Riverview Estates HOA, Occoquan Forest HOA and Canyon Bluff HOA take-out sites.  This was a collaborative effort that involved members of the Prince William County Park Authority, Public Works, Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District, three Home Owners Associations; rescue boats from Lake Jackson VFD and the Lake Ridge OWL VFD, The Friends of Occoquan, and members of the Dale City Civic Association.  Coordination was made with the Alice Ferguson Foundation for plastic bags and gloves who sponsored the Chesapeake Water Shed Clean-up effort.  Liaison with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority was made to provide free launch passes to kayakers/canoeists entering from the Bull Run Marina or Fountainhead Marina.

The following is a list of the debris removed from the Occoquan River starting at the Lake Jackson Dam put-in point, including litter collected below the Dam site, and that taken out at Riverview Estates HOA and Canon Bluff HOA.
            Filled one (1) 30 cu yd Roll-off Dumpster
            Filled 2 cu yd of another Dumpster
            Collected: 153 non-recyclable bags of trash
                               30 recyclable bags of material
                               30 tires
                               10-55 gal drums, metal chairs, chains
                                 3 broken canoes
                                25 feet of one inch steel cable
                                  2 10ft x 10ft inflatable swimming pools
                                  6 broken Canadian Geese decoys
                                  1 pink flamingo lawn ornament   

The Project Officer for this effort was Ed Dandar and can be reached at 703-791-6158 or blueways@pwtsc.org if you have any questions.

The News and Messenger wrote an article covering the event as well.

March 27, 2010: Cleanup of the Featherstone Wildlife Refuge

The group Friends of the Potomac River Refuges is sponsoring a cleanup of the Featherstone Wildlife Refuge. This will soon be one of the highlights of the Potomac Heritage Trail in Prince William County. The site is not easily accessible, and you must sign a waiver to participate. Visit http://www.foprr.org/thingsToDo/currentEvents.html for more information and a copy of the waiver. Please contact joan@thepattersonfamily.us for more information.

March 20, 2010: Andrew Leitch Park 

Coordination with Youth Ambassadors to educate on trails maintenance
and stream bank mitigation. Eric VanNortwick was the PWTSC sponsor for this event.

March 6, 2010: MORE Sponsored Conway Robinson State Forest Cleanup

The first M.O.R.E. sponsored joint volunteer group workday of the year is coming quickly! Come out to meet fellow users of the Conway Robinson Forest and make some new friends while we take care of this treasured resource. We need your help to get the trails back into good shape after this hard winter. There is strong support for the various user groups from our local Dept. of Forestry staff; let's show a good turn-out for the volunteer days to further this relationship and support. We want to accomplish trail blazing on this first workday of 2010. All trails need minor trim and lopping of overhanging branches and general clearing of fallen limbs, leaves, and debris. Depending on volunteer turn out, the trails are prioritized as follows:
Red
Blue 1- Section from Entrance Fire Road to the Pines Fire Road
Yellow
Unfinished Railroad from Kemper to Yellow
Unfinished Railroad from Kemper to Blue/Pines Fire Road
Blue from Unfinished Railroad to Yellow

Meet at the parking area at 9:00 a.m. Bring work gear, sturdy shoes/boots, gloves, hand tools, and enough water for a 1/2 day of light trail maintenance.
Please contact Vickie McEntire at vmcent@comcast.net for more details, or to confirm your group, family or your assistance.

January 9, 2010: Ben Lomond Park Survey

On Saturday, January 9th, members of PWTSC and PWC Park Authority surveyed the Ben Lomond Park corridor to plan a future trail network.  Ben Lomond Park follows the course of Bull Run from Splasdown Waterpark at the northernmost end of Sudley Manor Drive to the point where Bull Run flows under Route 66. When complete, the trail will allow hikers, bikers, and equestrians to travel over two miles from Splashdown and points throughought the Sudley neighborhood upstream to the Manassas National Battlefield Park.  A rudimentary trail currently exists along this corridor, but it will need many improvements to make it passable by the casual user.  PWTSC looks forward to working with the county in the future to improve the trail surface and create a first class trail.  

November 21, 2009: 30 Volunteers Help Repair Access Point and Clean-up Lake Jackson Dam Area

PWTSC and 30 volunteers cleaned-up the area below Lake Jackson Dam on Saturday, 21 November. Also included was repair of the trail down to the base of the Dam to prevent erosion of a steep slope. The repaired trail also made it easier to move the debris up the trail to a dumpster provided by the Prince William Park Authority.

The PWTSC goal is the establishment of a public canoe/kayak launch and fishing area below the Dam that would provide access to the Occoquan River for passive recreation.  The new canoe/kayak launch area, when completed, will provide for a 9 mile paddling trip to the Bull Run Marina or a 14 mile paddling experience to either the Lake Ridge Marina or Fountainhead Marina.

Volunteers in this effort ranged in age from 5 to 66 years old and included several local area citizens, kayak and canoe enthusiasts, two high school students doing Community service hours, PWTSC members and representatives from other volunteer organizations. For more information on this ongoing project, contact Ed Dandar at blueways@pwtsc.org.

July to September, 2009: Silver Lake Cleanup 

Work on Silver Lake began just two days after the County Supervisors turned over the facility to the Park Authority, July 11, 2009. A Park Authority official and a PWTSC member walked and rode the grounds to discover the overgrown but existing trails and were soon followed by a particularly enthused park work force supervisor. Once preliminary trails were determined, a trail system was sketched out and prioritized.

Despite poor weather, the first official work day brought out over 40 volunteers that cleared a new forest path, ripped out old wire fencing, cleared branches and picked up trash. A stunning amount of work was completed and the possibility of having the park ready for a formal opening on October 4th was visualized.

Two further official PWTSC work days followed, held at the end of August and again in September, along with countless extra hours put in by various PWTSC members, Nokesville Horse Society (NHS), Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiast (MORE), Haymarket Cyclists, a day with Dominion Power, and other local groups all joining the Prince William County Park Authority to get Silver Lake ready for opening. The groups continued hand and machine clearing that resulted in almost four miles of multipurpose trails and cleared areas for fishing and picnicking.

Although of varying width, all trails may be biked, horse-back ridden, or simply hiked, but amidst the trail system are those suitable for carriage driving and push chairs. The surfaces are now passable but a lot of work will be required to firm up the open trails for future use. Stone, stone dust, mulch, tree trimming and stabilizing of wet weather stream crossings needs to be done along with the natural clean-up that a natural park setting will require throughout the year.

The initial work utilizing over 70 different volunteers has been completed and the well attended formal opening of Silver Lake on October 4, 2009 has come and gone. Soon the bees will be buzzing, the birds chirping, the grasses waving, and the fish will be jumping. There will be plenty at Silver Lake to do and enjoy.

Let's maintain last year's enthusiasm and clear, clean and build up trails that will last not only this life time but those to come.

OUR FIRST OFFICIAL 2010 SILVER LAKE WORK DAY: June 12, 2010. See you there!

August, 2009: Valley View Park Trails - Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) partnered with the Prince William County Park Authority to reinforce low sections of the trails with gravel for footing. Volunteers spread 10 tons of gravel provided by PWCPA and trimmed low hanging branches that had started to reach out over the trails.

July, 2009 - Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) coordinated with PWCPA to improve upon work performed by Boy Scouts in May at Locust Shade Park. Volunteers cleared heavier trees and branches from the trails and performed clean-up. PWTSC volunteers also revisited the trails cut in March to clear newly fallen debris.

May, 2009 - Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and the Manassas Bull Runners Trail Crew celebrated opening of Annie Snyder Connector Trail between Manassas Battlefield and Conway Robinson State Forest. This included a section of woodchip covered hiking trails that PWTSC volunteers had assisted to lay down in November 2008.

May, 2009 - Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) met where the Broad Run Trail crosses Linton Hall Rd to finish installing stone dust along the Broad Run Trail and built a 12 ft Pedestrian Bridge at a stream crossing using lumber donated by Lowes of Gainesville.

May, 2009 - Prince William Trails and Streams (PWTSC) performed bench cutting of portions of the newly cut trail at Locust Shade Park. The bench cuts were necessary where the slope of the trail did not support recreational activity.  Additionally, a Boy Scout group joined the effort to cut a new 1 mile trail in Locust Shade Park.

March, 2009 - Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) volunteers spread 100 tons of stone dust over about 1/2 mile of trail on the Broad Run Trail Corridor and build a Fair Weather crossing over a large feeder stream.

February, 2009 - Prince William Trails and Streams (PWTSC) built a loop trail of about 1.2 miles in the southern wooded area of Locust Shade Park. The new trail was built to support a single track with several pull off points to allow people to pass one another.

November, 2008 - Prince William Trails and Streams (PWTSC) and Nokesville Horse Society (NHS) members coordinated activities to perform some preliminary development of a Multi-Use Trail Connector between Manassas Battlefield and Conway Robinson State Forest. The trail utilizes property that Dave Jones has promised passage for this use along Pageland Rd.

November, 2008 - Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) and the Manassas Bull Runners Trail Crew commenced development of a hiking only trail to be dedicated to Annie Snyder and connecting the Manassas National Battlefield Park to the Conway Robinson State Forest, mainly along the old unfinished railroad.    PWTSC provided several volunteers for this effort.

July and August, 2008 - Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) volunteers built approximately 2 miles of additional trails on 66 acres recently acquired at James Long Park. Multiple days were coordinated by several volunteers to tag, clear brush and leaves, and trim branches along this scenic trail in the woods behind active recreation fields and facilities.

June 2008 - Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) organized volunteers at Andrew Leitch Park to spread gravel, install erosion resistant water bars and clean up trash at Andrew Leitch Park. This effort was coordinated with Prince William County’s National Trails Day, enticing many additional volunteers to come our from the local community and local Boy Scout Chapters as well to assist.