PWTSC volunteers worked with a representative of the PWC Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism to complete a trail improvement project on the Discovery Trail, which connects the athletic fields at the PWC landfill to Colgan High School, and Benton Middle School. A culvert was installed at a wet spot on the trail, where water flowed onto it from higher ground and then flowed on down the trail The culvert will improve the drainage and keep the trail in better condition. Pictures from the workday are posted below. Additional pictures and a description of the work are on our Facebook page: Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition | Facebook

About 50 volunteers came out on Saturday morning for the trash cleanup at the boardwalk in Neabsco Regional Park. They collected 43 bags of trash (mixed bag sizes) and six tires from the area near the boardwalk. Staff from the PWC Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism hauled the trash away. It appears that less trash is being washed downstream by stormwater than in the past. A litter trap was installed on Neabsco Creek in late 2021 and is capturing trash there, keeping it from being deposited further downstream in the floodplain and wetland, and in the boardwalk area. (a video of the opening ceremony is posted here ). The map below shows the location of the litter trap. There is noticeably less trash in the creek itself downstream from the litter trap.

Many thanks to the volunteers who participated in the cleanup, and to the Parks staff who loaded it on trucks and hauled it away!

These organizations sponsored the event:

• PWC Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
• REI
• PW Trails & Streams Coalition
• PW Soil & Water Conservation District

Blue skies and sunshine, mild temperatures, calm water, and colorful fall foliage – it was a perfect day for a visit to Cockpit Point Civil War Park on the shores of the Potomac River. A few of us paddled from Leesylvania State Park down to Cockpit Point, pulled up on the beach, hiked up to the historic sites in the park, and took in the scenic views at the overlooks. It’s about a 4.5 mile round trip on the water, from Leesylvania State Park to Cockpit Point and back. The PWC Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has not yet established an entrance to the park from land; there is no pedestrian crossing of the CSX rail tracks which cut-off the 16-acre historic area on the bluffs above the river, the site of the Civil War cannon emplacements.

After paddling back to Leesylvania State Park, we walked up to Freestone Point, another historic site with cannon emplacements above the river.