Activities & Volunteer Events

FODM hosts bird walks every Sunday at 8 a.m. Meet in the Belle Haven Park south parking lot.  We will cancel walks if weather conditions are unsafe, such as lightning, ice or heavy rain or snow.

Note:   FODM will not hold a bird walk on April 27 because the GWM Parkway will be closed for the PNC Alexandria Half Race.

Parking Alert

The U.S. Park Police are now ticketing vehicles parked on either side of the Marina Road. While the signage may be confusing, an officer on May 6, 2023, told us that except for the two marked handicapped parking spots near the Mount Vernon Trail, only vehicles with attached trailers can park on the sides of the Marina Road.

Join us for a tree walk led by Jim McGlone, an arborist and environmental educator. You will learn about tree identification, forest ecology and more. Meet at the Haul Road Trail entrance. This walk is limited to 25 people so everyone can learn.

Haul Road Trail directions and parking: GPS coordinates: 38.777739, -77.050540 South of Alexandria off the GW Memorial Parkway at the sign for Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve and Belle Haven Marina, turn east onto the road toward the Potomac River. Take the first left and park in the Belle Haven Park lot. Walk back to the marina road and turn east, toward the river. Walk 30 yards. On your right is a Dyke Marsh sign and the entrance to the Haul Road trail.

Join your friends  in a trash cleanup in Dyke Marsh and along the Potomac River shoreline. Check in at Belle Haven Park or the Dyke Marsh Haul Road entrance.  Sponsors will provide gloves, bags and tools.

Wear sturdy shoes, warm clothing, long pants and sleeves and layers. Some areas could be muddy. Bring water in a reusable bottle.

This event will occur unless there are heavy rains and/or lightning and NPS will notify you of a cancellation. This is the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, but since the official day conflicts with the inauguration and because of weather delays, we are holding it on March 22.

Sponsors:  Friends of Dyke Marsh (www.fodm.org), the National Park Service/George Washington Memorial Parkway (www.nps.gov/gwmp), Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail and Potomac Conservancy.

Help protect native plants by pulling and clipping invasive plants. We will train volunteers to identify the five or so target plants. We kindly ask that you not bring pets. Invasive plants can threaten and outcompete native plants.

Bring gloves, hand clippers and water. We will supply instructions, examples and trash bags. Wear long sleeves and pants and sun protection. We will have some tools to share. We will cancel if lightning or severe storms are anticipated.

Meet at the Haul Road trail entrance bench. If it is raining one hour before a scheduled session, we will cancel it.