The intersection of South Kings Highway and Telegraph Road is scheduled for some relatively major construction in 2012-2013 to improve the traffic flow. The project will affect both Dogue Creek and the South Kings Highway Huntley Meadows parking lot. At present, park staff and Friends of Huntley Meadows Park are cautiously optimistic and supportive of the project and feel it will be a net gain for the park.

To learn more, please attend the public hearing for the project on Thursday, September 23, 5PM-8PM at Hayfield Secondary School (7630 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315) and visit VDOT's website.

Please also feel free to contact park staff or the FOHMP board with questions about the project. 703-768-2525

Boardwalk Repairs this Fall:
The current boardwalk was installed in 1993 and, although the structure and anchors are in good shape, the surface boards are ready to be replaced. To extend life, reduce maintenance costs and eliminate concerns over chemicals used in pressure-treated lumber, we will use a plastic composite material. We hope to expand the start of the boardwalk into the woods to address trail erosion issues. Plexiglas viewing windows to watch wildlife under the boardwalk may be added, as well as various markings and signage for increased interpretation. The wetland restoration project will not impact the boardwalk, so we need not delay boardwalk repairs. The one exception is the stretch of boardwalk after the tower, which may be flooded by a few inches after the wetland restoration. We will be adding extra boards to make it higher. Repairs will start this November and should be finished by the New Year. Construction will be done in sections with the hope that we never have to close off the whole boardwalk. Boardwalk repairs will be funded by the 2008 bond.

The Cattails that Ate Huntley Meadows
This has been a bumper crop year for cattails in the central wetland. Cattails are a vital part of any healthy inland marsh and a valuable native plant. Redwing Blackbirds nest in them, muskrats use them for food and building materials, and rails use the thick stands as shelter. The problem is when they become too thick and start to form a monoculture. The primary reason for this year’s cattail expansion is simply that Huntley’s non-tidal wetland is aging and slowly filling in. Without the scouring effect of tides or a river, non-tidal marshes fill in over time and cattails lead the charge. Controlling
the water levels (and therefore controlling the spread of cattails) through our wetland restoration project is the best longtern, low-impact method for preventing the wetland from filling in. Until the project occurs, we will prune cattails that block the boardwalk and we may explore a combination of cutting and controlled burns, just as we do in our managed meadows. We would follow methods used in wildlife refuges and time any cattail management so as not to interfere with sensitive wildlife seasons.

Wetland Restoration Update
No, we haven’t forgotten about the wetland restoration. We’re still working with state and county regulatory agencies to work out various issues associated with the site’s topography and construction of the dam. As the wetland continues to slowly age and fill in, we continue to look forward to a time in the near future when we can control the water levels and therefore maintain and preserve the wetland for decades to come. We will keep you apprised of any project updates. Feel free to join Kevin on his monthly Park Manager Walk and Talks to learn more. We’ll hold more public meetings on the project as soon as there is any significant news to share.

Evening Wagon Rides
(Families with children ages 6 and up). Take a 90-minute tractor ride with a park naturalist to parts of the wetland that are difficult to reach on foot. Look for and learn about songbirds, wildflowers, butterflies, and waterfowl, then stop for a snack at the observation platform. Meets at the South King's Highway entrance to the park. $6

Wagon Ride Schedule

Nestbox Monitoring Program Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers

Breeding season is over for 2010 2010 Final Report 2009 Final Report For more information on the monitoring program and historical records at Huntley Meadows, please visit nouveau.home.

Park Manager Walk & Talk
and Wetland Project Update

- One Saturday each month -
Meet in the Huntley Meadows Park visitor center
(off Lockhead Blvd.)

Sept. 25  4-6 pm
Oct. 23  4-6 pm
Nov. 20  4-6 pm

Join park manager Kevin Munroe on a walk. Share questions and concerns about the park, find out about the wetlands restoration project and look for the wildlife for which the park is well known.
Reservations required.
FREE

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3701 Lockheed Blvd.
Alexandria, Va. 22306
703-768-2525

Operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority , Huntley Meadows is forever preserved in a natural state for hiking, biking, wildlife watching, relaxing and discovering.

Facilities include a Visitor Center with exhibits and auditorium, a 1/2 mile boardwalk wetland trail, 2-mile interpretive trail system and wildlife observation tower

Click Here for Visitor Center Hours and Directions to the Park .