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The Friends of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (FOWOD) is a non-profit citizens organization dedicated to the preservation, enhancement and promotion of a unique recreational resource in northern Virginia: the W&OD trail, a 45-mile multi-use rail-trail that is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. We hope you will use this site to learn more about the trail, keep up to date on current events happening on or near the trail, support the efforts of the FOWOD, and share your thoughts and ideas with us.
Please note that the NVRPA maintains its own site, and that this one is wholly distinct from it.
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 Calendar of up-coming events / items of on-going interest |
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Significant construction/detours, recent and/or underway
(1) Click here to download the fact sheet concerning upcoming construction (early April to late May) of a 30” water main across the Trail Parking Area at Route 607 in Loudoun County.
(2) On August 15, 2011 construction began on the west side of Sycolin Road in Leesburg at mileage marker 33.5. There two box culverts across the W&OD Trail will be made to promote better drainage of stormwater. Loudoun County Public Schools is undertaking this improvement in conjunction with the construction of the new Douglass Elementary School on Sycolin Road. A 400-foot long paved detour trail will provide temporary passage through the construction area, and vehicles working on the project will be crossing that new trail intermittently, so that there will also be present flaggers to control traffic. Please be aware that the gravel equestrian trail between Sycolin Road, SE and Catoctin Circle, SE will be closed during the construction of the drainage outfall. As usual we ask that all Trail users exercise particular caution while in the work zone. When the improvements have been completed, the paved and gravel trails will be restored to their original alignments.
For more information contact Dan Iglhaut at NVRPA (703-359-4628).
(3) Resurfacing of the Trail between Isaac Newton Square and Hunter Mill Road is now complete. All surface markings in this section are freshly applied, all curb cuts have been rebuilt, and gentler transition slopes applied in those areas where such action was required.
Additional resurfacing, etc., already underway at a stretch not far east of Hunter Mill Road (between Clarks Crossing and Ayr Hill Road), will be performed elsewhere during the coming months.
(4) Major construction along the short section of the Trail on the east side of Reston (near mileage marker 16) has been completed. Click here for additional details concerning the on-going Dulles Metrorail project.
(5) Dominion Virginia Power completed the installation of the underground transmission lines just to the west of Leesburg (beginning near mileage marker 36 and running ca. 2 miles to the west) at the end of 2010. Click here to view the official press release.
Geocaching along the W&OD Trail
What is geocaching? An activity enjoyed all around the world by people of all ages and of all athletic abilities, geocaching combines sport, technology, and treasure hunting. With the help of a portable GPS unit that accepts coordinates, one player hides a cache (typically in a small, water-tight container) that contains a log book and other items, and often also a "treasure" that a second player who finds it is invited to take in exchange for the leaving of another "treasure" for yet another player. (Clues or puzzles are associated with the location of some caches; so, finding these requires some thought as well as a GPS device...)
The sport is environmentally-conscious: geocachers abide by the acronym CITO ("cache in, trash out"). To play along, parks rules must be obeyed, private property respected, etc. For more details concerning geocaching and its etiquette, and to see how many caches are in our area, visit Geocaching: The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. Other great resources for the activity include the locally oriented web site of the Northern Virginia Geocaching Organization and a more general, web-based guide to which this link will take you.
Are there caches hidden near the W&OD Trail? Yes, several. Some are linked to historical events along the Trail (e.g., a local geocacher has hidden one related to a Civil War skirmish involving the railroad), others to natural features, hobbies, etc. One good thing about playing this sport during the winter months: some caches may be easier to spot!
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All 34 segments of the W&OD Trail Adopted!
Click here for further details regarding the program. |
Clustered blooms of one variety (Asclepias tuberosa) of the butterfly milkweed cup the sun of early summer.
The leaves of the plant are the sole source of nourishment for the Monarch caterpillar, and that diet preserves
the distinctively marked creature against predation by rendering its flesh extremely unpalatable, even toxic.
When it emerges metamorphosed from the chrysalis, the butterfly, also distinctively marked and
unpalatable, possesses a proboscis instead of jaws so that it is able to feed only on fluids.
[You may click on the image for a closer view.]
Like sticks & swirls of sugar-dusted blue taffy, the center of the chicory (Cichorium intybus) blossom is the natural allure
of one of the most generously distributed weeds to be found along the Trail.
Roman gardeners actively cultivated the plant for its leaves (used in salads);
some moderns continue the practice, also preparing the root for beverages.
[You may click on the image for a closer view.] |
Crown vetch/crownvetch (Coronilla varia), which is native to Europe, southeast Asia, and northern Africa,
is considered to be an invasive species, and yet it is commonly planted along roads and waterways
in order to provide quickly and easily ground cover for the control of erosion.
N.B.: Both chicory and crown vetch -- but not butterfly milkweed -- are considered to be invasive, non-native species and, as such, the Friends advocate the cultivation or encouragement of neither along the Trail.
The FCPA publishes a pamphlet that treats of all of the invasive species in our area. That document may be obtained by sending a check for $10.45 (payable to the FCPA) along with a note stating that the money is for the non-native invasive plant ID book to:
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FCPA
Resource Management Division
12055 Government Center, Suite 936
Fairfax, VA 22035 |
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Turtle, watch
Often spotted on the Trail as it plods along (stopping now and again to crane its neck), the eastern box turtle -- Carolina terapene terapene -- has been firmly established in our area for many millions of years. Although this fascinating reptile has not yet become an officially endangered species, it is most certainly at real, ever-increasing risk due to the ongoing (and accelerating) destruction of native habitat, climatological change, AND the well-meaning hikers and children who, when they take the turtle home, inevitably bring about its premature death. This final risk, of course, is one that is within everyone's direct power to eliminate easily: if you should happen upon one of these grapefruit-sized, brown and yellow tanks, simply enjoy its company in the wild, but please DO NOT take it home.
An entertainingly reflective appreciation of the virtues of our regional testudinate was framed for the North Carolina Legislature when that body decided to adopt the turtle as the official state reptile in 1979:
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H. B. 384 CHAPTER 154
AN ACT TO ADOPT THE TURTLE AS THE OFFICIAL STATE REPTILE FOR THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.
WHEREAS, the turtle is a most useful creature who serves to control harmful and pestiferous insects, and acts as one of nature's clean-up crew, helping to preserve the purity and beauty of our waters; and
WHEREAS, the turtle is derided by some who have missed the finer things of life, but in some species has provided food that is a gourmet's delight; and
WHEREAS, the turtle, which at a superficial glance appears to be a mundane and uninteresting creature, is actually a most fascinating creature, ranging from species well adapted to modern conditions to species which have existed virtually unchanged since prehistoric times; and
WHEREAS, the turtle watches undisturbed as countless generations of faster hares run by to quick oblivion, and is thus a model of patience for mankind, and a symbol of this State's unrelenting pursuit of great and lofty goals; and
WHEREAS, the woodlands, marshes, and inland and coastal waters of North Carolina are the abode of many species of turtles; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. G.S. Chapter 145 is amended by adding a new section as follows:
"§ 145-9. State reptile.— The turtle is adopted as the official State reptile of the State of North Carolina, and the eastern box turtle is designated as the emblem representing the turtles inhabiting North Carolina." |
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(Continuing) Call for Photographs
We continue to request that Trail users send along to us (by e-mail attachment) their best photos of the W&OD. Particularly desirable are images of the area under threat of deforestation, that is, the area from Cochran Mill Road east of Leesburg to Route 287 east of Purcellville. Credit for the photo will be given, of course, but the Friends wish to reserve the right both to use the image on the website and to incorporate it into presentations made in opposition to the proposed deforestation.
To see our gallery of images from the Trail, click here.
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An additional source of information concerning the Trail
The W&OD Trail Report offers all Trail users an opportunity (to quote from and to paraphrase the recurring page header) "to report what they see during their use of the trail" and to share that thoughtfully with other users. The site's archives also contain a number of fine photos of wildlife and flowers.
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Some reasons not to retrograde the W&OD Trail to a rail corridor:
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•None of the occasional -- and thankfully as yet unsuccessful -- efforts to bring about the transformation of the W&OD Trail into a new NOVA rail system takes adequate account of the fact that there are over 70 at-grade crossings spread along the length of the park. Traffic on the region's nearby roads would worsen considerably if such a system were built at ground level; and, of course, to construct an elevated train through the same corridor would cost many additional billions of dollars.
•It is important to recognize that the W&OD Trail is already a transportation corridor. A great number of cyclists and pedestrians use it regularly as a route from home, direct or via Metro, to work or to shopping.
•The W&OD Trail is, above all else, a very popular recreation destination. Between two and three million people use it each year, thus making the W&OD the most -- or perhaps only the second most (after the Minuteman Bikeway in Massachusetts) -- successful rail-trail in the entire country. The Trail also functions as an important greenway for wildlife in our area. It provides food and shelter for birds and animals, both native and migrating, and in this way enhances our lives by providing an increasingly urbanized NOVA with an echo of its more sleepy, sylvan past.
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The Friends continue to offer for sale From Alexandria to the Blue Ridge—The Story of the W&OD Railroad, an hour-long documentary on the history of the W&OD Railroad which became available through the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority in July 2003.
This video and its companion piece, The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, will begin running on Arlington Cable channel 71 in mid-March, and each continues to be played regularly on the Herndon Community Access channel (#42 -- Verizon FiOS; #23 -- Cox Cable).
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EMF and the W&OD
If you are concerned about the possible effects of all of that electricity surging tsunami-like into the metro area through the wires not so far above your head along much of the Trail, you may be interested -- and relieved -- to read this article reproduced by American Trails a few years ago.
One of our board members has noted, however, that EMF does affect certain heart monitors, especially on humid days.
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Continuing to pursue its effort to assist pet owners in their extension of the courtesy of cleaning up after their pets, FOWOD now has in place along the Trail four "mutt mitt" stations:
We hope to continue to increase the number of stations along the course of the Trail. You may guide us in the selection of new locations by e-mailing your suggestions to the Trail managers.
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Brief film clips (roughly half a century old) of trains running on the W&OD are now available for viewing/downloading.
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One of the earliest signs of the arrival of spring on the Trail is the shrill chorus of the spring peepers. Click here for an explanation of the frog's scientific name and a brief note on the German count who composed the world's first detailed description of the amphibian.
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Some background on, and an appreciation of, the Vienna Mural Project.
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Click here for a chart including the elevations and GPS co-ordinates of all of the mileage markers along the W&OD trail.
Click on the image of the document immediately below to download the complete -- and more readily scaleable -- PDF version of a review of the previous month's activity of our Trail Patrol members. The group is now in the 13th year of its existence.
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The board of the FOWOD normally convenes from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Vienna Community Center (see the schedule below). All are welcome to attend, but we do ask that guests contact in advance the W&OD Trail Office (703-729-0596) so that we may make the appropriate arrangements.
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•schedule of meetings for 2012•
June 5th |
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Vienna |
July 3rd |
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Vienna |
August 7th |
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Vienna |
September 4th |
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Vienna |
October 2nd |
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Vienna |
November 13th |
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Vienna |
December 4th |
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Vienna |
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Many thanks to Debby Stover, who originally provided the basic design
for the majority of the pages located on this website.
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As he has done since the FOWOD first came to the internet in September of 1999,
W. McCarthy continues to compose and/or edit (as appropriate)
both the HTML code and the material posted on this site.
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• The W&OD Trail is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority • |
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