< All Press Releases

September 27, 2014, was another banner day at the Bureau of Land Management's Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA). This was the 21st Anniversary of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), when over seventy-five individuals came out to the SRMA Environmental Education Center to work on two related projects benefiting Hidden Pond, a favorite setting for the local community. This year's project to restore a universally accessible trail to the pond created an opportunity for the BLM to partner with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), the world's leading non-profit health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for diseases that limit mobility for so many. But none of it would have been possible if not for the corporate citizenship of Vulcan Materials.NPLD 2014 was a wonderful success at Meadowood principally because the Vulcan Materials Company donated 140 tons of stone dust valued at over $4,000 for the event. Without this generous corporate contribution, it was improbable that the trail would have been attempted. In fact, this generous contribution will enable the BLM to finish the trail, exceeding expectations.Volunteers rehabilitated the Hidden Pond Trail by spreading approximately 3" of stone dust over a designated part of the hidden pond trail. Work involved using simple hand tools such as shovels, rakes and hand tampers to spread, smooth and secure the stone dust coating. The new top coating started at the trail head and will finish up at the Hidden Pond shoreline. To assist with erosion control, volunteers also installed timbers along the short stretch of the trail that leads to the dock. These timbers were buried below grade and secured with rebar to prevent migration.Meanwhile, another crew was clearing vegetation, brush and small trees in and around the banks of Hidden Pond. Fishing space has become very limited over the years due to the vegetation crowding the banks of the pond. Volunteers used loppers, bow saws and simple hand tools to cut, trim and remove pockets of vegetation. Volunteer support came from private individuals in the community, as well as Boy Scouts, members of the Meadowood Friends group, Freedom High School Students, and BLM employees and their families who always look forward to the energy that NPLD brings to public land management every year.The event opened with welcoming remarks from Gina Robinson, Acting Lower Potomac Field Station Manager; John Rhus, State Director; and Neil Kornze, Director of the BLM, and was followed by a Safety brief for all volunteers. In appreciation of their hard work, volunteers received a t-shirt, a public lands recreation pass for a year, as well as a chicken sandwich lunch and drinks. Most importantly, everyone left with a feeling of pride in the positive difference they made to their public lands.