Release Date: Dec 8, 2021

National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) Teams Up with the Friends of Mount Vernon Trail to Champion Local Trail Preservation

Partnership boasts weekly trail improvement events to benefit the 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail

ARLINGTON, VA – [December 8, 2021] –- The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) and the Friends of Mount Vernon Trail today announced a partnership that will seek to preserve the 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail that runs from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island. Through the partnership, the BID and Friends of Mount Vernon Trail will host clean-up events every Saturday from December 11 through January 22, and on Martin Luther King Day.

"We are really excited to partner with the National Landing BID to achieve our common goal of making the Mount Vernon Trail a safe and pleasant doorway to National Landing. The BID's sponsorship of our 2022 trail improvement events is providing vital support to purchase equipment and supplies for our volunteers,” said Judd Isbell, President, Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. “We've had over 800 volunteers so far in 2021 and there have been times where we've had more volunteers than tools at our events. Thanks to the support of the BID, our volunteers will be able to do even more to improve the trail in 2022."

Weekly trail improvement events will begin on Saturday, December 11 at the Crystal City Connector and will also include areas at the 14th Street Bridge Trail and trails south of the Marina Towers. Volunteers will focus on trimming vegetation, removing invasive plants, cleaning and repairing bridges and the trail surface. Before the weekly events wrap up on January 22, the National Landing BID and Friends of Mount Vernon Trail will also host a day of service in honor of Martin Luther King Day on January 17.

“Our wealth of green spaces and access to regional trails like the Mount Vernon Trail which boasts uninterrupted views of the DC skyline and stunning nature preserves, is part of what makes National Landing such an active, vibrant community,” said Tracy Gabriel, President and Executive Director, National Landing BID. “We are proud to partner with the Friends of Mount Vernon Trail to bring the community together to continue to improve the trail and support its safe use for years to come.”

For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit: mountvernontrail.eventbrite.com

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About National Landing Business Improvement District

The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) is a public-private partnership established to promote and activate the area’s business, retail, restaurant and residential community through placemaking, public art, transportation, economic development, events, marketing and promotion. This dynamic, mixed-use urban center encompasses the vibrant Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard-Arlington neighborhoods, and includes more than 26,000 residents, nearly 12 million square feet of office space, approximately 5,500 hotel rooms and over 450 restaurants and shops. Already Virginia’s largest walkable downtown, National Landing is in the midst of an exciting transformation driven by billions of dollars in public and private investment that will deliver new and enhanced housing, offices, parks, transportation and infrastructure in the coming years. The National Landing BID is helping to steer this growth in ways that are sustainable and enhance the area’s diversity and livability. For more information, visit NationalLanding.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About The Friends of Mount Vernon Trail

The Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail is an all volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization that partners with the George Washington Memorial Parkway to improve the Mount Vernon Trail and promote its safe use. The group holds weekly trail improvement events that includes trimming vegetation, removing invasive plants, cleaning and repairing bridges and repairing the trail surface. Find out more at mountvernontrail.org.