The Friends of Dragon Run will hold a trash pickup Saturday. The public is welcome, and volunteers will meet at the Rappahannock Community College, Glenns parking lot at 9 a.m. Safety vests, pickup sticks, and heavy-duty trash bags will be provided.

Dragon Run is a unique habitat comprised of a bald cypress/tupelo swamp as well as woodlands and marshes. The Dragon runs from Essex County through Middlesex, King and Queen, and Gloucester counties. It empties into the Piankatank River. In a study conducted by the Smithsonian Institution during the 1970s, Dragon Run was ranked second (first in Virginia) in ecological significance among 232 areas investigated in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Local landowners can be credited with much of the Dragon’s preservation.

FODR, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving and the protecting the entire Dragon Run watershed. As part of its mission, FODR’s kayak trips and hikes help educate the public about this area and the need for protection.

Four times a year, FODR conducts trash pickups at each of the three bridges that cross Dragon Run: Route 603 at Mascot; Route 17; and Route 602 at Ware’s bridge. These pickups are critical to keeping Dragon Run pristine, a release stated. Over the last two years, FODR volunteers have collected 13,062 pieces of trash; the weight of trash and recyclables collected totaled 1,757 pounds. Everything collected is sorted and recycled as appropriate.