On July 13, 2026, Virginia’s Eighth District Congressman Don Beyer commended the Friends of Dyke Marsh for 50 years of volunteer work to preserve and restore Dyke Marsh. Here we share his statement from the Congressional Record.
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On June 7, 2026, around 6:35 a.m., near low tide, FODMer Todd Kiraly observed two beavers approaching a dam in Dyke Marsh south of the Haul Road Trail. From a kayak positioned roughly 30 feet from the dam, he watched the beavers for about 10 minutes as they engaged in maintenance behavior, transporting mud and woody material to reinforce the structure.
In early May, 2026, our dedicated bird observers discovered that the Haul Road Trail bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest, which had two eaglets this spring, had partially collapsed.
Eighty FODMers and friends learned how many “pieces” of nature are interconnected in a Zoom talk titled “Nature’s Puzzle” by Alfonso Abugattas on May 13, 2026.
The Friends of Dyke Marsh partnered with the National Park Service and participated in Clean the Bay Day, on May 2, 2026, a day when over 2,300 volunteers collected trash from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
The Virginia General Assembly in its 2026 session approved two resolutions honoring the Friends of Dyke Marsh’s 50th anniversary. Senator Scott A. Surovell introduced SJ37 and Delegate Paul Krizek introduced HJ84, identical bills. The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is in their districts.
