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Volunteers will return to a 65-acre wooded oasis in Tysons on Sunday, April 12, for an annual cleanup aimed at protecting the forest from litter and continued urban encroachment.

The third annual Tysons Forest Cleanup begins at 1 p.m. Participants will meet at the Vesper Trail bridge behind 1593 Spring Hill Road before collecting bottles, litter and other debris. Supplies will be provided, and advance registration is strongly encouraged.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn is leading the event. In 2023, he assembled a task force to develop ways to preserve and improve the forest, which faces pressures tied to its urban surroundings.

Stretching from the Dulles Toll Road to Gosnell Road, the forest encompasses the 33-acre Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley, the Ash Grove Historic Site, Raglan Road Park and Freedom Hill Park.

Thousands of bottles are removed from the forest’s streams each year. The task force warned that continued encroachment is adding urgency to efforts to protect one of Tysons’ rare natural areas.

Because public and private entities own different portions of the stream valley, the task force brought landowners together to create a shared plan for keeping the area green and healthy, Alcorn said.

Its recommendations included asking nearby businesses to secure dumpster lids so wind and weather do not carry trash into the woods. The group also proposed installing trash cans along hiking trails, restoring the tree canopy and expanding the forest’s footprint.

The broader goal is to ensure the forest and its biodiversity are valued alongside Tysons’ continued development.