On Thursday, July 15, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust teamed up with Devils Backbone Brewing Company for its second Canoe/Kayak Cleanup of Dyke Marsh in Fairfax County since June. Back-to-back cleanups have proven highly productive as the tidal wetland appeared much cleaner than the month prior.
"We are so grateful to have groups like the Devils Backbone Brewing Company volunteer and dedicate their time to help us in this effort to protect and save nearby nature in our region," said NVCT's Partnerships Coordinator, Mary Spindler.
Five members of NVCT's staff, plus six Devils Backbone Brewery staff and volunteers, dedicated their Thursday morning to removing trash and debris on a beautiful day for canoeing and kayaking. The ecosystems are fragile and can be easily disrupted by trash buildup if left along the shoreline. Improved water quality and safer wildlife habitats are the benefits of cleanups such as this.
The Devils Backbone Brewing Company, which prides itself on its "true-to-style" brewing techniques, also remains true to its "Heartland Initiative" to serve our community through special programs and partnerships, showing up and helping take care of the environment around us.
"Volunteering runs through our veins here at Devils Backbone. Stewardship is a core value within our company mission, and it's in our soul to leave the earth better than we found it. This year alone, we have committed as a Commercial Team to volunteer almost 600 hours to our local communities and ensure we are supporting philanthropic causes across our area of distribution and beyond." – Megan Tuttle, Sales Director for Devils Backbone Brewing Company.
"It is partnerships like this that make huge and lasting impacts on our community and our mission over time. We're better together," Spindler said.
By partnering with organizations and companies like Devils Backbone Brewing, NVCT will continue to work with those that support the mission of saving nearby nature in the Northern Virginia region.
NVCT has protected over 8,000 acres of land in the Northern Virginia region over the last 25 years and continues to host volunteer-based events that benefit our communities' public lands and waters.