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BLM Special Agents work with the public to resolve dumping case at Meadowood

Oct 13, 2021

An incident at the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area highlights what public lands stewardship should look like and is a good example of the BLM working together with local citizens to beautify public spaces. The BLM and partners cleaned up a large amount of rubbish and household junk that was dumped at Meadowood, a BLM-managed area in Lorton, Virginia. With the help of partners and tips from local citizens, the offender—a commercial enterprise—was quickly identified and prosecuted.

A BLM Special Agent worked with the Fairfax County Police Department and coordinated with an agent from the Coast Guard Criminal Investigative Service to investigate the case. While the global pandemic slowed down the investigation, the case has now been resolved. This crime cost almost $1,000 to clean up. The defendant was arrested and sentenced to a $2,500 fine and served a total of 60 hours of Fairfax county-based community and federal pre-prosecution diversion community services.

The defendant, a commercial enterprise, dumped a large amount of household refuse and junk at the BLM’s Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area.

Thanks to this collaborative effort, Meadowood remains available for the public to enjoy. Meadowood contains one of only a few natural surface trails open to mountain bikes on public land in the greater Washington, D.C. area. In 2012, BLM Eastern States opened the first constructed trail for mountain bikes on BLM lands east of the Mississippi River at Meadowood. Find more information about Meadowood and plan your visit here.