After being closed to the public for nearly 40 years, Featherstone Wildlife Refuge will be opened to the public Saturday. 

Woodbridge district supervisor Frank Principi will join Congressman Gerry Connolly and Fish and Wildlife officials to open the Refuge at noon on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011. The eventwill be held at the VRE station, 15511 Farm Creek Drive in Woodbridge.

The opening of the Refuge will allow the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail to continue its path through the Woodbridge District. The trail traces outstanding natural and cultural features of the Potomac River Bain in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia for over 700 miles.

“By working together our Federal, State, and Local governments have been able to preserve this treasure along the Potomac,” Frank Principi said in a prepared statement. “And now we will finally be able to share this natural gem and environmental sanctuary with the residents and visitors.”