Updated 

A Freon detection unit at a building on Quantico gave a false alarm this morning prompting a HAZMAT response.

Some 40 to 50 people who were inside the building at the time of the alarm were evacuated, but all were let back inside the building after officials deemed it was safe, according to Quantico Assistant FChief Palermo said.

Fire and rescue crews from Stafford County and Quantico responded to the call while crews from Prince William County helped to “backfill” a Quantico fire station while crews were on the scene, according to Quantico fire and emergency services assistant chief Dwayne Palermo

Rescue crews spent one hour and used standalone gas detection devices to check for leaks and none were found.

No one was injured and a work order has been placed to fix the malfunctioning alarm system.

10 a.m. 

Fire and rescue crews from Prince William and Stafford counties were sent to Quantico this morning for a report of a HAZMAT.

We’re working to find out more information about what is happening on the base. A Quantico spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Emergency crews were told to use MCB 3 to gain access to the HAZMAT area, one of several roads located on the base.

 Photo credit: File photo

QUANTICO, Va. — The body found sprawled in bloodied snow off Application Trail in Training Area 8 of Marine Corps Base Quantico had been shot, beheaded and skinned. The body cavity was still warm when authorities arrived at the scene in the afternoon of Dec. 10, 2013.

It was the carcass of a buck, shot with a rifle in an archery-only zone and most likely shot from the road. Along with the head, the backstrap — the choicest cut of meat — had also been removed.

“That’s the nastiest type of poaching there is,” said Euel Tritt, head of conservation law enforcement for the base. “What a waste. You’ve got 50 pounds of meat that the buzzards eat.”

It’s also an offense that carries heavy penalties and, in the case of a Marine, can end a career.

Read more in the Quantico Sentry.

· Good morning – in celebration of the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend, please join the wonderful folks at Leesylvania State Park assemble care packages for soldiers. This event is in partnership with Operation Home Front. Donations of phone cards, baby wipes, tooth brushes, cameras and such will be collected and then assembled into individual packages for the troops. This is the perfect way to celebrate their service with a few goodies from you. This all takes place on Saturday January 18th from 11am-3pm at the Visitor Center. Please visit operationhomefront.net for more info.

· The super teen volunteers with the Joe 15 team are having their 7th Annual Blood Drive on Saturday January 25th from 9am-2:30pm. Please give the gift of life and support these great kids by scheduling your appointment at: redcrossblood.org/make-donation and enter sponsor code: 05312539

· BARN Transitional Housing needs a volunteer driver to go to Woodbridge once a week and pick up donations. The job just takes 4 hours and you do not need to load or unload just have a good driving record. Please call Tammy at (571) 428-2571 to learn more.

· The House of Mercy has re-launched their weekly job search meetings on Mondays 1-3pm. They are open to all and afford those unemployed or under employed a great way to network with other. Please call Ann at (703) 659-1636 to learn more

· Brain Injury Services is looking for several volunteers to visit clients in specific neighborhoods. They have a lady in Fairfax would love company to assist her with fitness routine and grocery shopping. They have a gentleman in Centreville would love to learn how to play chess. They have a client in Manassas who would like company and to get out for lunch or a movie and lastly they have a teenager in Alexandria who would love to play basketball or go to a movie. Please email Michelle at: [email protected] to learn more.

· Literacy Volunteers of America-Prince William needs you to help an adult learn to read and write. The next Tutor Training Workshop is March 22, 2014. There is a one-time fee of $35 for materials. Imagine the difference you can make in someone’s life! Contact at [email protected].

· The Prince William Area Agency on Aging – Woodbridge area needs a volunteer for the Adult Day Care Center in Woodbridge. You will answer phones, direct messages, receive participants and visitors, pick-up and drop off mail, make copies, etc. Hours are 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday. A yearly TB test is required (have initial chest x-ray if results exhibit a false positives, followed by yearly screening done by a medical person) Call Melodee for more details: 703-792-4583.

· The Prince William Area Agency on Aging – Manassas area needs a volunteer to be a friendly visitor for a male shut-in. He needs a cherry visitor who can help him read his mail. Contact Barbara at 703-792-7175.

· Catholic Charities has a couple of programs for the immigrant community. Volunteers are needed in both Manassas and Woodbridge as ESOL and Citizenship teachers. Training and all the materials are provided. This is a unique opportunity. Please call (571) 208-1572 for all the specifics.

· SERVE has an URGENT need for volunteer drivers for the Food Distribution Center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Drivers take the SERVE vans to area grocery stores and restaurants to pick-up donated food and then return to SERVE for unloading and distribution. You must be at least 21 years old with a clean driving record. Contact Jan at [email protected]

· ACTS Food pantry in Dumfries needs volunteer drivers on Saturday and Sunday mornings to pick-up food donations from area grocery stores. It’s a quick 3 hour shift from 9am-noon to give families needed food from extra supplies. Please call Robin at (703) 441-8606 ext. 213 to learn more.

· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Coleen can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 207, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 201, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 202. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

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QUANTICO, Va. — A new bridge that will connect the west side of Quantico Marine Corps Base with U.S. 1 is nearly complete.

The reconstructed bridge carries traffic via Telegraph Road over Interstate 95 onto a portion of the base where the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is located, as well as the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Work to rebuild the bridge began this past spring.

More in a press release:

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced that the new Telegraph Road Bridge, which crosses over I-95, near Marine Core Base Quantico (MCBQ) is in its final stage of construction. Crews are completing finishing work on the new bridge deck, as well as the fencing.

The bridge will remain closed to traffic until early February 2014 to accommodate a MCBQ construction project at the nearby Russell Knox Building. MCBQ will use the Telegraph Road corridor (specifically areas west of the bridge on Quantico property) for staging and the safe delivery of concrete beams to the construction site at the Russell Knox Building. Truck deliveries may occur 24 hours a day using Telegraph Road, Tallmadge Road and Russell Road, but will not be crossing the bridge.

Drivers will continue to follow current detour signs to U.S. Route 1 or Russell Road in order to access I-95 or Telegraph Road. Drivers should continue to expect an additional five to eight minute delay during peak travel times.

Construction of the new Telegraph Road Bridge began last April, at which time the old bridge was closed and demolished. The bridge spans over I-95 and the future new Express Lanes.

QUANTICO, Va. — Military officials want local governments to require better sound protection in homes and other structures built around Quantico Marine Corps Base.

In a new Joint Land Use Study, or JLUS, released today by Quantico and Stafford County, base officials cite creating new sound attenuation standards as one of eight critical needs facing operations at the crossroads of the Marine Corps, as well as future development around the military installation.

The new guidelines would need to be put in place for new homes, churches, and other public buildings. The study specifically cites putting guidelines in place for a new Moncure Elementary School to be built in North Stafford near the base’s boundary line.

Noise from demolition ranges on the base the frequently produce loud booms that rattle windows, and that been known to shake whole houses, which often lead to complaints from area residents.

Quantico also wants more input and review authority when it comes to approving new development around the base. For that, the study recommends a Military Influence Area overlay district where base officials can review development plans for construction both on and off the base. The district would include Stafford County’s heavily-populated Garrisonville Road corridor, as well as sliver of land in Prince William County near where the county’s school division headquarters are located. An implementation of such a district could limit the density of neighborhoods, building height, as well as cell phone towers, so structures don’t interfere with military aircraft.

If the military impact plan would be placed in effect in the rural area along Va. 610 west of Joshua Road in Stafford County, buildings like hospitals, assisted living facilities, day cares, commercial or industrial areas, medium to high density residential develop, as well as sports centers or outdoor amphitheaters would not be permitted.

According to the study, soundproofing existing homes near the base could cost as much as $10,000 per home but the cost is only slightly higher when soundproofing new home construction. The JLUS also discusses the option of a mandatory written real estate disclosure where the seller of any property in the Military Influence Area would warn residents of the high noise potential from the base.

Transportation improvements at Quatnico’s Fuller Gate, which provides access to the base near the intersections of Russell Road and U.S. 1, and sits east of Interstate 95, are also identified as critical in the short term. The base wants to work with local governments to acquire additional rights of way to widen Russell Road and existing ramps that carry traffic from the 2-lane facility to the 4-lane U.S. 1 that bridges the gap between Prince William and Stafford counties, according to JLUS findings.

Russell Road is also the gateway to the 719,000, $323 million Russell-Knox Building sitting west of I-95. The building is now home to some 6,000 federal workers whose jobs were moved to Qauntico following a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure action.

The study was completed by Quantico and Stafford County, along with Fauquier and Prince William counties. New growth in these areas could bring increased noise complaints to the military, and could “compromise the overall mission viability” for the base.

Quantico injects $5.9 billion into the local economy and is linked to 46,490 jobs, according to the study.

NORTH STAFFORD, Va. — A joint land use study at Quantico has been underway as the region examines how to better grow with the crossroads of the Marine Corps in its back yard. Now that commission will present its findings.

The joint land use study, or JLUS, has examined localities in Stafford, Prince William, and Fauquier counties, probing future development that is planned near the boundaries of the Marine Corps Base. The study will also help to determine what future activities will be planned at Quantico.

“The community-driven JLUS has documented existing and future operations at MCB Quantico, as well as current and planned land use and development-related proposals in Stafford, Prince William, and Fauquier Counties, near the base’s boundaries,” stated a press release.

A set of actions derived from the JLUS will be presented at three upcoming workshops in each respective county.

More in a press release:

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2013

STAFFORD COUNTY, 7-9 PM

Presentation at 7:30 PM

Hilldrup Moving & Storage 4022 Jefferson Davis Highway Stafford, VA 22554

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

FAUQUIER COUNTY, 7-9 PM

Presentation at 7:30 PM

“Old” Cedar Run

Rescue Squad Building

3558 Catlett Road

Catlett, VA 20119

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, 7-9 PM

Presentation at 7:30 PM Development Services Building

5 County Complex Court

Room #202

Prince William, VA 22192

Stafford County was the lead jurisdiction for the JLUS. Panels from all three impacted jurisdictions participated in the study.

QUANTICO, Va. — The bald eagle was chosen as the United States’ emblem, a symbol of strength, majesty and freedom, in 1787, but its relationship with the American people was uneasy for almost another 200 years, until its population dwindled to the point that a bald eagle sighting became a rare treat.

Now that bald eagle numbers are back on the rise, and that relationship is again being put to the test, Marine Corps Base Quantico finds itself in a region that ties together three different populations of the birds from as far as Canada and Florida.

“The Potomac [River] is a critical area for eagle conservation,” said Jeff Cooper, nongame bird coordinator for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, noting that the raptors are drawn to brackish tidal waters by an abundance of prey, from the shad that spawn there to the blue catfish that were introduced to Virginia’s tidal waters in the 1970s, to the waterfowl that winter there.

Though the regal-looking bird is now generally regarded with a sort of awe, founding father Benjamin Franklin famously wrote that the bald eagle is “a bird of bad moral character” and “a rank coward.”

Farmers, too, have had their differences with this symbol of U.S. sovereignty and freedom.

“Raptors in general, in the old days, were just considered vermin, and they were shot by the thousands,” Cooper said, noting that this continued into the 1960s and ’70s. Add to this the effects of DDT, which was banned for use as a pesticide in 1972 due to its damaging effect on bird eggshells, and by the 1970s, there were only about 30 breeding pairs of bald eagles in all of Virginia.

After being placed under the protection of the precursor to the Endangered Species Act in 1967, the bald eagle was delisted in 2007, and Cooper said Virginia is now home to about 730 breeding pairs.

Many more of the birds, however, make certain areas of the commonwealth their seasonal home, and Quantico is at the center of one of those bald eagle “concentration areas.”

As waters around Florida warm up in the summer, many of the fish head north, and the eagles follow, Cooper said. “So, for eons, there’s been a migration northward to the [Chesapeake] Bay area, where there’s a much more accessible food source and a more abundant fishery.”

These summertime visitors begin to arrive around early May and peak in mid-June and July, Cooper said. They return home in the fall, and around December, bald eagles from New England and Canada begin to arrive, peaking in late January and early February. Their numbers vary depending how harsh the winter is.

Like many species, eagles found in northern climes are noticeably larger than their subtropical counterparts, and the wintertime migrants tend to feed on ducks and geese, as well as fish and whatever else they can find.

During both summer and winter, the visiting birds flock to the tidal waters of the Potomac, Rappahannock and James rivers, as well as locations across the bay. There, they gather in six different “concentration areas.” One of these runs from Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, Va., north to Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, with Quantico right at its center.

Cooper said the migrant birds are enough to cause a several-fold increase in the local population, with more than 750 bald eagles between Dahlgren and Fort Belvoir, on both sides of the Potomac, during the peak months.

However, Quantico also has its own resident bald eagle population. This year, there are three active nests documented on the base, said Tim Stamps, head of the base Natural Resources Section. In recent years, there have been four, but the pair that occupied a nest near Lunga Reservoir appears to have moved elsewhere this year. Stamps said it’s possible they’re still on the base.

“Sometimes eagles will move from one tree to another, and then they come back the next year,” he said.

The base got its first documented bald eagle nest in 1984, and a second nest was found in 1996. In 2000, the third pair built the nest near Lunga that now appears to be empty.

Bald eagles live 30 to 35 years in the wild, so they can occupy a nest for an extended period.

Their construction is not difficult to spot. “An eagle nest is just a huge mass of sticks in the fork of a tree,” Stamps said, adding that they can weigh up to 1,000 pounds.

One of the three active nests is on the southern shore of Chopawamsic Creek, in Officer Candidates School Training Area 3, and another is on Quantico Creek near the Geiger Ridge neighborhood. The third is not far from the Single Marine Program House on Neville Road.

In addition to a nearby food source, Stamps said, bald eagles like to nest in tall trees in continuous, mature forest. All this makes the main side of the base, as well as neighboring areas, inviting locations. “I’d say the food supply and habitat are really of high quality,” he said.

The base makes some accommodations to nesting bald eagles, although Stamps said nests generally have not been in high-use areas. During the nesting season, which officially runs from Dec. 16 to June 1, activities are restricted within 200 meters of an occupied bald eagle nest. For Quantico, this means hunting is not allowed during that period at Blind 1, which is near the nest on the shore of Chopawamsic Creek.

How a nest is treated depends in part on who got there first, Stamps said. If eagles build a nest near an existing building, human activities continue more or less as normal. But if there’s a nest where the base wants to build something, construction must halt during the nesting season.

The Marine Corps Air Facility has nest maps so pilots can avoid flying within 1,000 feet of an active nest, and the facility also has a bird airstrike management plan, but Stamps said there still have been a few collisions with bald eagles in recent years.

People and bald eagles are likely to begin colliding in other ways as the big raptors’ numbers continue to grow.

Since the mid-1990s, Cooper said, the area’s resident bald eagle population has been doubling every seven years, a trend that continues today. Between Dahlgren and Washington, D.C., there is a nest every mile or so along Route 1, with more and more nests appearing on the edges of neighborhoods and runways, he said.

QUANTICO, Va. — Marines from Quantico will appear Thursday in the 87th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The marching band members are spending time this week rehearsing.

More in a press release:

East Coast Marine Corps Composite Band kicking off the holiday season with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:

This year the Marines will have the East Coast Marine Corps Composite Band kicking off the holiday season with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in NYC and over 50 million people at home watch the Parade, which is why it’s so important that we show our support for our Marines bringing joy and excitement to Parade fans everywhere.

The East Coast Marine Corps Composite Band will be comprised of 80 instrumentalists from the Marine Corps’ three largest east coast installations; Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA, Camp Lejeune, NC and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC. The journey to the parade has been two years in the making. The Marine Corps won a spot in the Macy’s parade in the 2011 lottery and now the time for their performance has finally come.

While bands on the West coast combine to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade on an annual basis, this is one of the rare times an East Coast Marine Corps Composite Band has ever been put together. Their holiday road trip will begin on Sunday November 24th when the North Carolina based Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point Marines will make their way to Virginia. When they arrive they will tie in with the Quantico Marine Corps Band and begin rehearsals.

The day before Thanksgiving will mark the beginning of the second 300-mile leg of the trek to the heart of New York City. Then on Thanksgiving morning, the East Coast Marine Corps Composite Band will officially kick of this year’s holiday season by marching the 2 1/2 miles through downtown Manhattan with other bands that include the New York City Police Department Marching Band and the Macy’s Great American Marching Band.

This will be only the second time the Marines have marched at Macy’s. The Quantico Marine Corps Band made history when they marched in the parade for the first time in 2002. It will be a great show to watch and one that may not happen again for another decade.

The Marines’ projected air time for this year’s performance on NBC is 10:48 a.m.

The parade airs Thursday at 9 a.m. on WRC-TV Channel 4.  

Submitted News

DALE CITY, Va. — For the fifth year-in-a-row the Semper Fi Fund will be sending out more than 10,700 holiday ornaments to Marines who have been wounded since the attacks of 9-11 and are Purple Heart recipients. To help with packing and shipping the ornaments, the Semper Fi Fund will be hosting its annual “Purple Heart Ornament Packing Party” at the VFW Post 1503 in Dale City.

The ornaments contain a rendering of the Purple Heart medal on the front and the Semper Fi Fund’s logo on the back, along with our mission statement of “Serving Those Who Preserve our Freedom.”

The event begins at 9 a.m. Sunday and concludes when all of the ornaments are packed.

More in a press release: 

ABOUT THE SEMPER FI FUND (SFF): The Semper Fi Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and its program America’s Fund, are set up to provide immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. We direct urgently needed resources to post 9/11 service members, who meet our criteria for assistance, from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserves.

WHO WE ARE: The Semper Fi Fund was created by a group of Marine Corps spouses nine years ago, and those same women run the Fund today alongside other spouses from all services branches, retired service members, all of whom intimately know the needs of our military families. We have been by our injured and ill service member’s side from day one, helping them as they navigate lengthy recoveries and rejoin their communities.

HOW WE HELP: Financial support for our injured/ill service members and their families through the following programs: Family Support, Adaptive Housing, Adaptive Transportation, Specialized Equipment, Education and Career Transitioning, Rehabilitative Sports programs, and more.

WHO WE HELP: Post 9/11 service members with amputations, spinal cord injuries, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress(PTS), burns, blindness, other physical injuries, or those suffering from life-threatening illnesses. We also help immediate family members of our active duty, spouse or child, who face life threatening illness or injury.

HOW WE ARE UNIQUE: The Semper Fi Fund has been awarded the highest ratings from Watch Dog groups: A+ from Charity Watch for the second year, and we are one of only two veteran nonprofits to receive this rating the last two reports; 4 stars from Charity Navigator for five consecutive years. We maintain an extremely low overhead – 6%, rapid assistance with no red tape.

HOW WE RAISE FUNDING: The Semper Fi Fund relies completely on donations from generous individuals, corporations, foundations, and community groups. We do not receive government funding or use direct mail campaigns in an effort to keep our overhead low. Our communities across the country host fundraising and awareness events for our mission, both big and small: golf tournaments, motorcycle poker runs, 5/10K races, dinners, and contests – whatever their passion may be! We are members of the Combined Federal Campaign, through which federal, civilian, postal, and military donors can support us. We encourage all citizens across America to join us in our quest to support our military members who have sacrificed so much in the service to our country.

OUR PHILOSOPHY: The basic ideal that drives our efforts is simple: for as much as our heroes have sacrificed, they deserve the best care and support available in their hour of need. We are committed to being there at the time of injury or illness and for a lifetime if needed.

Since establishing the Semper Fi Fund in 2004, we’ve issued more than 65,000 grants, totaling more than $82 million in assistance to over 10,800 of our heroes and their families. We have been by their side from day one, and our service members and their families will continue to need our help as they navigate lengthy recoveries and rejoin their communities.

LOOKING FORWARD: The Semper Fi Fund has been successful over the years thanks to our loyal supporters, both individuals and corporations. Yet our challenges continue to intensify due to the level of severity of injury, illness, and post-traumatic stress unique to the length of war on terrorism. These critical injuries –– are brought home, and often call for a lifetime of assistance.

Tax-deductible contributions from people like you make up our lifeblood; whether donations are large or small, a one-time gift or ongoing endowment, every individual or corporation has the power to make a real difference, here and now, no matter where they are in the world.

The Semper Fi Fund is forever grateful to each of our supporters who share in our ongoing mission. Please help us help those who have given so much in the name of freedom.