Friends of 

Holmes Run

Connecting neighbors to nature. 

Welcome to Friends of Holmes Run

Friends of Holmes Run (FOHR), originally founded in 2013, brings Fairfax County, Falls Church and City of Alexandria residents together with environmental advocates over shared concerns about the accelerating impact of land use changes, urbanization and climate change on Holmes Run and related tributaries and lakes in the Cameron Run watershed. Cameron Run drains into the Potomac River. 

Who are the Friends of Holmes Run ?

We are community members committed to protecting and improving the health of the Holmes Run/Tripps Run watershed. We seek to preserve, restore, and make accessible and attractive this natural resource. We raise awareness about the cumulative impact of human actions and climate change on Holmes Run, and work together to bring about better stewardship.

What is Holmes Run?

Holmes Run is a main tributary of the 42-square-mile Cameron Run watershed, one of the most densely developed, urbanized watersheds in Fairfax County, Virginia.  From its headwaters near I-66 and I-495, Holmes Run passes through Merrifield, Fairview Lake, Roundtree Park, Lake Barcroft, Dora Kelley Nature Park and many residential neighborhoods on its way to Cameron Run in Alexandria and the Potomac River. Tripps Run is a sister tributary in Upper Holmes Run watershed.

Friends of Holmes Run was one of three DC-area streams featured in Nature Forward's inaugural "The Story of Streams" report in 2022. To see our 'report card,' click here

2023 stewardship award recipient