Friends group formed for Tripps Run
A new friends group has been launched to engage the community in restoring Tripps Run, a stream that runs through Mason District and the City of Falls Church.
Tripps Run starts on Shreve Road in Falls Church, crosses Route 29, goes through Jefferson Village Park, crosses Arlington Boulevard by Bill Page Honda, crosses Sleepy Hollow Road by Congressional School, and empties into Lake Barcroft.
Friends of Tripps Run organizer Sam Butler convened an initial meeting and plans to begin organizing activities, such as stream walks and bike rides, in early 2024.
Butler is also organizing a big event – Potomac Winter Fest – in Cherry Hill Park, 312 Park Ave., Falls Church, on Dec. 16, 12-3 p.m., after the farmers market. There will be demonstrations and information on living sustainably, using sheep to cut the grass, fossil fuel-free villages, resilience hubs, rewilding the land, textiles and art from invasive plants, and bike safety, among other things.
Butler sees the Tripps Run friends group as a way to get people to think more about nature and sustainability.
A large portion of Tripps Run is encased in concrete banks, like “armor,” he says. As a result, there is no life in that part of the stream and the water doesn’t support the soil.
“We’ve become so separated and disconnected from the world we inhabit,” Butler says, “and that has to change as we think about the climate crisis.” As more storms affect agriculture, “we’ll have to have more knowhow and connection to the places where we live.”
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“The practical work around climate change, pollution, housing, and transit should be grounded in literacy about our natural community,” he says.
Butler believes people need to work together to improve local streams and not be restricted by the municipal boundary between the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County. “It’s all one watershed.”
For more information about the Friends of Tripps Run or Potomac Winter Fest, contact Sam Butler at [email protected].
