Green Spring volunteers honored

Volunteers helped renovate the gazebo at Green Spring Gardens.

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board has named Green Spring Gardens volunteer Tatiana Lisle the recipient of the 2018 Sally Ormsby Environmental Stewardship Award and named Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) the 2018 recipient of the Harold L. Strickland Partnership and Collaboration Award.

Lisle was recognized for her work to protect pollinators by managing bees at Green Spring Gardens, ensuring beautiful flowers in the park.

Lisle teaches children about watershed education, pollination, horticulture, and stewardship. She volunteers as an instructor in adult education programs, is a certified master gardener, serves on the board of FROGS, and is an avid birder who assists with species counts at Huntley Meadows Park.

FROGS, which has just marked its 25th anniversary, has a membership base of more than 1,500 individuals who offer financial and volunteer support at Green Spring Gardens.

In announcing the Strickland Award, the Park Board praised FROGS for its amazing spirit of partnership and collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority. Its major projects include the Garden Gate Plant Shop; Harry Allen Winter Lecture Series; art shows; renovations of the glasshouse, gazebo,  Historic House; utility vehicles for staff; and ongoing funding for summer interns and seasonal staff positions at Green Spring.

FROGS also helped fund improvements to the ponds and irrigations system, provided funds for new plants and gardening tools, helped with maintenance, and supported professional development for staff.

Since 1993, FROGS has donated more than $2 million to support Green Spring’s operations and special projects. The organization’s annual donation represents approximately 25 percent of projected revenue for the park.

The Strickland award, established by the Park Board in 2015, recognizes the value and importance of teamwork and cooperation necessary to provide varied constituencies with state-of-the-art facilities in Fairfax County Parks, often at limited, reduced, or no capital expense to the taxpayer.

The Ormsby and Strickland awards will be presented at the Elly Doyle Park Services and Outstanding Volunteers Award ceremony in November.