Lake Accotink celebrates 60th anniversary

The Fairfax County Park Authority hosted a 60th-anniversary celebration of Lake Accotink Park Aug. 27. There were remarks by public officials, informational tables hosted by county agencies and nonprofit organizations, free activities, food trucks, and a cake.

In 1960, the Park Authority leased 242 acres from the federal government to create the park. There were boating facilities and concessions. Later, trails, picnic shelters, and a playground were added.

Related story: Police kill coyote at Lake Accotink

The Park Authority acquired more land throughout the early 1960s, expanding the park by 50 acres.

In 1962, the lake was added to the lease. The Park Authority officially opened the park to the public on Aug. 25, 1965.

Through the Federal Lands to Parks program, the Park Authority was given the opportunity in 1965 to purchase the land that had previously been leased for $88,250. Additional properties were added to the park from the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s, bringing the total acreage to 449.

The park’s amenities now include a mini-golf course; historic carousel; and canoe, kayak, and paddle board rentals. Volunteers with the Friends of Lake Accotink Park and the Friends of Accotink Creek regularly host cleanup events and monitor the health of aquatic life.

Related story: Two sites identified for dredging operation at Lake Accotink

The park is a great place to spot wildlife. There’s a pair of bald eagles and a pair of ospreys nesting by the lake.

Matt Rine, the park’s naturalist, listed some of the animals spotted at Lake Accotink Park: red foxes, skunks, possums, raccoons, deer, otters, herons, coyotes, fresh-water mussels, five-lined skinks, and several kinds of turtles and snakes.

Copperheads are extremely rare, Rine said, but people sometimes mistake other types of snakes for copperheads.

Coyotes, too, are rarely seen by the public. In June, animal control police killed a rabid coyote who had bitten three people and two dogs at Lake Accotink Park.

Currently, the trail along the dam is closed, as construction is underway on an elevated walkway that won’t flood during storms. The $3 million project is expected to be completed in early 2023.

The next big thing to happen at Lake Accotink Park will be a major dredging operation to prevent the lake from filling up with sediment.

Fairfax County’s public works staff had recommended two sites for processing the dredged material. “Both sites have pros and cons. There are no good options,” said Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw at the anniversary celebration.

There will be a community meeting in late fall to discuss the dredging plans.