Park Board honors Annandale volunteers

Hidden Oaks Nature Center

Two of the three recipients of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board’s 2011 Elly Doyle Park Service Awards are based in Annandale—the Friends of Hidden Oaks Nature Center and dog park activist Chris Robichaux.

The other award recipients are Charles and Jacque Olin, founders of the Analemma Society, who were instrumental in creating an Observatory Park at the Turner Farm in Great Falls.

Friends of Hidden Oaks Nature Center is a citizen-led organization that supports programs, activities, and facilities at the Annandale park. The group helped Fairfax County become the National Wildlife Federation’s second largest certified Community Wildlife Habitat in the country.

Chris Robichaux created the Mason District Dog Opportunity Group in 2000 to help Park Authority staff identify suitable parkland for an off-leash dog area. He led the effort to raise funds for and build the off-leash area at Mason District Park and then worked hard to maintain and improve it.

The annual Elly Doyle awards recognize individuals and organizations that contribute outstanding volunteer service to the Fairfax County Park Authority. The award program was created in 1988 in recognition of former board member Ellamae Doyle’s years of outstanding service. Winners will be formally recognized during a ceremony in November.