Tag: environment
Belvedere Elementary School is a leader in outdoor learning
The information below is from an article published in the summer 2014 edition of Virginia Parks & Recreation magazine. Students at Belvedere Elementary School in Mason District maintain a garden on raised beds, an adopted trail, and decomposition and lifecycle gardens. They remove invasive plants and replace them with native plants. They share food they raise … Continued
Environmental group outraged by award honoring beltway construction co.
The beltway project dumped sediment into Accotink Creek. [Photo by Friends of Accotink Creek] Every year, the Fairfax County Park Foundation bestows Eakin Philanthropy Awards to individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the community. The announcement that one of the recipients of this year’s awards is Transurban-Fluor has met with disbelief, … Continued
Sewage incident in Falls Church area
Greenway Downs Park, with the creek in the background. [Google Maps] Residents have been warned to stay out of a small creek that runs along Custis Parkway in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County following a break in a sewer line. According to Mansker, someone who lives across the street from the creek noticed … Continued
Repairs under way to address sewage spills, Lake Barcroft residents assured
Work underway at the pumping station on July 8. The repair work to address the recent sewage spills in Lake Barcroft is proceeding despite the apparent lack of activity at the work site in recent days, and residents’ concerns about the possibility of additional sewage spills are unfounded, says Charles W. de Seve, chairman of … Continued
Lake Barcroft residents charge county mishandled sewage spills
Work under way June 25 at the pumping station on Sleepy Hollow Road. Residents of Lake Barcroft brought a long list of complaints to a meeting June 25 convened by Mason Supervisor Penny Gross on the recent sewage spills. Emotions ran high as people demanded answers to their concerns about health hazards, poor engineering decisions, … Continued
Lake Barcroft contaminated with sewage for the fourth time this year
A warning sign posted at Lake Barcroft by the Watershed Improvement District. Don’t swim in Lake Barcroft—and keep your children and pets away from the water, too. There’s been another sewage spill into the lake; it’s the fourth spill since April 29. Beaches 1-4 are closed. Only Beach 5, which is upstream from the spill, … Continued
Effective, safe mosquito control requires more brains than brawn
Yard signs from mosquito control companies. [photo by Friends of Accotink Creek] By Elizabeth Kirchner A yard sign advertisement shows a muscular cartoon warrior wielding a backpack sprayer blasting a towering spear-stingered mosquito: Insecticide “fogging” to control mosquitoes in summertime backyards seems powerful and effective, but specialists—even representatives of insect-control industries, Fairfax County, and the … Continued
Fairfax County restores Wakefield Run
The newly restored Wakefield Run. The Wakefield Run restoration project is just about complete, except for some additional replanting that will be done by the contractor and volunteers. The stream is supposed to direct high water out onto the floodplain, and it has done so during a couple of rainstorms that occurred since it was … Continued
Sewage spill contaminates Lake Barcroft
Workers with Am-Liner East Inc. are repairing the sewer line next to the pumping station. A sewage spill connected with an ongoing project to rehabilitate the sewer line under Sleepy Hollow Road has led to the contamination of Lake Barcroft. Fairfax County posted signs around the lake stating: “Warning: Sanitary sewer overflow. Water in this … Continued
Green Festival at NOVA-Annandale on Earth Day
A previous Green Festival at NOVA. [Photo by Gary Robinette.] Learn about environmental issues, resource conservation, and sustainable living at the free Green Festival, April 22, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College. The keynote speaker is environmentalist and CNN Top 10 Hero of the Year for 2013 Chad Pregracke, … Continued
Safely dispose of prescription drugs at Mason Government Center April 26
Saturday, April 26, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Residents can drop off expired or unneeded prescription drugs at the parking lot of the Mason District Police Station, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. When prescription medications are dropped off, they should be in their original containers. Cross out personal information. It’s important to … Continued
County to spray Mason District Park to eradicate fall cankerworms
Fall cankerworm caterpillars. [Virginia Department of Forestry photo] Fairfax County urban foresters will begin aerial spraying to suppress fall cankerworm caterpillars around the third week in April. A total of 2,200 acres will be treated, including 61 acres in Mason District encompassing the southern half of Mason District Park in Annandale between Oak Hill Drive … Continued
Volunteers needed to help clean up Accotink Creek
Some of the volunteers who helped clean up Accotink Creek in 2013. [Photo by Friends of Accotink Creek.] The annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup takes place in April and May, and the Friends of Accotink Creek (FAC) are seeking volunteers to join the effort. Spending a spring day clearing out litter and making our streams a … Continued
Students invited to take part in environmental film festival
Students are encouraged to participate in the Green Inspirations Environmental Film Festival next month during Earth Week at the Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax. Green Inspirations is sponsored by the Fairfax County Restoration Project (FCRP) and is aimed at raising the profile of Earth Week in Fairfax County. People who are unable to participate in … Continued
Beautify your yard with organic gardening
A garden created by Prior Unity Garden. By Marie Reinsdorf If you are not yet growing some of your own food in your backyard, you can do it—and in such a way that your food plants are part of beautiful landscaping. Debby Ward offered lots of advice on how to do that in a presentation … Continued