Tag: environment

Just World Festival brings cultural awareness to Annandale community
Peter Ter urges Annandale HS students to give back. Students and community members gathered at Annandale High School Friday afternoon to share cultural experiences and showcase organizations and projects aimed at creating a better world. The highlight of the school’s Just World Festival was an inspiring talk by Peter Ter, one of the Lost Boys … Continued

State lawmakers update Annandale residents on actions in Richmond
Virginia General Assembly For the Democratic legislators that represent the Annandale/Mason area in the Virginia General Assembly, it’s been nearly impossible to get anything passed by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates. Nevertheless, Del. Kaye Kory, Sen. Dave Marsden, and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw have been able to make some limited progress, they told constituents … Continued

Native seedling sale under way
Winterberry Using native plants in your landscaping protects water and air quality, helps attract wildlife, conserve energy, reduces carbon emissions, and can even help you save time and money. Native plants use less water and are more resistant to damage and disease than imported plants and protect water quality through better drainage. The Northern Virginia … Continued

Park Authority planning trail improvements at Lake Accotink
Lake Accotink dam [Park Authority photo]. The Fairfax County Park Authority is planning trail improvements at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, including an elevated walkway over the dam outfall. A public meeting to discuss the project will be held Jan. 27, at 7 p.m., at Braddock Hall, 9002 Burke Lake Road in Burke. The existing … Continued

Small environmental group focusing on stream conservation makes a big splash
Wakefield Run before the restoration project started. Friends of Accotink Creek (FAC) has been named 2013 “Cooperator of the Year” by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD). FAC is an all-volunteer organization committed to protecting and restoring water quality in a major waterway that flows through the Annandale area and drains into … Continued

Major sewage spill at Holmes Run and Cameron Run
Dead fish in Dora Kelley Nature Park. [Photo by Mark Kelly.] UPDATE: A notice from Fairfax County urges people to avoid Holmes Run stream between Columbia Pike and Dowden Terrace. A sanitary sewer line has broke at Holmes Run, and the City of Alexandria has published a warning urging people to “avoid contact with waters … Continued

Public invited to free workshop on preserving watersheds
Rain barrels don’t have to be boring. Learn how you can help protect, preserve, and improve local watersheds at a free workshop Saturday, Oct. 5, at Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale campus. Educational presentations on the value of the watershed and how to promote sustainable practices will take place in the Ernst Center, 10 a.m.-4 … Continued

Overuse of pesticides is killing off bees essential for pollination
Dead bees under trees sprayed in a mall in Wilsonville, Ore. [Photo by Rich Hatfield of the Xerces Society.] By Deanna Crumbling In Wilsonville, Ore., on June 17, it was discovered that a chemical weapon of mass destruction had left over 25,000 carcasses in the parking lot of a shopping center, and the bodies were … Continued

Volunteers needed for Accotink Creek cleanups
Volunteers with some of the tires and trash taken out of local streams. (Photo from Friends of Accotink Creek.] Community associations, nonprofits, employee groups, religious institutions, scout groups, students needing community service hours, and anyone who cares about having clean, healthy, litter-free waterways are encouraged to join the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup, beginning next Saturday. … Continued

FXCO orders community to plant 400 trees and shrubs – or be penalized
The site in dispute is between the Glen Forest Pool and Long Branch Creek. When residents of Glen Forest in Bailey’s Crossroads decided to clean up a vacant area next to the community pool—clearing out poison ivy and other vines—to provide a nice, safe space for picnics and children’s recreation, they had no idea they … Continued

Opponents of I-95 ramp continuing to press for pollution monitoring
Pylons for the ramp are under construction. After months of trying to get government officials to halt construction of a ramp on Interstate 95 between the Edsall Road and Route 236 exits, members of the citizen advocacy group Concerned Residents of Landmark are disappointed that the ramp is being built, but “we haven’t given up,” … Continued

What’s wrong with moss?
This is the third piece in a three-part series on lawns by Jim McGlone, an urban forest conservationist in the Virginia Department of Forestry. The first piece, published April 9, explored the forces at play in the popularization of the “great American lawn.” The second article, published April 23, described how to keep your lawn … Continued

Annandale schools get grants for environmental projects
Belvedere Elementary School’s outdoor classroom. Two elementary schools in the Annandale area have been awardedgrants for environmental projects from Dominion Power’s foundation. Canterbury Woods Elementary School was awarded $3,500 to create an outdoor classroom and science lab, where students will study the life cycles of seeds and monarch butterflies, learn about the interaction of animals … Continued
Crews working on Holmes Run accidentally damaged a sewer line
Crews working on the Holmes Run stream restoration project inadvertently damaged a 30-inch terra cotta sewer line owned by Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria reported Aug. 12. The sewer line crosses Holmes Run near Chambliss Street in Lincolnia. A small amount of sewage escaped from the broken pipe until the contractor, Avon construction company, … Continued

Fairfax County zoning board rejects cell tower at Parklawn pool
The Board of Zoning Appeals [Photo is from a video by Channel 16] In a huge victory for residents who live next to a proposed cell tower at the Parklawn Recreation Association, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted July 31 to deny a special permit for the cell tower. That means the … Continued