Tag: environment
Landmark area residents organize effort to oppose I-395 ramp
I-95 as viewed from the site of the proposed ramp. Some of these trees have been cut down since this picture was taken in 2011. People who live in several housing developments next to the forthcoming flyover ramp on Interstate 395 in the Landmark area are up in arms about the dangerously high air pollution … Continued
Stuart Park clean-up exemplifies power of volunteerism
Students working in Stuart Park. Stuart Park is looking much nicer after three clean-up activities this fall organized by JEB Stuart High School teacher Lauren Kinne. More than 100 volunteers bagged and removed nearly 200 bags of invasive species, primarily porcelain berry, knotweed, and English ivy. Students from Stuart High School, Bailey’s Elementary School, and … Continued
Make a difference in your community: Take part in VolunteerFest
Volunteers at the 2011 VolunteerFest Oct. 27 is the day to give back to the community as hundreds of Northern Virginia residents will take part in the 18th annual VolunteerFest. Whether you’d like to provide meals for the homeless, spruce up a library, or work outdoors removing invasive plants, VolunteerFest has a project for you. … Continued
Government, police, nonprofits featured at Mason District Open House
Pfc. Brian Buckholtz and MPO Tom Eggers of the Fairfax County Police Department’s bomb squad with bomb-sniffing dog, Marko. Visitors to the Mason District Open House Saturday got a chance to meet police dogs; learn about Fairfax County government programs; explore the SWAT truck; chat with Supervisor Penny Gross, Rep. Gerry Connolly, and Mason police … Continued
Volunteers clean up Stuart Park
More than 50 volunteers collected nearly 100 backs of invasive species debris and a truckload of logs at the first Stuart Park Cleanup event Sept. 29. J.E.B. Stuart High School students and faculty, Ravenwood Park residents, Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club members, and other volunteers participated in the clean-up, which was organized by Stuart biology … Continued
Concerns raised on toxic chemicals in synthetic turf fields
A soccer game on the turf field at Pine Ridge Park in Annandale. Every day, kids and adults throughout Northern Virginia play soccer, football, and lacrosse on athletic fields with artificial turf. Yet few people are aware of the toxic materials in these fields. A group of parents, several of whom are scientists, have formed … Continued
Tysons Corner redevelopment plan incorporates environmental elements
The McLean Metro station on Chain Bridge Road, one of four stations under construction in Tyson’s Corner. Most of the attention on the Tysons Corner redevelopment plan focuses on the Metro Silver line, expected to open in 2014, and the many mixed-use projects that have been proposed, but the plan also would incorporate several environmentally … Continued
Stuart HS community launches project to clean up Stuart Park
J.E.B Stuart High School teacher Lauren Kinne, along with students and volunteers, will be spending three mornings during the next few weeks cleaning up Stuart Park, and the public is invited to join them. The first activity of the J.E.B. Stuart Park Rejuvenation Project takes places Saturday, Sept. 29, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Stuart students in … Continued
Betsy Washington of Lake Barcroft honored for environmental activism
Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova presents an Environmental Excellence Award to Betsy Washington Lake Barcroft community leader Betsy Washington is among several conservation advocates presented with a Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Award by the Board of Supervisors Sept. 25. The awards recognize county residents, organizations, businesses, and county employees who dedicate time and energy … Continued
ReBuild founder Paul Hughes remembered as advocate of sustainability
ReBuild Warehouse founder and executive director Paul Hughes, who died suddenly of a heart attack Sept. 15 at age 68, is being remembered as a champion of sustainability and environmental activism. “He had an environmental vision which is sorely needed, and he devoted his life to promoting this cause, as well as many others,” states … Continued
Help Friends of Accotink Creek with the International Coastal Cleanup
Accotink Creek near Wakefield Park By Elizabeth Kirchner Friends of Accotink Creek (FAC), a volunteer waterway protection group, invites you to join 152 countries and millions of people around the world in the 2012 month-long International Coastal Cleanup. Starting at Fullerton Bridge on Sept. 15, cleanup crews will work their way upstream along Accotink Creek, … Continued
Fairfax County seeks input on new stormwater ordinance
This stormwater management facility, on Degroff Court, is considered inadequate to prevent flooding in the Annandale Acres neighborhood. The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) is seeking community input in the development of a new stormwater management ordinance. The new ordinance, required to comply with new state regulations, could have a … Continued
Name selected for Annandale tributary of Accotink Creek
The stream runs under the beltway. Local residents were invited to suggest a name for an unnamed tributary of Accotink Creek running through Annandale, and the name selected is “Wakefield Run.” Members of the advocacy group, Friends of Accotink Creek, chose that name July 16 from 27 names submitted to the Northern Virginia Soil and … Continued
FXCO sues EPA over stormwater runoff rules for Accotink watershed
Accotink Creek Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation filed a joint lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) July 12 charging that federal regulations aimed at protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed would impose an unfair, costly burden on the county and homeowners. The regulations impose limits on stormwater runoff aimed at reducing … Continued
NEPP grant funding bears fruit in Annandale
The current entrance to Camelot on Little River Turnpike By Elizabeth Kirchner Neighborhood Enhancement Partnership Program (NEPP) grants awarded to Fairfax County communities this spring are beginning to bear fruit. Since the Board of Supervisors established NEPP in 2008, the program has evaluated 153 applications and made 87 awards to community groups and nonprofits. One … Continued