Tag: nature
Annual seedling sale starts March 1
Every year, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District sells a collection of bare-root native seedlings. This year’s sale starts March 1 at 10 a.m. The 2022 seedling sale features shrubs and small trees that attract bees and produce colorful flowers and fruits.Seedlings packages must be purchased in advance online. The Tree-Mendous Flowers package … Continued
Nature center to close temporarily
The Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale will be closed Feb. 14-June 10, but outdoor programming will continue, the Fairfax County Park Authority reports. The nature center, at 7701 Royce St., is undergoing a $1.6 million renovation and expansion. The project, funded with a 2016 park bond, includes an additional classroom, kitchen area, and interpretive … Continued
Schedule set for Hidden Oaks camps
Registration is now open for summer camps at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. The camp schedule wasn’t included in the printed version of the spring Parktakes due to the expansion and renovation underway at the nature center. Hidden Oaks camps will be conducted outdoors, except during bad weather. Maximum attendance has been reduced to … Continued
Otters sighted in Annandale
A river otter in Long Branch Stream. Annandale has otters – or at least it did when a local resident took these photos. Three river otters were sighted this fall in Long Branch Stream near Woodland Way and Canterbury Woods Elementary School, according to the Friends of Long Branch Stream Valley.
Volunteers and organizations recognized for supporting parks
Volunteers with Friends of Accotink Creek collect litter from the stream. [FACC] The Fairfax County Park Authority has honored the Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) with an Elly Doyle Park Service Award. FACC volunteers protect the watershed by removing trash, replacing invasive plants with native species, monitoring wildlife populations, and educating the public about preserving … Continued
Fairfax County removes flood-prone Annandale properties from land auction
The properties are all wooded and mostly in a floodplain. The seven tax-delinquent properties next to Accotink Creek in Annandale are no longer up for auction. The owner of the properties, the Al Root Memorial Foundation, hadn’t paid taxes in years, so the county had planned to sell them by auction in November.
Community members explore the future Annandale Greenway
Loki leads the way as participants in the Annandale Greenway Inaugural Walk leave Green Spring Gardens and head toward Braddock Road. About 30 people went on the Annandale Greenway Inaugural Walk Oct. 24, a four-mile trek along existing trails and sidewalks between Green Spring Gardens and Annandale Community Park. The Annandale Greenway Alliance, an informal … Continued
Conservation group wants to prevent development of vacant Annandale properties
The Annandale properties up for auction are outlined in yellow. Fairfax County has put seven adjoining properties totaling 6.7 acres in Mason District up for auction. The land is adjacent to Accotink Creek, and the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) is scrambling to acquire the land so it can’t be developed. The seven parcels are … Continued
A spotted lanternfly, a dangerous invasive, spotted in Annandale
An adult spotted lanternfly. [Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture] If you see a spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that has made its way to Virginia, the Fairfax County government wants you to kill it immediately. A “hitchhiker” adult spotted lanternfly was recently found in a shipment of produce at a grocery store in Annandale. There have … Continued
Construction underway on Hidden Oaks expansion project
Construction is underway on an expansion and renovation project at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. The $1.2 million project includes 2,000 square feet for new offices and a new multipurpose room, accessible restrooms, an additional exhibition area, and improved stroller parking.
Deer hunting allowed in parks, beginning this Saturday
Signs like this are posted on trees in parks where deer hunting is allowed. Deer season in Fairfax County parks begins this Saturday, Sept. 11, and runs through Feb. 19, 2022. During this period, qualified groups of hunters are authorized to use archery to kill deer in designated areas across the county.
Nature center is getting a makeover
Construction is expected to start soon on an expansion/renovation project at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. The $1.2 million project includes new offices, a new multipurpose room, accessible restrooms, an additional exhibition area, and improved stroller parking. The contractor will begin mobilizing on site in August.
Lake Accotink dredging sites could disrupt the Howrey memorial, youth sports, and wildlife habitats
These signs were put up by the Friends of the Soldiers Memorial at Howrey Park. The options under consideration for dredging Lake Accotink are raising alarm bells among residents concerned about the potential environmental destruction and loss of sports fields. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed to fund a $30.5 million dredging project in … Continued
Public urged to stop feeding birds
A sick bluejay found in the D.C. area. [Belinda Burwell] Wildlife officials don’t yet know why so many birds are sick and dying, but they urge residents to stop feeding birds until there are answers. Wildlife managers in Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Maryland; and West Virginia began receiving reports of sick and dying birds with eye … Continued
Cicada lessons at Belvedere featured on TV news
Belvedere students examine a cicada. [Photos: FCPS] By the time the cicadas from Brood X started emerging earlier this month, students at Belvedere Elementary School in Annandale were ready and eager to study them up close. Two environmental educators, a librarian, and a resource teacher have been educating students about the 17-year cicadas for weeks, … Continued