Tag: nature
Explore a Park: Luria Park is a green oasis on the edge of Holmes Run Stream Valley Park
This is the third article in the Annandale Blog’s Explore a Park series. The previous stories were about Manassas Gap Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Luria Park is a 5.3-acre neighborhood park at 7624 Holmes Run Drive in the Holmes Run Acres neighborhood in the Falls Church area of Mason District. It’s … Continued
Hidden Oaks adjusts to pandemic with new custom programs for families or ‘bubble groups’
Nature Your Way at Hidden Oaks. By Suzanne Holland Even though Hidden Oaks Nature Center is not open for the public to visit the exhibits, the park is busy with children and adults enjoying outdoor programming. Hidden Oaks, located in Annandale Community Park, is at 7701 Royce St., Annandale. In December, Hidden Oaks is offering … Continued
Document wildlife during Virginia BioBlitz
An Eastern box turtle [Virginia Academy of Science] Local residents of all ages are encouraged to help scientists document the biodiversity in parks and backyards by joining Virginia BioBlitz 2020. The program kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 26, with presentations on Zoom by the Virginia Academy of Science and its partners, including the Fairfax County … Continued
Long Branch trail paving project delayed to provide time for public input
Flooding on the Long Branch trail. [FCPA photos] Construction of a trail paving project in Long Branch Stream Valley has been delayed for a couple of weeks so park users with concerns about the project can discuss the plans at a community meeting. The meeting will be held via Zoom Sept. 10, 7 p.m. To … Continued
Deer hunting approved for several Annandale-area parks
Signs like this one, in Holmes Run Stream Valley, are posted in parks approved for deer hunting. Fairfax County’s annual archery program to cull the deer population starts Sept. 12 and runs through Feb. 20, 2021. Bow hunters who meet certain qualifications are allowed to shoot deer from temporary deer stands installed in trees in … Continued
Residents can help prevent beetle invasion
There’s a killer on the loose in Fairfax County and residents can help catch it. The Asian Longhorned Beetle is an invasive species that attacks and kills many kings of shade trees, including its favorite, the maple. Staff of the county’s Urban Forest Management Division asks residents to keep an eye out for this insect … Continued
Holmes Run watershed in Falls Church is the site of a colonial plantation and military base
This was the site of the Dulin farmhouse in the 1700s. The wooded area along the upper section of Holmes Run near Providence RECenter in Falls Church was once a part of a slave-holding plantation in the 1700s. The Camp Alger military base was there in 1898. And in the 1920s, it was the site … Continued
Annandale homeowners highlighted on Sustainable Garden Tour
The 2020 Sustainable Garden Tour features 11 incredible gardens from all over Fairfax County, including a native garden oasis and wildlife habitat created by Annandale residents Jeanne Kadet and Mike Perel. The annual garden tour, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, is virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A … Continued
Parks will open this weekend on a very limited basis
The pond at Mason District Park. The Fairfax County Park Authority is opening parks for the Memorial Day weekend, but most park facilities will remain closed. Park staff will be clearing barricades and opening parking lots at all 427 parks in the county May 20-22. Park visitors are asked to avoid groups of more than … Continued
Lake Accotink pipeline could threaten park’s habitat
County officials and community residents take a “pipeline walk” in Lake Accotink Park, accompanied by the sounds of spring peepers, wood frogs, and birds. When Fairfax County officials announced a plan in September to install a pipeline to haul dredged sediment away from Lake Accotink, many community members were happy that the lake would be … Continued
Native seedling sale underway
Common buttonbush The annual native tree and shrub seedling sale is underway. The sale is sponsored by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District with the goal of adding more native plans to the environment to prevent soil erosion, cleanse the air and water, provide a habitat for wildlife, and cool the climate. Eastern … Continued
Hidden Oaks celebrates 50th anniversary with chainsaw tree sculpture
Kevin Holland of Friends of Hidden Oaks Nature Center uncovers the tree sculpture. [Photos by the Park Authority] The tree sculpture at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale created by chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon was revealed at the center’s 50th anniversary celebration in October. Mallon transformed a tulip popular damaged by lightning into a work … Continued
Two Mason District park projects honored
The White Gardens Two Fairfax County parks were honored by the Virginia Recreation and Park Society, and both of them are in Mason District. The Indoor Valis Family Learning Center at the Pinecrest Golf Course was honored as the Best New Renovation/Addition in the Bricks and Mortar category for a population area greater than 200,000. … Continued
Chainsaw artist carves woodland creatures on a dead tree trunk at Hidden Oaks
Andrew Mallon carves animals on a tree trunk at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Taking a chainsaw to a tree usually means destroying it. But what Andrew Mallon does with a chainsaw is turn a dead tree trunk into a work of art. Mallon was at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center Sept. 9 carving raccoons, squirrels, … Continued
Nature Center hosts NASA Family Science Nights
Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Children, age 7-12, are invited to participate in a new NASA Family Science Nights program at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. There are five sessions, beginning Sept. 6, on Friday evenings, 6:30-8. Children will use telescopes and educational materials to explore the skies. The program also includes games, crafts, and … Continued