Tag: nature
Public input sought on revising plan for Green Spring Gardens
The Horticulture Center at Green Spring Gardens. The public is invited to learn about and comment on a revised master plan for Green Spring Gardens Dec. 2, 7 p.m., in the park’s Horticulture Center. Written comments will be accepted through Jan. 11. The draft master plan considers several development options for generating revenue, such as … Continued
Local teen fixes up Long Branch trail
Carter Murray on Long Branch trail. The trail along the Long Branch Stream in Annandale has been improved by Carter Murray, 17, who completed an Eagle Scout project involving the use of gravel to smooth out the trail. Murray, a senior at Woodson High School and member to Boy Scout Troop 1965, started planning the … Continued
Deer sharpshooting approved for Annandale Community Park
Deer at Annandale Community Park. The Fairfax County deer hunting program is expanding again this year. Two new parks have been added in Mason District for bow hunting – Bren Mar Park and Turkey Cock Run, both in the Alexandra area – and for the first time sharpshooting will take place in Annandale Community Park. … Continued
Local Scouts take on the wilderness
Thirty-one local Boy Scouts from Troop 895 took part in a challenging wilderness hiking and camping experience in New Mexico earlier this month. The boys, along with 12 adult advisers, were based at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M., the Boy Scouts’ flagship high adventure camp. They hiked 80 to 100 miles over 12 days, … Continued
Get free milkwood seeds at Hidden Oaks to help save monarch butterflies
A monarch on milkweed. Have you seen a lot of monarch butterflies this spring? Probably not, because the monarch population is in serious decline. Milkweed plants, the only food monarch caterpillars eat, is fast disappearing due to loss of habitat as vacant land is developed. To help save monarchs, the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in … Continued
Eakin Park project raises concerns about threat to frogs
A frog in Eakin Park. [Photos by Gary Rubin] Preparation for a construction project near the pond in Eakin Park in Annandale has raised alarm bells that the frogs who breed in a vernal pool nearby might be danger. Gary Rubin, who lives near Eakin Park, says his children enjoy watching the frogs and tadpoles … Continued
Beautify your yard with native plants
Silky dogwood The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is selling packs of seedlings in an effort to spread native plants throughout the region. Native plants use less water, attract wildlife, protect air and water quality, and bring beauty to your landscaping. They are also more disease resistant than imported plants. There are two … Continued
Improvements to Green Spring Gardens proposed
Looking forward to spring at Green Spring. Several people who spoke at a meeting on improving Green Spring Gardens Jan. 29 urged the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) to keep the trees on a 2.5-acre piece of land that’s been added to the park. The meeting launched FCPA’s efforts to revise the Master Plan for … Continued
Public input sought on new plan for Green Spring Gardens
The new land is the green section on top. [Fairfax County Park Authority] The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking public input as it begins a planning process to integrate a newly acquired piece of property into Green Spring Gardens Park. The public is invited to a meeting Jan. 29, 7 p.m., at Parklawn Elementary … Continued
VDOT destroys native species recently planted along beltway
Native plants mowed down along the beltway in Annandale..[FACC photo] Much of the native species planted along the beltway over the past few years were destroyed recently by a VDOT contractor apparently unaware that they should have been protected. Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) sent a letter to state legislators, Fairfax County supervisors, and other … Continued
Volunteers form friends group for Long Branch Stream Valley
Volunteers collect trash along the Long Branch trail Oct. 18. [LBSV photos] Volunteers from several Annandale and Fairfax neighborhoods created a new group, the Friends of Long Branch Stream Valley, to maintain the trail and address erosion, water quality management, invasive species removal, and related environmental issues. The 2.75-mile Long Branch trail follows the stream … Continued
Scene around A-Town: Giant mushrooms
Look what popped up by the parking lot to the Broyhill Recreation Club by the entrance to Kendale Woods Park, Annandale.
Local Boy Scouts explore wilderness on a Western camping trip
Members of Boy Scout Troop 895 of Falls Church headed west for summer camp this year, traveling a bit farther than usual, reports Matt Dillard, assistant scoutmaster. After over a year of planning and fundraising, 26 boys and 14 adults spent a week in Yellowstone National Park and a week in the Grand Tetons. At … Continued
Public support needed for humane deer management program
The Deer Spay program in action. [Photo by Tom Jackman] If you live around the City of Fairfax, you might be surprised to see deer with “bling.” The deer wearing ear tags were part of a groundbreaking sterilization effort undertaken last winter called Deer Spay. That was the first time the Deer Spay approach was … Continued
Cross County Trail renamed in honor of Rep. Connolly
Rep. Connolly (center) at the trail-naming ceremony. The 40-mile Cross County Trail is now known as the “Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail,” in recognition of the congressman’s strong support for open space and parkland, as well as his role in creating the trail. The name change occurred at a Fairfax County Park Authority ceremony … Continued