Document

NATURE, HISTORY AND HORTICULTURE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY VOLUME 7, NO. 4 FALL 2007

p Fairfax County Park Authority • Fairfax, VA 22035 • 703-324-8695 • FAX 703-324-3996 • TTY 703-803-3354 • www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources

A bigger parking lot is one of the last thingsyou’d think of as good stewardship of the land.

Since the days of Joni Mitchell’s “they pavedparadise and put up a parking lot,” thosedull slabs of asphalt have been more environ-

mental blight than boon.

But that’s not the case at Hidden Oaks NatureCenter. The site’s new “green” parking lot is alesson in environmental stewardship, public safetyand public education.

Hidden Oaks is using Low Impact Development(LID) techniques to expand visitor parking. LIDmeans using permeable pavers that allow water topass through and constructing an angled drive-way and parking area that will send rainwater intoa bio-retention basin, or rain garden.

Michael McDonnell, the manager at HiddenOaks Nature Center, says the parking lot project has“been in the hopper for ten years and we’re luckythat it’s happening when a great LID opportunitycame along.” In addition, the Park Authority Boardis focusing on environmental stewardship practices.

Safety was the first consideration. HiddenOaks had a relatively tight circular drive and fourparking spaces that were adequate when the naturecenter opened in 1969 and catered mostly towalk-in visitors from the surrounding Annandaleneighborhood. Safety concerns arose when itbecame apparent fire trucks and emergencyvehicles would have difficulty negotiating the tightspace. Over time, as the center became a hub formoms with mini-vans and strollers, students aboardschool buses and adults attending evening meet-ings, the need for more parking grew.

The four-space parking lot is being expandedto 20 spaces. All new spaces around the circle willbe covered in permeable pavers except for theaccessible parking area, where a solid, level surfaceis necessary. The porous bricks will allow rainwaterto soak into layers of ground and gravel, ratherthan run off into the county’s storm drains.

The driveway and the parking spaces inside thecircle will be covered in conventional impermeablepaving material. That paved area will be angled sothat rainwater runs into a rain garden in the centerof the driveway circle.

Progress comes at a priceAbout two dozen trees, mainly those in the circleand at the edge of the current parking lot, wereremoved. Suzanne Holland, assistant manager at

WHAT’S INSIDE . . .

Events ........................... 2

Park Foundation ............ 3

Accreditation ................ 4

Cross County Trail (CCT) ..5

School in a Park ............ 6

Nature Center Discovery .. 7

Composting .................. 8

Awards ......................... 9

Quilt Show .................. 11

Rentals ....................... 12

Hidden Oaks Nature Center Puts LID on ParkingBy Carol Ochs, FCPA Volunteer

continued on page 10

Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Park Board join ParkAuthority staffers and Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald Connolly (center, blueshirt) at the groundbreaking for the Hidden Oaks LID parking lot.

2 ResOURces

NATURE CENTERSAND HISTORIC SITES

BURKE LAKE PARK7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station

Call 703-323-6600

COLVIN RUN MILL10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls

Call 703-759-2771

ELLANOR C. LAWRENCE PARK5040 Walney Road, Chantilly

Call 703-631-0013

FRYING PAN PARK2709 West Ox Road, Herndon

Call 703-437-9101

GREEN SPRING GARDENS4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria

Call 703-642-5173

HIDDEN OAKS NATURE CENTER7701 Royce Street, Annandale

Call 703-941-1065

HIDDEN POND NATURE CENTER8511 Greeley Blvd., Springfield

Call 703-451-9588

HUNTLEY MEADOWS PARK3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria

Call 703-768-2525

LAKE ACCOTINK PARK7500 Accotink Park Rd., Springfield

Call 703-569-3464

LAKE FAIRFAX PARK1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston

Call 703-471-5414

RIVERBEND PARK8700 Potomac Hills Street, Great Falls

Call 703-759-9018

SULLY HISTORIC SITE3601 Sully Road, Chantilly

Call 703-437-1794

HISTORIC PROPERTIES RENTAL SERVICESwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/weddings.htm

Call 703-938-8835

Need directions or more information?VISIT www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks

E V E N T S

Editor/Writer: David OchsPhotos: Don Sweeney, FCPAAdministration: Jatinder KaurProduction: Innovative Projects, Inc.

Published quarterly by theFairfax County Park Authority,

12055 Government Center Parkway,Fairfax, VA 22035-1118.

Available at park sitesand Fairfax County libraries.

Visit ResOURces online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources

c ResOURces is printed on recycled paper.

Tagging Monarch ButterfliesSunday, September 30, (5 yrs. & up),12:30-1:45pm, Hidden Oaks NatureCenter, 703-941-1065.Learn to identify monarch butterflies, discovertheir fascinating life cycle and how theymigrate to Mexico. Assist a naturalist in tagginglive monarchs and release them as they begintheir journey southwest. Make a symbolicmonarch to “migrate” to a child who lives inthe Mexican communities surrounding thebutterfly reserves. Reservations and advancedpayment required. $5/person

Fear-less FestSaturday, October 20, (4 yrs. & up withadult), 7-9pm, Hidden Oaks NatureCenter, 703-941-1065.Join a costumed naturalist for a night hikealong the trail and meet some misunderstoodcostumed creatures of the night who willexplain why they have scary reputations.Dispel myths while enjoying an eveningadventure with live animals, activities andcrafts. Great activity for scouts. Rain date:10/27. $5/child, $2/adult

Naturalist CornerTuesday, November 6, (4 yrs. & up withadult), 1-4pm, Hidden Oaks NatureCenter, 703-941-1065.Explore a discovery room of over a dozenactivities and crafts. Discover the changes ofthe season on a fall scavenger hunt. Partici-pate in Outdoor Eastern Woodland Indiangames.

Virginia Indian FestivalSaturday, September 8, (all ages),10am-4pm, Riverbend Park.703-759-9018. $8/person

Corporate Farm OlympicsThursday, September 27 atFrying Pan Farm Park.Information at www.fxparks.org/corporatefarmolympics.html.

There’s more at fairfaxcounty.gov/parks or seethe “Nature” and “History” pages in the county publication Parktakes.

FALL IN THE PARKS400 Years of Fairfax County History

The Third Annual Fairfax CountyHistory Conference

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Douglas Owsley,Forensic Anthropologist, Smithsonian Institu-tion of Natural HistorySaturday, October 20, 8:30am to 4:15pmat Northern Virginia Community College,Annandale CampusTickets: $30, includes breakfast, lunch, after-noon snack, exhibits, authors, trivia contest,prizes and parking.For more information and a brochure [email protected]

Watershed Cleanup DayMake a huge impact with

just a little bit of your time.

WATERSHED CLEANUP DAYis Saturday, October 20.

Get involved from 9:30am to 11am.For information, contact a local park or naturecenter, or get in touch with Dan Schwartz of theNorthern Virginia Soil & Water ConservationDistrict at [email protected] 703-324-1422.FCPA is partnering with the Ocean Conser-vancy’s International Coastal Cleanup inVirginia for this fall’s cleanup. There’s informa-tion at www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.

Volunteers cleaning up a watershed.

Fall 2007 3

P A R K F O U N D AT I O N

Volunteers and donations help Fairfax Countyparks improve our citizens’ quality of life.Rutherford Civic Association (RCA) members

are a good example of what residents and a communitycan do. They identified the need for distance markersand directional signs along the Long Branch StreamValley Trail in their neighborhood. Then RCA membersjoined together to make a donation to fund the signs,which improve safety and help trail users find their way.

“The neighborhood residents have been delightedwith that trail,” said Association president Mary AnnBeck. However, “there were places where hikers didn’tknow which way to go.”

Beck, who is also an Invasive Management Areavolunteer for the Park Authority, said she contactedFairfax County Park Foundation Executive Director BobBrennan, and they joined Fairfax County Park AuthorityTrails Coordinator Jenny Pate last summer for a walkalong the trail. They identified sites where signs wereneeded, then funded the signs from an associationtreasury that’s built on voluntary, annual $10 donations.

Other donations to the Fairfax County Park Founda-tion’s Trail Fund have funded thousands of trail mapsthat help users safely navigate the woods along thestreams, show trail entrances and cross streets, indicatetypes of trail surface, and mark bridges or fair weathercrossings.

Support for Under FootBy Nancy Russo, Fairfax County Park Foundation

Grant funding from the Commonwealth of Virginiahas made it possible to install a few dozen interpretivetrail signs, but more are needed. Larger gifts to theFairfax County Park Foundation will go toward benchesalong the trails or for bridges to make stream crossingsmore accessible to the elderly, children, people withstrollers and dog walkers. Gifts to the Trail Fund canbe made in honor of a loved one’s retirement, weddingor other special occasion.

Thousands of people enjoy the more than 250miles of trails in our parks each week, and streamvalleys like the one used by RCA members are impor-tant ecological corridors that filter pollutants fromstorm water runoff. You can help keep the trails clean,safe and enjoyable by contributing time or money.

Beck said, “We do love our parks,” and her civicassociation acted on those words.

http://www.fxparks.org/

http://www.rutherfordcommunity.com/

One of the distancemarkers donated by theRutherford CivicAssociation.

To contribute to the TrailFund send checks to:

Fairfax County ParkFoundation

12055 GovernmentCenter Parkway

Suite 404Fairfax, VA 22035

with memo“Trail Fund.”

The Fairfax County ParkFoundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and allcontributions to the Founda-tion are tax deductible to thefullest extent allowed by law.

Many trail maps are online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/trailsframe.htm

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S T E W A R D S H I P / L E A D E R S H I P

Park Authority Hikes Toward National Accreditation by Bethany Timmes, FCPA Accreditation Project Coordinator

ACCREDITATION. A big word that means peoplewho know what they’re talking about believe youknow what you’re doing. Universities are accred-

ited to assure students and the public their educationofferings are high quality.

Last September, the Fairfax County Park Authority began takingsteps toward becoming an accredited park and recreation agency.Out of 3,000 park and recreation agencies nationwide, 66 haveearned this distinction from the Commission for Accreditation ofPark and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA, www.nrpa.org/).

Accreditation is one way to assure Fairfax County residents thattheir Park Authority is an efficient and effective steward of countyresources.

Accreditation is not entirely new to the Park Authority. SeveralFCPA sites meet the standards and best practices of the museumprofession in all their operations, from interpretative programmingto financial practices to stewardship of the collections. Sully HistoricSite, Colvin Run Mill and Green Spring Gardens — all managed bythe Resource Management Division (RMD) — are accredited by theAmerican Association of Museums.

Colvin Run Mill Historic Site Manager Mike Henry has beenthrough accreditation before. “The accreditation process is ultimatelya guided journey of self-discovery,” he said. “The scrutiny of theself-examination during the application process is where the greatest

CAPRA TEAM: Accreditation steering committee. Standing: Cindy Walsh, Michael McDonnell, Judy Pedersen, Ed Richardson, Lori Bassford,Tawny Hammond, Dan Sutherland. Seated: Bethany Timmes, Patty Paczan, Jenny Pate, Linda Crone, Shashi Dua, Andi Dorlester

value lies. It requires us all to re-examine not only the ‘whats’and ‘wheres’ of our jobs, but also the bigger questions of‘how’ and ‘why’.”

Accreditation is a “seal of approval” for the museumprofession and a commitment to excellence. RMD Collections

Manager Jeanne Niccolls says that “perhaps its greatest value isthat the process gives the institution an opportunity to review itsaccomplishments and see what challenges and opportunities lieahead, always seeking to improve its operations.”

In order to be accredited by CAPRA, an agency must meet 155standards spanning the varied fields of Parks and Recreation (main-tenance, planning, resource management and safety, to name just afew). A standard is a statement of desirable practice set forth byexperienced and recognized professionals and developed for nationalaccreditation. The agency has to show documentation that it complieswith each of the standards.

The Park Authority plans to meet those 155 standards in timelyfashion and will learn from CAPRA if it becomes an accredited parkand recreation agency in October 2008.

Want information about the accreditation effort?Contact [email protected]

or call 703-324-8593.

Fall 2007 5

S T E W A R D S H I P / H I K I N G

Cross County Trail ReceivesNational Designation

The Fairfax County Park Authority’s Cross County Trail (CCT) is now aNational Recreation Trail. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne madethe announcement during National Trails Day activities on June 1. The

designation recognizes the trail as part of America’s national system of trails.

FCPA Trails Coordinator Jenny Pate said the designation confirms the trail’s“importance as a recreation resource” in Fairfax County. “It’s really exciting tojoin such great trails as the Washington and Old Dominion Trail and the VirginiaCreeper Trail as one of 30 NRTs in the state of Virginia,” she said.

The 41-mile hiking, biking and horseback trail is viewed as a “common groundthat provides a pathway of connectivity for all residents.”

The CCT ranges over a variety of landscapes as it winds through Fairfax Countyfrom Great Falls National Park on the Potomac River in the north to Laurel Hilland the Occoquan River in the south.

“We are actively pursuing a partnership that will connect the Cross Countytrail with the Potomac National Heritage Scenic Trail, creating a 105-milecontinuous loop through some of the best natural habitat Fairfax County andNorthern Virginia have to offer,” said Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the FairfaxCounty Board of Supervisors.

HIT THE TRAILS. Walk, jog, bike or ride. And if you’re riding in a stroller,make sure Mom and Dad know where they’re going. Tell them that mapsof some of the 200-plus miles of trails in Fairfax County are online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/trailsframe.htm.

The maps show access points, stream crossings, trail descriptions and distances.

Learn about the Cross County trail atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cct

Learn about National Recreation Trails atwww.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails

TOP REASONS TO USE THECROSS COUNTY TRAIL

� Traveling the CCT is a beautiful way to see thevariety of stream valleys in Fairfax County.

� Access both the Vienna Metro and the Franconia/Springfield Metro from connectors to the trail.

� Access the Washington and Old Dominion Trailfrom the CCT.

� It’s an excellent exercise venue away from thenoise of city traffic.

� Run with your child or your leashed pet, ride abike or a horse, skate or skip.

� Find a wide array of wildlife and flora.

� You will almost always see a deer, hear a bird orrecognize a favorite flower in bloom.

� It’s the perfect place to meet other trail enthusiastsand discover opportunities to volunteer.

� It’s fun, and it makes you feel good!

� It’s close.

� It’s free.

The Cross County Trail near the mouth ofDifficult Run at the Potomac River.

Signs along the CCT

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SCHOOL INTHE PARKS

By Tory Cabrera, FCPA Volunteer

V O L U N T E E R S

The air is rich with the aromaof fallen leaves and, now andthen, a whiff of wood smoke.

It’s a clear, crisp October morningat Sully Historic Site. As I walktoward the 18th century house inmy reproduction Federal periodcostume, I can see another teachingdocent similarly dressed entering thekitchen. I can almost believe it reallyis 1794 rather than the 21st century.

In the distance I hear shrieksand laughter of 40 excited elemen-tary school children waiting tobegin their adventure into the past.A costumed volunteer helps themexplore the mysteries of 18th cen-tury open hearth cooking, observethe production and use of 18thcentury textiles, glimpse the lives of enslaved Africans who lived at Sully in 1794, or learnwhat it was like to attend school in the mid-1800s. There’s a brief tour of the house,hands-on activities and a craft that produces a remembrance to take home. The childrenobserve and experience aspects of 18th and 19th century daily life and can compare it totheir own lives.

All local public and private schools, as well as home school groups, are welcome totake part in park programs like these. Reservations are taken beginning in August, and apacket of background information is sent to teachers in advance. We’ve learned that thechildren get much more out of the experience if they know a little about Sully beforethey arrive.

The greatest reward I see from this volunteer effort is when a child brings his or herwhole family back for a regular tour to share the experience. Family participation cantruly cement in young minds the history lessons Sully has to teach.

More information is available online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully

Resource Management Division nature centers and historic sites host hundreds of oppor-tunities for Fairfax County students to immerse themselves in science and social studies.TORY CABRERA is a volunteer in programs at Sully Historic Site. Her experience is typicalof what happens at other RMD sites.

Family visiting Sully Students in Civil War program

Over three-fourths ofResource Management Division

staffers are volunteers.We invite you to take note of how many

articles in this issue of ResOURcesare about or authored by volunteers.

THOUSANDS OF SCHOOL CHILDRENtake part in hundreds of Fairfax County ParkAuthority programs at Resource ManagementDivision sites. Here’s a partial list of events thattook place just in the past month of May:

� Colvin Run Mill hosted 940 people in 47programs.

� There were 38 school and four scoutprograms at Riverbend.

� 875 people met animals from Frying PanFarm Park through six outreach programs.

� Kidwell Farm interpretive staff taught 55school programs for 1,468 children.

� Hidden Oaks assistant Manager SuzanneHolland was part of a program entitled,“Connecting Children with Nature” thatwas presented to an audience of 40preschool teachers and administrators.

� 34 elementary school teachers attendedtraining at Huntley Meadows to learnabout programs for their students, and78 school groups visited the park.

� Students from West Springfield and FallsChurch High Schools and Flint Hill Schoolworked with the Cultural ResourceManagement and Protection Sectionthrough internships for extra credit and toproduce theses in Advanced PlacementCourses.

Tory Cabrera inside Sully Historic Site.

Fall 2007 7

Hidden Oaks Nature Center Reveals Prehistoric Pastby Aimee Wells, FCPA Intern

V O L U N T E E R S / C U LT U R A L R E S O U R C E S

In-house we call them I-C-Cs. They’re the ninemembers of this summer’s Invasive ConservationCorps intern program who spent up to ten weeks

with the Park Authority. The program provides laborto remove non-native, aggressive invasive plantswhile providing field experience to aspiring wildlifebiologists.

The crew removed knotweed at Scotts Run,pulled mile-a-minute entangling bat boxes, took outbamboo at Green Spring (where they were rewardedwith popsicles and tours), and removed invasiveplants and debris from Riverbend, Huntley Meadows,Nottoway and Ellanor C. Lawrence Parks. They alsohelped fence in the Frying Pan Farm Park goats usedto eat invasives. One intern wrote the article oncompost that appears in this issue.

On a hot June day, FCPA interns AimeeWells and Kate Grandfield and ParkAuthority archaeologist Bob Whar-

ton literally dug into history and culturalresources at Hidden Oaks Nature Center.

In preparation for construction of a raingarden and widened parking circle, CulturalResources Management and Protection(CRMP) sent a crew to Hidden Oaks. Theirjob would be to determine if there was any-thing historically significant that could beimpacted by the construction. It meantdigging with a shovel. The team opened one-foot square holes approximately every fivefeet and screened the dirt through quarter-inch mesh to look for artifacts.

The first day of digging produced nothingof note except for an abundance of poisonivy. On day two, however, Wells and Grand-field scratched up something significant. Inone of the screens lay two very small, butperfectly faceted, quartz crystals, artifactsthat pointed to the possibility of an AmericanIndian occupation in the area.

Resident American Indian expert MikeJohnson joined the crew as the interns dugmore holes near the site of their find. Thoughthese digs proved fruitless for artifacts, theywere a precursor to other discoveries. Thetwo senior archaeologists suggested that theinterns might like to learn how to do areconnaissance survey of the park todetermine if there might be previouslyundiscovered sites of archaeological interest.

Using a topographic map and a combined60 years of archaeological experience,Johnson and Wharton led Grandfield andWells on a walking survey of the 52-acrepark. Along the way the two archaeologistsoffered tips and hints about how to “read”the landscape for clues of earlier occupation,as well as methods of interpreting theremains of stone tool making, which thegroup found in four separate locations.

“Since learning the tricks that Bob andMike taught me, I’m finding it difficult to tear

CORPS AT THE CORE OF STEWARDSHIP: A Park Partnership

University of Virginia graduateJenn Truong worked thissummer as the leader of theInvasive Conservation Corps.Photo by Mary Hoffman-Craddock

Interns at Americana Park in Annandale: KristenCulp, Jenn Truong, Leah Abuza, Alyssa Treat,Charles Edwards, Inga Conti-Jerpe, Sarah Kozicki.Photo by Mary Hoffman-Craddock

my eyes from the ground, sure that I will findclues to the past wherever I am,” Wells said.

Grandfield added, “We really weren’texpecting to find anything, which made thediscovery even more exciting. With theincredible number of artifacts that we found,even from just a walking survey, it felt justas much like finding hidden treasure as if Iwas in Indiana Jones.”

Hidden Oaks Nature Center NaturalistJanis Jeffers noted that the find will help thesite challenge school children to think abouthow life might have been for eastern wood-land Indians who hunted in this area at thetime that Jamestown was colonized 400years ago. “Now we will be able to stretchtheir imaginations back even farther, perhaps10,000 years to when American Indians livedright where we are walking,” she said. “Inthe middle of all of Annandale’s urbaniza-tion, we have uncovered a precious glimpseinto the past. That’s exciting!”

Author AIMEE WELLS recently graduatedMagna Cum Laude from George MasonUniversity with a Bachelor of Arts degree inAnthropology. She served as an intern withthe Cultural Resource Management andProtection Section this summer and plans tobegin graduate school next year.

KATE GRANDFIELD is a junior at GoucherCollege in Maryland majoring in philosophyand history.

A pair of Fairfax County Park Authority

interns got a remarkable introduction

to their internships this summer.

The information gathered by the internswas submitted to the Virginia Depart-ment of Historic Resources. The CRMPteam hopes to do a more in-deptharchaeological survey of the site.

FCPA intern Kate Grandfieldsearching for history.

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H O R T I C U LT U R E

Make Compost, Not TrashBy Leah Abuza, FCPA Invasive Conservation Corps Intern

It’s a simple act of nature. You don’t need special equipment.Let compost happen in your yard!

Compost and instant coffee. Both areeasy to make. In fact, the coffee groundscan go right into the compost. How-

ever, like the best coffee, the best compost isnot made instantly.

It’s not hard. It’s just takes time, andyou don’t need expensive equipment. Withcomposting:

� Your yard becomes healthier and moreresistant to disease and drought.

� You need fewer expensive fertilizers andpesticides.

� You increase microbial and earthwormpopulations.

There are many easy ways to create acompost pile. It can be as simple as throwingstuff into a garbage can, punching holes in thecan, and rolling the can over once in a while.

You can make a free-standing pile on topof branches or a crate. If you build a compostbox out of wood or chicken wire, leave oneside open for easy access and leave spacesbetween planks for aeration. The compost pileshould be at least three feet long on each side,but no more than five. Smaller, there’s notenough heat. Larger, there’s not enough air. Picka well-drained area, but add water, if needed,so the mix feels like a squeezed sponge. If itsmells bad, it’s probably too wet.

The more often you oxygenate your pile by

WHAT ISCOMPOSTABLE?“YES”• fruits and vegetables

• grass clippings

• shrub and tree waste

• coffee grounds

• paper

• leaves

• tea bags

• corn husks

• a few shovels ofgarden soil

“NO”• human and pet feces

• meat

• bones

• chemically treatedwood products

• diseased plants

Learn about compost and yard care from Virginia Tech, the Virginia Departmentof Environmental Quality, and composting for kids from Texas A&M University:

www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-703/426-703.html ,

www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/turf/430-402/430-402.html, andwww.deq.state.va.us/waste/compost.html

http://sustainable.tamu.edu/slidesets/kidscompost/cover.html

IF TURNING COMPOSTsounds cumbersome, try this

method from Parktakes editorDaphne Hutchinson. Cut thebottom out of a five gallonbucket that has a lid. Dig a

hole along your garden largeenough to hold the bucket.

Put the yard waste and scrapsinto the hole. The lid protectsagainst animals. Once it is full,

pull the bucket out, leavingthe scraps behind, cover the

hole with dirt and don’tdisturb it for a year. Presto,

compost, no turning orwatering necessary.

turning it (anywhere from weekly to twice ayear) the quicker the process will go.

Compost piles can include yard waste andkitchen scraps, such as fruit and vegetableparts, crushed eggshells (excellent source ofcalcium that tomatoes need) and coffeegrounds. Don’t use meat, bones, dairy prod-ucts, oils, processed foods, chemically-treatedwood products or pet feces.

FCPA Administrative Assistant JanetRahman, a master at recycling, adds horse andcow manure to her compost. She points outthat “the earthworms that live in your composthelp the ground in so many ways. They aeratethe ground, leave behind wonder (allowable)feces, and indicate that your compost is curingcorrectly.”

Be patient. Making compost can take any-where from six to 24 months. It’s ready whenit is black, crumbly and sweet smelling.

Although, at first, compost may not smellas good as coffee, it will keep your yard perkyand healthy.

Author LEAH ABUZA graduated with honorsfrom Eckerd College with a degree in Environ-mental Studies. She worked this summer as amember of the Invasive Conservation Corpsand, after her FCPA internship, heads to CapeCod National Seashore in Massachusetts towork on water quality issues

Fall is the crucial time for lawn care. Learn about what to do now athttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/newsletter/falllawncare.htm

Fall 2007 9

L E A D E R S H I P

The highest honor Fairfax County bestows upon its employees has been presented to thePark Authority’s Mona Enquist-Johnson. The Onthank Award, established by the Board ofSupervisors in 1966, recognizes accomplishments of outstanding worth in advancing and

improving public service in the Fairfax County government and school system.

As the Resource Management Division’s (RMD) Manager of Volunteer, Interpretation andProgram Services, Mona has made significant stewardship contributions to the Park Authority,and the wit she displays in her presentations is well-known throughout the agency. Over thepast 26 years she has:

� helped science and history teachers use the parks as classrooms as they meetStandards of Learning (SOL) requirements

� developed a watershed field experience program for middle schoolers

� helped institute and promote 458 scouting badge programs and services formore than 8,000 scouts just last year

� gained certification from the National Association for Interpretation as aninterpretive trainer

� started an in-house program that has led to 18 staffers becoming certifiedinterpreters

� produced a stewardship primer for Park Authority staff

� developed a stewardship education program for the orientation that new ParkAuthority employees attend.

RMD is very proud of Mona and grateful for her service and contributions to the countyparks and to her fellow Park Authority employees.

StewardshipRecognition fortwo RMD Sites

ONTHANK AWARD:Thank Goodness for Mona

Gary Johnson, FCPA Acting Deputy Director Cindy Messinger, Mona Enquist-Johnson, FCPAActing Director Tim White, Resource Management Division Acting Director Cindy Walsh

ResOURcesHonoredResOURces has won twoplatinum awards, thehighest level of recogni-tion, in the Hermes Cre-ative Awards adminis-tered by the Associationof Marketing and Com-

munication Professionals.The publication was honored this yearin the competition’s newsletter cat-egory. Honors also came in the writingcategory for the cover story in theWinter 2007 issue, “My Three LittlePigs” by Frying Pan Farm Park ManagerTodd Brown.

The Great Falls Citizens Associationmarked Independence Day byrecognizing their champion trees

that were identified in the community’sHeritage Tree Census. Two of those treesare at Resource Management Divisionsites in Riverbend Park and Great FallsGrange Park. In a letter to the ParkAuthority, Dranesville District LegislativeAide Casey Hanes said, “The Great Fallscommunity is quite proud of thesespecimens.”

Historic Properties Rental ServicesManager Karen Lindquist, who overseesthe Grange, says she’s very happy forthe honor in a park that has suffered alot of tree loss because of heavy use.

10 ResOURces

Learn more aboutHidden Oaks Nature Center:

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/hiddenoaks/

Hidden Oaks Nature Center continued from page 1

BIO-RETENTION DETAIL

Hidden Oaks Manager Mike McDonnell

PERM PAVERS

Hidden Oaks Nature Center, says, “We are losing trees.” She tries to “think of it as cracking eggsfor omelets.” The center of the parking area is “going to be replanted with native plants and itwill be now a sunny area, which is something we aren’t used to here under the trees.” Plans callfor the addition of such plants as downy serviceberry, red maple, winterberry holly and arrow-wood viburnum.

In addition, Holland says, “we’re going to extend our butterfly garden and do a lot of growthand change programs. It will be a nice boon to our interpretation, and we’ll be able to use thatarea to not only teach about water conservation but backyard habitat.”

Resource Stewardship Branch Manager Michael Rierson estimates that using LID practicesadded about $25,000 to the cost of the $220,000 project. “We do not have a lot of hard datato compare LID vs. non-LID practices,” but he says early analysis indicates that using LID practicesnow adds about 33% to the cost of components that are changed to fit LID practices. He says,“it’s a wise investment in light of the environmental benefits.”

The project is being funded by the 2004 Park Bond and supports the Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors’ 20-year Environmental Agenda. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held June 2, andwork by the Arthur Construction Company of Dulles, VA is slated to be finished this fall.

Suzanne Holland, assistant man-ager at Hidden Oaks NatureCenter, says the green LID park-ing lot project offers manybenefits:

� Increased parking lotsafety

� Additional, more conve-nient parking

� Less rainwater runoff

� Filtering of water pollutants

� Replenished groundwater

� Use as an interpretive tool

There’s more information about Low Impact Development at these web sites:www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/ or www.mass.gov/envir/lid/

McDonnell notes that at HiddenOaks, “we were hoping that with aninterpretive format we could better edu-cate the public about what the futurelooks like for parking lots.” The newparking area could spur individuals anddevelopers to consider green alterna-tives when it’s time to redo driveways,sidewalks and parking lots.

Fall 2007 11

C U LT U R A L R E S O U R C E S

Look for the new Museum Collectionsbrochure at park sites. There’s informa-tion in it about notable Park Authoritycollections, exhibits, research opportu-nities, donations and stewardship. Pickone up from the brochure display thenext time you’re at a park.

Imagine the warmth and tranquility ofcuddling under a quilt. Capture thatfeeling at Sully Historic Site’s 34th

Annual Quilt Show and Sale, featuringquilts from the Quaker community. Therewill be books, patterns, fabrics, antiquelinens, textile arts, appraisals, stained glassand jewelry, and you’ll have a chance totour Sully, the 1794 home of Richard BlandLee, northern Virginia’s first congressman.Make it a family affair, and let the childrentry their hand at quilting.

The Sully Quilt Show can be a family affair.

ECLP Marks Silver Anniversary

Ellanor C. Lawrence Park celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday, May 19. The660-acre island of green in fast-growing Chantilly continues to provide visitors a uniqueplace to experience nature and learn about the site’s history. The Fairfax County Park

Authority has owned the park land since 1971, when it was deeded by Ellanor’s husband,David Lawrence, to honor her memory. The site includes the Walney Visitor Center, Cabell’sMill and Walney Pond.

ECLP is at 5040 Walney Road in Chantilly. For information, call 703-631-0013 or visithttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ecl/

Stitches of Friendship

REPRINTARTICLESPromote stewardship by reprintingResOURces articles in your home-owner or civic association news-letter. Go to ResOURces Online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/printpub.htm to pullarticles for your communications.Include “Reprinted courtesy of theFairfax County Park Authority”with the article.

SULLY HISTORIC SITE’S34TH ANNUAL QUILT SHOW

AND SALESunday, September 9

10am to 4:30pm

ADMISSION:$8/adults, $7/seniors, $5/children.

INFORMATION: 703-437-1794.

DIRECTIONS:www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/Sully

Sully Historic Site is at 3601 Sully Road inChantilly on Route 28, one-quarter mile northof Route 50 and four miles south of the DullesToll Road.

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MAIL TO: Resources/RMD, Suite 93612055 Government Center Parkway • Fairfax, VA 22035-1118or: subscribe through our website atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources

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❑ Nature centers

❑ Local history

❑ Kids’ projects

❑ Hiking

❑ Birds

❑ Archaeology

❑ Events

❑ Historic sites

❑ Gardening andhorticulture

❑ What else?

______________________

H I S T O R I C P R O P E R T I E S

HISTORIC PROPERTIESRENTAL SERVICES

Rustic, privileged, historic and unique.The Resource Management Division of the Fairfax County ParkAuthority has historic properties available for weddings, corporateand social gatherings. Rent one for your next soiree.

Call 703-938-8835 or see the sites on the Web atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/weddings.htm

• Cabell’s Mill in Centreville • Great Falls Grange in Great Falls

• Clark House in Falls Church • Hunter House in Vienna

• Dranesville Tavern in Dranesville • Old Schoolhouse in Great Falls

• Stone Mansion in Alexandria

SOMETHING SIMPLE YOU CAN DOTO BE A GOOD STEWARD:

Buy cleaning products that arefriendly to the environment.

Clark House

What’s RMD?RMD stands for Resource Management Division. It’s part of the FairfaxCounty Park Authority. RMD connects people to natural, historic andhorticultural resources. We’re online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/.

PRST STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT 45FAIRFAX VA

12055 Government Center ParkwayFairfax, Virginia 22035-1118

A Fairfax County, Va., publication

EQUAL ACCESS/SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONSThe Fairfax County Park Authority is committed to equal access

in all programs and services. Special accommodations will be providedupon request. Please call the ADA/Access coordinator at 703-324-8563,at least 10 working days in advance of the date services are needed.

ADA/Access Coordinator 703-324-8563 • TTY 703-803-3354www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ada.htm

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