Local Heroes
HONORING SHERI CAPEHART Environmentalist, animal lover and community leader has the City’s Nature Preserve named after her • By Susan Schrock
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ARLINGTON TODAY • December 2021 • arlingtontoday.com
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he Nature Preserve, known by park patrons as the gem of southwest Arlington, was dedicated last month in honor of Sheri Capehart, a passionate environmentalist, animal lover and community leader who is also Arlington’s longest-serving City Council member. Capehart served as the District 2 representative from 2000 to 2020 and led the efforts to acquire what is now the 59-acre, scenic nature preserve at 5201 Bowman Springs Road. She is the second of 11 trailblazers, civic leaders and faith leaders tapped by the City’s Honorary Naming Recognition Task Force to be recognized for their service or their contributions to the city. Past and present City Council representatives, volunteers who assist with the maintenance of the nature preserve, City leadership and community members were among the many who attended the dedication ceremony to celebrate Capehart’s lasting legacy. “She hasn’t met a problem she couldn’t solve,” Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myers, who served as chair of the Honorary Naming Recognition Task Force, said during Monday’s ceremony. “She set a high example of 20 years of selfless service to this city. It gives us great honor to dedicate this preserve. Generations to come will realize when they see Sheri Capehart’s name, they are seeing someone who stood up and said that one person can make a difference. All it takes is heart, a little grit and a lot of motivation.” Capehart said she was deeply honored by the City’s decision to dedicate the preserve in her name. The popular park destination, previously known as the Southwest Nature Preserve, opened as the City’s largest wildscape park on Oct. 19, 2013. It features three ponds, a fishing pier, a terraced outdoor seating and education area, a hike and bike trail, and more than 1,400 species of plants and animals. Capehart said her parents instilled in her the intrinsic value of nature as she learned to garden, to identify birds by sight and song, to understand the land is finite and to appreciate the beauty of trees. She said she encourages, supports, and enjoys Arlington’s parks and green spaces for the opportunities they provide all people to experience nature. “Yes, people need roads; yes, they need good water, they need fire and police, they need their trash picked up regularly. They need all those things, and that is what the City is here to provide” Capehart said at the event. “But they cannot thrive without recreation and open space and places to
