NATURE, HISTORY AND HORTICULTURE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY
VOLUME 7, NO. 2 SPRING 2007
New Neighbors in the County
COYOTES ARE HERE TO STAY.
IS IT A FOX OR A COYOTE? Look closely at the profile. A coyote walks with its nose pointed down at about a 45-degree angle and its tail down. A fox walks with its head up and its tail pretty much straight out.
Fairfax County Police Department Wildlife Biologist Earl Hodnett says they are established, widespread, and that no area of the county is free of them. So we have new neighbors, and we have to adjust to the new kids in town. Coyotes will frequent fields, hunt along stream beds, and work a woods for food. Fairfax County Park Authority Naturalist Charles Smith says they “bring kind of a better balance” to nature in the county, because they fill a niche by preying on larger creatures like small deer, turkey and geese.
Coyote ResOURces first wrote about coyotes in 2004. See that article at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/archives/coyotes.htm
IF YOU SEE A COYOTE, the rules of engagement are simple. Chase it away by yelling at it. We’re the dominant species. However, Hodnett’s concerned the rules might change. He says we’re on a “honeymoon” with the coyotes because they are primarily nocturnal and respect people. But he says if they learn “we’re as soft as we are,” they’ll relax around us. He notes that we haven’t lived with this kind of smart, efficient, medium-sized predator for a long while, but if people adopt a don’t-feed-the-bears attitude, we’ll get along just fine. If the coyotes learn we’re not a threat and that food is available from us or around outdoor pet dishes and compost piles, the rules change. Coyotes are smart enough to learn that food attracts other animals. They’ll let the food sit and prey on the visiting animals. If we encourage that behavior, we might see more coyotes in daylight, and cats or small dogs could be endangered. Hodnett says, “Think of a coyote as a person who’s a little smarter than you are and happens to be wearing a fur coat.” People opened the way for coyotes to expand from their western and northern roots when forests east of the Mississippi River were cleared. Coyotes don’t like dense forests, but when the trees disappeared, they roamed. They reached northwest Virginia in the late 1970s. Hodnett thinks the availability of road-kill deer has helped increase their range.
Officials aren’t sure how many coyotes this area can sustain, but the animals will determine their own level. Coyotes are territorial, adult males won’t allow competition in their home area and, unlike deer, coyote populations are self-limiting. If their numbers fall, coyotes WHAT’S INSIDE . . . produce larger litters. If there’s overpopulation, litters shrink. Events ........................... 2 That trait and their territorial nature make them vir tually Park Foundation ............ 3 impossible to eradicate. So the Environmental Agenda .. 4 new kids in town are here to stay, a new natural resource offering Watershed Cleanup ....... 5 us a chance to learn a little more RMD Friends ................. 6 about nature.
Volunteers ..................... 8 If you have trouble with a coyote on your property, call the county police nonemergency number — 703691-2131. They’ll dispatch an animal control officer.
Photo Parade ................. 9 Gazebo ...................... 10 Jamestown .................. 11 Historic Property ......... 12
p Fairfax County Park Authority • Fairfax, VA 22035 • 703-324-8695 • FAX 703-324-3996 • TTY 703-803-3354 • www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources
EVENTS
NATURE CENTERS AND HISTORIC SITES BURKE LAKE PARK 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station Call 703-323-6600 COLVIN RUN MILL 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls Call 703-759-2771 ELLANOR C. LAWRENCE PARK 5040 Walney Road, Chantilly Call 703-631-0013 FRYING PAN PARK 2709 West Ox Road, Herndon Call 703-437-9101 GREEN SPRING GARDENS 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria Call 703-642-5173 HIDDEN OAKS NATURE CENTER 7701 Royce Street, Annandale Call 703-941-1065 HIDDEN POND NATURE CENTER 8511 Greeley Blvd., Springfield Call 703-451-9588 HUNTLEY MEADOWS PARK 3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria Call 703-768-2525 LAKE ACCOTINK PARK 7500 Accotink Park Rd., Springfield Call 703-569-3464 LAKE FAIRFAX PARK 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston Call 703-471-5414 RIVERBEND PARK 8700 Potomac Hills Street Great Falls Call 703-759-9018 SULLY HISTORIC SITE 3601 Sully Road, Chantilly Call 703-437-1794
Need directions or more information? VISIT www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks
Editor/Writer:
David Ochs
Photos: Don Sweeney, FCPA Administration: Jatinder Kaur Production: Innovative Projects, Inc. Published quarterly by the Fairfax County Park Authority, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035-1118. Available at park sites and Fairfax County libraries. Visit ResOURces online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources c ResOURces is printed on recycled paper.
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SPRING IN THE PARKS Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, March 24, (3-7 yrs.) 1:303:30pm Sully Historic Site, 703-437-1794 Bring your baskets and hunt for filled Easter eggs in Sully’s fields. Find the special egg and claim your prize. Participate in an egg roll as children may have done at the Capitol during James Madison’s presidency. Visit baby animals, create an Easter craft and indulge in yummy treats. Egg hunts at 2 and 3pm. Reservations required. Rain date: 3/31. $5/child
Children’s Day: Celebrating Diversity Saturday, April 21, (Families with children 3-12), 1-4:30pm Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065 Enjoy live local entertainment, games, crafts and demonstrations of activities from around the world. Reservations required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $5
Winter Lecture Series Sundays through March, 1:30-3pm Green Spring Gardens, 703-642-5173 The Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) host the Winter Lecture Series, featuring slide and power point talks by authors, garden designers, scientists, and historians. After the lecture, meet the speakers and enjoy refreshments in Green Spring’s atrium. Dates and topics at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp. $11/lecture
Nature’s April Foolers Sunday, April 1, (4-10 yrs.), 1-2:30pm Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065 Learning how to survive is no joke for wildlife. Discover how animals fool their prey to get a meal or their predators to avoid becoming one. Reservations and advance payment required. $5
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EQUAL ACCESS/ SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
The Fairfax County Park Authority is committed to equal access in all programs and services. Special accommodations will be provided upon request. Please call the ADA/Access coordinator at 703-3248563, at least 10 working days in advance of the date services are needed. ADA/Access Coordinator 703-324-8563 TTY 703-803-3354 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ada.htm
Frogs at Eakin Park: A Frog Chorus Saturday, May 5, (4 yrs. and up with adult), 6:45-7:30pm Eakin Community Park. Call 703-941-1065 (Hidden Oaks Nature Center) for information. Meet at the Prosperity Ave. parking lot and walk to the pond. Learn to identify frogs by sight and call. Canceled if rain. Reservations and advance payment required. $4
War of 1812 Muster Saturday, May 19, 11am-4pm Sully Historic Site, 703-437-1794 Learn about America’s second war for independence through living history and hands-on activities. Discover military skills of the men and boys and the at-home pursuits of the ladies. Drill with the troops, watch the cannons fire. House tour included. $6/adult, $4/senior, $4/child
There’s more at fairfaxcounty.gov/parks or see the “Nature” and “History” pages in the county publication Parktakes.
PA R K F O U N D AT I O N
The Oakton Schoolhouse on the Move
Oakton Schoolhouse in transit
Interpretive education was rolling this winter with an eye-popping preservation of a historic piece of Fairfax County.
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n a delicate procedure on January 7, the moving van pulled up to the Oakton Schoolhouse — and pulled away with the whole building. Movers used a unified jacking system to brace and lift the approximately 35-ton schoolhouse from its foundation and, without tilting the structure, hauled it three-tenths of a mile to the Oakton Community Park in under two hours. Chevy Chase Bank provided funding for the move, which is the first of several improvements at the park on Hunter Mill Road. The Friends of Oakton Schoolhouse and the Fairfax County Park Foundation helped save the building for use as an interpretive tool as a late 19th Century one-room schoolhouse. The Oakton Schoolhouse was home to the Appalachian Outfitters store beginning in 1972. Some people may remember it as the Lynn Moyer & Co. Hardware Store from 1944 to 1972 or, going back a little further, as Payne’s Store from 1934 to 1944. For 20 years prior to that, the building was a private residence.
The Oakton Schoolhouse served as an elementary school from approximately 1897 to 1914, a time of relative prosperity for the local farming community. Families gathered at the schoolhouse to see neighbors performing in plays and to enjoy ice cream socials and oyster suppers. The schoolhouse was consistently crowded. Initially it was a oneroom building, later was partitioned into two classrooms, and then a room was added. In January 1905, 85 students attended. In 1911, the school established a one-year high school class in a room above the nearby Sutton’s store. The Fairfax County Park Foundation has designated a fund on behalf of the Friends of Oakton Schoolhouse for maintaining and operating the building. If you would like to donate to the fund, please make checks payable to “Fairfax County Park Foundation” (memo line “Oakton Schoolhouse”) and mail to 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 404, Fairfax, VA 22035.
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/oaktonschoolhouse.htm
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STEWARDSHIP
The Fairfax County Environmental Agenda The Cross-County Trail
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airfax County is taking care of what it has, and we’re approaching the third anniversary of the statement that makes caring a priority. In June of 2004, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted a plan known as the Environmental Agenda. It is a 20-year vision that includes an emphasis on stewardship of parks, trails, and open spaces. Chairman Gerald Connolly, one of the supervisors who championed the Environmental Agenda, says, “This is the first time in the history of Fairfax that we have a comprehensive, concrete, long-term plan for protecting and restoring our environment.” The agenda is built on two principles. It suggests conservation of limited natural resources be interwoven into all government decisions, and it mandates a county commitment to provision of resources needed to protect the environment.
The Board’s plan encourages organizations working on environmental issues to get citizens and schools involved in their projects, and it encourages the schools to get students involved. It also encourages groups watching watershed issues to work with all stakeholders to improve natural resources, and it establishes a program for community groups to adopt and care for a park, a trail or a stream valley. This spring, Fairfax citizens will complete restoration, preservation and education projects in all 30 Fairfax watersheds.
YOU CAN HELP. Volunteer to be a part of your parks. Find out how at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ volunteer.htm. If you want to help protect or restore the streams or wetlands in your neighborhood, contact Chairman@Fairfaxcounty.gov.
Chairman Connolly says, “Preserving and restoring watershed health is critical not only for protecting wildlife habitat in Fairfax and in the Chesapeake Bay, but also for managing storm water effectively and preventing floods like those that have more recently ravaged several Fairfax neighborhoods.” The Environmental Agenda also says, “Open space, like parks and trails, provides habitat and promotes the physical and mental well being of citizens. Trails promote a healthy lifestyle. The Cross-County Trail provides a central artery for a comprehensive inter-county trails system.” The agenda calls for the creation of “pocket parks” for relaxation, for community parks with open spaces that can sustain wildlife, for acquisition of more open space, and for providing the resources to maintain those parks. All of that means Fairfax County is taking care of what it has.
The Environmental Agenda is online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/chairman/environmental_plan.htm
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STEWARDSHIP
Picking Up to Clean Up You belong in the muck on March 31.
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t’s a grand day to put on crummy clothes, lace on boots, then wade out and get grubby — especially if you have kids. They’ll love it. If you’re single, what a unique dating opportunity! Round up some friends and head to the parks. Twice a year since 1990, the Fairfax County Park Authority has helped organize a Watershed Cleanup Day to pick up trash in our creeks and rivers. March 31 is the next Cleanup Day. Hidden Pond Nature Center Assistant Manager Mike McCaffrey and Naturalist Karen Waltman of Ellanor C. Lawrence Park have been very active in the program, and here are some of their observations on past cleanup days: THE CLEANUP OF THE POHICK STREAM VALLEY between Old Keene Mill Road and the Fairfax County Parkway is a community highlight at Hidden Pond. Students put in volunteer hours, scouts meet badge requirements, and local citizens make a difference.
THE BACK SEAT OF A CAR, a heavy safe, bicycles, a motorcycle, a car transmission, and countless tires and shopping carts are some of the items that have been plucked out of the Cub Run Watershed during the spring and fall FCPA Watershed Cleanups.
Prior to the actual cleanup, we scout known trouble spots and make assignments. We ready a crew for troubleshooting things like tires stuck in creek beds.
Scout and church groups take part, along with families, individuals and students working on service hours for school. They dress in clothes that have no fear of getting dirty and meet at the Walney Visitor Center in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park (ECLP). There’s a brief talk on watersheds, and safety tips and thanks are offered before trash bags are handed out. Up to 304 people have turned out for a cleanup at ECLP.
The cleanup is a super community educational tool about the need to safeguard our wetland areas and a vivid display of how actions upstream greatly affect the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. We include a talk and refreshments, and we show folks some of the animals that may live in the area we clean up. Some great past finds: • Five pickup truckloads of 30-year-old construction debris
The cleanup day produces greater awareness of the impact on our wetlands from trash tossed into woods or storm drains.
• A coffin lid (We never found the rest and hope we never do.) • An entire shed • Half of a VW bug • Undergarments • A gargoyle
The trash is collected and stacked at a designated point. Our grounds crew collects the trash and has it weighed at the Fairfax County Transfer Station. We often see 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of trash. The record haul was 5,080 pounds. Cub Scout Pack 146 from the Chantilly St. Timothy Catholic Church has participated every year since October of 1995, and the scouts were presented our park’s annual Donald F. Early Award for Volunteer Achievement in 2001. – Karen Waltman
• Canoe oars and fishing rods. One thing we’ve found frequently in recent years is pressure treated wood material from decks. The cleanup day produces greater awareness of the impact on our wetlands from trash tossed into woods or storm drains. People leave the cleanup with two feelings — satisfaction at their work in removing the litter and bewilderment that there is so much litter in our woodlands, wetlands and parkland. – Mike McCaffrey
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PARTNERSHIPS
GOOD FRIENDS, A PRECIOUS RESOURCE Some Resource Management Division (RMD) sites have Friends groups that live our stewardship mission in a variety of ways. The groups are people passionate about their parks, and a productive, social, fun way to be involved with those parks. You can sometimes judge character by a person’s friends, and we invite you to take a look at ours. Hay ride at Frying Pan Farm Park
Hidden Oaks Nature Center
COLVIN RUN MILL
GREEN SPRING GARDENS
The Friends of Colvin Run Mill (FOCRM) emphasize education. FOCRM President Bob Lundegard says the eight-year-old group’s mission is to enrich the educational experience of the mill and “to relate the mill and its needs to the community.” FOCRM raises money for projects, like improved lighting at the mill, a portable mill for exhibits, and enrichment of the site’s joyful holiday program, which includes inviting Santa Claus. Currently the group is seeking grants to make the historic site more accessible and to bring on a University of Virginia graduate student to research the mill’s use during the Civil War.
The best acronym among RMD Friends belongs to the Friends of Green Spring Gardens. FROGS has been around since 1993, and Manager Mary Olien says the group “enthusiastically and generously” supports the horticultural, historical and educational programs at Green Spring Gardens. FROGS Vice President Marianne Mooney adds many of the 1,200 members volunteer at the park. They are the force behind the site’s lecture series, annual plant sale, art shows, and children’s programs. Mooney says FROGS views education as “the most important mission” of the gardens. Olien says, “When a job needs to be done, FROGS members step up to contribute a major portion of the more than 9,000 volunteer hours recorded at Green Spring Gardens.” The group recently obtained a Mastenbrook Volunteer Matching Fund Grant of $10,000 to expand the irrigation system at the gardens.
See www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/crm.
FRYING PAN FARM PARK Membership in a Friends group has its benefits. Members of The Founders, Benefactors, Supervisors and Friends of Frying Pan Farm Park, Inc. (FBSF), for example, can attend an invitation-only open house, receive behind the scenes tours, go to special shopping days, and receive discounts, animal birthing announcements, free hayride passes and a newsletter. Other Friends groups have similar benefits. The FBSF, a 13-person board, established its membership program, owns the livestock and most of the equipment at the site, sponsors most of the farm events, and supports the site’s volunteers. For information on the Web, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fpp and www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fpp/friends.htm. 6
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FROGS members receive a quarterly newsletter, an events calendar, special invitations to members-only events, and discounts on purchases at site shops, from local nurseries, and on admission and shop purchases at other gardens. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/frogs.htm and www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/
PARTNERSHIPS
HUNTLEY MEADOWS The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park (FOHMP) was one of the first Friends organizations in the Park Authority. Huntley Meadows Park manager Gary Roisum has worked closely with FOHMP since the group’s inception 22 years ago, and he calls its never-ending support “truly remarkable.” FOHMP President Kathi McNeil says the 400-member group concentrates on preservation of the park, supporting the programs and the staff, and providing funding for programs and volunteer help. FOHMP just completed a project that makes interpretation available for the visually-impaired through recordings. FOHMP’s Web site is www.friendsofhuntleymeadows.org. The park’s site is www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley/
Colvin Run Mill – photo by Carol Ochs
HISTORIC HUNTLEY
HIDDEN OAKS
Historic Huntley is a Federal Period villa started in 1825 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s currently “mothballed” — boarded and fenced — to protect it until restoration. The Friends of Historic Huntley (FOHH) have raised Friends at Hidden Pond – photo by Dan Ochs funds for the project and are making that restoration a reality. Information on the Friends of Hidden Oaks is available The Friends and the Fairfax County Park Authority open the house through the nature center at 703-941-1065. twice a year for school and scout tours. Meanwhile, there’s historic, archaeological and architectural research and analysis under way.
The Friends of Hidden Oaks Nature Center are spearheading the Mason District’s backyard wildlife certification program. Through the enhancement of native backyard wildlife habitat, the district could become one of the first among the nation’s growing number of certified sites. More than 200 members are in this four-year-old group.
HIDDEN POND
The Friends of Hidden Pond and Pohick Stream Valley (FOHPaPSV) are the newest RMD partner. They support wildlife habitat and enhancement, maintenance and restoration projects in the communities and open lands of the Pohick Stream Valley. Hidden Pond Manager Jim Pomeroy says the group has already provided the park with night vision scopes and takes part in stream cleanups, family nights and special projects. More information is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/hiddenpond or email fohpnc@yahoo.com.
RIVERBEND PARK The Friends of Riverbend (FORB) partner for large events like the annual Indians of Virginia Festival and art shows. Riverbend Park Manager Marty Smith says FORB has “provided a great deal of financial support to purchase necessary maintenance and program materials that we could not have afforded otherwise.” FORB President Paul Anderson says the group “gives people some sense of involvement with the park.” FORB provides a summer intern for Riverbend, volunteers for invasive plant removal, and support for the Arts in the Parks program. Membership includes some private events at the park.
The Friends of Historic Huntley can offer more information (email: fohhuntley@aol.com). www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/histhunt/
SULLY HISTORIC SITE The Sully Foundation was established in 1969 to assist with the ongoing preservation and restoration of Sully Historic Site, and it has been a highly successful venture. The group is active in advocating the need to preserve Sully, and it provides funding for special projects. Last fall’s exhibit of Federal Period clothing is one example. That is one of several Jamestown 2007 commemorative events being sponsored by the foundation. Re-creation of the slave quarter dwelling house on the original archaeological footprint at Sully is another supported and funded project, as was a case exhibit of china owned by Sully’s original owner, Richard Bland Lee. The foundation also has funded the acquisition of historic objects for the Fairfax County Park Authority. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully/
The FCPA is deeply grateful for the time, effort and financial support all of these groups provide out of love for their parks.
www.forb.org/ and www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/ Spring 2007
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VOLUNTEERS
Find Your Niche in a Park! By Erin Chernisky, Volunteer Services Coordinator
Thoughts of volunteering might evoke visions of stuffing envelopes. But look closer at Resource Management Division volunteers, and you’ll find people mucking, grinding, scraping, wading, hitching, weaving and singing.
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OLUNTEER ARCHAEOLOGISTS excavate artifacts and clean, sort, and catalogue their finds. Volunteer Barbara Leven was hooked the first time she held a little piece of pottery in her hand. A fellow volunteer explained how the design had been created and what was known about the place where it had been found. Leven said, “I felt connected to that place and time and wanted to help ensure that others could continue to learn from the past. I still feel that way every time I am lucky enough to hold a piece of history in my hand.” There’s not much typical about a volunteer shift for Colvin Run Mill’s Mike Murphy. With the title Miller’s Assistant, Mike is responsible for ensuring the mill is ready for grinding. Mucking out the headrace, scraping gears, repairing machinery, and demonstrating the milling process to visitors are all part of a day’s work for Mike. Another Colvin Run Mill volunteer, Sam Schwartz, is rarely seen at the mill. His volunteer time is spent in the Fairfax County Courthouse, the Virginia Room, and the Library of Congress, where he researches deeds, wills, and other historical papers looking for connections between Colvin Run Mill and the Civil War. His work provides important documentary evidence for park staff about the early days of the mill. Mike Kephart’s volunteer work at Frying Pan Farm Park has a personal connection. His ancestors lived across the street from the park, and his grandfather did custom field work for farmers in the area. Mike volunteers as a Farm Hand, and he’s the fourth generation of his family to plow land that is now part of the park. The retired Fairfax County fireman loves driving the farm equipment and, despite the noise of the engines, finds it to be very peaceful. During the
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summer, when there isn’t quite as much field work to be done, he hitches a wagon to the tractor and takes visitors on rides through the park. During their volunteer shifts at Sully Historic Site, husband and wife Angela and Roger Pelletier don 18th century costumes and demonstrate spinning and weaving. Fellow volunteer and avid seamstress Dottie O’Rourke sews period clothing and shares her knowledge with Sully’s younger volunteers. HISTORICAL ATTIRE isn’t the only thing worn by RMD volunteers. Once a week, from February to June, a team of Huntley Meadows volunteers suits up in waders and heads out to monitor nestboxes and observe the use of those boxes by wood ducks and hooded mergansers. Another Huntley Meadows volunteer found a way to combine two of her passions — nature and performing arts. Five years ago, former professional dancer and choreographer Karen Nyere approached the staff about creating a coffee house program at the park. Through her hard work, Café Cattail was born. Now, the public is invited quarterly, free of charge, to come perform or just listen and watch everything from singing and dancing to poetry reading and piano playing. DOES IT SOUND FUN? This is merely a sampling of many unique positions held by the Resource Management Division’s 800 volunteers. Whatever your passion, whatever your age, you can be sure you’ll find your niche in a park! For more information about volunteer opportunities contact Erin Chernisky at erin.chernisky@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-8750.
olunteering at our county nature centers & historic sites is the perfect antidote to the nightly news and the frenetic pace of life.
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– HARRY GLASGOW, long-time park volunteer and member of the Park Authority Board
If you love being outdoors, gardening, storytelling, arts and crafts, history, wildlife, archaeology, working with people and being creative, then become a park volunteer. Join our dynamic volunteer staff today by visiting www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks or calling 703-324-8750.
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N AT U R E
Favorite spring photo spots of FCPA employees: 䡵 The brook by Cabell’s Mill’s terrace, and the Wooden Deck behind Middlegate (with flowers planted). – Rental Assistant Julia Mendez 䡵 Shooting through the cherry blossoms at Cabell’s Mill or Wakefield Chapel and Hunter House when the azaleas are in bloom. – Karen Lindquist of Historic Properties Rental Services 䡵 The more than 160 species of spring wildflowers at the Scotts Run Nature Preserve. Tree ring studies have shown that there are 400-year-old hemlocks there, which means some parts of the park are “untouched.” – Hidden Pond Manager Jim Pomeroy 䡵 Beautiful Colvin Run Mill Historic Site in picturesque and charming Great Falls. – CRM Site Administrator Mike Henry 䡵 Bird life in the swamp at Huntley Meadows, along the Potomac River at Riverbend Park, the big stand of bluebells at Riverbend, or a late spring shot of the pink lady slippers at Hidden Oaks. – Riverbend Manager Marty Smith 䡵 Wildlife sightings from the boardwalk at Huntley Meadows Park wetlands – Gary Roisum, Manager Huntley Meadows 䡵 Riverbend’s wildflowers – Certified Interpretive Trainer Mona Enquist-Johnston 䡵 Anywhere at Green Spring Gardens – Green Spring Manager Mary Olien Spring 2007
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PARTNERSHIPS
Green Spring Debuts New Gazebo
New gazebo at Green Spring Gardens – photo by Michael Rierson
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pend a moment in the shade, in a spot that artists frequent with paint and brush. Watch tadpoles in their silent, wiggly swim, see painted turtles soak up the sun, keep an eye out for green heron and mallards, and hear the bullfrogs croak. There’s a new, restful spot at water’s edge at Green Spring Gardens. A new waterside gazebo was built last year and a plaque at the site will be dedicated this spring as a memorial to a Fairfax County serviceman.
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The plaque that you’ll see next to the gazebo reads:
IN MEMORY OF A1C JASON KENNETH DUVALL C130 LOADMASTER, USAF 1978-2001 BY HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS AIM HIGH Site Manager Mary Olien said the family chose Green Spring for the memorial because Jason liked to go to the park and socialize with friends at the ponds.
Mason Distric t Super visor Penelope Gross is a long-time neighbor and friend of the Duvall family. “Jason and his sisters and parents enjoyed visiting Green Spring often while he was growing up, and his family’s generous gift of a memorial gazebo at the ponds will give many other young people the opportunity to see in Green Spring what Jason enjoyed so much — a place and time for reflection in nature’s glory, just minutes from the Beltway,” she said.
H E R I TA G E / J A M E S T O W N
Hear the stories and learn the survival skills of Virginians from the past 400 years when Jamestown 2007 events peak this spring. Here’s a peek at essential survival skills of early Virginians: THE COLONISTS BROUGHT HONEYBEES TO JAMESTOWN
Hop on a trail and take a walk to find out how the land around us has changed during the last four centuries. APPRENTICE NATURALIST — ARCHAEOLOGY 101
April 16 (Explorers, 6-7 yrs.), 2:30-3:30pm April 23 (Jr. Naturalists,8-11 yrs.), 2:30-3:30pm
April 14 (12 yrs. and up), 1-2:30pm
Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, Walney, 703-631-0013. Visit a hive and taste honey, discover bee chores, and make beeswax candles. Reservations, $4
INDIAN SKILLS FOR SCOUTS
Cub Run RECenter, 703-8179407. Discover techniques used by archaeologists to learn about Virginia’s history. Study Jamestown findings and local ruins. Reservations, $5
WILDFLOWERS: WHAT THE JAMESTOWN COLONISTS FOUND
April 29 (Adults) 1-2pm
May 6 (8 yrs. and up), 1-2:30 pm Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, Walney, 703-631-0013. Learn Native American skills of fire making, cooking, tracking, traps and tool making. Reservations, $6
COLONIAL HOME AND FARM CHORES May 14 (Explorers, 6-7 yrs.), 2:30-3:30pm May 21 (Jr. Naturalists, 8-11 yrs.), 2:30-3:30pm Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, Walney, 703-631-0013. Tackle chores such as washing laundry, carrying firewood, planting a crop and shucking corn. Play colonial children’s games. Reservations, $4
Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Learn about plants that American Indians used for food and medicine and plants that Europeans introduced. Discover native and introduced plants that grow in our local fields and forests. Reservations and advance payment, $3
JAMESTOWN CONFIDENTIAL — THEN AND NOW May 18 (8 yrs. and up), 4-5:30pm Hidden Pond Nature Center, 703-451-9588. Virginia’s natural world changed after the Jamestown settlers jumped off the ships and into our state’s history. A walk, talk and live animals aid our study of animals common in 1607 and today. Reservations, $4
Fairfax County park events celebrate Virginia’s diverse heritage — especially the cultures of Virginia Indians, Europeans and African-Americans. POCAHONTAS AND HER FRIENDS: A YOUNG CHILD’S LIFE IN THE EARLY 1600S March 18 (Families, children 6 yrs. and up), 1-2:30pm, $5/child $2/adult OR May 21 (6-10 yrs.), 3-4:30pm, $5 Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Discover Pocahontas’ life as a child. Play games she likely played and enjoy corn cakes with berries. Reservations and advance payment.
“FROM SOME ONE WHO WORE THE SHOE: THE
and medicine. On this riverside walk, discover some past and present uses of these spring ephemerals. Canceled if rain. Reservations, free
JAMESTOWN CONFIDENTIAL — NAMES May 11 (8 yrs. and up), 4-5:30pm Hidden Pond Nature Center, 703-451-9588. With a walk and talk, delve into how things got their names. Was it English influence or Native American? $4
RIVERSIDE CAMPFIRE —
EXPERIENCE OF SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA”
JAMESTOWN CELEBRATION
March 31, 4-5:30pm
Riverbend Visitor Center, 703-759-9018. Gather around the campfire. Enjoy colonial games, activities, and stories. S’mores provided — bring toasting sticks. Reservations and advance payment, $3/person
Sully Historic Site, 703-4371794. Dr. John Michael Vlach, author and George Washington University professor, presents “Culture and Architecture of 18th and 19th Century Enslaved Communities in Virginia.” Sponsored by the Sully Foundation, Ltd. Reservations by 3/23, free
FAIRY SPUDS AND RAMPS — EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL WILDFLOWERS OF THE FLOODPLAIN
April 14 (Adults), 9:30-11:30am Riverbend Visitor Center, 703-759-9018. Early inhabitants used native wildflowers for food
May 11 (Families), 6:30-7:30pm
CLOTHING FOR THE COLONIES May 30 - September 5, 11am-4pm Sully Historic Site, 703-4371794. What did the colonists wear? View an exhibit by local collector and educator Mary Doering. Colonial period clothing and accessories displayed throughout the house. Sponsored by the Sully Foundation, Ltd. $5/adult, $3/child, $3/senior
Join your parks in celebrating our national heritage. Find events and exhibits for Jamestown 2007 — America’s 400th Anniversary at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks. Spring 2007
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HISTORIC PROPERTIES Dining at Cabell’s Mill
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HISTORIC PROPERTIES RENTAL SERVICES For costumed or contemporary weddings, family reunions, off-site meetings, or any gathering, rent one of Fairfax County’s beautiful historic properties. • Cabell’s Mill in Centreville
• Hunter House in Vienna
• Clark House in Falls Church
• Old Schoolhouse in Great Falls
• Dranesville Tavern in Dranesville
• Stone Mansion in Alexandria
• Great Falls Grange in Great Falls • Wakefield Chapel in Annandale
Call 703-938-8835 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/weddings.htm
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