park volunteers sought for national public lands day efforts

INFORMATION RELEASE

12055 Government Center Parkway For Inclusion and ADA Support,

Fairfax, VA 220035-5500 call 703-324-8563

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks TTY: Va Relay 711

@fairfaxparks

Judy Pedersen, PIO September 1, 2021

E-mail: [email protected] IR-153

Inquiries: 703-324-8662

Park Volunteers Sought for National Public Lands Day Efforts The Fairfax County Park Authority will join in the nationwide celebration of National Public Lands Day

on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, from 9 until 10:30 a.m. Volunteers will contribute toward national efforts by

helping to weed and water pollinator gardens, pick up trash and remove invasive vines within Laurel Hill

Park, located at 8780 Lorton Road. The Laurel Hill Park Volunteer Team will host the one-hour work ses-

sion. A brief ceremony will follow at 10 a.m. The ceremony will be held at Barrett House located at 8780

Lorton Road, at the intersection of Lorton and Workhouse roads. Attendees should turn off Lorton Road

at the Central Green entrance and drive forward to the white house.

National Public Lands Day is special because it provides all lovers of the environment an opportunity to

show appreciation for precious natural resources through trail restoration, park cleanups and other events

that teach about the environment. This year’s theme is “More ways to connect to nature.” The workday

and celebration represent the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Established in

1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, this celebration brings out thousands of vol-

unteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country.

The Park Authority’s Acting Executive Director Sara Baldwin noted the importance of the day and the

ongoing work by volunteers, stating, “The Park Authority depends on individuals and organizations, such

as our Park Volunteer Teams (PVTs) to help us maintain, care for and restore open space. With about

24,000 acres of parkland under the jurisdiction of the Fairfax County Park Authority, it’s clear how valua-

ble volunteers are to our efforts. We could not do it without them. National Public Lands lets everyone

know across the country that they are not alone in their love of the land and work as environmental stew-

ards.”

Volunteers should dress appropriately for the weather, wear closed-toed shoes, bring work gloves and

personal drinking water. To sign up as a volunteer, please go to https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/cus-

tom/1380/opp_details/183541.

For more information about our ceremony, please reach out to the Park Authority Public Information Of-

fice at 703-324-8662.

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mailto:[email protected]

https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/opp_details/183541

https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/opp_details/183541

INFORMATION RELEASE


Fairfax, VA 22035-5500 call 703-324-8563


@fairfaxparks



Inquiries: 703-324-8662

Playground Replacement to Begin at Martin Luther King Jr. Park

The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin work on the Martin Luther King Jr. Park

playground replacement project, which will close the playground during the construction period.

Contractors will be mobilizing on site shortly with active construction activities beginning on

Sept. 7, 2021. The project includes replacement of the playground equipment and related site

work. Contingent on the weather, the new playground is expected to open at the end of Novem-

ber 2021. The project will cost approximately $212,000.

Martin Luther King Jr. Park is located at 8115 Fordson Road in Alexandria, Virginia. For more

information about the park project, please contact Project Manager Isabel Villarroel at Isabel.Vil-

[email protected] or call 703-324-7195.

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INFORMATION RELEASE


Fairfax, VA 22035-5500 call 703-324-8563


@fairfaxparks



Inquiries: 703-324-8662

Three Frying Pan Farm Volunteers are Harold Strickland Partnership Awardees

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board is honoring three volunteers from Frying Pan Farm Park with

the 2021 Harold L. Strickland Partnership and Collaboration Award, which recognizes teamwork in

bringing state-of-the-art facilities to parks.

Over the winter, Ronnie Billodeaux, Ed Robichaud and Steve Williams, volunteer wagon ride drivers at

the park, joined forces to repair and expand picnic facilities at Frying Pan. The men sacrificed weekdays

and weekends to ensure the site’s picnic tables were ready in time for the start of the spring birthday party

and picnic rental season.

Frying Pan’s picnic tables had fallen into poor condition, but it would have costs thousands of dollars to

replace them. The volunteer trio saved the park the replacement costs and doubled the number of picnic

tables available through their hard work deconstructing, reconstructing and adding new tables. They dis-

assembled the old tables, discarded unusable wood, and salvaged any hardware that could be reused. Us-

ing their own tools, they cut new boards, reassembled tables with the salvaged hardware, and built 10 new

tables with new hardware.

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board established the Harold L. Strickland Partnership and Collabora-

tion Award in June 2015 in honor of the retiring Park Board member’s long service and significant contri-

butions to the Park Authority. In the spirit of Strickland’s accomplishments, this award recognizes the

value and importance of the teamwork and cooperation necessary to provide varied constituencies with

state-of-the-art facilities in Fairfax County Parks, often at limited, reduced or no capital expense to the

taxpayer.

The winners will be honored at a virtual Park Authority ceremony in November.

For more information, contact the Public Information Office at 703-324-8662 or at parkmail@fairfax-

county.gov.

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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT


Fairfax, VA 220035-5500 call 703-324-8563


@fairfaxparks


E-mail: [email protected] PSA-178

Inquiries: 703-324-8662

Plant NOVA Trees and Watch the Green Grow

The Fairfax County Park Authority is partnering with Plant NOVA Natives on a new project to

celebrate trees. Plant NOVA Trees is a planned five-year campaign designed to educate county

residents about the benefits of native trees and to encourage people to plant them.

The program provides information about the benefits of native trees, tips on planting them, and

tips on rescuing them from choking vines. The project’s web site also includes information on

selecting shade trees or small trees and where to get them, including some tips on obtaining free

or low-cost trees.

The project presents information on tree care, how to organize a neighborhood tree planting, and

ways that businesses can support the movement. The Park Authority’s Watch the Green Grow

outreach program at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/nature-history/watch-green-grow can advise

communities interested in planting trees on common land. Contact the Watch the Green Grow

Coordinator Tamara Sheiffer at [email protected].

The program’s website includes a list of dozens of events in Northern Virginia with topics that

range from tree selection to geocaching, education and plantings. More information about Plant

Nova Trees is online at www.plantnovatrees.org.

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https://www.plantnovatrees.org/

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/nature-history/watch-green-grow


http://www.plantnovatrees.org/

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT


Fairfax, VA 220035-5500 call 703-324-8563


@fairfaxparks


E-mail: [email protected] PSA-179

Inquiries: 703-324-8662

From Dinosaurs to Butterflies, Discover a Green Spring Program for Your Family Have some outdoor fun with the family, and sneak in a little education, too, with a variety of programs

this September at Green Spring Gardens.

Learn about different aspects of nature on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, with a “Nature Scavenger Hunt” at

Green Spring. Go on a hunt for themed objects around the park from 10 to 11 a.m. This event is designed

for participants ages 4 to adult. The cost is $7 per person.

Discover prehistoric plants that are still around today during the “Family Fun: Jurassic Gardener” pro-

gram on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Explore everything from a tree that is 69 million years old to ferns that

were stomped on by dinosaurs. Take home your own plant. This program for participants ages 5 to adult

runs from 10 to 11 a.m. The cost is $8 per person.

Take your kindergartener on a family field trip on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 from 1 to 2 p.m. with the

“Field Trip for All: Senses – Green and Growing Gardens.” The Park Authority’s Field Trips for All

offer parents a unique opportunity to supplement their child’s science learning with real outdoor experi-

ences and application of the concepts required in the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL). All attendees

(parents and students) must register to control group size. The cost is $10 per person.

Want to know more about monarch butterflies? Then come to the “Family Fun: Monarch Migration” pro-

gram on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 from 10 to 11 a.m. Learn about these magnificent butterflies and their

migration with games, songs and activities. Move through obstacles in the Monarch Migration Course,

evolving from egg to butterfly and beyond. This program is for participants age 5 to adult and costs $10

per person.

Green Spring Gardens is located at 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia. For more information,

call 703-642-5173, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring/.

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http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring/

park volunteers sought for national public lands day efforts

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