Take a hike and call me in the morning

This week the Health Section of the Washington Post had a great story about the health benefits of not just exercise, but being outdoors in natural surroundings (article is below). This makes so much sense, it is surprising more of the medical profession has not made this connections earlier.

Working out with weights or exercise equipment is great for your muscles but does only a little to bring peace of mind, relieve stress and ground you. If you can go for a hike in the woods, a bike ride along a wood lined trail, or a paddle on a scenic body of water, the result is both exercise and a relaxing and grounding connection with nature.

In addition to the story below, the Post had a side bar on some of the great trails in our area including the W&OD, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, and others. Link to this section is below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111602913.html?sid=ST2009111603014

A trail they did not mention that is one of the very best for a nature hike is the Bull Run/Occoquan Trail that runs 18 miles along the southern boarder of Fairfax County along the Bull Run and Occoquan Rivers. More information on this trail can be found at: http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/fountainhead/?pg=trails.html

Take a hike and call me in the morning

By Daphne Miller

Special to The Washington Post Tuesday, November 17, 2009

"I have a StairMaster right in my own basement, but honestly it's been there for years gathering dust and making me feel guilty," said Miriam, one of my patients. "It wasn't until I started walking the three-mile trail in the park near my house that I got serious about exercising. I do it now rain or shine. I love the fresh air. The best part is that I get a great workout and don't even mind sweating."

At this point, I have heard enough variations on Miriam's story that I have started to make formal "park prescriptions." The prescribing instructions are considerably more detailed than ones you might get with a medication; they include the location of a local green space, the name of a specific trail and, when possible, exact mileage.

It turns out I am not alone. I've begun hearing about doctors around the country who are medicating their patients with nature in order to prevent (or treat) health problems ranging from heart disease to attention deficit disorder.

Eleanor Kennedy, a cardiologist in Little Rock, helped create a downtown "Medical Mile" with the support of local funders and the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program. "If my patients feel that they can get outdoors, they are more likely to be consistent about exercise," she told me. "Whether you are waddling, walking or running, going out and exercising will help build your confidence, flexibility and adaptability." And it will also be good for your heart -- a particular benefit in Arkansas, where rates of heart disease and stroke, as well as obesity and diabetes, are among the highest in the country.

Other physicians, from New Hampshire to Texas, are sending their patients out to wade through streams and walk on beaches and trails. Earlier this year the city of Santa Fe, N.M., launched a Prescription Trails program to target the high rates of diabetes in the community. The program, partially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes a trail guide that physicians can hand to their patients.

"Of course, this is not the only answer to the obesity epidemic," said Michael Suk, an orthopedic surgeon and former health adviser to the NPS, "but it sure is a good start. All these insurance companies focus on prevention, but no one thinks of the free public land resources that we have at our disposal."

Richard Louv, author of the best-selling book "The Last Child in the Woods" and coiner of the term "nature deficit disorder," is all for these prescribing patterns. "I think that physicians can do more [to get people out into nature] than any other professional," he said. Louv's book and Web site (http://www.childrenandnature.org/) cite dozens of studies documenting the positive impact that wilderness outings can have on mental and physical health. The fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics has invited Louv to deliver the keynote address at its 2010 annual meeting indicates that the larger medical community is starting to recognize the therapeutic value of time spent in the woods.

Fortunately, the custodians of nature are also on board. Howard Levitt, chief of interpretation and education at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, an NPS site in California, loves the idea of park prescriptions. In the near future, he and his colleagues hope to create a prescription "tool kit" for doctors, possibly in partnership with a large health organization such as Kaiser Permanente. "I see this as a mutually beneficial arrangement," Levitt said. "We know what parks exist to do and . . . doctors want to care for their patients."

Rick Potts, the Park Service's chief of conservation and outdoor programs, echoed Levitt's enthusiasm: "Science is validating what moms have known for generations: Being outside is good for your health.

"I've never known a ranch kid on Ritalin," added Potts, who comes from rural Montana.
He expects support from the newly confirmed NPS director, Jonathan Jarvis. "We all see that the role of national parks in the 21st century is evolving. They are becoming more critical to our well-being as a society." As Potts continued talking, using such terms as "affordable prevention services" and "increasing access," he sounded more like a government official discussing health reform than one explaining park systems.

In fact, it's not too much of a stretch to think of our national park system as an integral part of our health care system; the NPS is already offering wellness services that are free and accessible to all, regardless of preexisting conditions. And according to Suk, the NPS wants to to expand that access by supporting public open space developments such as Little Rock's Medical Mile in communities around the country.

So don't be surprised if, at your next visit to the doctor, you are handed a trail map and itinerary along with your lab slip. In fact, if you are not offered one, you should demand it.
And once you set foot on the trail, how hard should you exercise? I like what Dr. Kennedy tells her patients: "Hard enough that you can still talk in sentences but not in paragraphs."

Miller is a family physician and an associate clinical professor at the University of California at San Francisco.

Korean Bell Garden @ Meadowlark

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has an MOU with the Korean American Cultural Committee(KACC) (a non-profit group out of the Annandale area) to build a bell garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna.

KACC has been working for several years to raise the funds necessary to build the bell pavilion and gardens that will be built on a hillside overlooking the main lake at Meadowlark. It is a very exciting project with the bell and pavilion being designed by Professor David Chung from the University of Michigan.

Recently I had the opportunity to go to Korea with several others that are working on this project. Our trip was funded by the Korea Foundation and included tours of many historic palaces, gardens and museums, in addition to meetings with numerous branches of the federal government in Seoul as well as officials from GyeonGi Province, which is a sister state to Virginia.

The trip was truly fantastic, and from it we all gained a much deeper appreciation for traditional Korean gardens and architecture.

These enormous cast iron bells have been made in essentially the same way since around 770 AD. I particularly like the rugged and natural look of Korean gardens.

2010 and 2011 are going to be the big years for developing this garden. Next June we will hold a ground breaking ceremony to correspond to the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.

More information on this project can be seen at: http://kacc.us/

The partnership with KACC and its Chair, Ms Jeung Hwa Elmejjad-Yi has been fantastic. Our trip to Korea resulted in strong pledges of support from the Korean Government and others. That combined with the good local fundraising efforts of KACC are going to make this project not just a success, but a significant tourist attraction and symbol of the partnership between Korea and America and of the great contributions that Korean/Americans continue to make to our society. Virginia has around 45,000 people of Korean decent and nearly 35,000 of those live in Fairfax County, making Meadowlark Gardens an idea location of this bell garden.

Images of the trip can be seen on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42732056@N02/sets/72157622563883469/

America's Greatest Idea

With the Ken Burns documentary on the National Park System running this week on PBS, it is a great time to reflect on parks. One point that comes through is the politics of parks, that these are common lands owned by and open to all people to enjoy.

Historically wealth meant land ownership. To provide large areas of land that is owned by the people and for the people is one way we demonstrate our democratic values.

Our National Park System is truely a national treasure.

Recently at the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority we have been in the process of acquireing several sites with significant Civil War history. One is the site of the opening shots of the Battle of Aldie near Gilbert's Corner, across Rt 50 from this site is Mt. Zion Historic Church (pictured above) that served as a hospital after the battle. Another is White's Ford property on the Potomac where Confederate forces crossed the river on their way to Antiedam. These are important places in American history, and important to our common heritage as Americans.

Not just National Parks, but parks in general, the common lands we all share, is the great idea. It comes from Medieval Europe where some land was set aside as "the commons" to be used by anybody to graze animals. Teddy Rosevelt took this ancient idea of open land that we all have a claim to and used it to create the National Park System. City parks had existed before that.

At their core, parks serve much the same purpose today that they did 100 years ago, a place where people can go to relax, explore, and play.

This summer that has just ended saw great use of parks. Our family campgrounds at Pohick Bay and Bull Run witnessed their best and busiest years in decades. Boat rental were up, picnic pavilions were booked, waterparks saw record turnouts, and our trails were heavily used.

When people spend time in parks, they value parks. You can not gain a deep connection with nature or history if you do not experience these things first hand, and parks is where this happens.

National Park, State Parks, Regional Parks and Local Parks, they are all part of the "greatest idea" and part of what makes America great!

Fashions change with the times at Carlyle House

Sunday September 20th, the public had an opportunity to learn about the changing fashions from the 1750's to around 1800 at the Carlyle House Historic Park in Alexandria. This was a period of tremendous social and political change and fashions reflected the pace of rapid change.

A more complete collection of images from this show can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42732056@N02/sets/72157622425057628/

Hemlock Overlook Swings Back into Operations

Sharon Bulova, Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Public/private partnerships are often praised as a model for better government. Last Thursday, elected officials, teachers, parents, children and neighbors gathered at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park in Clifton Virginia to celebrate a new public/private partnership with great promise. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) and Adventure Links kicked off a new operating agreement for Hemlock Overlook Regional Park with a celebration that included Fairfax County Board Chair Sharon Bulova and Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity, flying through the canopy of the forest, on the parallel zip lines.

“The Regional Park Authority has moved at record speed to find a new operator for Hemlock Overlook after George Mason University announced that they would end their long operations here. We received the word from GMU on December 31st that they would cease operations by June 30th. NVRPA worked rapidly to put out a request for proposals, evaluate proposals from ten organizations and select Adventure Links as the right organization to run the programs at Hemlock Overlook. Adventure Links has over ten years experience in providing environmental education, team building and confidence building to children and adults. They are the perfect partner to take Helmock Overlook to the next level,” stated Su Webb, Chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

“Hemlock is just beautiful and offers a great backdrop for environmental learning. We are very excited to be operating Hemlock in cooperation with NVRPA and we look forward to a great partnership,” said Anna Birch, Adventure Links’ President.

Birch, members of the Adventure Links staff, as well as Bulova and Herrity offered their words in the shade of the forest, each noting the importance of the facility to the area. Sharon Bulova talked about the role of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority in conserving natural resources, and how conservation needs to be done from a regional perspective. NVRPA was founded 50 years ago with a mission to conserve the region’s most important natural and historic resources. Today NVRPA owns over 25 miles of contiguous parkland along the Bull Run and Occoquan Rivers, and over 13 miles of shoreline along the Potomac River. Hemlock Overlook is one of a string of parks that NVRPA owns on the Bull Run along the southern border of Fairfax County.

Supervisor Pat Herrity referring, to the famous zip line at Hemlock Overlook said, This is always something I’ve wanted to do. As a chaperone many years ago, I watched the kids zip down this line. But as a chaperone, we were never able to go. I’m going to change that today.” Then, in the moment of the event, Sharon Bulova and Pat Herrity went down the zip line together, to the applause of everyone there.

Pat Herrity, Springfield District Supervisor

The fun spectacle was a great way to open the new partnership to the public.
Hemlock Overlook has been a mainstay for students in area schools for years and a right of passage for 5th and 6th graders for decades.

“We knew we needed to find a new, dynamic partner,” said NVRPA Executive Director Paul Gilbert. “Anyone who visits Hemlock Overlook knows what a special place it is. We are thrilled to have found an organization with the energy and vision of Adventure Links. Adventure Links is offering field trips for area schools that incorporate Standards of Learning (SOLs) into a day of fun, adventure, and teambuilding.” Adventure Links is also offering teambuilding events for adult groups (companies and organizations) as well as summer camps and other programs for children.

“We are looking forward to a great year and are excited to have Adventure Links as a partner to bring new ideas and fresh, creative programming to Hemlock,” Gilbert added.

For more information or to schedule a program at Hemlock Overlook, visit http://www.hemlockoverlook.org/ or http://www.adventurelinks.net/

The Green Greens

At Pohick Bay Golf Course we had reduce fertilizer use on the fairways to just 10% of the normally recommended levels. The key to this has been getting the soil chemistry just right. The soils are tested twice a year and kept in balance. According to Tony Blevins "we feed it only what it needs." Some of the side affects on using so little fertilizers is less fungus that would need to be treated and less demands on mowing. And because the soils are healthy the grass is very green, and the course looks and plays better than ever.

This year we also put in a new irrigation system at Pohick Bay that controls where and when the water goes much more precisely and as a result water and energy consumption is down significantly.

These are all parts of being an Certified Wildlife Sanctuary by Audubon International. All three of the courses owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority: Algonkian, Brambleton, and Pohick Bay are certified. These were the first publicly owned golf courses in the Mid-Atlantic region to achieve this status. It was a great deal of work to get these courses certified by Audubon International but it was the right thing to do. As a natural resource conservation organization we need to be in the business of demonstrating best management practices in all of our land management.

Audubon International

http://acspgolf.auduboninternational.org/

Another great example of the changes we have made over the last few years has been the Bermuda grass fairways we put in at Algonkian Golf Course. Because of the qualities of this grass we have virtually eliminated the use of fungicides at that course. Since all of our courses are on or near major waterways it is very important to use as little chemicals as possible to protect our water quality.

Next time you want to hit the greens, choose on of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority courses and know that your green is actually green.

Environment, Exercise, Fun = Bike to Work

Whether it is a better world or a better you that you are looking for. Riding a bicycle to work some of the time may be just what the doctor ordered.

A few weeks ago I gave a presentation to the Green Breakfast Group in Fairfax County about simple ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint, or the air pollution resulting from our lifestyles. I was building on the efforts that the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has been working on for several years to reduce the carbon footprint of our agency.

Coming from a park agency with over 100 miles of trails, including the famous W&OD Trail that offers a paved rails-to-tails path for 45 miles from the most urban areas of Arlington County to the still rural western areas of the trail, I had to put a plug in for biking as an alternative to some of the trips you would normally take in a car. The W&OD while built for recreation, is increasingly being used as a commuting route for those that are finding the joys of biking to work.

A great article about the W&OD Trail just ran this week in the Leesburg Times:

http://www.loudountimes.com/news/2009/aug/18/discover-wod-trail/

For the last year I have set a goal of biking to work at least one day a week, so long as the weather is not too extreme. My commute, about 7 miles each way does not include the W&OD trail, but I have found a good route that I think is safe.

In addition to reducing your impact on the environment, cycling is very good for you. Every hour you cycle you are burning around 300 calories, and when you build your muscle mass (become more tone) you increase your metabolic rate so you burn more calories even at rest. How great is that!


And in addition to benefiting the environment and your health, biking is just fun, and a good way to relieve stress.

In terms of gear for commuting on your bike, there are many different approaches. My approach was to take the bike I already had (a mountain bike) and make a few modification to improve its performance as a commuter bike. Here are some of the things I did:

• Took the bike to a shop for a good tune up.




• Replaced the knobby tires with smooth tire that have less rolling resistance on the pavement.




• Added a rear-view mirror on my handlebars so I can see the traffic coming up from behind me.




• Added a flashing light on the seat post so cars will see me better.




• Added clip peddles and shoes to improve the efficiency of peddling. This has a remarkable affect improving you peddle power by 10-30%.




• Added a rack on the back to hold items that you need to carry.

Every spring there is national bike to work day. I would suggest that if you think you have a safe route to take to bike to work, or any other destination of your choice, that you pump up the tires, put on your helmet, and make it happen.

National Capital Regional Land Conservation Act

There is an exciting bill in Congress that would create a funding source to help acquire more parkland in the greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Bill Dickinson (photo above), who is a Board Member and past Chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority came up with the idea for this legislation when he was researching some of the funding sources that help create parks in this are in the first half of the 20th Century.

Below is some additional information written by Bill Dickinson on this bill.

National Capital Region Land Conservation Act – amendment to the
Capper Cramton Act of 1930 (Chapter 354; 46 Stat.482)
HR 2986 (Sponsor - Moran with Norton, Wolf, Wittman, Connolly, Hoyer, Van Hollen, and Edwards as co-sponsors – introduced June 19, 2009 – referred to the House Committee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands )
S 1525 (Sponsor - Cardin with Mikulski, Webb and Warner as co-sponsors – introduced July 28, 2009 – referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resouces)


“The increasing tempo of urbanization and growth is already depriving many Americans of the right to live in decent surroundings. More of our people are crowded into cities and cut off from nature. Cities themselves reach out into the countryside, destroying streams and meadows as they go…people move out from the city to get closer to nature only to find that nature has moved farther from them ….The Potomac River, rich in history and memory should serve as a model of scenic and recreational values for the entire nation” - President LB Johnson – Message to Congress – 2/8/1965

Purpose:

Encourage multi-State and multi government long range cooperative regional planning identifying particular lands in the National Capital Region (“NCR” as defined by the US Census Bureau) to be conserved for a variety of enumerated environmental, cultural, historic and recreational purposes.
Stimulate open space land conservation acquisition and leverage funding by State, regional, and local governments through a Federal cost share grant program designed for the unique requirements of the NCR. Encourage donations, bargain sales, etc. for land conservation purposes.
Revive the partnership between Federal, State, regional and local park, land conservation, planning, environmental agencies and stakeholder groups to focus on land conservation and green open space needs in the region. This process, established under the Capper Cramton Act of 1930 and led by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for almost four decades, was disrupted in 1966 when the National Capital Planning Council was abolished by executive order. NCPC’s responsibilities to represent the Federal interests in the region’s planning and development remain. The existing elements of the Capper Cramton Act – last amended in 1958- would be unaltered by the NCRLCA.

Scope:

The National Capital Region (NCR) includes the District of Columbia, Calvert, Montgomery, Prince Georges, St. Mary’s, Charles, and Frederick Counties, MD, Jefferson County in WVA, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Clarke, Warren, Stafford, Fauquier, and Spotsylvania Counties, VA and all the cities contained within those geographic areas. It also includes the City of Alexandria.
NCR will expand as the Bureau of the Census periodically redefines the Washington DC statistical metropolitan area.
Virtually the entire region is within the Potomac River watershed, an area of national concern given the national status of the Potomac River and the fact that it is one of the primary pollution sources flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.

Need:

Increasing public demand for natural area land conservation, green infrastructure and outdoor recreation given the NCR population which is now about 5.3M and expected to grow an additional 3 M by 2030.
The urban planners of the late 19th and early 20th century understood that protecting green open space is most efficiently accomplished by aggressive forward looking regional planning and setting aside by zoning, easement or acquisition environmentally important lands that should be conserved. Between 1990 and now, the regions population grew by 10% and the level of impervious surface grew by 40%.
The outlying counties such as Stafford, Calvert or Jefferson, where much new growth is being experienced, are woefully underserved with publicly protected and accessible green space.
· Opportunities for land conservation acquisition in the NCR region remain including property along the Potomac River and its tributaries, mountain ridgelines, farmlands on which conservation easements agreements are near to expiration, brownfields and old industrial properties.

Funding:

Authorization of appropriations of up to $50M/year for 5 years from date of enactment for up to 50-50 cost share with State, regional and local land conservation agencies for purposes enumerated in the act.
Funding request would be desired via a line item request in the President’s annual budget for USDI.
In 1930, the Capper Cramton Act authorized $9 M for land acquisition in MD and VA and $16M in DC. The 1958 amendment increased the authorization primarily for the George Washington Parkway extension.
The NCRLCA funding is not anticipated to be offset from Land and Water Conservation Act appropriations given those funds are allocated to the States under a defined formula, awarded to eligible applicants by the States to localities based on the State’s Outdoor Plan priorities and can provide for park facility improvements. NCRLCA would be only for land acquisition.
· A portion of appropriated funds may be used for to covered States, local governments and nonprofit organizations for planning and evaluating acquisition proposals.

Jim Mayer Leaves a Legacy of Good Will and Contribution

I am sad to note that James I. Mayer passed away today. Jim served on the Regional Park Authority Board from 2001 – 2009 and was the Chairman from December 2007 – February 2009. Jim was a person of high intelligence and integrity, but he is perhaps best known for being good natured. His friendly demeanor and ever present humor had a positive effect on everyone around him.

Jim loved the parks. He was proud of having played all the mini-golf courses in the regional park system. He was particularly attached to Potomac Overlook and the W&OD Trail. As Chairman he helped plan the extensive renovation made at the Potomac Overlook Nature Center that have transformed it into a center for energy education. During his tenure as Chairman, NVRPA saw expanded use of our parks, bold steps to acquire new lands, as well as good financial management. NVRPA won the highest awards for both the budget and audit from the Government Financial Officers Association during this period.

Jim had a career in the Air Force and Federal civil service, was Chairman of Arlington’s Industrial Development Authority, Secretary of the Arlington United Way Board, Chair of the Arlington Committee of 100, and a Board Member of the Dominion Brewing Company.

Jim lived a life of contribution to his community, and we are all enriched by those gifts.

Tremendous Growth in Camping

Is it the “Staycation” phenomenon driven by the recession, or is it a desire to reconnect with nature? Either way, local residents are turning to camping in record numbers. In just the last year, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has seen a jump in camping of 10 percent increase over last summer, and an astonishing 75 percent increase since 2004.

“Part of the recent interest in camping is likely driven by the economy and camping being a low cost form of vacation. However, since it has been on an upward trend over the last five years I have to think part of it is a desire to spend more time outside,” said Paul Gilbert, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. “Richard Louv made the idea of ‘nature deficit disorder’ popular in his best selling book ‘Last Child in the Woods.’ This growth in camping may be partially driven by a desire of families to spend more time exploring the outdoors,” Gilbert continued.

For Pohick Bay in Lorton and Bull Run in Centreville - the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority’s two family camp grounds – it has proven to be one busy summer.

“We haven’t seen this kind of traffic in decades,” said Todd Benson, Park Manager at Pohick Bay. “Typically, you might see crowds of this size on a holiday weekend, or if it should coincide with some kind of local event. This summer, you’re talking about your average weekend from Thursday to Sunday.”

Tom Doyle, Vice President of Information and Research at the National Sporting Good Association, says the increase in visitation is no fluke. “In our last national survey, we found that camping has dramatically increased, from 46 million campers (nationally) in 2005 to 49.4 million last summer.”

Those figures show no sign of slowing either. Camping, hiking, kayaking – all three areas remain on the rise according to Doyle. Meanwhile, tent sales nationally have been trending up the last few years.

“I fully expect the increase in camping to continue,” Doyle said. “People are foregoing expensive travel.”

That increase in the park’s regular weekend population has caused a swell in other areas as well. Pohick Bay’s boat rentals – especially kayaks - have boomed as eager campers take to the waters for fishing and a glimpse of nature.

Meanwhile, while many prefer to enjoy the great outdoors the old-fashioned way, recent surveys have also shown that vacation cabin rentals at Pohick Bay and Bull Run have increased dramatically, increasing 23 percent in a one year period.

“I think for lots of folks the cabins are a great compromise,” Benson added. “You can spend your day in the park, boating, fishing, hiking or swimming at the waterpark, then bunk for the night in a weather-controlled, temperature-controlled cabin. For many, it’s the best of both worlds.”

In addition to the social and economic factors driving more people to camp, the facilities at both Bull Run and Pohick Bay Regional Parks have seen significant improvements over the last few years including: updated restrooms, new playgrounds in the campgrounds, renovated waterparks, improved trails, additional power and sewer connections available at some camp sites, and new cabins. All of these new amenities make for a great camping experience.
As for the latter, Pirate’s Cove Waterpark at Pohick Bay and Atlantis Waterpark at Bull Run were both renovated, in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Both provide just one more great amenity for overnight park visitors, a great way to spend the day cooling off and enjoying the sun with family and friends.

“Honestly, I think our campgrounds are the complete package,” Gilbert added. “There’s something for everyone, and you don’t even need to leave the park.”

Connect with Nature on Pohick Bay Marsh

Rent a canoe or kayak or launch your own at Pohick Bay Regional Park and in just 10 minutes of paddling you can be in the Pohick Bay Marsh. This is one of the best places in Northern Virginia to reconnect with nature.

I paddled it today and saw 17 White Herons perched in a couple of dead trees at the edge of the water. I had two large Great Blue Herons swoop out in front of my kayak as I paddle near the shore. Red Winged Black Birds, dragon flies and butterflies darted over the surface of the water and hydrilla. I saw a Bald Eagle soring overhead, and an Osprey catching fish for lunch.

With the water only a few feet deep in the marsh and very little effect of tide and current, this is a wonderful place to go paddling with the whole family. The distance is not far from you launch site and no real technical ability is necessary. Pohick Bay has a great inventory of rental boats, so you do not need any gear other than sunscreen, hat and water bottle. And if you have your own boat Pohick Bay offers a great launch area.

If you would like to reconnect with nature an hour on the bay will give you a great experience.

Bull Run Occoquan Trail and the Civil War

I recently hike sections of the Bull Run Occoquan Trail in search of history. In addition to being designated as a National Recreational Trail, this 18 mile path is also the site of many Civil War actions.

The Bull Run served as as a defensive line for both the North and South during the Civil War. The second battle of the war was fought while crossing the river at Blackburns Ford (the site of the current day Rt. 28 bridge). All along the high bluffs overlooking the river, earthen forts and defensive positions were created.

If you want to interact with nature, get some exercise and learn about history the Bull Run/Occoquan Trail (aka the Blue Trail) is for you. I encourage you to get out and do some exploring of your own.

Bull Run the perfect family vacation site in Northern Virginia

Camping at Bull Run Regional Park has never been better for families. The award winning campground has a great variety of camping options, from rustic cabins with AC/Heat, a refrigerator and microwave, to full hook up sites for RVs to beautiful wooded tent sites.

There is no better way to connect to nature than to camp. Bull Run is an huge park with miles of flat paved roadways inside the park that have light traffic at slow speeds, making it a perfect place for bike riding.

New this year is the Atlantis Waterpark at Bull Run Regional Park. This Greek themed waterpark is fantastic for children of all ages, with a large dumping bucket feature with slides and water cannons, a great tot pool and sand play area, and an enormous pool area with giant slides for those over 48 inches tall.

Bull Run Regional Park is an ideal place for a week of vacation or just a weekend get away close to home.

http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/bullrun/index.php

A review of Atlantis from a seven year old's perspective was posted on Our Kids web site by Amy VanDenburg. She writes:

Breaking news! The Lost Continent of Atlantis has been discovered in Bull Run Regional Park. Well, maybe not quite, but the existing pool at the park has been remodeled into an enormous, incredibly fun re-imagining of the mythical island. Our recent weekday visit elicited the remark “This is the BEST DAY EVER!” from our 7-year-old Our Kids reviewer, which prompts Our Kids to strongly suggest including a visit to NVRPA’s Atlantis Waterpark on your must-do list this summer.

Big Splashes

We were sure that Atlantis was lost again, or that we were, on the long drive (2 miles) through the park to get to the pool area. Just when we were certain it had sunk back to the bottom of the sea, it rose grandly through the trees in front of us. The Atlantis Waterpark has an Ancient Greece theme that uses Greek architecture and images of Neptune, tridents, mermaids and sea creatures to portray the Lost Continent. The theme was quickly lost on our group of reviewers as we entered the pool area after check-in and were happily overwhelmed by the vast size of the facilities and the choices it offered. The complete review is at: http://www.our-kids.com/static/?f=atlantis

Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton VA also offers a great campground with rustic cabins and features Pirate's Cove Waterpark as well as many other features. Another perfect destination for your close to home vacation.

For more information on Pohick Bay see: http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/pohickbay/index.php

Michael Nardolilli Appointed to NVRPA Board

Michael Nardolilli, President of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has just been appointed to the Board of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority by Arlington County. Michael will join Paul Ferguson as the representatives of Arlington County.

Michael will make an outstanding addition to the NVRPA Board. He is an expert in land conservation as the chief executive of one of the first non-profit land trust organizations to be accredited by the Land Trust Alliance. He has spent most of the last 10 years conserving natural areas and historic sites in Northern Virginia. The Conservation Trust has also had a particular focus on conserving lands next to parkland, creating a much larger natural are for wildlife habitat and a much nicer park experience for the public. Under Mr. Nardolilli's leadership the Conservation Trust has conserved properties next to the W&OD Trail, Potomac Overlook Regional Park, in addition to numerous national and local parks in the area.

Mr. Nardolilli recieved his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from the College of William and Mary. In 2007 he was named Hometown Hero by WETA-TV for his long history of community service.

For more information on the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust see: http://www.nvct.org/

Michael Nardolilli succeeds James Mayer who served on the NVRPA Board starting in 2001 and was Chairman of the Park Authority in 2008.

Pirate Day @ Pohick Bay Regional Park

Pirates Attack at Pohick Bay!

June 13, 2009

Since the summer of 2008 Pohick Bay Regional Park has been home to Pirate's Cove Waterpark, a fun and imaginative waterpark that has seen attendance double since the renovation.

Part of the excitement of Pirate's Cove is that one a year we now hold a special Pirate Day at the park complete with a naval assault on the park.

This year's Pirate Day featured 25 authentic living history buccaneers, a pirate camp by the waterfront, and the good ship Explorer, an authentic 17th Century shallop, complete with swivel gun. Twice in the early afternoon there were battles between the ground forces and the pirates aboard the ship. In the end the ship beached and the sailor engaged in sword fighting and hand to hand combat on the beach. Later that day, the pirates payed a visit to the waterpark and were able to find the buried treasure!

Children learn about farming

Every year Temple Hall Farm Regional Park outside of Leesburg is the site Ag Day, when nearly 600 elementary school children learn a little about where their food comes from.

In today's society, many people have only a vague notion where the food on their table or the cloths they ware comes from. At Ag Day children learn about farm animals and can see how fibers like wool can be spun and woven into cloth. This is an eye opening experience for many children.

On any warm weather weekend, the public can explore Temple Hall Farm. The farm features heirloom breed animals that were popular in farming a century ago. The Farm was established in 1810 by William Temple Mason, nephew of George Mason. Having a working farm is a great way to teach about both history and farming.

LEED Certified Eco Building

We will soon start construction on a new building at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park. This building will demonstrate some of the cutting edge features of modern environmentally designed buildings and yet still blend in perfectly with the setting of this historic farm.

The environmental elements connect with the wind, water, earth and sun. The heating and cooling will be done with a geothermal heat pump, that uses the cool in the summer, warm in the winter aspects of the underground temperature to help the heating and cooling system operate much more efficiently.

Water running off the roof will be captured and stored in underground cisterns. From there the water will be pumped using an old fashion farm windmill and use as the gray-water to flush the toilets. Hot water will be pre-heated using a solar hot water heater to further save on energy consumption.

This building will be an office for our farm staff, as well as providing a meeting room, rest rooms, and display stalls for animals and historic farm equipment. It will be made out of old timbers from two old barns that were each over 100 years old. Recycling building materials, and being energy efficient are some of the elements that should win this building a high LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Building to such a high environmental standard is just one of the ways the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is trying to lead by example. Some of the other efforts include:

• Audubon International Certification of all three NVRPA Golf Courses at Wildlife Sanctuaries. These were the fist publicly owned course in the mid-Atlantic states to achieve this status.
• Participant in the Cool Cities/Cool Counties initiative to reduce carbon emissions. This includes a comprehensive energy conservation effort system wide.
• A cutting edge policy on fertilizer and pesticide use that applies to all of our parks to reduce the impact of chemicals on our environment.
• Making all of our parks places of natural and/or historic interpretation.

The Temple Hall building is funded from an endowment left to NVRPA from the late Mrs. Symington who donated Temple Hall Farm to the Park Authority. It is a fun and rewarding experience to be involved in creating a building that will exist in harmony with nature.

Scout Camping in Northern Virginia

Youth group camping, primarily from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts is a great way for kids to have fun and learn great life lessons at the same time.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority offers a number of wonderful places for scout camping. Our oldest site is Camp Wilson, which is part of Pohick Bay Regional Park in southern Fairfax County on Mason Neck. This site was owned and operated by the Boy Scouts from 1948 - 1969. In 1969 the Boy Scouts sold this land to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to help fund the purchase of Goshen. The Regional Park Authority has continued to run this site as a place for youth group camping, and it continues to be very popular with Scouts. This large site has accommodated well over 500 campers at one time. In the center of the site is a rest room facility with flush toilets, hot & cold water and showers. Camp Wilson offers a great trail network that connects it to the main park area which features boat ramp, and boat rentals (canoeing/kayaking the Pohick Marsh is always popular), Frisbee golf, and Pirate's Cove Waterpark. Mason Neck also features a great paved bike trail that connects Pohick Bay Regional Park with Gunston Hall Historic Site and Mason Neck State Park. Across the road from Camp Wilson is the Meadowood BLM facility with horses and miles of additional trails.

For some interesting historical infomation on Camp Wilson see: http://www.mnhc.net/wilson.htm

Bull Run Regional Park in Centerville VA has youth group camping at two sites that can each accommodate 35 campers and is adjacent to the family campground. These camp areas are served by a restroom with flush toilets, hot & cold water, showers, and laundry facilities. Bull Run Park is the trailhead for the 18 mile Bull Run/Occoquan Trail (Blue Trail). Coming this summer Bull Run will also feature Atlantis Waterpark, as well as playgrounds, open fields, and the Bull Run Shooting Center with skeet, trap, and archery.

Our newest youth group camping area is Blue Ridge Regional Park in western Loudoun County not far from Bear's Den and the Appalachian Trail. This site is more primitive than the other, and perfect for that authentic outdoor experience. The amenities include a well with potable water, porta-jon, central pavilion with stone fireplace, camp sites with fire rings, picnic tables, and level tent areas. This site also features fantastic views, and a growing trail network. There are three group areas, each can accommodate 35 campers.

All of these group camp areas must be reserved in advance by calling 703-352-5900.

World Class Lifeguards

The first wave of lifeguard training is starting in preparation for the summer season. About six years ago the Regional Park Authority reviewed all the available lifeguard training programs available and selected NASCO as the most rigorous program in the nation. NASCO focuses on training, certification and auditing for large waterparks where the need for safety and professionalism is high.

Our guards go through 16 hours of in-class training and 8-10 hours of in-water training. This is just the first step. Once certified they are all tested a second time by a different team of instructors to make sure the have mastered all the material. Once they are a guard they receive on-going training on a weekly basis and are regularly audited, to make sure they are scanning completely, quickly, are demonstrating the right posture and have all of their equipment at hand.

Having witness the high degree of professionalism and attention of our guards vs. the guards at many community pools, there is no comparison. The NASCO standards also dictate the number of guards on duty, the amount of pool area they are guarding and the rotation of stations so they stay fresh and attentive while on duty.

We should all be very proud of the young people who take on a summer job with this level of responsibility. For the last several years all of NVRPA waterparks have received NASCO's highest safety ranking of "World Class."

Paddling the Bull Run

The following is an e-mail sent by Jim Zawlocki to a group of kayakers after a paddle trip last weekend on the Bull Run to both enjoy the Spring and see the Bluebells and other natural wonders. OWL is the Occoquan Watertrail League, a great paddling group that is supported by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

"The OWL Bull Run Virginia Bluebell Paddle was 8.4 miles and lasted for 3.5 hours . We saw many birds and waterfowl along the paddle. The great blue heron, grey heron, kingfisher, mallards, Canadian geese, and birds of prey were present. Beaver, deer, and turtles were enjoying the bluebells too. The bluebells were in their glory as Bull Run creek narrows with trees arching overhead . I saw the bluebells last year and knew it was a unique place to paddle. It was great to share a place I love to paddle and relax with paddlers new to the area. Our founding fathers thought the same when the first saw the bluebells in the Virginia colonies. John Banister in the late 1600s was the first to describe the bluebells. Thomas Jefferson described the bluebells as "blueish funnel flowers". So, we were able to enjoy history, flowers, a fantastic paddle, and great company. Thanks NVPRA for making the paddle possible. I hope you enjoy the pictures."

Jim

Preserving History

Preserving history is a critical part of the mission of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. One way we are doing that right now, is the stabilization and partial restoration of the Country Mill at Aldie Mill.

While the main Merchant Mill at Aldie Mill is fully restored and operational, the small and likely older mill building was in need of repair. So we have hired a specialty firm that is strengthening and restoring part of this building. It has stood on this site for 200 years, and we want it to be there for another 200 years.

Last year we put a new, historically correct roof on the Carlyle House in Old Town Alexandria. It is all a part of being good stewards of history, just as we strive to be good stewards of nature.

In addition to just preserving history and nature, we also try to educate the public about these resources. As part of our strategic plan we have incorporated environmental and/or historical interpretation into every one of our parks. One of the newer additions to the Aldie site are two interpretive signs that tell the story of the Battle of Aldie in 1863, courtesy of the Civil War Trail Association.

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone.

Earth Day started as an annual celebration in 1970. Interest in the day fell in the late 1970's and 1980's, and then it received a major boost with the 20th anniversary of the day in 1990, which featured large celebrations around the country. Hopefully since that time, Earth Day had transformed from a once a year event into a new way of looking at all of our actions throughout the year.

In public opinion polling the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority did in 2007 the public showed there interest in parks with the following results:

80% of the public used parks.

77% had a high need for trails.

The best way to spend public dollars to improve parks, was to buy more land for protection of natural areas.

A poll by the Trust for Public Land ( http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=14525&folder_id=186) a few years ago showed similar results which included:


84% of voters though it was "Very Important" to buy land to protect drinking water.


79% said "conservation issues" were very important to their voting.

In addition to offering great parks for the public to enjoy and reconnect with nature, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has been trying to set a good environmental example in what we do.

• NVRPA was the first park agency to adopt the Cool Counties/Cool Cities pledge to reduce greenhouse gasses. We now have energy conservation plan in place at each park and track our energy consumption and convert it to both btu and carbon emissions.


• NVRPA was the first park agency to have its golf courses certified as Wildlife Sanctuaries by Audubon International, an extensive year long effort.


• NVRPA has worked with the EPA and others to develop a cutting edge policy on fertilizer and pesticide use in all of our parks.


• NVRPA is working on our first LEED certified building, a visitor center for Temple Hall Farm Regional Park.

In a study we did of the organizational culture of the Regional Park Authority we found that an overwhelming majority of our employees have come to work here out of a love of the outdoors. The focus on the environment is rooting deep in the DNA of this organization. This love of nature started with the founding of the organization 50 years ago and the great conservationist like Walter Mess and Ira Gabrielson who founded it.

Ira Gabrielson, first Chief of the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the first Chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is one of just 25 American to be inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame.

Image of Dr. Ira Gabrielson releasing a duck

It is time to start peddling

As the weather warms up, it is a great time to think about riding your bike more. Have you ever considered riding your bike to work? If that is too far, think about riding you bike to a closer designation like a local store to run an errand. Increasing how often you ride your bike can be good for you and good for our environment.

Biking Facts: Did You Know?

• 5 reasons to bike your drive



• The average person loses 13 pounds their first year of commuting by bike.



• 40% of all car trips in the U.S. are made within 2 miles of home.



• 60% of the pollution created by autos happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively.



• Just 3 hours of biking per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.



• The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gas a year by boosting bicycle trips just half a percentage point: from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

REI recently put up a new page on their web site that offers good advice on increasing your bike riding. It has everything from safety tips, to cycling myths, to bike maintenance, and of course what kind of gear to consider. It is a great resource to look at if you have considered riding more, you can find it at: http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/getting+into+biking.html#Before_You_Ride

If your biking route includes parts of Fairfax County, Virginia there is a relatively new set of maps that show all the best bike routes. Your can download these maps at:http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/bike/bikemap.htm

And of course I would not be doing my job if I did not mention that one of the best bike routes in the world is the W&OD Trail that stretches for 45 miles through Northern Virginia. As a former rail road bed it is relatively flat and straight, which makes for great cycling.

Happy cycling!

How the W&OD Was Created

Photo from Left to Right: NVRPA Executive Director Paul Gilbert, Councilman Nader Barouk, Councilman David Snyder, Friends of the W&OD President Roger Neighborgall, Congressman Jim Moran, Councilman Daniel Maller, NVRPA Chairman Emeritus Walter Mess, Vice Mayer Hal Lippman, City Manager Wyatt Sheild, NVRPA Chair Su Webb, Falls Church Recreation & Parks Director Howard Herman, NVRPA Board Member Barry Buschow, Chairman Falls Church Recreation &Parks Advisory Board Gerard Mene.

The W&OD Trail is the crown jewl of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and on Saturday we dedicated some new interpretive signs that help tell the story of one of the most famous trails in the nation.

The City of Falls Church was a critical partner in the creation of this great 45 mile trail that started as an experiment with with 1.5 miles of paved trail on the section in the City of Falls Church in 1974. After the dedication Falls Church Vice Mayor Hal Lippman said, "as a longtime resident of Falls Church and user of the W&OD Trail, I know the City is very proud of the role its citizens played both in its initial development and the establishment of the NVRPA. Saturday's kick-off of the Fifty Year Anniversary celebration of the NVRPA with the dedication of new signage that tells the Trail's history," he continued, "inspires us to carry on the vision of those special leaders who set out to develop what has become a landmark recreational venue that has benefitted untold numbers of people throughout Northern Virginia."

The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, affectionately known to the world as the W&OD Trail, is the first large scale rails to trails project and one of the most successful trail corridors in the country. Today, between 2-3 million users a year enjoy the recreational opportunities of this 45-mile bike, equestrian and hiking trail, through the heart of the Northern Virginia suburbs.

From 1847 – 1968, the W&OD rail line was an important railroad that went from Alexandria west towards the mountains. It featured significantly in the Civil War, with the area near Park Street in Vienna being the first military engagement fought over a rail road in history. The rail stops also helped define a large area of Northern Virginia with rail stations like Vienna, Falls Church, Wiehle (Reston), Herndon, Leesburg and Purcelville leading to towns and cities that had grown around the stations.

Creation of the Trail:
When the railroad stopped running in 1968, the right-of-way was purchased by Virginia Electrical and Power Company (VEPCO) to be used as a power transmission corridor. In 1974, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and City of Falls Church leased a section of the property through Falls Church to build the first section of an “experimental trail.” The experiment was very popular, and in 1977 the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority entered into a five year purchase agreement to buy all of the 100 feet wide, 45-mile long former railroad property. VEPCO (now Dominion Power) maintained an easement on the property allowing for the electrical transmission lines to co-exist with the trail.

Funding acquisition and development of the Trail:
The initial purchase of the property from VEPCO was $3.7 million, with additional adjacent properties raising the acquisition costs to over $5 million (not accounting for inflation in land values). Development of the 45 miles of 10 feet wide paved trail, 30+ miles of parallel gravel trail and numerous bridges and other improvements, has cost over $14 million over the years. Of the roughly $19 million acquisition and development costs, about $1.7 million came from federal grants, including both Rails To Trails grants and Land and Water Conservation Funds. The other funds for the acquisition and development of this trail came from the six local governments that make up the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and other grants.

The W&OD has been one of the most popular and award winning trail systems in the nation, from its completed last mile of development in 1988 through ongoing safety, interpretive and other improvements today. Some of the organizations that have given the W&OD Trail awards include:

Rails to Trails Conservancy
Coalition for Recreational Trails
National Voluntary Service Award
Washington Post Reader’s Choice
Governor’s Safety Award
Scenic Virginia
Virginia Urban Forestry Council
Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Connecting with Nature through Camping

Richard Louv started a nation-wide movement to get children re-engaged to nature in his best selling book Last Child in the Woods. As a result of this book we now have an effort to get an addition to the No Child Left Behind K-12 legislation that is called No Child Left Inside. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has signed on to this effort that would provide more environmental education.



As we enter spring, it is a good time for families to start thinking about camping. There is no better way to connect to nature than to spend the night outside in a natural setting. Growing up, camping with the Boy Scouts had a greater influence on my appreciation for nature than anything else. Last weekend I completed a training course to lead Girl Scout groups on camping trips (that's me in the photo practicing knots as part of the training).



Camping can be both an inexpensive vacation in uncertain financial times, and a great way to bond with the family. One of the best things about camping is that it takes you out of the normal daily routine, and away from computers, and other electronic devices. You will likely have some of your best conversations around the campfire because to are away from the many modern distractions of life.



For those who would like more comfort than tent camping, or are not experienced at camping, a great option is one of the rustic cabins that we have at both Bull Run Regional Park and Pohick Bay Regional Park. These cabins are in the campground, but have heating and cooling, a small refrigerator and microwave. They have a bed room with both double bed and bunk bed, and the front room has a futon that can sleep two. These cabins can be a great choice for those that are not interested in tent camping but want the camp experience. Both parks have wonderful pools, trails, camp stores, and playgrounds. Pohick Bay also has the waterfront with rental canoes and kayaks, and a boat ramp for your power boat. There are many other amenities at both parks, but the thing you will likely enjoy the most is having a great time with family and/or friends in a natural setting.



If ever there was a year to put camping on your list of things to do, this is it!

For information on camping or cabin rentals go to:
Rustic Cabins at Pohick Bay
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/pohickbay/?pg=rusticcabins.html
Rustic Cabins at Bull Run
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/bullrun/?pg=rusticcabins.html
Camping at Bull Run
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/bullrun/?pg=campingmap.html
Camping at Pohick Bay
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/pohickbay/?pg=camping.html

2009 Employee Achievment Awards

For our fourth year in a row, we had our Employee Achievement Awards for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. This is a program where employees are nominated by their fellow employees for great achievements over the previous year. A cross functional team of staff reviews all the nominations and determines the best candidates for the year.

This program celebrates innovation, customer service, cost savings, team players and other important values that help to make NVRPA a lean and innovative team.

John J. Houser - Innovation

In the category of Innovation, John Houser has raised the profile of both Occoquan Regional Park and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority though innovative and strategic partnerships. John brought new life to the park by organizing the Occoquan River Community to hold its first annual River Festival in July 2008. By partnering with the Fairfax League of Women Voters, John raised the historic profile of the park by creating Turning Point Plaza and highlighting the role of this area in the quest for women’s voting rights. John also has forged a partnership with the Lorton Arts Foundation, which has resulted in new contract services for the park. John has become a regional model for how to build and cultivate meaningful partnerships.

Azeana N. Roehn – Innovation

In the category of Innovation, Azeana Roehn has won recognition for her key role in creating accounting procedures that provide both accountability and flexibility in supporting NVRPA’s catering services. When the current accounting procedures were not working well for the new catering service, Azeana took on the task of understanding the operational issues and building new procedures that allowed for both seamless catering operations and adequate tracking and controls of accounts. Her innovations have allowed NVRPA to be highly accountable and also highly enterprising at the same time.

William T. Tracey – Safety & Cost Savings

In the categories of both Safety and Cost Savings, William (Bill) Tracey has made great contributions over the last year. In addition to being a maintenance staff member at Algonkian Regional Park, Bill is an expert in tree health and tree removal. He has used this knowledge and some of his own specialized tree equipment to safely take down a number of dead trees at Algonkian Golf Course. In doing so, he has demonstrated the highest degree of safety focus and has saved the Authority a considerable amount of money.

Vivian M. Roski – Customer Service

In the category of Customer Service, Vivian Roski has won recognition for her great service to Pohick Bay Golf Course. Vivian has played a key role in creating an atmosphere of warmth and community at the golf course. She has a sincere interest in the well being of every customer she interacts with. Her positive attitude and helpfulness carry through in her interactions with all her co-workers, contributing to the welcoming environment of the whole facility.

Edna C. Scott – Customer Service

In the category of Customer Service, Edna Scott has won recognition for her great service to all the parks in the NVRPA system. Edna’s “can do” attitude, ability to organize projects and work quickly, have been of great value to all NVRPA park employees. She is a team player who has helped parks with a wide range of human resource issues.

David R. Longhorne – Customer Service

In the category of Customer Service, David Longhorne has won recognition for his great service to all NVRPA parks. As the small engine mechanic, David interacts with all our parks. In addition to being very timely, David is always looking for ways to keep equipment running and to save money. David’s friendly attitude has been described as contagious.

Roy A. Geiger – Above and Beyond

In the category of Above and Beyond, Roy Geiger has won recognition. Roy has proven to be an invaluable member of the Algonkian team, working many more hours than appear on his timesheets, and enthusiastically helping out with whatever issue needs attention. When the Holiday Village at the Bull Run Light Show needed a Santa, Roy became the perfect “jolly old elf.” He came in early and left late and was the best representative the North Pole has ever had. NVRPA is extremely fortunate to have a person of Roy’s dedication, skill and outlook as part of the team.

Budget & Finance Team – Above and Beyond

In 2008, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority won the highest honors from the Government Finance Officer’s Association for both the CAFR (audit) and the Budget. Winning these two awards in the same year represents a tremendous amount of work by everyone in Finance and Budget and demonstrates the highest level of professionalism in these fields. For this achievement, the entire Finance and Budget team earns an award in the category of Above and Beyond.

Central Maintenance – Cost Savings

In the category of Cost Savings, the Central Maintenance team has won recognition. In 2008, the team rebuilt a dilapidated storage building at Central Maintenance, adding concrete floors, siding and interior walls. The end result has been a dedicated electrician’s shop, more usable storage and improved appearance of the shop area. This job was done in-house at a fraction of the cost of outsourcing this renovation.

Cindy Hudson – Cost Savings

In the category of Cost Savings, Cindy Hudson has won recognition. She led the effort to create an automated timekeeping solution that works with NVRPA payroll system. This process required months of meetings and extensive problem solving to finally develop a system that works. After working through all the technology issues, she worked closely with the management of each park and department to make sure that implementation was successful. The end result is a system that will save us tens of thousands of dollars every year.

Chris Liebermann – Versatility

In the category of Versatility, Chris Liebermann has won recognition. Chis worked with numerous Eagle Scout candidates to implement projects that have benefited Meadowlark Gardens. He has mapped over 2 miles of irrigation systems on GPS to help maintain the system. His considerable IT skills are regularly used to help with computer issues at the Visitor Center and Atrium, and his customer service skills are world class. Chris is able to carry out his many diverse skills and tasks with an extremely positive attitude.

Chris Pauley – Team Player

In the category of Team Player, Chris Pauley has won recognition. During the summer of 2008, Chris stepped in when he was the only superintendent and oversaw all the parks during the busiest season. He also took on additional responsibility in helping to review and prepare budgets for all the parks. He took on this doubling of responsibilities with calm, cool professionalism. Chris embodies the best of NVRPA’s team playing spirit.

Charlie Anderson – Team Player

In the category of Team Player, Charlie Anderson has won recognition. Charlie’s inherently helpful attitude has made him a model team player. From laying out the light displays at Bull Run, to volunteering, to complete plumbing jobs, to helping out with any other job that needs to be done, Charlie’s energetic good will is valued by all those who work with him.

Sarah A. Coster – Programming

In the category of Programming, Sarah Coster has won recognition. Sarah developed the SOL-based school tour program Road to Revolution about the causes of the Revolutionary War; and has played a leadership role in developing a new program on 18th century weddings. Sarah recruits, trains and supervises all the volunteer docents at the Carlyle House and, under her stewardship, there has been a 100% retention of volunteers. Sarah has exhibited exceptional talents in the area of programming.

George Tabb – Programming

In the category of Programming, George Tabb has won recognition. George has worked closely with the volunteers at Ball’s Bluff and, in doing so, created a pod-cast of the guided tour of the battlefield that visitors can download from the NVRPA website and listen to on an MP3 player. This allows the public an alternative way to have the guided tour experience at Ball’s Bluff any time they want. This innovative approach has greatly added to the interpretive options available to our park visitors.

Mark E. Brooks & Edward J. Ambrosone – Creativity

In the category of Creativity, Mark Brooks and Edward Ambrosone have won recognition. The team of “Ed and Mark” has worked together on numerous creative projects that have benefited NVRPA. One project of particular note this year was the creation of a distinctive, cost effective and highly functional menu board for the Algonkian pro shop. The artistry and creativity that Mark and Ed provide for all the parks is enormously valuable.

Tammy L. Burke - Creativity

In the category of Creativity, Tammy Burke has won recognition. Tammy has used her considerable skills in working with stained glass, ceramics, metal and colors, to create numerous works of garden art for Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Her various creations, from a copper and glass trellis to a mosaic tile frog to hand cast birdbaths and stepping stones, have contributed greatly to the beauty of Meadowlark.

Laurelyn L. Rawson – Creativity

In the category of Creativity, Laurelyn Rawson has won recognition. Laurelyn took it upon herself to transform an unattractive weedy area behind the starters’ booth at Algonkian into an area of beauty and wildlife habitat. Working with the golf course maintenance staff, she planned and directed the creation of a pond, with fountain and native plants surrounding it. This project was done primarily with surplus materials and help from park staff, making it very cost effective.

Todd Hafner & Paul McCray – Project of the Year

The 2008 project of the year was Pirate’s Cove Waterpark at Pohick Bay. The project transformed an underperforming pool that most people in the community had long forgotten about into an exciting water theme park. The first highly themed waterpark for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Pirate’s Cove saw about a 200% increase in usage in one year. While many played critical roles in this project, a great deal of credit goes to Todd Hafner and Paul McCray for taking this project from idea to operations in just 9 months.

Central Maintenance – Best Energy Conservation of 2008

In 2008, the staff of Central Maintenance reduced their energy consumption by 13.25%. This achievement was a result of new insulation and weather stripping of the buildings and careful use of the thermostats. They also focused on reducing fuel consumption in vehicles and reduced diesel consumption by 27%.

Upton Hill – Best Improvement in Financial Performance for 2008

In fiscal year 2008, Upton Hill Regional Park saw a 94.47% improvement in financial performance. This is the result of a very successful and popular pool renovation, that has motivated more people than ever before to make Upton Hill their destination for summer recreation.

Hemlock Overlook

Recently George Mason University who have been operating the Experiential Learning Center at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park since 1986 announced they would be ending operations there this summer. The state budget crisis has put a great deal of financial pressure on all branches of state government.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is actively seeking a new partner to operate this wonderful facility. The function of this program over the last 23 years has been to offer a program for 5th and 6th grade field trips focusing on team building and environmental education. The site has also been used for corporate and organizational teambuilding.

The programs at Hemlock have had a positive and lasting impression on thousands of people over the years that have had a great experience there. We are very hopeful that we will find another partner that can have a similar positive impact into the future.

Those interested in giving NVRPA a proposal to operate this site can see all the information on this request for proposals at: http://www.nvrpa.org/html/index.php?pg=bidsproposals.html

Blue Ocean Strategy for Golf and Picnics

Following up on the previous post about Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim and Mauborgne (http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/) and how it applies to parks, below are two further examples of how this strategy has been applied at the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Again, the basic idea is that to win you need to play a different game than your competitors. Instead of the red ocean of fierce competition, is you come up with a different value proposition for the customer. By doing this you can carve out a new niche in the market.

Building on the previous post about how Pirate's Cove employed a blue ocean strategy, this example of blue ocean strategy has been what we are doing with our larger picnic shelters. We use to just rent the shelter and did not think about the other issues that someone renting a space for 50 – 250 people faces. Now when someone rents one of these shelters, we ask if they would like us to cater the event for them, and would they like to have a moon bounce set up next to the shelter to entertain children. By bundling these services that this kind of customer might be looking for, we are helping the organizer of the family reunion, or company picnic do their job in an easy way. While we offer all the services at a hard to beat price, we capture much more total revenue for the park than if we left them to their own devices to arrange food and entertainment. The experience has been so good for the customer that most want to secure the same site the next year for a similar event.

By offering all the key services that the event planning customer wants in a one stop cost effective option, we carved out a unique niche that someone offering any one of the services can not easily compete with.

A third blue ocean strategy was the golf membership program we rolled out a few years ago at our three golf courses. Up to that point we had just offered daily fee 18 or 9 holes of play. With this model there was no reason for golfers to make our courses their primary course other than location and price. And when the weather turned bad we could loose most of our revenue until the sun shined again.

The blue ocean strategy was to offer an affordable unlimited play option for frequent golfers. We rolled out a membership program where for a fixed price ranging from around $1,000 to around $2,500 golfers could play at any of our three courses as often as they want (http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/brambleton/?pg=fees.html). This remarkable value attracted many takers. By having these golfers pay in advance for their yearly golf privileges, we gained both customer loyally and a degree of insurance against poor weather. We created a high value for a certain customer, and created a blue ocean space in the market.

The Regional Park Authority generates over 81% of our operating income from enterprise operations like these, and to remain healthy over the next few years we are going to need to continue to be leaders and innovators in our field, creating high value for our customers in blue ocean markets.

Blue Ocean Strategy for Parks

One of the top selling books in business strategy right now is Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim and Mauborgne, published by Harvard Business School Press. The basic idea is that to win you need to play a different game than your competitors. Instead of the red ocean of fierce competition, is you come up with a different value proposition for the customer you can carve out a new niche in the market.

To be successful parks must also seek blue ocean strategies, to attract new customers, offer high value and generate the enterprise revenue that is become more key than ever in our difficult economy.

One example of blue ocean strategy is Pirate’s Cove Waterpark at Pohick Bay Regional Park. On of NVRPA’s five pools/waterparks, the pool at Pohick Bay Park was one of the largest on the east coast when it was built in the early 1970’s but for the last decade it had been underperforming. Fixed costs and fewer users resulted in an annual operating loss of around $50K per year. A few years ago we nearly mothballed the whole facility.

Then came the blue ocean strategy; instead of just adding a big pay feature in the pool, like slides, dumping bucket, or other common waterpark feature, we decided to create a unique and imaginative experience. And instead of trying to build a waterpark with a little something for every possible age group, we decided to focus our efforts on making a fun place for children 2-10, with the understanding that those children will influence where the whole family goes to have fun in the water.

By creating an imaginative pirate themed waterpark that was the perfect scale for small children we carved out a unique niche in the market that is different than either the community pool or the large waterpark (some of which we also operate). By combining some features of each and some features that neither of the competitive models has we are able to offer our customers a great value and experience that they can not get anywhere else. This made it a popular destination site last summer and made lots of little buccaneers happy, and helped us find more treasure than we have seen at that operation in decades!

A Business Paradigm For Parks

With the current recession, local and state tax dollars are tight, and the public is considering purchases with a new sense of caution. These factors are adversely affecting park agencies. In just the last week I have heard of one local park closing and significant cut backs in many park agencies in Northern Virginia. No one can remember a time when budgets were tighter and for forecasts for when the economy will recover are not encouraging.

In this environment a new paradigm or model is needed to think about the park agency of the future. The new model will be of park agencies that are largely self sufficient with lean staffs that are mostly supported by enterprise revenues. While basic experiences like using a picnic table or hiking on a trail will be free, programs will need to be self supportive, and agencies will need to be entrepreneurial in offering value added services that the public are interested in buying.

The wisdom for this new model is not likely to come from park and recreation curriculums, but will come out of business schools. It is no longer enough to open the door and unlock the gates and assume the public will seek out the facilities and program offered. We need to compete for the limited leisure time and market our products and services like any successful business does.

In the early part of this decade we saw a significant decline in park usage. For an agency that generates over 80% of our operating revenues through enterprise activities, this had a significant affect on our bottom line. To correct this we reinvested in our facilities to bring them back up to a high quality, and then focused on real marketing. We launched a new web site, revamped on old brochures with a new fresh look and distributed them widely through visitor centers as well as our own parks. We increased our use of print ads and experimented with radio, and TV adds. We are also proactively reaching out to the blogging community to get our word out. The result has been double digit growth in usage over the last few years.

In 2007 the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority won recognition in Pioneer Institute's Better Government Competition for our Entrepreneurial Service Delivery: www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/bgc_2007.pdf

As difficult as the next few years are going to be in the park field, in the long run making park agencies look at their operations in a more business like manner will make agencies stronger in the long-run. Since we do not have a choice in what economy we would like to be in, we might as well embrace this challenge and grow from it.

Safety Saves People, Environment & Money

Today our Risk Manager, Derric Bolton, informed me that we had fewer workman's comp incidents in 2008 that anytime in the last 10 years. While it is nice to break the record, it is even better that our total accidents have been averaging down for the last few years.

This is great news for the health and safety of the public and staff, and it is good news for our insurance expenses.

Trends of improved safety do not happen by accident (pun intended). This is the result of enhanced safety training and safety awareness of all of our employees. While there is credit to go around for everyone, much of this is due to the great work of Derric Bolton. Derric has been tireless in his search for new ways to train staff and reinforce safe practices.

One part of our overall safety protocol has been the adoption and implementation of our cutting edge Pesticide & Fertilizer Use Policy. This policy goes far beyond current regulation and a very high standard for the use of chemicals on our parkland. Part of this policy include the requirement to have any of our staff applying pesticides or fertilizers to be state certified.

Derric Bolton was instrumental in the develop of this policy and worked with officials from both EPA and Va. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs on the content of this policy. A link to the policy is below.

www.nvrpa.org/documents/file/Adopted%20Pesticide%20Use%20Policy.pdf

Regional Park Authority Turns 50

Walter Mess Recieving Award

(Left to right: Brian Knapp, Walter Mess, & Barry Buschow)

Darrell Winslow Recieving Award

(Left to right: Paul Gilbert, Darrell Winslow, & Joan Rokus)

On December 20, 2008 NVRPA kicked off a year of 50th Anniversary festivities with an event at the Bull Run Festival of Lights.

We took this opportunity to thank our member jurisdictions of: Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, and the Cities of Falls Church, Fairfax and Alexandria. For half a century NVRPA has been conserving land and creating destination parks in Northern Virginia. We also took this opportunity to give special awards to two individuals who helped make NVRPA what it is today, Walter Mess, Board Member and founder from 1959 - 2004, and Darrell Winslow, former Executive Director who worked for NVRPA from 1966- 1994.

Some of the comments made during this event are listed below:

William Chesley, Alexandria Parks Department

http://alexandriava.gov/
We are certainly appreciative for our relationship with the [Regional Park Authority]. In fact, listening to remarks here in terms of the economy, we’ve been grateful to be able to take advantage of the Regional Park Authority’s facilities. So, the economy not withstanding, I’d just like to say that NVRPA does a great job, the facilities look nice, and the customer service is outstanding.

Barbara Favola, Arlington Board of Supervisors

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/CountyBoard/meetings/members/CountyBoardMeetingsMembersBarbaraFavola.aspx
I can tell you that Arlingtonians really do appreciate the Park Authority. The community of Arlington is a small community, only 26 miles, and the Park Authority is a big part of that. Thank you for being so progressive. You’ve grown along with the county, you’ve developed along with the county, you’ve been really responsive in increasing our tree canopy, the invasive plant initiative … you’re helping us on a number of things. We appreciate your support, and we’re happy to continue to be a partner with you.

David Snyder, Falls Church City Council

www.fallschurchva.gov/Content/Government/Council/DSnyderBioWeb08.pdf

The saying goes that nothing happens by accident. Nothing is truer than that expression with regard to the wonderful public service that the park authority has provided. Let’s see now, recreation, education, environmental protection, historic preservation. Not bad for one agency. So as we look forward to the next year, I’d like to say congratulations; to all those who started it, to all those who serve on the board, and to all the professionals involved who have truly created a wonderful legacy, not only for the present, but for the future as well.

Robert Lederer, Mayor of Fairfax City

http://www.fairfaxva.gov/electedofficials/MCC/mayor.asp
First of all, let me just add my congratulations on behalf of the city of Fairfax for 50 years of providing a wonderful service to our region and certainly to our community. In the city of Fairfax, we take our parks and open space very seriously. We’re only 6 square miles, but we have 23 separate parks, we have 21 miles of pedestrian and bike trails that tie in the Fairfax County System and open space, added 42 acres of open space the last three years. The Park Authority is obviously a big part of that. Congratulations on 50 years.

Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/braddock/
The regional park authority combines things that are of the highest priority to [Fairfax County], such as the preservation of open space, tree canopy and also our recreational opportunities. Looking ahead to our future as well as to our past, I think our future is going to be a great one, and so more and more the opportunity to be able to preserve our green space in the region is going to be of the utmost importance. Thank you for continuing to work with us and helping to create a green future.

Penny Gross, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mason/
I want to thank the Regional Park Authority for accepting the challenge of the Korean Bell Garden, which is going to be at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. They tried to find a spot in [Fairfax County] … and they found a home with the Regional Park Authority. It is going to be fabulous. It is going to be that kind of place where more and more people can enjoy their own culture, a place very reminiscent of their homeland. I want to thank the Regional Park Authority for stepping up to the plate and making Fairfax County a better place to live.

Joan Rokus, NVRPA Board Member and former Loudoun County Supervisor Revieved the plaque on behalf of Loudoun County.

Santa's Garage

This year at the Bull Run Festival of Lights we added "Santa's Garage" to our Holiday Village at the end of the light show. Santa had quite a collection of red and white vintage muscle cars. This proves that even St. Nick like his toys. In his stable was a 1968 Mercury Courgar, a replica 1965 AC Cobra, a 1968 Pontiac GTO, and a 1965 Corvette.

Santa was overheard saying that "when you have to travel the whole world delivering toys in just one night, a fast red convertible is very handy." Rodolph could not be reached for comment.

Riverfront land in Loudoun to become regional park

Last week we released the news that we had a contract to buy a 275 acre property on the Potomac River as a new regional park.

First the Washington Post wrote a story on it and then it was picked up by the Associated Press and has been run on too many newspapers to list, including the International Herald Tribune, numerous local radio shows and TV. Below is the piece put out by AP.

Riverfront land in Loudoun to become regional park
By the Associated Press
December 4, 2008
LEESBURG, Va. - Officials say a 275-acre swath of land with ties to the Civil War will be protected as a regional park in Loudoun County. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority will buy the tract along the Potomac River north of Leesburg. The park authority will pay private landowners about $2.8 million for the parcel. The property was once the home of Confederate Lt. Col. Elijah White and was used as a strategic route during battle. The park, which includes a half-mile of Potomac shoreline, will be known as White's Ford Regional Park. It will include a boat ramp, picnic pavilions, campgrounds and cabins. There also will be interpretive exhibits explaining the park's Civil War history.

Here are some links to other articles written about this land deal:

Washington Post
http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2008/dec/04/historic-tract-along-potomac-set-become-regional-p/?local

Leesburg Today
http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2008/12/02/news/fp343park120208.txt

Loudoun Times
http://www.loudountimes.com/news/2008/dec/03/whites-ford-could-become-new-regional-park/

Col. White is the second person from the left seated.

We believe the two women standing were the Ball sisters who lived at Temple Hall Farm during the war. At one point the Ball sisters were arrested smuggling medical supplies from Maryland across the ferry.

Parks Win the Election!

The votes are in and Parks are in the winner’s circle in Fairfax County. On the ballot on November 4th in addition to the Presidential, Senate and Congressional races was a bond referendum on Parks. This bond will provide $66 Million to the Fairfax County Park Authority, and $12 Million to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to buy land, equipment, and development of park amenities over the next four years.

County-wide the three winners were:

345,978 Votes for Mark Warner of Senate (68%)
333,882 Votes for the Park Bond (68%)
310,359 Votes for Barack Obama (59%)

Fairfax County makes up portions of the 8th, 10th and 11th Congressional Districts. Jim Moran retained his seat in the 8th, Frank Wolf won reelection in the 10th, and Gerry Connolly won election in the open 11th District seat.

The high level of support for the park bond confirms the high value the public places on parks. Having open areas to reconnect with nature is critical to our quality of life.

Economically parks are also important. In Fairfax County Tourism makes brings in $1.9 Billion annually and parks play a large role in supporting tourism. Particularly destination parks like those of the Regional Park Authority are designed to draw people from a wide area. Campgrounds like those at Pohick Bay and Bull Run Regional Parks both offer a service to the local population as well as help support tourism. Parks like the W&OD Trail and the Bull Run Special Events Center and Festival of Lights attract hundreds of thousands (or millions in the case of the W&OD) from throughout the region and beyond. Jean Packard who serves on the Regional Park Authority Board representing Fairfax County address the connection between supporting park bonds and the health of the local economy. Her quote is in the bond endorsement published by the Fairfax Times Newspapers below.

Park bonds go to a vote
Fairfax CountyBy StaffSource: Fairfax County TimesWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 2008
Like everyone else searching for money, these are nervous days for park officials in Fairfax County.
On Nov. 4, county voters will be asked to weigh in on nearly $80 million in park bonds. This year's slate includes $65 million for the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) and $12 million for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA).
Fairfax County Park Authority, which operates 24,000 acres of parkland, proposes to invest the capital as follows: 30 percent for renovations, 30 percent for park development, 22 percent for land acquisition and 18 percent for stewardship.
The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, which oversees 8,000 acres in Fairfax, would spend:
38 percent on new facilities/renovations, 30 percent for capital maintenance projects, 21 percent for equipment and 11 percent for land acquisition.
Former Fairfax County board chair Jean Packard, now a member of the NVRPA board, said the soft economy shouldn't be used as an excuse to shortchange parks.
"I have seen investments in parks contribute to the overall health of the community in times of recession before," said Packard. "With home values down, we need to vote for the park bonds to help improve our communities. With the bond, we can stimulate the economy, and without it the condition of our parks will start to decline, bringing down real estate values even more."

Entrepreneurial Approach Helps Budget

The current economic challenges are causing all levels of government to rethink what they are doing and how they are doing it. With interest income down, cost of living up, and taxes from real estate and sales (primary sources for local government) down, the challenges to maintain a balanced budget are daunting.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) is a regional agency made up of three counties and three cities in Northern Virginia. We do not have any taxing authority, but we do receive some tax dollar support from our six member jurisdictions. With tax revenues down substantially at both a state and local level, NVRPA will be coping with a leaner budget as well.

In our FY'2010 budget just approved by our Board last week, we were able to keep our per person cost for our member jurisdictions at the same rate as 2007. This is three years without any cost of living adjustments during a period of time with substantial inflation. We did this by reducing our general fund by 10%. This is the part of our budget that supports our headquarters and central maintenance functions. We also put in place a full time hiring freeze, and greater controls on all spending to control costs.

NVRPA has long been one of the leanest and most efficient park agencies in the nation. We now generate 81.5% of our operating expenses through self generated revenues. In 2007 the Pioneer Institute gave us a national award for entrepreneurial service delivery. Since 1990 we have gone from over 30% taxpayer support of our operations to our current 18.5%.

We faced considerable economic challenges in 2003 & 2004 and responded proactively. In 2005 we went through a reorganization that substantially brought down our overhead, and increased our productivity at the same time. We also started reinvesting in our own facilities, and approached the marketing of our parks in a business like manner.

As a result of our business like approach to running parks, we have seen annual double digit increases in the use of our parks over the last few years. Our enterprise revenues have increased nearly 30% in the last three years, and our facilities have never looked better.

Even with this great success story, our budget for FY'2010 is just barely balanced. This is due to a number of external factors including:

• 18% increase in energy costs


• Substantial increases to retirement program due to the stock market crash


• Local government appropriations that have not kept pace with inflation


• Sharply declining interest income

These factors are not unique to NVRPA, organizations everywhere are facing these and other issues that will challenge and strain budgets over the next few years. Currently the residents of Northern Virginia pay less than $5 per person for combined capital and operating support for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. For this modest investment they get a 10,000 acre park system with 100 miles of trails, five water parks, historic sites, campgrounds, botanical gardens, three golf courses, five marinas and much, much more. And all of this operated as one of the most efficient park agencies in the nation.

One example of the entrepreneurial approach NVRPA has become known for is the themeing of Pohick Bay pool in 2008 into Pirate's Cove Water park. The renovations and marketing resulted in a $125K improvement in financial performance, without an increase in rates. Another result was many more happy park patrons.

Park Bonds Offer Opportunity in Fairfax County

In addition to the Presidential election, voters will get to vote on new park bonds on Election Day in Fairfax County.

Voting to spend money on parks may seem counter-intuitive to some in a time of economic crisis but, in reality, this may be one of the best investments possible in the local community and economy. Here are some of the reasons:

In a year when all local governments in Northern Virginia will be working with a smaller budget due to a declining tax base from home values, the park bond will provide funds for long-term assets like land, new facilities and renovations. This money will help stimulate the local economy now, and will be paid back over the life of these improvements at a very low interest rate.
At a time when many neighborhoods are seeing a declining value, the improvements brought by the park bond can help shore up the appearance and property values of distressed neighborhoods.

With declining property values, there is a great opportunity to purchase new parkland at a good value for the public. Studies have shown that properties adjacent to or near public open space are valued measurably higher than similar property not near parks.[1]
This park bond will not be increasing the long-term debt of the County, but will be replacing other bonds that are being paid off. So, the long-term debt of the County will be held at roughly the same level. Fairfax County’s solid financial management has resulted in the highest rating for Fairfax County bonds (AAA).

“As both a former Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and a long time park supporter, I have seen investments in parks contribute to the overall health of the community in times of recession before. With home values down, we need to vote for the park bonds to help improve our communities. With the bond, we can stimulate the economy, and without it the condition of our parks will start to decline, bringing down real estate values even more,” stated Jean R. Packard, Fairfax County Board Member to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

This year’s park bonds include $65M for the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), and $12M for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA). In Fairfax County, the County Park Authority operates 24,000 acres of parkland, and the Regional Park Authority operates 8,000 acres of parkland. These funds will be spread over the next four years to cover long-term improvements to area parks.

Fairfax County Park Authority proposes to invent this capital as follows:
30% for Renovations
30% for Park Development
22% for Land Acquisition
18% for Stewardship

Detailed information on FCPA capital plans is at: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/2008bond.htm

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority proposes to invest capital for the next five years as follows:
38% for New Facilities/Major Renovations
30% for Enhancements/Capital Maintenance Projects
21% for Development Support/Equipment
11% for Land Acquisition

Detailed information on NVRPA proposed Capital Improvement Plan is at:
http://euclid.willetts.com/www.nvrpa.org/documents/file/CIP%20handbook.pdf

In a park needs survey conducted by NVRPA of residents in Northern Virginia conducted in 2007, the public expressed a great interest in acquiring new parkland and seeing existing parks well maintained. These are priorities that are accomplished through the park bonds.

In another poll conducted of Virginia voters by the Trust for Public Land in 2008, 84% of the public were interested in conserving lands that protected rivers and lakes that were drinking water sources. Most of the 10,000 acres of total parkland that NVRPA owns is directly connected to drinking water source protection. We have 13 miles of shoreline along the Potomac River, over 25 miles of shoreline along the Bull Run/Occoquan Rivers, and hundreds of acres adjacent to Beaver Dam Reservoir, all of which are drinking water sources for the residents of Northern Virginia.

In park bonds in Fairfax County over the last decade, the voters have demonstrated a track record of approving these important community investments by at least 70%.

[1] Economic Impact of Protecting Rivers, Trails and Greenway Corridors, National Park Service, 1995

Lafayette - American Liberty with a French Accent

The crowd cheered, the militia fired salutes, and the dignitaries gave patriotic speeches. This was the scene at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park on Saturday August 9th, as a crowd of over 300 people joined in the second annual Lafayette Day celebrations. The scene mirrored the events of August 9th 1825, when the Marquis de Lafayette, President John Quincy Adam and former President James Monroe visited Temple Hall Farm.

Lafayette Day is becoming one of the major events at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park that highlights the history of this farm. Temple Hall Farm was established in 1810 by William Temple Mason, a nephew of George Mason. Today, it is a popular farm park that hosts the annual fall MAiZE which attracts over 12,000 visitors. The public can enjoy farm tours, horse drawn wagon rides, playground and picnic areas most of the year.

Lafayette visited Temple Hall Farm as part of a year and a half tour of the United States, forty-five years after the American Revolution. Everywhere he went, large crowds came out to see the last surviving general of the Revolution. Prior to going to Temple Hall Farm, Lafayette, Adams and Monroe spent most of the day celebrating in Leesburg.

Lafayette was one of the most amazing figures in American and world history. In addition to being George Washington’s closest friend, he was responsible for bringing the French army and navy to help defeat the British at Yorktown, winning the Revolutionary War. After the American Revolution, he started the French Revolution. Lafayette was committed to liberty and lobbied for the end of slavery at the time of the Revolution. In the early 1800’s, he used some of his money to buy a farm in Tennessee for freed slaves.

Last Saturday, Michael Halbert played Lafayette, Brian Lewis played John Quincy Adams, and Jay Harrison played James Monroe. Other re-enactors included Bonnie Fairbanks as Mrs. Mason and Jenna Gilbert as Mary Mason (age 8); and Steve Doss, Todd Brighton, Andrew House and John Davidson played the local militia/honor guard.

Among the public was a group of French tourists who were interested in seeing one of their countrymen celebrated for his role in securing American freedom.

Temple Hall Farm is one of 21 parks owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA). NVRPA has over 10,000 acres of parkland in Loudoun, Fairfax and Arlington Counties and the Cities of Fairfax, Falls Church and Alexandria. Other major historic sites in the NVRPA system include the Carlyle House in Old Town Alexandria, Aldie Mill, and Balls Bluff Battlefield in Leesburg.

For more information on the Marquis de Lafayette see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_de_Lafayette

http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95sep/lafayette.html

http://www.marquisdelafayette.net/

http://www.ushistory.org/Valleyforge/served/lafayette.html

http://www.americanrevolution.com/LafayetteCitizenship.htm

Summer fun in the water

Whether you like to paddle on it or swim in it, summer is the time to hit the water. And with fuel prices what they are, more people are looking for fun close to home.

This summer we have seen a significant increase in swimmers at our five water parks:



Algonkian's Down Pour

http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/downpour/

Bull Run
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/bullrun/?pg=waterpark.html

Cameron Run's Great Waves
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/cameronrun/index.php

Pohick Bay's Pirate's Cove
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/pohickbay/?pg=outdoorpool.htmlohickbay/?pg=outdoorpool.html

Upton Hill
http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/uptonhill/?pg=pool.html

Great Waves at Cameron Run is our flagship water park with the only wave pool in the region, and some of the best water slides and other features you can find anywhere. Upton Hill was completely renovated last year and continues to be more popular than it has ever been. Pirate's Cove is a great success story with almost a 300% increase in usage this year.


If you are seeking a more natural environment, there is nothing better than boating. I was paddling this weekend at Fountainhead Region Park on the Occoquan Reservoir and the boat launch area was buzzing with activity. The REI Adventure School was taking out a group to learn how to kayak. Individuals and families were renting canoes, kayaks and jon boats as fast as they could and those with their own boats were launching and joining the fun on the water.

Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles put on a show in the sky, while the anglers were busy reeling in the fish.

Whether you want the excitement of going down a speed slide at a water park, or the peacefulness of gliding along the water and interacting with nature, now is the time to be one with the water, for summer will be over sooner than it should be.

Turning Point Dedication

The dedication of Turning Point Plaza at Occoquan Regional Park was a great success. This is the memorial to the Women's Suffrage Movement that we developed in partnership with the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area.

Over 100 people were in attendance. Senator George Barker and Delegate David Albo gave an official state commendation to both the League and the Regional Park Authority.

Lynne Garvey Hodge, who serves on the Fairfax History Commission did an amazing first person narrative of what it was like for those women who were arrested and put in prison near this site for protesting for the right to vote. She was in Character and period correct dress. Other living history reenactors contributed to make this event one to remember.

Now that the plaza has been dedicated and the interpretive signs are in place, the next step is the League will be fundraising to build a memorial brick wall to further the development of this important site.

For more information on how you can contribute to this project see the July 23 post on this blog.

Women Suffragist

Occoquan Workhouse 1917

91 years ago women seeking the right to vote were the first group to protest in front of the White House. Over the course of several months, hundreds of these women were arrested and put in prison. Many of them found themselves at the Occoquan Workhouse, a women's prison on the Fairfax County side of the Occoquan River. The exact site of the Workhouse is right on the edge of Rt. 123 by the entrance to the Fairfax Water treatment plant.

The news reports of these women's imprisonment were a key turning point in the effort to gain the right to vote. Because of these event, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote was passed. In order to highlight this important history the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has been working with the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area to create an area within Occoquan Regional Park called Turning Point Plaza that can help interpret this history.

This site has three interpretive panels. The first one covering the begining of the movement that started with Abigail Adam asking her husband to "remember the ladies" during the dafting of the constitution up to the early 20th Century. The center panel covers the turning point role that the Occoquan Workhouse played in gaining the right to vote. The third panel covers some of some of the key efforts since the 19th Amendment to achieve equality for women, and points to the future of this movement.

This Sunday, July 27, 2008 at the Occoquan River Festival, we will dedicate The Turning Point Plaza, as a memorial dedicated to the suffragists imprisoned at the Occoquan Workhouse. “The League of Women Voters was started by the suffragists who continue to be models of courage for us,” said Mary Grace Lintz, acting President of the Fairfax Area League of Women Voters.

The struggles of people to gain the right to vote and participate in society as equals are stories that need to be told and retold to every generation. The stories of the suffragists, the end of slavery, and civil rights are the events that helped define America as the democracy it is today.

Future plans of the Turning Point Plaza suffragist memorial include a long, brick wall with inserted plaques to commemorate the suffragist struggle for American women’s right to vote. If you would like to contribute to this fundraising effort, please visit the League of Women Voters’ website, http://www.lwv-fairfax.org/. Or you may send monetary donations to:

The League of Women Voters
4026 Hummer Rd., #214
Annandale, VA 22013-2403

For more information on the Women's Suffragist Movement I would suggest visiting the Sewall-Belmont House Museum in Washington D.C. or visiting their web site at :http://www.sewallbelmont.org/

No Child Left Inside

Last Child In the Woods by Richard Louv brought to national attention the stark facts about how today's children are spending much of their time indoor. This is contributing to the childhood obesity increase, possibly an increase in ADD, and a disconnect in our connection with nature.

The No Child Left Inside Coalition now has 500 member organizations including the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and is pushing to get more nature based education into the standards of learning.

Every year NVRPA offers our Junior Naturalist Camp at Potomac Overlook to engage children in nature. Most children love beeing outside and exploring the natural world and giving children these opportunities that most of us grew up taking for granted can help develop problem solving, an appreciation for nature and a curiosity about natural sciences.

Last week I met with folks from the Virginia State Park System to discuss how we could partner to offer more programs and opportunities that would help engage childen in natural world. I think we are going to have some good programs evolve from these discussions.

For any of you who have not read Last Child in the woods yet I would highly recommend it. It is probably the most powerful force in environmental education today.

Last Child in the Woods:

http://richardlouv.com/

No Child Left Inside Coalition:

http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_sub_actioncenter_federal_nclb_problem

No Child Left Inside Video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRR1feHqZPY

Saving Kids from 'Nature Deficit Disorder' - NPR Radio Interview with Richard Louv:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4665933

Virginia State Parks:

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/index.shtml

Environmentalist Joe Gartlan Dies

Virginia, and the whole Chesapeake Region was greatly enhanced by the wisdom and activism of the late State Senator Joe Gartlan. Joe passed away yesterday after a long and productive life of serving the public and making the world a better place.

I have had a number of mentors over he years and I count Joe Gartlan as one of them. I met Joe in the 1980's when he was the most senior member of the Northern Virginia General Assembly delegation. He served in the Virginia State Senate for 28 years. Around 2000 Joe joined the Board of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust when I was the President of that land conservation organization. In 2002 Joe served as one of my advisers for my Masters Degree project, which related to building environmental coalitions, something Joe was great at.

Joe was a giant in the environmental field. He Chaired the first multi-state commission on the Chesapeake Bay that led directly to the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement. Joe had the unique ability to be tenacious about the causes he was pushing, and at the same time so kind and gentlemanly that even his opponents liked and respected him.

Joe Gartlan lived a life of contribution. I feel very fortunate to have known him, and the Chesapeake Bay and all the life it supports including the millions of people that live in the region are better off because off Joe Gartlan. What a great way to have lived a life!

STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR KAINE
~ On the death of Senator Joseph V. Gartlan, Jr. ~

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine issued the following statement on the death of former Virginia State Senator Joseph V. Gartlan, Jr., who represented the 36th senatorial district from 1972 to 2000. He has also ordered the state’s flags flown at half staff to honor Senator Gartlan.

“Senator Gartlan was a true statesman. He wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to issues of social and economic justice,” said Governor Kaine. “He was a tireless and effective advocate for the environment, the mentally and physically disabled, and for abused and neglected children. He spearheaded efforts for funding natural resources and human service programs during his almost three decades of public service. His role was critical in galvanizing the regional efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

“He earned the respect of both parties for his intellect, integrity, and force of will. Over the years, he served as chairman of three Senate committees – Courts of Justice, Privileges and Elections, and Rehabilitation and Social Services. He also was a bold and active member of the Senate Finance committee, where he chaired the human services subcommittee.

“This is a sad day for Virginia, and our hearts are with Senator Gartlan’s family and many friends.”

Global Dimming

Everyone has heard of global warming but much less known is global dimming.

Global dimming is the result of pollution in the atmosphere that reflects some of the suns rays, dimming and cooling the earth. The growth in global dimming and global warming have gone hand in hand since the dawn of the industrial revolution. And the effects of global dimming have masked the impact of global warming, so we have experience much less increase in world temperatures than we would have without the dimming.

Over the last 30 years we have been doing a better job of cleaning up the pollution in the atmosphere that causes the dimming. We banned CFCs in aerosols in the 1970s, and we have cleaned up smoke stack, and automotive emissions. This has been great for human health. The down side is with less global dimming, some experts are predicting much faster global warming in the coming years. If this turns out to be true we will need to accelerate our reduction of carbon emissions faster than we had planned... This will be one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century.

For more information on global dimming check out the following links:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sun/
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=105
http://www.documentary-film.net/search/sample.php
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/aerosol_dimming.html

As one would expect, global climate change affects everything including parks. The National Park Conservation Association release a study on the affects of global warming on National Parks called Unnatural Disaster: http://www.npca.org/globalwarming/

Last spring I led a session on reducing your agency's carbon footprint at the National Recreation and Park Association's Environmental Summit and asked the group what impact they had seen. Officials from parks all across the United States and Canada are seeing the effects of global climate change today.

Occoquan Water Trail League

If you want to get out and explore nature and hone your kayaking skills, Northern Virginia has some of the best kayaking places one could hope for. To help build the paddling community in our area, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority helped create the Occoquan Water-Trail League.

last week I had the opportunity to go on a late afternoon paddle to four other kayakers out of Pohick Bay Regional Park. All but one of the group were involved in the establishment of the Occoquan Water-Trail League (OWL). This is a friends group of paddlers the Regional Park Authority helped establish about a year ago.

The Regional Park Authority owns 25 miles of contiguous waterfront along the Bull Run/Occoquan Rivers from Bull Run Park in Centerville to the Occoquan Dam near the Town of Occoquan. We designated the water-trail as a 40 mile resource that continues on the down stream side of the dam to include Occoquan Regional Park, Mason Neck State Park and around the Mason Neck Peninsula to Pohick Bay Regional Park.

The Park Authority converted our annual car-top launch pass into an annual OWL membership with unlimited launch privileges at NVRPA sites and also at Mason Neck State Park. The goal with OWL is to create a cadre of dedicated paddlers that could help spread the news about these amazing resources and contribute to their protection through service project.

Lots of recreational boaters love nature and support parks, and one of the groups that is most environmentally focused are sea kayakers. The peacefulness of paddling along on the flat water, and the ability to really travel some distances in these long boats is great for nature watching.

Mason Neck State Park and the Prince William County Park Authority have been great partners in the establishment of this water trail.

If you would like to get more involved with the local kayaking scene here are some good links:

• Occoquan Water-Trail League
  

http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/occoquanwater/?pg=league.html

• Chesapeake Paddlers Association is a great group - The Pirate's of Algonkian group from CPA has regular paddles out of both Fountainhead and Algonkian Regional Parks.

http://www.cpakayaker.com/

• American Canoe Association - Great resource for safety information

http://www.americancanoe.org/

• Woody's Kayak Trips is a great page from a local paddler. Woody has been very involved in the creation of OWL, his site has great information.

http://www.kayaktrips.net/

• Kayaking in Virginia - Good resource page.

http://www.kayakonline.com/virginia.html

• Paddling in Virginia - This site has reports on various paddling locations.

http://www.paddling.net/places/VA/

Get out there and have fun!

Hot Rods Rumble into Occoquan Regional Park

This last Sunday I participated in the first car show held at one of our parks. This show was the "Good Ol Days" car show sponsored by the Prince William Cruisers, a local hot rod club.

It was a great show with 160 hot rods, classics and customs. There was fun for the whole family. You could see and overhear folks with a few gray hairs reminiscing about when these cars were king. I also saw children who had only seen such wild rides with chrome superchargers and side pipes on toys. They were amazed to see that these were real cars.

These classic cars as as much a part of our culture's history as anything else, and it is great to see so many of these cool rides restored to better than new condition.

With the Occoquan hot rod show and a function of the Delmarva Cougar Club this spring at Bull Run Regional Park, NVRPA is becoming known as a great place to have a classic car show!

Some may question the amount of fuel these beasts consume, but in reality almost none of these cars are driven much, they are more rolling pieces of history. One car owner at this event who was asked about the cost of gas replied they he drove his hot rod less than 1,000 miles a year, or about 3 tanks of gas. Restoring and showing these beauties is more about sharing stories, showing craftsmanship, building community and having fun, than it is about rolling a lot of miles on these cars. One of my hobbies is the ongoing restoration of my 1967 Mercury Cougar. Like most classic cars, I take my Cougar to local cruise nights and shows and really do not roll a lot of miles on it. It is interesting that this 40 year old vehicle get about the same mileage as lots of new cars and trucks sold today. That says something about how the average mileage of new vehicles really has not gone up much other the last few decades.

The Club's proceeds from this show were donated to the Wounded Warrior Fund to assist wounded veterans.

Love of Outdoors Defines NVRPA Employees

Love of the outdoors, entrepreneurial, innovative, flexible, non-bureaucratic... These are some of the key characteristics of the employees of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Last winter I took a course in Leading Organizational Change at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of this course Dr. Sigal Barsade taught a session on organizational culture. The message was clear, if you want to create a new initiative like implementing a strategic plan it had better align with the culture of the organization if it is going to be successful.

In the last couple years we have been about a lot of positive change at NVRPA. We have a new mission statement, new falsities, a new energy conservation policy, perhaps the most cutting edge pesticide and fertilizer use policy of any public agency, and the first five year strategic plan in our agency's history. We have been successfully implementing all this change at the same time we have improved the overall condition and marketing of most of our facilities and have seen record public interest in our parks. That is a lot of change!

To help us continue our positive momentum we conducted an interesting study of the organizational culture of NVRPA employees. We did this through both extensive confidential interviews as well as an on-line survey. In this way we were able to collect both qualitative and quantitative data and compare them. The results are posted on the NVRPA web site at:
http://www.nvrpa.org/html/index.php?pg=employment.html

This study covers a wide range of issues that get at employees values, motivations, and expectation. On of the most encouraging elements is that the number one reason people work for NVRPA is a deeply rooted love of the outdoors. With a sincere passion for what they do, it is little wonder that NVRPA staff have achieved so much recently.

Pool Safety

Today I spent some time with our senior lifeguards, pool managers, and park rangers in charge of our pools and water parks. The best of the best in the aquatics field. This was part of a three day training called Top Gun that is conducted each year by NASCO (National Aquatic Safety Company). Reinforcing, but going far beyond basic life guard skills, Top Gun teaches management to these young people. The quality of this education is fantastic. Dr. John Hunsucker, the founder of NASCO leads these sessions, along with other staff with professional teaching backgrounds.

NASCO also provides the life guard training, and regular auditing of our water safety staff. This company was set up to offer the higher level of safety training that is needed for busy water parks. Their client list is a who's who of major water parks across the nation.

Last year NVRPA received a "World Class" rating from NASCO as a result of their audit. This year we are very fortunate to have 75% of our life guards returning to us from employment last summer. This is a very good sign that most of our guards are familiar with our standards and are receiving their training for the second or third time.

The job of safety in our pools and water parks is perhaps the most important job in the whole agency.

Bill Inman, Cowboy, Rancher, Optimist

Bill Inman rode his horse Blackie all the way across the United States to highlight all that is good about America. He left from Lebanon Oregon on June 2, 2007 and finished his trek by riding in the Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C.


I got to know Bill when he called me from the road and asked for assistance in how best to make it through Northern Virginia to Washington. Almost every day he would ride 20-25 miles, and his wife Brenda and friend Jonathan would travel ahead of him with their trailer and supplies. Jonathan recorded the details of this journey on http://www.uncoveringamerica.com/

Bill and his team were running ahead of schedule and stayed for almost a week at our campground at Bull Run Regional Park. We put the Uncover America team up next to a grassy field where Blackie could eat the grass and clover, and across from our newly renovated bathhouse.

On Memorial Day Weekend Bill made his final steps of this journey. On Saturday he departed from Leesburg riding East on the W&OD Trail. He and his team camped overnight at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (something we only give permission to those that have ridden their horse at least 3,000 miles). On Sunday he rode from Vienna to Arlington on the W&OD and camped the night with special permission from Arlington Parks & Rec. Memorial Day Monday he rode into the City in the morning and joined the parade.

In my time with Bill Inman, I never heard a negative comment. He took this trip because he believed that our Country was a better place than the impression you get from watching the news. Throughout his journey he saw interesting places and met good, generous people everywhere he went. Bill also proved that whether riding your horse over 3,000 miles is for you or not, there are plenty of wonderful adventures to be had event in the 21st Century.

Bike to Work

Today I rode my bike to work. This has been something I have been thinking about for a long time. I planed out the safest route, and stored my change of clothes at work in advance. I was planning to do this on National Ride Your Bike to Work Day a couple weeks ago, but when the day came it was raining, and I am not that hard core, yet.

I didn't break any speed records traveling about 7.5 miles in 45 minutes, but it was fun. While I found a good route and will do it more frequently in the future, it was not as nice as riding on the W&OD Trail.

The W&OD Trail stretches 45 miles from Shirlington to Purcellville, and since it is a former rail road, the grades are never too steep. It is estimated that the W&OD sees over 2 million users per year. We know an increasing number of people over the last few years have been using this wonderful trail to commute to and from work. With the price of gas continuing to go up, and a greater understanding of the need to reduce our carbon footprint to help address the causes of global warming, I am sure more and more people are going to be biking instead of driving. Besides all the other reasons, biking is both fun and very good exercise.

NVRPA Endorses Leave No Child Inside Legislation

On May 15th, the Board of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority endorsed the Leave No Child Inside legislation sponsored by Congressman John Sarbanes (HR 3036).

This legislation would authorize funding for States to develop "environmental literacy plans" for K-12 primary education. The hope is that this would help bring more outdoor environmental education into the curriculum. On of the shortfalls of the Leave No Child Behind law is that it has driven school district to increasingly "teach the test" for the LNCB standards. One result of this has been less time for children to have environmental education and get outside the classroom.

This dynamic has been combined with a growing fear of strangers, fear of nature, and over structuring of children's "free time" to a point that children today are spending less and less time outdoor. Richard Louv outlines all of these factors in his best selling book Last Child in the Woods.

While the Leave No Child Inside legislation will not address all of these societal issues, it is a good step in the right direction, and might start the process of reengaging children with nature.

The Popularity of Kayaking is Exploding

As the weather warms up it is time to come out of winter hibernation and get outdoors. One way that more and more people in our area are exploring our great Regional Parks is through kayaking.

Between 2006 and 2007 we saw a 41% increase in canoe and kayak rentals at Pohick Bay Regional Park and Fountainhead Regional Park. At Fountainhead alone there was an increase of over 100% in kayak rentals!

Why are so many people taking up the paddle and exploring nature? One reason is that paddling a recreational kayak like we rent at Pohick and Fountainhead is very easy. These boats are made for novices and they are very stable, comfortable and easy to operate. I am a certified instructor in Sea Kayaking and know like with many things, the more you get into a subject the more there is to learn. The great thing about kayaking is if you want to give it a try for the first time it is not difficult to start.

One of the best ways to find out if kayaking is for you is to rent a boat and go out for a couple hours. If you decide you would like to buy a boat, REI offers an annual Demo Day at Pohick Bay in July, were you can try out many different makes and models and see what is the best fit for you. One of the other interesting thinks about kayaking is that it is for all ages. I recently saw an on-line survey on Canoe & Kayak Magazine where they asked how old were you when you started paddling, and it was interesting to see the wide spread of ages.

I find a few hours on the water to be one of the most peaceful and stress relieving things I can do. If you would like to try paddling as a way to re-connect with nature and get a little exercise head to Fountainhead or Pohick Bay Parks and take out one of our rental boats. It is highly recommended that you go paddling with a friend. As a general rule if the combined air and water temperature is above 120 degrees, you are not at high risk of hypothermia if you should get wet. But anytime you get in any small boat, you need to be prepared to get wet. It is much better to not ware cotton since it wicks away warmth if it gets wet.

So, get a friend, rent a boat and have some fun this summer!! You will love it!

Reducing Global Warming - Saving Energy

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has followed the lead of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Arlington County Board, and City of Alexandria in adopting the Cool Counties/Cool Cities pledge to reduce greenhouse gases. This pledge fit in well with the comprehensive energy conservation efforts NVRPA put in place in late 2005. As a result of these efforts NVRPA was able to reduce it's "carbon footpring" in 2007.

Below are some key elements of this successful program:

Measure Everything
If meaningful goal are going to be set and achieved, one must have a baseline to measure against. The Finance Office at NVRPA now does more than just paying the utility bills, each month they log in the units of consumption (gallons, kilowatt/hr, etc.) for each of the 21 parks and facilities in the Authority. Spreadsheets convert each unit of consumption into tons of carbon (CO2). Now, emissions can be measured at each facility and across every form of energy.

Set a Goal
When the energy conservation policy was adopted by the Park Authority Board, an annual goal was set to reduce energy consumption by 5% across. By signing on to the Cool Counties Initiative, the Board agreed to stop increasing carbon emissions by 2010 and then reduce the output of carbon by 2% per year for every year after that until 2050 (resulting in an 80% reduction). In the first full year of the effort, total carbon emissions were reduced well ahead of the Cool Counties goal.

Establish Site Specific Plans
As important as the big goals of total carbon reduction are, what really makes a difference are the site specific plans. Each park manager had a management goal of completing and implementing an energy conservation plan for their facility. These plans included looking at many of the simple energy conservation measures as well as looking to larger changes for the future. A tremendous amount of energy efficiency can be accomplished with easy to find products from the local home improvement store like: insulation, high efficiency lighting, programmable thermostats and motion sensing light switches. Many people think the answer will come from some great new technology, like hydrogen fuel cells. New technologies will clearly play a big role in the future, but it is important not to miss the low hanging fruit that simple energy conservation can give us today. Currently, NVRPA has implemented the following emission reducing tactics:

• High efficiency lighting including motion sensing switches.


• Programmable thermostats


• Retrofitting buildings with better windows and insulation


• Use of high efficiency pumps


• Geo-thermal heat pumps


• Green building techniques


• Active solar power generation


• Introduction of more electric utility vehicles in the parks


• Hybrid and natural gas (CNG) burning vehicles
  
  Look at Lifecycle Costs
  In the world of government purchasing, low bids usually win the day. In an era of changing technology to improve energy efficiency, it is vital to consider the life cycle costs of products. From compact florescent lighting that costs more than traditional incandescent bulbs but have a much longer life and uses a fraction of the power, to whole buildings that can now be built with green technology that may cost more initially but results in energy savings for the life of the structure, the long-term view is critical. The principle of considering the full life cycle costs of any energy consuming equipment or facility was part of the Park Authority’s energy conservation policy.
  
  In 2006, the Park Authority decided to put in place a 2.5 mile holiday light show at Bull Run Regional Park, responding to public support for a show to replace one offered by a contractor for many years. The Authority asked for proposals for both incandescent lights as well as LED lights and then decided to purchase the first all-LED light show of its size in the country, even though its initial purchase cost was higher than traditional incandescent lights would have been. The durability of the LED lights means significantly lower maintenance costs, they last much longer and use just 10% of the energy that it takes to light a traditional bulb. These factors will more than make up for the difference in the purchase price in just a few years.
  
  Reward Success
  To reward the best efforts in energy conservation and emissions reductions, NVRPA added an award to their annual achievement awards to recognize the park facility that produced the greatest reduction in energy consumption. In 2006, the prize went to Brambleton Regional Golf Course for reducing the electrical consumption in the Clubhouse by 27%. In 2007 the award went to Cameron Run Regional Park which reduced their energy consumption by almost 21%.
  
  Educate the Public
  The Authority hosted an Energy Conservation Fair at Potomac Overlook Regional Park to help educate the public about what they can do to use less fossil fuel. This is only one example of the many programs the agency has put forth to better engage the public on not only the Park Authority’s efforts, but the opportunity that each member of society has as well. Informing the public of an agency’s energy conservation efforts is almost as important as the efforts themselves, since this can encourage others to do their part. We would like to see some level of environmental education be a part of every park visitor’s outdoor recreational experience.

Building on these successful efforts, we are working to develop new energy education exhibits to be used at Potomac Overlook Regional Park in the next year.

Regional Parks Show Environmental Leadership

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has been amoung the first in the park field to lead on a number of envirnmental issues.

• In late 2007 NVRPA was the first park agency in the nation to sign on to Cool Counties or Cool Cities. These are initatives to reduce greenhouse gases.

• NVRPA is the first and currently only public park agency in the Mid-Atlantic states to get their golf courses certified by Audubon International as wildlife sanctuaries. This was an extensive year long process to achieve environmental excellence is a wide number of areas.



• Most recently NVRPA became the first park agency to become a partner with the EPA Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program. This partnership grew out of NVRPA's cutting edge fertizer and pesticide use policy that goes far beyond what is required by law.

As the stewards of over 10,000 acres of land, most of it along the major waterways of our region, it is critcally important that we lead by example, in these and other evironmental concerns.

Environmental Leadership Links:

• NVRPA is the first park agency to sign on to Cool Cities, and Cool Counties agreement to reduce carbon footprint.

http://coolcities.us/cityProfiles.php?city=1176&state=VA

• NVRPA is the first park agency to sign on to EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program.

http://www.epa.gov/pesp/member_pages/nvrpa.htm

• Setting a Green Example: Washington Post Article about NVRPA's energy conservation efforts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080200095.html

• You Tube video of the largest all LED holiday light show in the world at Bull Run Regional Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fukJDJUJh0

• All three NVRPA golf courses are certified Wildlife Sancuaries by Audubon International.

http://www.audubonintl.org/programs/acss/golf.htm

Employee Achievement Awards

Again this year we recognized some of the employees that went far beyond their basic job and achieved great things. Every year for the last three years we have had this awards program. These individuals were nominated by their co-workers and selected by a cross-functional committee of NVRPA employees out of a great field of nominees.

2007 Employee Achievement Awards

Anthony (Tony) Blevins

In the category of Safety, Tony and his staff have a perfect record for 2007. Tony consistently places a high priority on the public’s health and safety. His considerable knowledge was instrumental in the development of the NVRPA Pesticide and Fertilizer Use policy, which will improve the health and safety of all NVRPA parks.


Benjamin (Ben) Bilko

In the category of Safety, Ben has brought a determined focus on aquatic safety to Cameron Run. Under his leadership, the lifeguard staff at Cameron Run achieved their highest rating from NASCO. Ben has taken a hands-on approach to his job, working with customers and staff to create an atmosphere of safety for everyone.


Daryl Adams

In the categories of Safety and Cost Savings, Daryl has developed a preventive maintenance program for all Park Authority fleet vehicles. He has also gone into great detail in correcting any safety problems with the Park Authority fleet, minimizing the likelihood of any accidents. The maintenance program will save the Park Authority money in the long term and improve safety for NVRPA staff.


John (Matt) Woods

In the categories of Programming and Above-and-Beyond, Matt created new interpretive trails for Ball’s Bluff Battlefield. He also worked with volunteers and graphic artists to create a series of new interpretive signs that tell the story of the battle with much more detail and accuracy. Matt also developed a detailed map of the trail. All of this was done in addition to Matt’s duties at Temple Hall Farm, and included a considerable amount of Matt’s personal time.

Richard Bailey

In the categories of Innovation and Programming, Rich planned, coordinated and implemented the development of a wall-sized educational mural in the nature center auditorium. He worked with the Arlington Alliance to get volunteers to draw the template for the mural. He also created a wall-sized mosaic of the earth and the moon on the outside of the nature center. Rich has organized field trips for the Junior Naturalist camp, including a trip to property owned by his parents on the Chesapeake Bay, culminating in rave reviews as well as a number of new and/or improved programs for different age groups.


Bryan McFerren

In the categories of Cost Savings and Innovation, Bryan changed the fairway turf at Algonkian Golf Course to Bermuda grass. This change will significantly reduce the chemicals and maintenance needed on the fairways. The result of this change is an improved golf course, less environmental impact, and tens of thousands of dollars in annual cost savings. Bryan also achieved the “Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Certification” for Brambleton and Algonkian Golf Courses. This accomplishment makes NVRPA the only park agency to achieve this level of environmental excellence in the mid-Atlantic states.


John Moore

In the categories of Versatility and Above-and-Beyond, John has shown a wonderful “can do” attitude. John has also shown great leadership in making improvements to Temple Hall’s Corn Maze. John was instrumental in working with the extension service to support “Ag Day” at Temple Hall, an event that educated over 800 children about agriculture. He works during his off-hours with the Loudoun County Fair Board and the Loudoun County 4-H program. John lives at Temple Hall Farm, which requires him to be on call 24 hours.


Alan Marshall

In the category of Versatility, Alan has stepped in whenever needed to maintain the equipment at Algonkian Golf Course, even though he was not hired as a mechanic. Alan has voluntarily taken on this task, which in turn has saved money because of less down time. Alan has also taken the time to create a service plan worksheet for all maintenance equipment at Algonkian, which helps with preventative maintenance. This service also prolongs the overall life of the equipment fleet at Algonkian.


Robert Croson

In the category of Versatility, Robert is the gardener for Brambleton Golf Course, but serves in many other capacities. Robert demonstrated his carpenter abilities by building a new staircase leading up to a forward tee at Brambleton. Because of the new stairs, golfers can safely proceed up and down from the tee during all types of weather.


Chris Marshall

In the category of Versatility, Chris has taken great initiative in obtaining certifications and in learning and performing all aspects of equipment repair. Chris has been with the Park Authority less than two (2) years and is now a Certified Chemical Applicator Technician. Chris is the first park maintenance worker to earn this certification, which helps free time for staff supervisors to perform other tasks. Chris has also learned how to make repairs to the irrigation system and to the mowing equipment.


Mark Brooks

In the categories of Versatility and Innovation, Mark fabricated and designed the surf- board signs, which helped the Cameron Run Pool concession be as successful as it was last year. Mark’s contribution was key to making the Holiday Village a success this year by using his great skills to make our yurts meet fire code and also have central heat. Santa could not have done his job this year, if Mark had not been such a skilled and creative carpenter.


Jonelle Bailey

In the category of Versatility, Jonelle led numerous improvements at the Bull Run Special Events Center including revised applications and contracts, and redesigned the Holiday Village. Jonelle has also updated all of Bull Run’s forms, and all of this while learning an entire new park system and providing exceptional customer service.


Everett (Jack) Shepherd

In the categories of Team Player and Above-and-Beyond, Jack saw the potential and took the initiative to create a scenic overlook at Occoquan Regional Park. Jack often comes in on his days off to check on projects or to help out with special events at the park. Jack also helps the new Rangers and teaches them about proper work ethics. Jack truly has a special passion for Occoquan Regional Park that benefits all members of the public who use this park.

Doug Radoye

In the category of Team Player, Doug exemplifies the best qualities of someone who helps others. Doug has shown great initiative in identifying and solving electrical problems throughout the NVRPA system. In 2006 and 2007, Doug’s contribution was key to the success of the Bull Run Light Show, making sure we had power everywhere we needed it for the light displays and Holiday Village.


Susan Chidakel

In the categories of Team Player and Above-and-Beyond, Susan has helped all parks and departments with her great service to internal customers. Over the last couple of years, the budget process has changed substantially and has become much more transparent, user friendly and useful. Throughout these changes, Susan has worked to communicate with park managers, made sure all the changes were well understood, and also ensured that the information in the budgets was presented in a manner that was helpful to managers.



Thomas (Tom) Carr

In the category of Team Player, Tom has been instrumental in the many operational changes to how the Brambleton Golf Course is being maintained. Tom’s knowledge and expertise have played a critical role in the many improvements to the Brambleton Golf Course over the last year.


David Langhorne

In the category of Team Player, Dave has shown great skills in repairing equipment, advising others on what equipment to purchase in the future, and applying his knowledge to a wide variety of other issues. Dave has regularly gone beyond his job as a mechanic and used his skills and expertise on very concrete projects at Central Maintenance.


Derric Bolton

In the category of Team Player, Derric works tirelessly to ensure that our pools and parks are safe operations for the public and staff. Derric was instrumental in developing a new Pesticide and Fertilizer Use Policy for NVRPA that positions our agency as a national environmental leader. Derric assists every park with a wide range of operational issues, making him one of our most significant team players.


Cynthia (Cindy) Hudson

In the category of Above-and-Beyond, Cindy continues to provide outstanding customer service to staff. She manages every conceivable human resource issue, and is dedicated to helping all staff understand the full range of benefits and options available to them. In 2007, Cindy researched and implemented a health savings plan, which will provide a new and valuable benefit to many employees. She has also worked closely with the Human Resources Committee of the Park Authority Board to develop and review a wide variety of human resource policies and to ensure NVRPA’s policies represent the best current views on these subjects.


David (Dave) Fellers

In the category of Above-and-Beyond, Dave continues to make great contributions to the public with his stewardship of the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail. He builds bridges and water bars, clears fallen trees, installs and maintains trail signs and removes trash along this 17.5-mile trail. He often spends his personal time dealing with all sorts of trail matters, and he does all of this so that the public can enjoy the true beauty of nature.


Rebecca (Becky) Reynaldo

In the category of Above-and-Beyond, Becky has proven her extraordinary skills over and over in the oversight of NVRPA’s finances. Becky’s attention to detail has been a major factor in the clean audits and complimentary comments the Authority has received from the auditors over the last few years.


Kathryn (Kate) Irwin

In the categories of Innovation and Customer Service, Kate has shown great leadership in initiating and running a recycling program for the whole agency, dealing with printer cartridges and cell phones. She was also instrumental in setting up the paper, plastic and metal recycling program at Pohick Bay Golf Course. These programs significantly reduced the waste in our park and go a long way towards making Pohick Bay Golf Course, and NVRPA as a whole, a greener operations facility. Kate’s environmentalism has also extended to the outreach and education efforts that are part of the Audubon International Certification for Pohick Bay Golf Course.


Jake Bumbrey

In the Customer Service category, Jake provides great service to all our parks by helping the staff manage a wide range of construction contracts. Jake provides this valuable service with great good will and a “can do” attitude. In 2007, Jake was instrumental in overseeing a number of critical contracts that needed to be done to have another successful Light Show and Holiday Village at Bull Run Special Events Center. Jake makes sure NVRPA receives a good value from our contractors, and that the park staff is satisfied with the end product.


Kelly Weddington

In the category of Customer Service, Kelly has made dealing with the public a specialty that she excels at. While at Headquarters working as the Receptionist/Reservationist, Kelly handled an enormous volume of calls from the public, while helping to implement and start the use of a new website and reservation system. Kelly’s outstanding example of excellent customer service contributed to her promotion to Park Ranger at Temple Hall Farm, where she has already made great contributions.


James (Jim) Short

In the category of Customer Service, Jim has dedicated himself to improving the experience for all users at Sandy Run. His supervision of the regattas at Sandy Run has received numerous compliments from the general public and rowing community. When faced with challenges, Jim has consistently worked with those members of the public in a professional and polite manner until their issue was resolved, providing a model for all those around him to follow.


Katherine (Kathy) Brooks

In the category of Customer Service, Kathy serves a vital role in assisting our internal park operations customers. She handles a very large number of public contacts and internal issues and does so in a very helpful and courteous manner. Kathy takes great pride in her responsibilities and carries them out skillfully and with great efficiency.


MVP (2)

DENNIS CHARLTON

Dennis Charlton has forever changed the way we look at food service in our parks, from a low priority snack bar to a central, value-added service we can provide our customers. Dennis saved the Authority over $100,000 in the first few months of work by renegotiating contracts. Through his leadership, both the quality and profitability of our food service operations have dramatically improved. Just at Cameron Run, Dennis increased food sales by 38% during the summer of 2007. The dynamic team of Dennis Charlton and Scott Boger helped make 2007 one of the most successful years in NVRPA’s history.


SCOTT BOGER

For having such a positive and “can do” attitude in whatever he was working on, Scott Boger set a great example for all those he worked with. Scott has set a new high bar for customer service, far exceeding the expectations of our customers at Cameron Run, Temple Hall Farm, the Bull Run Light Show and everywhere else he worked. The dynamic team of Scott Boger and Dennis Charlton helped make 2007 one of the most successful years in NVRPA’s history.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR:


PAUL McCRAY

Applying his 34 years of experience in park operations, Paul has helped transform the Park Authority in a very profound way. In his role as Director of Operations, he listens to and coaches Park Managers, his two Superintendents and other staff members. There is probably not an employee at NVRPA, who has not benefited from Paul’s knowledge and wisdom in some way. During the last several years, Paul has fostered a renewed entrepreneurial spirit at our organization. From the Holiday Light Show at Bull Run to the theming and marketing of our pools and water parks, Paul has played a major role in making our facilities more popular than ever before. In 2007, no one has contributed more to the success of NVRPA than Paul McCray.

Another Great Re-enactment

The Carlyle House Historic Park in Alexandria celebrated their second annual reenactment of the day George Washington and his family came to dinner at the Carlyle House. A fantastic group of reenactors brought the scene to life for the public. There were musicians playing, dance lessons, sewing, dinner preparations, and lots of great 18th century conversations about all the things going on in the Virginia colony. This reenactment like many held at the Carlyle House lasted for four hours and gave the public a wonderful opportunity to explore the house and see first hand what life in the 18th Century was like.

We all owe a great deal to the living history volunteer that make events like this possible.

Success has 1,000 fathers, one of them is Darrell Winslow

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2009. We have already established a special committee that is working on planning the events to make this year special. In my opinion, NVRPA has long been a national leader in the field of parks; it pioneered the protection of drinking water sources by acquiring around forty miles of shore side parkland upstream of our region’s drinking water intake facilities, and in the process created amazing trail networks like the 17.5 mile Bull Run/Occoquan Trail, and areas of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. It developed one of our nation’s first and most successful rails-to-trail efforts with the W&OD Trail. And it became one of the most self sufficient park agencies in the nation, now generating over 80% of our operating revenues from enterprise operations. Our business like focus on offering appealing services to the public, won NVRPA national attention in the 2007 Better Government Competition hosted by the Pioneer Institute.

There is an old saying “success has a thousand fathers (and mothers).” Certainly there have been a long line of important leaders that have contributed to NVRPA’s success, Board Members like Walter Mess, Ira Gabrielson, and others, Executive Directors like Fred Packard, David Brown, and David Hobson, and hundreds of innovative, creative and highly professional staff with great accomplishments to their credit.

One individual who had a tremendous impact on NVRPA was Darrell Winslow. Darrell was hired in 1966 to lead the effort to build a system of new parks. He had already proven his effectiveness by building a system of parks in Tennessee. By 1976 he was the Executive Director, which is a position he held until his retirement in 1994.

Darrell Winslow is a man with an amazing positive “can do” spirit he bring to every task. Because of his love for parks and drive to get thing done, he is responsible for much of the regional park system we have today. A few of the accomplishments to his credit are:

• Development of the W&OD Trail

• Opening Upton Hill Regional Park

• Development of the rowing facilities at Sandy Run

• Working with Gardner Mean and Caroline Ware on the donation of the land that is Meadowlark Botanical Garden. After the donation of the land Mr. Winslow was a driving force behind the development and opening of he gardens.

• Constructing Occoquan Regional Park.

• Creation of the first and only giant wave pool in our area at Cameron Run Waterpark, as well as many other popular features.

• Creation of the meeting center and riverside cottages at Algonkian Regional Park.

• Negotiated the donation of Temple Hall Farm from the late A.V. Symington.

• Acquired Balls Bluff Battlefield Park.

• Acquired parkland on Beaver Dam and developed Brambleton Golf Course.

Darrell Winslow’s drive and energy has made an amazing and positive impact on our region. Mr. Winslow still lives in Northern Virginia, still keeps a close eye on the parks he loves so much, and is helping us in our planning for our 2009 celebrations.

Mr. Winslow is one of the “thousand fathers” of the NVRPA success story. But to my mind he is one that truly stands out as one of the principle architects of the park system we have today….An amazing accomplishment!

Trees are the Answer

How forests reduce global warming

One of the best tools available to park agencies to fight global warming is to plant trees and maintain forests.

The cause of global warming is too much carbon (CO2) in the air. Energy conservation is typically focused on reducing the output of carbon, but that is only half the answer. The other half of the solution is absorbing and storing the carbon that is taken out of the atmosphere. This process is called carbon sequestration. Carbon is naturally stored in the ground, in oceans and in plants. One of nature’s most effective tools for removing carbon from the air is trees and forests.

Many people do not realize that the trunk and branches of a tree are largely made from carbon that is pulled out of the air. The leaves of the tree do this through a process called photosynthesis. As a result, trees act as natural air filters, pulling carbon out of the air and releasing oxygen into the air. While different types of forest sequester or store carbon at different rates, on average, an acre of forest can absorb about two tons of carbon per year from the air.

All trees absorb carbon, but some do it better than others. Ideally, you want trees that grow fast in your climate without a lot of maintenance and have a relatively long life.

So, plant some trees and let us all breath easyer.

Trails & Natural Areas Lead in Public Opinion Poll

The following is a news release writen by Brian Bauer, about a recent park needs survey.



Trails And Natural Areas Lead The Public’s Park Priorities

FAIRFAX STATION (Jan. 4, 2008) More parkland. More open spaces. More historic sites. More natural areas.

The public has spoken and, according to a recent park needs survey, these are our region’s greatest needs. The survey, conducted by leading national park needs survey firm Leisure Vision/ETC Institute, polled 1,000 households in Northern Virginia. The answer, according to that survey, was quite clear: The number one interest of the public as it relates to parks is to acquire more parkland.

Eighty percent of the public were supportive of purchasing land to preserve open space, natural areas and historic sites. Nearly 67 percent of the public were interested in acquiring land for new athletic fields and recreation facilities. The difference between these two shows a clear bias towards passive, or natural parkland.

The survey has a 95 percent accuracy rating.

“As I look at the results of this poll, I am encouraged that the Regional Park Authority is playing a significant role in supplementing the outstanding service provided by local park systems. The Regional Parks focus on providing thousands of acres of natural areas, over 100 miles of trails, and preservation of some of our areas most significant historic sites. We also provide great recreational opportunities that draw the public from all over our area, we offer five pools/water parks, nature programs, and great water access,” observed Jim Mayer, NVRPA Chairman.

Almost as important as buying more natural or historic parkland was updating older parks and recreation facilities. Updating existing park features scored significantly higher than any of the options that included building new facilities.

“This result was counter intuitive in some ways. Many people would assume that the greatest pressure would be to build new facilities. As it turns out, the public is even more keenly interested in seeing their current park facilities maintained and updated to a high standard,” remarked Paul Gilbert, NVRPA Executive Director.

“For the last several years, the Regional Park Authority has made a big push to improve its park facilities with fresh paint and good preventive maintenance everywhere you look. I think it has a big impact when the public sees parks that are obviously well cared for,” commented Su Webb, NVRPA Board Member and Vice Chair.

The new park facilities that the public is most interested in also held some surprises with facilities like trails, nature centers and historic sites generating significantly more interest than the need to build new athletic fields.

“Trails are the number one most desired recreational facility. Over 75 percent of the public use trails on a regular basis. The reason we do not hear more about this is that trail users are generally not as organized and vocal as those involved in team sports,” remarked Gilbert.

According to the survey, members of the public noted the strongest support for the following park facilities (over 50% public support):
75.9% develop new walking and biking trials.
69.2% upgrade existing athletic fields.
65.1% support the development of indoor recreation & fitness facilities
62.3% purchase land to connect existing parks.
61.7% support the development of nature, history, and horticultural facilities.
57.1% develop a new teen center.
56.2% develop a new senior center.
54.1% develop new athletic fields

The survey broke down park interests by age and gender as well. Some highlights of this more specific look at park usage included the following:

Historic sites, while popular with the general public reporting a 58.2 percent interest, are particularly interesting to people from 55 to 64 years of age. In this age group, 68.2 percent enjoy visiting historic sites.

“Historic sites like Aldie Mill, Ball’s Bluff Battlefield and the Carlyle House are not only very popular with residents in our area, they also play a key role in the tourism economy that is key to Virginia,” added Webb.

Nature centers and natural areas were ranked as a high importance at over 63 percent usage by people from 35 – 64 years of age. Paved trails while popular with all age groups, ranked as almost 80 percent support by adults from 55 to 64 years of age. The longest paved trail in the region is the W&OD Trail, which stretches for 45 miles from Shirlington to Purcellville. Picnic shelters were of the most interest to people from 35 – 44 years of age, of whom 62.3 percent reported using such sites. Women were 10 percent more interested in picnic sites than men.

Outdoor pools and water parks were of high interest to those under 45 years of age, with 55.7 percent interest to those less than 35 years of age, and 60.3 percent interest to those from 35 to 44 years of age. NVRPA invested in a major renovation to the water park at Upton Hill Regional Park last year and witnessed a 50 percent increase in park usage. Another renovation is currently underway at the pool at Pohick Bay Regional Park, which will assume an all new pirate theme and be known as Pirate’s Cove at Pohick Bay.

“As a key part of this region, we’ve always felt that the needs of the public are a guiding force,” Gilbert added. “This survey confirms our mission, and helps forge our plans for the future.”

Benchmarks compareing this poll to other similar polls can be seen at:

http://www.nvrpa.org/documents/file/ParkSurveyResults.pdf

Do not go where the path may lead,

go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- RalphWaldo Emerson

In the spirit of Emerson's challenge to be a trail blazer, and do new things, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Board just adopted a new and exciting five year Strategic Plan. Below are some of the highlights. the full plan may be seen at:

http://www.nvrpa.org/html/index.php?pg=planning.html

Vision 2012
Envision Northern Virginia in 2012 and the role of the Northern Virginia Regional Park
Authority (NVRPA) in improving the quality of life of over 1.6 million residents. We see a Regional Park system that has grown substantially in the previous five years, responding
to the public’s strong interest in preserving more natural areas and historic sites through an expanded system of parks. We see a growing network of trails allowing the public to bike, walk, hike and paddle more places. We see NVRPA setting a national example of how every park can engage the public in learning about our natural, cultural and historic resources. We see a Regional Park system that has continued to innovate in providing popular regional recreational opportunities to the public. And we see a healthy park system where older facilities are well maintained, and where a strong entrepreneurial spirit allows NVRPA to continue its role as a national leader in conservation and recreation.

This vision of the future can become a reality, and this Strategic Plan for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is the trail map that will help us navigate from where we are to where we want to go.

Waypoint 2007
As we look back over nearly fty years of history at the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, it is clear that this unique agency has always been a trail blazer. Founded by forward thinking citizens who believed the preservation of large natural areas and protection of our major waterways could be best achieved by pooling regional resources. NVRPA is unique today as the largest regional park agency in the Commonwealth. Early leaders like: Ira Gabrielson, Walter Mess, Elizabeth Hartwell, Ellen Bozman, John Mastenbrook and many more, served as representatives of member jurisdictions on the NVRPA Board and helped the agency grow to include over 10,000 acres, 21 diverse and wonderful parks and over 100 miles of trails. In addition to the great parks and programs, NVRPA has won national recognition for its lean and innovative management. Where most park agencies’ operations are 40-80% taxpayer subsidized, NVRPA generates over 80% of its operating revenues through enterprise operations, providing taxpayers an unusually high value.

The Map Ahead
Like any forward thinking document, the Strategic Plan is not meant to detail every action that will be taken over the next ve years, but rather to articulate the major steps that need to be achieved to move the agency from where it is to where it can, and should be, in the future.

Goal 1: Increase, Maintain and Enhance Conservation of Natural, Cultural
and Historic Resources.
Develop the strategy and resources to grow our base of parkland (acquire more land).
Steward NVRPA existing natural and historic resources for the enjoyment of future generations.

Goal 2: Expand and Improve Recreational Facilities to Meet Northern Virginia’s
Population Needs.
Expand and adapt current facilities to better meet the needs of our diverse population.
Invest in the maintenance of current park facilities. Connect recreation with interpretive and educational efforts.

Goal 3: Enhance and Expand Opportunities for Cultural and Environmental
Interpretation and Education that Foster an Understanding of the Relationship
between People and the Environment.
Cultivate community partnerships that will bring great educational opportunities to the parks.
Make every park a place where we provide the public with information about our natural, cultural and historic resources.
Help the public understand the role NVRPA plays in preserving our natural and historic resources.

Goal 4: Develop Mechanisms for Sustainable Financing.
Assure sound nancial planning and management.
Expand resources through further enterprise operations, new partnerships and enhanced philanthropic giving.

Goal 5: Increase Public Awareness and Recognition of NVRPA’s role in the Region.
Expand the use of parks through effective marketing, and communicate the story of NVRPA’s achievements to the public we serve.

Goal 6: Provide Exceptional Leadership for NVRPA.
Assure good governance and development of volunteer and staff resources, to implement the Mission and Strategic Plan.

The Journey

The Journey ahead will be exciting. We have an opportunity to take this great and unique organization of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and build it into a powerful tool to enhance the quality of life in our region. If we succeed, we will have a healthier connection between our people and our land. The public will be spending more time engaged in outdoor activities and have a greater appreciation for the rich natural and historic treasures of our region. Embarking on any new journey takes courage. The great advantage of this journey is that we embark on this expedition with the energy and talents of all the NVRPA supporters, member jurisdictions, partners, volunteers and staff throughout our region. Together, we have a powerful team that can achieve great things.

Thank you for embarking on this journey with us.

Washington Post covers Strategic Plan

[The following come directly from the Washington Post, 11/29/07]

Park Authority Looks to Maintain High Ratings
5-Year Strategic Plan Takes Its Lead From Survey of N.Va. Residents

By Kirstin DowneyWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, November 29, 2007; VA03

Northern Virginians love their parks, and a five-year strategic plan being proposed by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority aims to keep it that way.

In a new survey of area residents, four-fifths rated the quality of their local parks as excellent or good. They like the programs offered by the park agencies even more, with about 90 percent of residents giving the park authority high marks for the wide array of activities at the parks, such as fitness classes, golf lessons, tennis leagues and youth activities.

It's not surprising that residents are pleased. The park authority, the largest regional park agency in the state, encompasses 21 kinds of parks, more than 100 miles of trails and more than 10,000 acres of land.

Its sites include a water-powered grist mill in Aldie, an aquatics play complex at Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling, a Civil War battlefield at Ball's Bluff, a boating marina in Lorton, a wave park at Alexandria's Cameron Run Regional Park, a golf course in Ashburn and even a cornfield maze in Leesburg.

But many challenges lie ahead for park officials in an area with more than 1.6 million residents, many with widely varied ideas of what makes a day in the park fun and worthwhile. The debate over dog parks vs. playgrounds is just one illustration of the ways opinions can vary. Finite resources, however, require that the park authority make choices about what to do next.

For that reason, the park authority commissioned an evaluation of park programs by local elected officials and park enthusiasts. It surveyed 2,500 residents and got full responses from 900 of them.

"The creation of a plan like this is almost as important as the end product, since through the process, people are challenged to think beyond the needs of today and envision what could be in the future," said Paul Gilbert, the agency's executive director.

First: What do people like best? The authority found that paved walking and biking trails are the most important park feature for residents, with 71 percent declaring them a personal favorite, followed closely by small community parks, which 69 percent singled out. The most popular activities are adult fitness and local history programs.

About 59 percent of respondents said they support purchasing land to preserve open space. Consequently, in the next five years, the park authority intends to buy more land, particularly sites requiring watershed or habitat protection or places with valuable historic resources. It also will expand facilities in places it owns that include those features. Specifically, under the plan, the park authority seeks to buy three such properties within five years and add five trail segments to the hiking and biking system.

The park group also plans to increase its interaction with schools by creating interpretative activities tied to the Virginia Standards of Learning requirements, helping to boost student achievement. The authority plans to establish five SOL-based programs at parks within five years.

The agency also intends to put in place new administrative and accounting procedures to improve efficiency.

A public hearing on the plan will be at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 at park authority headquarters at 5400 Ox Road in Fairfax Station. A debate over which projects get priority might be in the offing, because of the many differences of opinion among park-goers.

About 80 percent of Fairfax County residents said they had visited a park within the past year; 66 percent of Alexandria residents said they had. Fairfax City residents were happiest with the programs they were offered; half of those residents called the programs "excellent."

About 30 percent of Loudoun County residents said they felt they needed campgrounds, compared with 14 percent of Falls Church residents. Similarly, youth-oriented programs were more popular in Loudoun County than in Falls Church.

"Cool" Park Authority

The author with electic utility vehicles now used at 5 parks


The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is the first park authority in the nation to agree to voluntarily reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through the Cool Counties Initiative. Cities and Counties across the nation are taking steps to reduce the causes of global warming. In Northern Virginia all ready the City of Alexandria, Fairfax and Arlington Counties have made this commitment.

To bring attention to this critical issue, NVRPA hosted a free outdoor showing of the movie An Inconvenient Truth about global climate change. Prior to the showing of the movie on October 28th the crowd heard from Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, Arlington Board Chair Paul Ferguson and Falls Church City Councilman David Snyder about local effort to reduce carbon emissions.

NVRPA began its energy conservation effort a little over a year ago. These efforts have resulted in a total carbon emission drop between 2006 and 2007 agency wide. Efforts at Brambleton Regional Golf Course for example, saved enough energy last year to heat and cool 103 average homes for a year, a 27 percent reduction in the course’s energy consumption. Last month’s adoption of the Cool Counties Initiative by the NVRPA Board of Directors was an important step for the Park Authority, according to NVRPA Chairman Bill Dickinson.

“We shall lead by example in the field of energy conservation. By adopting this resolution, we will help create a more sustainable society that is less dependent on non-renewable resources, and achieve long-term cost savings in the process.”

“The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has shown real leadership in signing on to the Cool Counties initiative. Their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas are a direct help to the Arlington Initative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE). I am thrilled NVRPA is offering a free showing of An Inconvenient Truth. The more people that see this important movie the better our chances are to correct global warming. I would encourage everyone to attend this event,” remarked Arlington County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson.

NVRPA Board of Directors member Judy Braus (Fairfax County), who also serves as Vice President, Education and Centers, National Audubon Society added that programs like the one being held at Meadowlark were key in terms of raising public awareness.

“The local governments like Fairfax County, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria that have taken formal action to reduce their emissions and help citizens understand what they can do to reduce pollution are making an enormous difference,” Braus noted. “Global warming is one of the most critical issues facing our world. Understanding the issue and some of the steps we can all take to reduce our emissions is the first step to solving this issue. That is why coming to the event at Meadowlark is so important.”

Fairfax County was instrumental in working with other Counties to develop the Cool Counties initative. On hearing the news of NVRPA’s adoption of the Cool Counties Resolution Fairfax County Chairman Gerry Connolly remarked, “I applaud the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority’s adoption of Cool Counties. Because of their large land holdings, substantial fleet, and numerous facilities, the NVRPA has the capacity to make a significant contribution to the effort to stabilize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Heroes Save a Young Life

On September 4, 2007 the Alexandria Fire & Rescue Department gave awards to a life guard and pool manager from Cameron Run Regional Park for their role in saving the life of a seven year old girl. The two heroes were, Colin Veditz the life guard that identified that the girl was in trouble and Amanda Lindsay who was the pool manager that assisted with the first aid.

The event happened in June when a young girl lost consciousness in a shallow pool, due to a medical condition. Colin and Amanda acted quickly, pulling her from the pool and brining her back to consciousness before the EMTs arrived. The City Fire and Rescue officials remarked that Amanda and Colin’s good training and quick response made their jobs easy and probably save the life of this girl.

NVRPA life guards and pool managers receive considerably more training than most life guard, and are regularly audited for safety related indicators like scan times, equipment readiness, and professionalism. The National Aquatic Safety Company (NASCO) ranked all of NVRPA’s five water parks as “World Class” after its most recent audit.

No job is more important than saving lives. We were honored to have heroes like Amanda and Colin, and all the other skilled aquatic safety staff that helped keeps our patrons safe.

Amanda Linsay has worked summer for NVRPA since 2002. She holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from James Madison University in Education and is a special education teacher for the Fairfax County School System.

Colin Veditz was a first time life guard this year, and said it was the best job he has ever had. He is a rising sophomore at West Virginia University in the field of Management Information Systems.

DC Reflections on Pohick Bay

On the DC Reflections blog there is a great post about kayaking at Pohick Bay and the Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagles, and Red Winged Blackbirds he encounter on a short but memorable paddle in the Pohick Bay Marsh. I find a paddle in the Marsh at Pohick Bay for an hour or two is one of the most relaxing thinks I can do. In a very short time you reconnect with nature. I encourage you to read this post that so well conveys the experience of paddling in this area.

http://dcreflections.typepad.com/dc_reflections/2007/09/minutes-into-pa.html?cid=81802059#comment-81802059

Lafayette Comes to Temple Hall Farm

Photo (left to right: Marquis de Lafayette, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams & Elizabeth Mason)

August 9, 1825 hero of the Revolution, Marquis de Lafayette, former President James Monroe and current President John Quincy Adams visited Temple Hall Farm as part of Lafayette's 13 month tour of the United States.

August 9, 2007 Temple Hall Farm Regional Park celebrates its first annual Lafayette Day. This event features living history re-enactors, a historic french carriage was provided for the day by Ayrshire Farm, wagon rides and historic house tours were also available. We acknowledged the donation last month of a gift from the Symington Estate to support the farm endowment. Since 2004 the Symington Estate has donated $5 million for the long term support and development of Temple Hall Farm.

This was a great start to an annual event that we hope will grow each year. The long term vision for Temple Hall Farm Regional Park is to greatly expand the interpretation of our agricultural history over the coming years. Lafayette Day gives us one annual special event were we focus on the most exciting day in Temple Hall's almost 200 year history.

For more information on the history of Temple Hall Farm you can see the application for the National Register of Historic Places for the farm at:

http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Loudoun/053-0303_TempleHall_2006_NRdraft.pdf

Making History Come Alive!

“Living history,” “re-enacting,” “period costumed performers,” whatever you call it, it is perhaps the most powerful tool to engage the public in historic sites. At the Regional Park Authority we have been working to expand the number and diversity of living history events in our parks to help engage the public in the rich history of our area.

Last Sunday, Carlyle House Historic Park in Alexandria hosted one of its annual re-enactments, focusing on when the Carlyle family moved into the house in 1753. Because of the great living history volunteers that made the house come alive with 18th Century activity, over 400 visitors participated in the afternoon tours! It was a steady stream of public from 12 to 4:00 P.M.

Visitors both learned about history and were treated to an entertaining experience. When people participate in an event like this they come away with a sense of what it was like to live in that time period. This is and experience that it is not easy to get from just reading an interpretive sign or seeing a static display. It is called “living history” for a reason.

The volunteers that do living history are an amazing group. Not only do they give great attention to correct period clothing, they often do extensive research into the character they are portraying. They are a wealth of information, and work hard to make history accessible to the general public. If you see a reenactor at one of our historic parks or one of the other great sites in the our area that do living history programs like, Gunston Hall, Gadsby’s Tavern, Mt. Vernon, or others, ask that person some questions. It will likely lead to a great conversation, that will be both fun and enlightening.

In addition to the programs at the Carlyle House, NVRPA also offers battlefield tours by living history volunteers of Balls Bluff Battlefield in Leesburg. Those tours are held on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00 and Noon during the spring, summer and fall. Similarly we host milling demonstrations at Aldie Mill Historic Park in Aldie Virginia on weekends at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 during the spring, summer and fall.

This year we are adding a new program that we hope to do every August 9th. From 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. on Thursday August 9th we are hosting our first Lafayette Day, at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park outside of Leesburg. This event will celebrate August 9th 1825 when the Marquis de Lafayette, President John Quincy Adams, and former President James Monroe all visited the farm that was owned by William Temple Mason, the nephew of George Mason of Gunston Hall.

Below are some of the Living History Events coming up.

August 9th – Lafayette Day @ Temple Hall Farm
August 18th – Alexandria Surrenders (War of 1812) @ Carlyle House
September 22nd & 23rd - Civil War encampment @ Balls Bluff Battlefield
October 27th – Colonel John Carlyle’s 1780 Funeral @ Carlyle House
November 10th – Muster Day 1781 (join the Fairfax Militia) @ Carlyle House
December 1st – A solder’s Christmas (First VA Regiment) @ Carlyle House

(Check http://www.nvrpa.org/ for more details on these and other programs.)

Above Photos:
Top: Blue Ridge Regional Park
Bottom: Cindy Holcomb & Rhonda Krafchin from REI present me with $5,000 check for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) is much more than a great store to get all your outdoor goods, it is an organization that directly contributes to promote conservation and outdoor recreation.

Today REI donated $5,000 to help the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority develop Blue Ridge Regional Park, near Bluemont Virginia in western Loudoun County. This is a 165 acre property on the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains that we are developing into a youth group camping site. In June our first group of scouts camped out on this beautiful mountain wilderness location. With the donation from REI we will build an amphitheater and start the process of building a trail network on this property.

The site is both beautiful and rustic. If you are looking for running water, electricity and flush toilets, try one of our family campgrounds at Bull Run or Pohick Bay. Blue Ridge Regional Park is for youth groups that want to have a real wilderness experience. It has three camping areas that can each accommodate a group of 20-30. There are fire rings, picnick tables, and porta-potties. We will soon build a shelter using an old stone fire pace from a previous house as the focal point of the shelter. The camp ground is available for organized groups by appointment only. If your group is interested in a great back country camping experience call 703-352-5900.

REI's contributions are not limited to Blue Ridge Regional Park. They have been one of the most consistent contributing organizations for NVRPA for over a decade. In June they organized volunteers to build bridges and blaze areas of trail as part of the Potomac Heritage Nation Scenic Trail, on NVRPA easements and land. Last year they contributed to projects at both Potomac Overlook Regional Park and Bull Run Regional Park, and the list goes on, and on, and on... REI has made conservation a key part of their mission. They understand that people need places to camp, climb, bike, paddle and hike, if there is going to continue to be a market for outdoor gear... An incredibly enlightened perspective.

Largest Trees in Great Falls

On the 4th of July, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority received recognition for having some of the largest trees in Great Falls Virginia.

The Great Falls Citizens Association conducted an extensive heritage tree census this year. One of the goals of the Citizens Association was to highlight the great resource they have in large mature trees, and hope that this effort helps to save these great trees.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority owns over 700 acres in Great Falls. This land is along the Potomac River. Today it is a key part of the Potomac Heritage Scenic Trail system. In the late 18th Century this area was part of the Patowmack Canal system that George Washington built. The Patowmack Canal system was built many years before the C&O Canal on the Maryland side.

Because this area along the river has been largely natural for so many years, it is home to a very mature forest. The largest tree in Great Falls, a Sycamore is on Regional Park Authority land. We also had the largest Hickory, and White Ash. In addition we have among the largest American Beech, Chestnut Oak and Silver Maple.

The Great Falls Citizens Association is a great organization, and I hope their effort to highlight the importance of our mature trees help to protect them. Many of these large trees have been growing for hundreds of years. These giants should be protected like other historic assets.

Thomas Jefferson H.S. Competes at Henley

For the second year in a row the rowing team from Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County was among the best crew teams in the world, competing at the Henley Royal Regatta in England. We would like to think that one of the factors assisting these great athletes has been one of the best rowing facilities in the country at Sandy Run Regional Park. The Sandy Run facility is on the Occoquan Reservoir and is a facility dedicated to scholastic rowing.

The TJ Men’s Varsity won all their regattas against all the local competition in Virginia. They then beat five top crews from across the Mid-Atlantic States and New England at the St. Andrew’s Invitational regatta. After that regatta, it became clear that TJ’s boat this year would be very good. And, good it proved to be, winning the Virginia State Championships, the world’s largest high school regatta (175 schools), the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia, and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships.

This record made it clear that the boat would not only qualify, but be offered one of the eight top seeds, for the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta, the premier rowing event in the world. As rowing is not school sponsored in Northern Virginia, the parents worked hard to make arrangements and to raise funds to get the team to England for the regatta. After practicing for more than a week in England, rowing practice races against numerous other college and club crews from the US, the competition bracket was determined on Saturday June 30. TJ, while seeded, was placed in the half of the bracket with the Irish, Australian, Canadian, and British champions.

TJ won its first two races “easily” (more than five lengths) against Methodist College, Belfast, the Irish champions, and then Winchester College. In the round of eight, TJ faced the Brentwood College School, the Canadian champions, and lost after battling its opponent for the lead for the first mile. Brentwood ended up second in the regatta losing by one foot to Shrewsbury School of England. The TJ Men’s Varsity Eight ended their amazing season US National Champions and one of top eight high school boats in the world!

Congratulations TJ on an outstanding season!!

(All but the first paragraph of this post was copied from a report to TJ supports from Warren Muir)

Attracting More Park Users & Winning National Recognition

This week I traveled to Boston along with Jim Mayer (NVRPA Vice Chair) and his wife Marjorie to receive an award in the Better Government Competition hosted by the Pioneer Institute. Pioneer is a public policy think-tank dedicated to promoting lean and efficient government.

We won our award primarily because NVRPA has been very effective in the last two years in competing for the public's leisure time, and attracting more visitors to our Regional Parks. This may not sound like a big deal, but there is a national trend away from people spending time outdoors.

Richard Louv's best selling book Last Child in the Woods focused attention on how today's children are not spending time outside engaging with nature, like previous generations have. The National Park Service release a study last year that showed a 26.5% reduction in camping in National Parks over the last 13 years. And the University of Maryland released a study recently showing a 50% drop in the amount of time children are spending in unstructured outdoor activities compared with a few years ago.

This is a significant societal issue, and for NVRPA whose operations are 80% self funded through user fees, it was a serious financial issue as well. We faced serious financial challenges in 2003 and 2004 as a result of lower park visitation, 2005 showed modest improvement, and in 2006 & 2007 we have been growing our user base rapidly.

To do this we needed to approach the delivery of conservation and recreation services in a business like manner, and actively compete for the public's limited leisure time.

With both our two family campgrounds, and our three golf courses we followed a very effective formula:

1. We invested in facility improvements that the public valued. At our campgrounds we have added rustic cabins, better utility hook ups, and renovated restrooms. At our golf courses we have added a significant amount of new drainage to improve the course conditions, and we have added new tee boxes and made other improvements.


2. We offered the public a very good value. Our golf membership program offers unlimited play for the avid golfer at a great price. Our campgrounds are nicer than ever and are price at the low end of the market.


3. We marketed our offerings like never before. We created great new brochures that we put at all the Virginia Visitor Centers, and many other high traffic areas. We did targeted advertising in golf and camping publications.

The results of this formula for success were fantastic. Our campgrounds saw a 13% increase in usage in 2006, and our golf play was up 12% in the same year. Overall all of our park operations saw an increase of over 10% in public usage during a time when all the national studies are showing the trend going in the opposite direction.

It is critically important for ones mental and physical health at any age to get outdoor. It is also critical to a park agency like the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to have the public utilizing our parks.

Please visit a park this week, and tell a friend what a wonderful experience you had.

Draft Horses at Temple Hall

Temple Hall Regional Park is a historic farm park just outside of Leesburg on Rt. 15. One of the great new attractions at Temple Hall has been the introduction of draft horses that we use to take park patrons on wagon rides. It is a great way to step back in time and have an experience similar to one that you might have had one hundred and fifty years ago.

Temple Hall was built by Temple Mason, one of the nephews of George Mason in 1810. The farm was donated to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority by Mrs. Symington to be used as a site for education about our farming past.

This week, 800 Loudoun County fourth graders came to Temple Hall to learn about farming.

The Birth of a New Water Park

On Memorial Day Weekend 2007, NVRPA opened a redesigned and rennovated water park at Upton Hill Regional Park in Arlington VA.

For decades that has been a popular pool, mini-golf, batting cage, and picnic areas at Upton Hill. What users experience now is the result of almost $2 million in rennovations to the pool. It is now much more of a water park. While we kept the popular lap swimming pool, we completely rennovated the tot pool, and added two new water slides, rennovated the main pool area, and added a great new water play area. The end result is a much more exciting and engaging attraction than we have ever had there.

This year's Memorial Day weekend saw almost twice as many park users at the pool than the preceeding Memorial Day weekend!

NVRPA runs five aquatics facilities, including ones at Algonkian Regional Park, Bull Run Regional Park, Pohick Bay Regional Park, and our flagship waterpark at Cameron Run Regional Park.

Bigger Better Brighter - Light show success

This year the light show at Bull Run Regional Park is all new and attracting record crowds. The new show is the only all LED holiday light show in country. These LED lights are brighter than normal bulbs, last much longer and us only one tenth the electricity of the previous show!

It is an amazing experience driving through two and a half miles of light show in the comfort (and heat) of your car. To date, we has seen almost 12,000 families come through the show!
If you would like to see some video of the show you can use the following link to see when Holly Hunter from FOX 5 News reported from the light show: [the link has expired]

At the end of the light show, on Dec. 14th - 17th and Dec 20th - 24th, is the Winter Wonderland Holiday Village. There is an ice skating rink, tree sales, various vendors selling hot chocolate, food, arts and crafts, as well as carnival rides and a stage with local musician. On Saturday December 10th we named Gerry Connolly (Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors) as our honorary Mayor of the Holiday Village.

Those interested in visiting the light show may want to consider coming during the week when the crowds are less, and may want to visit WWW.NVRPA.ORG for the $2 off coupon.

Biodiversity in Urban Parks

[Images Above: Club Moss on the top, and Shining Sumac on the bottom]

Some assume that urban landscapes are void of any notable natural features. The truth is quite different. We have recently been conducting natural resource inventories of some of our parks in urban settings, like Arlington Virginia, and have made some interesting findings.

The Shining Sumac bush on the right is tied for the largest specimen of its kind in the state. The Club Moss while not rare state-wide is somewhat rare in our region. Sometimes our parks are amoung the last natural areas left in urban landscapes. As such, they serve as important places for nature to thrive, and important places for people to go and get re-connected to the natural world.

While it is not well known, some of NVRPA's parkland provides habitat for species that are federally listed as threatened or endangers (the two plants pictured above are not in this category). Whether endangered or just rare to our region, protecting our biodiversity is an important part of our mission as a regional park agency.

For those wanting to learn more about local plant species, one of the best places to go is the Potomac Valley Collection at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. This great Regional Park is a wonderful place to get acquainted with a wide variety of native plants, so the next time you are walking through the woods, you will see your surroundings with a whole new appreciation.

Golf and Nature Education can go Together

Nature Learning Center at Algonkian Golf Course

One of the goals for all of our parks this year is to expand their natural and/or historic interpretation. This comes from our mission that calls on us to “foster an understanding of the relationship between people and their environment.”

This goal is straight forward part of our system like the nature center at Potomac Overlook, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, or our historic sites like the Carlyle House, Balls Bluff Battlefield, Temple Hall Historic Farm, or Aldie Mill. It is more of a challenge for the parks that have traditionally been more focused on the recreational part of our mission. A good example of how the recreational and educational portions of our mission can be married is the nature learning center in the pro shop at our golf course at Algonkian Regional Park. This display area has a wealth of information on the flora and fauna that golfers will likely see as they play this beautiful course along the Potomac River.

Another way we are building the bridge between our recreational and environmental elements of our mission is our efforts to get all three of our golf courses certified by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programfor Golf Courses. This program sets high standards for golf courses in the following areas:
· Environmental Planning
· Wildlife and Habitat Management
· Chemical Use Reduction and Safety
· Water Conservation
· Water Quality Management
· Outreach and Education

For more information on this program see: http://www.auduboninternational.org/programs/acss/golf.htm

History comes alive... Or is it dead?

One of our most creative efforts to engage the public in history is our October exhibit on death and mourning practices of the 18th Century held at the Carlyle House in Alexandria. This exhibit focuses on the death of John Carlyle, one of the early civic and business leaders in colonial Alexandria. This seasonal program concludes with a reenactment of John Carlyle's funeral. This year this event takes place on Saturday October 28th from 6:00 - 9:00 P.M.

Innovation in Government

Recently, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) applied for the Harvard School of Government's Innovation in Government Award. It will take some time to find out how we did against the considerable national competition. Whether we win this award or not, clearly we have many innovative initiatives taking place at the Regional Park Authority.

NVRPA operations are roughly 80% self funded. Because so little of our operating revenues come from tax dollars, we have become very entrepreneurial. Close to 30% of our operating revenues come from our two campgrounds and three golf courses.

To improve our services we identified new value added features/services appreciated by our customers. As a consequence, park usage and revenue improved significantly. We created a golf membership program encouraging frequent players to purchase season passes for unlimited play (priced to promote play during non-peak demand times) at NVRPA courses. Augmented by an aggressive marketing program, including ads in golfing publications and local newspapers, wide distribution of a new brochure and use of Virginia Tourism assets, play at all NVRPA golf courses dramatically improved. A 12.78 % increase in golf rounds over the previous year resulted.

Camping is another core service that experienced dramatic usage and financial improvement as a result of enhanced features. At our two campgrounds, we added rustic cabins, expanded hook-ups for recreational vehicles and wireless internet access. These new features allow the public to select from a wider range of camping experiences and comfort levels. The new amenities were marketed through print ads, the internet and camping directories. NVRPA developed and widely distributed captivating literature promoting family camping near the nation’s capital. An increase of 8,997 campers over the previous year and an income increase of $134,975 (18.46% annual increase) were realized. These are examples where innovation is transforming NVRPA, allowing us to respond to the public need for more recreational opportunities at an affordable price. NVRPA is pursuing many other managerial, partnership and technology initiatives, permitting the agency to live into its mission and affect a futuristic plan for obtaining more parkland in Northern Virginia.

Use of W&OD Trail on the Rise

On Agust 18th the Washington Post ran a front page story titles Bicycling on Popular W&OD Trail No Longer a Breeze. This story focused on the increased use of the W&OD trail and several cycling accidents over the last year an a half. Below is a letter to the editor that I sent in response to this article.

Dear Editor of the Washington Post,

Your August 18th article about cycling on the W&OD Trail and other popular trails in our area pointed out how many more trail users there are today than in the past. In the most recent park needs survey in Fairfax County, 54% of households had used walking/biking trails in the last 12 months, and 64% of households expressed a need for such amenities in the future. With interest in trail use on the rise at the same time our population continues to grow in Northern Virginia, it is little wonder that so many trail users are finding their way to the W&OD. This is the premier multi-use recreational trail in our region, stretching 45 miles from Arlington to Purcellville. In many ways the W&OD is the community commons for Northern Virginia. It links our communities, creates opportunities for healthy recreation, and is a unifying thread through a very diverse region. It is great news that so many in our area are making healthy choices to increase their physical activity, spend time outside with family and friends, and seek clean alternatives to our congested roads. Expanding use of the W&OD and other trails in the region argue for more interconnected trails making non-motorized travel easier.

I appreciate the Post highlighting trail rules and etiquette. Following these simple guidelines will enhance the experience of all the users of the trail, from equestrians, walkers, skaters, and cyclists. It is also very important to note that the four accident related fatalities in the trail’s 31 year history were all the result of cyclist riding into cross streets without stopping at posted signs. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has installed stop ahead, and stop signs at every cross street, this fall we will be adding rumble strips and large lettering on the trail surface letting cyclists and other trail users know that they are approaching a cross street and need to stop and pay attention to road traffic. We are also working with the Virginia DOT to improve the safety of these crossings, with better signage, and grade separated crossings or traffic lights wherever feasible.

Even with the inherent risks of crossing streets, the Trail is a very safe place to recreate. I have cycled long stretches of the W&OD with my young daughter on the back of my bike and never felt the trail offered anything less than a family friendly place to recreate with beautiful scenery and interesting lessons in history.

For a complete list of rules and tips for playing it safe along the W&OD trail, I would encourage your readers to visit the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority website at http://www.nvrpa.org/.

Governor focuses on Environmental Challenges

Governor Kaine will be hosting a Natural Resources Leadership Summit this year to tackle some of the most challenging environmental issues of the Commonwealth. The Summit will deal with four issue areas:

• Land Conservation
• Outdoor Recreation, Fisheries & Wildlife Resources
• Water Quality and Water Resources
• Air Quality

The goals will be to both generate creative ideas for solving these challenges, and building a degree of consensus in the environmental community on what resources are needed to achieve these goals.

In 2003, Governor Warner held a similar Summit that resulted in a high degree of success. In 2003, there also was significant underfunding of state agencies with environmental responsibility like the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Department of Forestry and others. That issue has improved since 2003. One of the largest challenges today is land conservation.

The Chesapeake Bay 2000 agreement has a number of specific goals that the states of the Bay Region agreed to meet by 2010. One of these goals is to preserve 20% of the land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. With just three years to go, Virginia has some catching up to do. Governor Kaine has set a goal of conserving 400,000 acres between now and 2010. Achieving this goal will help assure that Virginia meets its Chesapeake Bay agreements.

The best way to advance all of the environmental concerns on the Governor's list is to acquire more parkland next to our streams, rivers and lakes. Forested buffers to bodies of water provide a natural filter for pollutants that would otherwise be washed into our waterways. Parkland next to waterways provides some of the best trail and boating opportunities for the public, as well as connected wildlife habitat. And mature forests are an excellent filter for our air quality.

These are not new ideas. In the 1960s, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority acquired over twenty miles of parkland along the north shore of the Bull Run/Occoquan Rivers. This parkland provides fantastic recreational opportunities for boating, hiking, camping and other activities, in addition to being an important natural filter to the Occoquan Reservoir, which is the drinking water source for 1.3 million people. The Regional Park Authority also owns 13 miles of parkland along the Potomac River, which protects our drinking water and provides numerous recreational opportunities.

There are other ways to achieve some of the environmental benefits that we need, but I know of no better solution than expanding public parkland to reach our goals in land conservation, water quality, outdoor recreation and habitat enhancement all at the same time. The challenge will be to find new ways of funding parkland expansion. We have not had a state park bond since 2002. Local park expansion is usually funded with local bonds that need to compete with other public needs like schools, public safety and other local government priorities. Are there other potential revenue sources that could be targeted to meet these goals? How do we best coordinate and prioritize state, regional and local efforts at parkland expansion to get the greatest environmental and recreational impact? Whatever the answer is to these and other questions, it is helpful to have the Governor bring a focus and priority to these issues.

New Funds for Park Expansion

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) was awarded a grant from the Virginia General Assembly in the amount of $125,000. The grant will help fund parkland acquisition.

“We are focused on growing the park system in Northern Virginia,” stated NVRPA Chairman Bill Dickinson. “Just this year, we acquired historic Aldie Mill a 19th century gist mill in Loudoun County from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation. Our organization is involved in a number of negotiations regarding land gifts and bargain sales aimed at expanding our land holdings. This grant will help us to expand the 10,000-acre park system that NVRPA operates in Loudoun, Fairfax and Arlington Counties and the Cities of Falls Church, Fairfax and Alexandria.”

”Conserving our important historic sites and natural areas is vitally important to our quality of life,” remarked Delegate Vince Callahan, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “We are fortunate to have a strong regional park system. I was pleased to help appropriate additional funds so the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority can continue to expand and serve the public,” continued Callahan.

Delegate Joe May, who also serves on the House Appropriations Committee added, “being able to support parks that will be used by millions of area residents over time, is one of the most rewarding parts of serving in the General Assembly. I was happy to help pass this appropriation for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.”

“Conserving land is a team sport. We are very grateful to have the partnership and support of the General Assembly to assist our effort to expand the parkland of our region,” said Paul Gilbert, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

NVRPA to own Aldie Mill

By the end of June, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority will be the new owners of the Aldie Mill, a 19th Century grist mill in western Loudoun County off of Rt. 50.

The mill was build in 1807-9. During the Civil War Aldie was known as a center for Confederate partisan ranger Col. John Singleton Mosby. At one point Mosby and his rangers captured two Union soldiers who had tried to hid in the flour bins of the Mill. Mosby wrote, "when we pulled them out there was nothing blue about them."

The famous writer Herman Melville wrote a poem about a scouting party that he went on to look for Mosby's Rangers in the Aldie area. Below are a few lines from this poem.

The Scout toward Aldie by Herman Melville

"They lived as in the Eerie Land-- The fire-flies showed with fairy gleam; And yet from pine-tops one might ken The Capitol dome--hazy--sublime-- A vision breaking on a dream: So strange it was that Mosby's men Should dare to prowl where the Dome was seen...

Rumor had come that a band was lodged In green retreats of hills that peer By Aldie (famed for the swordless charge). Much store they'd heaped of captured arms And, per adventure, pilfered cheer; For Mosby's lads oft hearts enlarge In revelry by some gorge's marge..."

The full text of this poem can be found on the following web site
http://www.civilwar.org/historyclassroom/hc_mosbypoem.htm

Aldie Mill has been owned and operated by the Virginia Outdoor Foundation (VOF) since 1981. Under VOF's stewardship, the merchant mill was fully restored.

OK for a Rookie

Last week I spent a day with one of our maintenance crews mowing a section of the W&OD Trail. It was a great experience, and one that I look forward to doing again. Everyone on that crew was a hard worker who took pride in their work. Often throughout the day the public would come up to a member of the crew and ask questions about the trail. I was impressed with how kind, helpful and knowledgeable everyone was in dealing with the public.

According to Larry Hunter, Maintenance Supervisor for the W&OD Trail, I did “OK for a rookie.” I only got the mower stuck once, and only ran into a transmission tower that jumped out in front of me once. (Good news: the two ton block of concrete that formed the base of the transmission tower was not damaged by my mower.)

With several million visitors per year, the W&OD Trail is almost always in use by thousands of people biking, walking, jogging and in-line skating. In many of the more urban areas the 100 foot wide trail property is a significant part of the community’s public green space, and is used in areas for picnicking, memorials, gardening, and many other uses not directly related to the 45 mile long trail that is the heart of the Washington and Old Dominion Regional Railroad Park (AKA W&OD Trail).

Volunteers make Great Contributions

(Image: Joe Soles in front of Pohick Bay Pool Building. Joe and his wife Linda recently volunteered their time and skills to landscaped this and other areas of Pohick Bay Regional Park.)

Like many park agencies, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is only able to serve the public the way we do through the dedication, passion and work of many volunteers. If we did not have all of our volunteers that care so much for the parks, we would need to almost double our staff.

Our volunteers play many important roles in our parks, some volunteer to lead historic tours of the Carlyle House or Balls Bluff Battlefield, some donate their time to patrolling the W&OD trail, or to helping maintain and run our three golf courses, and others like Joe and Linda Soles see a need in one of our parks and volunteer their time and talents to address that need.

I know many agencies benefit from the good works of volunteers, but I think the Regional Park Authority is more fortunate than most in having a strong, dedicated and talented group of volunteers in all of our parks that make great contributions to the quality of our parks.

To all of those to donate their time to the public good, please know your work is highly valued and appreciated!!

Governor Kaine sets aggressive land conservation goal

Governor Tim Kaine recently made a remarkably progressive speech on the environment. In this speech Governor Kaine sets a goal of conserving 400,000 acres of open space by the end of the decade, and pledges the resources to achieve this and other goals. Below are some sections from this address made on April 20, 2006.

"It was a century ago, at the 300th Anniversary of the Jamestown landing, that President Theodore Roosevelt articulated the approach we must take to managing our natural resources. On June 10, 1907, standing in Jamestown, President Roosevelt, America’s patron saint of conservation, said, “In utilizing and conserving the natural resources of the nation, the one characteristic more essential than any other is foresight.”
As we partner to preserve Virginia’s outdoors, there is no way to overstate the importance of foresight. Virginia is currently home to 7.5 million people. Between now and the end of my term in 2010, our population will grow 5%. It will increase by nearly 15% by the year 2020 and nearly 24% by the year 2030. By then, Virginia’s population will be 9.3 million people.
That increase in population is a driving force in Virginia’s rapid development. Of all the development that has occurred in the last 400 years, more than a quarter of it has taken place in the last 15 years. Being good stewards requires us to have the foresight to make responsible decisions today and take actions – actions which may not be available to future governors and future generations – to ensure that we preserve the natural, cultural and historic resources that serve as the foundations of Virginia’s identity.
Land
Virginia’s identity is its land. From the shores of Chincoteague to the hills and valleys of Cumberland Gap, Virginia’s beauty is unmatched. But as quickly as our population is growing, our rate of development is growing even faster. If we continue as we have, Virginia will develop more land in the next 40 years than we have in the last 400 years. Without foresight, without a plan to focus and manage that growth in a balanced way, we will be failing ourselves and future generations.
As we partner to protect Virginia’s outdoors, we must put balance at the center of land use decisions. We must create an effective model that encourages redevelopment in cities and suburbs and discourages the wasteful and unnecessary consumption of land farther out from our population centers. And we must reward communities that adopt and use balanced growth policies with economic development assistance and other incentives...

In the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, Virginia has pledged to permanently protect 20% of the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2010. The other states that made the same promise – Pennsylvania and Maryland – have already met that goal. Virginia still has 358,000 acres to go. Getting there won’t be easy. In the last 5 years, we’ve protected an average of 54,000 acres per year statewide, counting both private and public efforts. We need to protect about 72,000 acres per year, just in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, in order to meet the goal.
It will be the goal of my administration to meet that obligation and surpass it. Since 1968, Virginia has preserved 330,000 acres of land. Most of that has been preserved in the past five years. The goal of my administration is for the state to preserve an additional 400,000 acres by the end of the decade.
To accomplish that, we rely heavily upon the open-space protection tools that have served Virginia well: Our land preservation tax credit and the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation.
Virginia’s land preservation tax credit is among the most effective open-space protection tools in the nation. And I will protect it from political and meddlesome limitations. The tax credit is driving an increase in the number of voluntary donations of conservation easements and is a key part of meeting our Chesapeake Bay Agreement obligations.
Meeting those obligations and protecting open space throughout the rest of Virginia requires significant, reliable state investments in land conservation. In addition to protecting the tax credit, I pledge to provide more funding for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and local “Purchase of Development Rights” programs than any governor before me. I believe that investment can be made by making open space preservation a priority in Virginia’s General Fund.
The result will be more conservation easements; more public lands, such as state parks; wildlife management areas, state forests and natural-area preserves, protecting opportunities to hunt and fish, and greater local preservation efforts that will help family farmers stay on their land instead of selling out to development.
With every passing day, land is becoming more expensive and scarcer. I will set and meet this preservation goal during my term – not just because it’s the right thing to do – I will do it because if I don’t, the opportunity to do it will not be there for future governors and future Virginians...

Three years ago, Governor Warner held Virginia’s first Natural Resources Leadership Summit, bringing together perspectives from all throughout Virginia to address solutions to critical issues facing Virginia’s outdoors.
The Warner administration made significant progress in two of the highest priorities identified at that summit: land and water.
It is time to convene another summit. It’s time to reassess what has worked and what hasn’t, what changes and new initiatives need to be made, and to be frank with ourselves. There is great value in a regular reassessment of our efforts to protect Virginia’s outdoors.
I will convene the Virginia Outdoors Summit in 2006. There, we will discuss ways to protect Virginia’s outdoors, conserve land, enhance water quality, and provide access to clean water for all Virginians.
“The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.” Those too are the words of President Theodore Roosevelt 100 years ago in Jamestown, Virginia.
The generations since have seen time and again just how right he was – and how right he was to call for foresight and conservation when it comes to using our natural resources. The need for those qualities is even greater now than they were a century ago.
Now is time to heed those words.
Now is time to be good stewards, to work together in partnership to protect Virginia’s outdoors. Now is time to fulfill our obligation to our children’s children.
Thank you."

Full text of this speach is available at:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations
/Speeches/2006/EnviroSymposium.cfm

Customer Service is Job #1

Everyone that work in parks is in the customer service business. To hone our skills in this area, the Regional Park Authority brought in a national expert in customer service and supervisory skills to do a one day training with our staff and park employees from many of our member jurisdictions. Ruby Newell-Legner has done training with over 300 park organizations nationally and many public and private clients world wide. Below is just a small sample of the materials she shared with us.

RUBY NEWELL-LEGNER, CSP
9148 W.Vandeventor Dr. �� Littleton, CO 80128 �� Phone (303) 933-9291 �� Fax (303) 904-2966 �� E-Mail: Ruby@RubySpeaks.com �� www.RubySpeaks.com
Making Customer Satisfaction EverybodyÂ’s Business

Problem Solving -
Anticipate problems and solve them proactively before they happen
Plan goals around the future - figure out what you donÂ’t know so you can develop your skills
Put out fires in the infant stage
Focus on the "Big Picture" approach to handling problems when your supervisor is unavailable
When there is a crisis - deal with it calmly and demonstrate positive leadership
Bring two possible solutions and a recommendation with every problem or situation
Develop alternative approaches to problems and pinpoint solutions that appeal to everyone
Organization -
Work smarter not harder - set priorities - plan your day and live it - stay focused
Become a “Power Planner” and improve productivity by spending 10 minutes a day planning
Identify time-wasters and evaluate how to eliminate them
Determine specific routines that smooth out peak and slack periods and help you get more
control over your workday, every day
Control interruptions
Predetermine intermediary deadlines to insure meeting deadlines and demands
Prioritize the workload - even when everything needs to be done right now
Handle multiple projects by prioritizing - Smooth out the workload
Say “yes” only when it is reasonable and realistic
Communication -
Select the best response when others criticize your supervisor or your organization
Become a "buffer" between adversaries without being trapped in the middle
Communicate when you are ready for more responsibility
Present your problem solving ideas in a way that earns credibility and respect
Keep your supervisor informed without being a gossip or a tattle-tale
Relay constructive criticism without it being taken personally
Leave professional impressions throughout the organization
Deal with Office Politics and avoid being caught up in it
Be discrete in sharing information and handling confidential material
Customer Service -
Get to know your customers - Demonstrate an interest in their lives
Take every opportunity to call the customer by name
Acknowledge a customerÂ’s presence by the time they get within two feet
Interrupt any conversation if you are talking to a co-worker so the customer knows that they are
their first priority
Listen and acknowledge that you are listening to the customers
Double check orders for accuracy
If delivery is not going to be when you promised, call the customer immediately to inform them
Assist customers in learning about how a product or service works
Look for the opportunity to add value to each transaction
Manage/Supervise -
Take charge and demonstrate initiative without appearing overbearing and pushy
Identify difficult employees and redirect them with swiftness and ease
Prevent misunderstandings and increase efficiency by giving clear instructions and
having staff repeat back information to make sure that they understand it
This is the form I shared with Lisa
Skills that she
needed to develop
to move to the next
level in her career

Fostering Creativity and Team Work

[Todd Hafner, and Paul McCray using their creativity during one of the Seminars]

Over the last six months I have been going through a UVA seminar series on leadership skills with some of the other senior management at the Regional Park Authority. Paul McCray, Director of Operation, Todd Hafner, Director of Planning and Development, and Steve Bergstrom, Director of Finance and Budget have all been taking these seminars with me.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is very unique among park agencies in that we generate 80% of our operating funds through enterprise revenues. This makes us something of a hybrid organization, on one hand, we have a mission to serve the public, providing recreational and educational opportunities, as well as conserving natural and historic resources, and on the other hand we have the practical challenge of generating most of our operating revenue internally.

I find our entrepreneurial nature very exciting. We are challenged to be nimble and creative, and to always look for new opportunities that can help us achieve our mission and bring in the enterprise revenue that has made us one of the least taxpayer dependent park agencies in the nation. Participating in the leadership seminars is just one of the many way we are working to keep our organization creative and entrepreneurial.

The description of this series taught at the Falls Church office of UVA is as follows:
Leadership Seminar Series
Today's business environment remains as competitive as ever and challenges the most effective managers to become exceptional leaders. UVA continues its leadership series and provides managers with skills to navigate the challenges that lay ahead by concentrating on versatile leadership and discovering ways managers become exceptional leaders. By concentrating on versatile leadership techniques, managers will be able to tactically enhance their leadership skills in communicating with diverse audiences, maintaining highly effective teams, identifying and understanding leadership roles, and understanding the importance of shared leadership and team-decision making.Seminar Leader - Dave Minionis has extensive experience in professional and organizational effectiveness. He plays an integral role as a trusted business advisor to many clients to determine their specific needs, adapts training programs, interventions, and change efforts to fit their requirements. His experience in developing leadership competencies, management capabilities, and organizational and team effectiveness brings a unique perspective to many organizations. His expert teaching techniques are known for fostering an interactive, engaging, and fun learning environment.
Required Courses:
Becoming a Versatile Leader
Leadership and Influence
Leading Change
Persuasively Presenting Your Ideas
Trail Blazing with Teams
Inspiring Creativity

Excellence Rewarded at NVRPA

For the first time the Regional Park Authority gave performance awards for our many heros that make NVRPA such a great organization. The awardees were nominated by their peers, and selected by a cross functional team of employees. These great public servants demonstrated innovation, team work, dedication and great 'can do' attitudes.

Jim Bartlinski

In the categories of Above-and-Beyond, Cost Saving and Programming, for the low-cost development of an innovative program interpreting death rituals of the 18^th century entitled Death Comes to Carlyle House, and for generating a tremendous amount of publicity for NVRPA by staging a mock funeral procession for John Carlyle as part of the interpretive program.

Gary Becht

In the category of Innovation, for the establishment of a program to save manpower through the use of more efficient and modern maintenance equipment and reductions in mowing areas. The plan also resulted in expanded and improved wildlife habitat areas at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Todd Benson

In the categories of Above-and-Beyond, Innovation and Team Player, for developing new marketing programs and protocols at Algonkian and Cameron Run, assisting with the cross-promotion of various facilities throughout NVRPA, and an outstanding “can-do” attitude.

Tony Blevins

In the category of Versatility, for generating outstanding golf course improvement ideas, working day or night whenever necessary, and fostering good morale and team work among his employees.