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.