NATURE, HISTORY AND HORTICULTURE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY
VOLUME 8, NO. 2 SPRING 2008
An IABC Silver Inkwell and AMPC MarCom Award and Hermes Creative Award-winning publication
Diamonds in the Suburbs Explore the small parks near your home.
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here are diamonds in Fairfax County — bright, shiny specks of nature, history, culture and fun. They are small parks managed by the Park Authority’s Resource Management Division. No staffers are there on a regular basis, but the grounds are open for you to enjoy. Here are some of them.
Scott’s Run Nature Preserve (www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/archives/ scottsrun.htm) 7400 Georgetown Pike in McLean Scott’s Run begins under the parking lots of Tyson’s Corner Shopping Center. It ends at the preserve as a beautiful creek spilling over a waterfall right before it enters the Potomac River. Along its journey, the stream flows through business parks and condominium complexes before becoming a place of splendid beauty. There are rare and fragile spring wildflowers at the preserve, and remarkable species grow along precipitous cliffs and in steep valleys. Hiking is rewarding, but can be challenging. Trails down the bluffs to the Potomac River are sheer in many places. There’s no swimming in the park because of pollution from upstream. Some wildflower poachers have removed fragile flowers, including the site’s only stand of yellow lady-slipper orchids, one of the rarest and most beautiful plants in Fairfax County. Go there, but please, preserve it.
Ox Hill Battlefield Park (www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gmp/oxhillgmp.pdf) Monument Drive and West Ox Road, Fairfax At Ox Hill, you can see land where more than 2,100 troops were killed or wounded during a torrential thunderstorm. In the only Civil War battle that took place in Fairfax County, 4,000 Union and 15,000 Confederate troops clashed on September 1, 1862. The Confederates were trying to block a Union retreat one day after the Second
Tumbling Scott’s Run
Battle of Manassas. The storm prevented the use of small arms and forced hand-to-hand combat in a chaotic battle that ended as a stalemate. Among those in blue who fell were Brigadier General Isaac Stevens and Major General WHAT’S INSIDE . . . Philip Kearny, whose memorials can be seen in the 4.8-acre park. Spring Events ................ 2 As a result of Ox Hill, General Park Foundation ............ 3 Robert E. Lee decided not to pursue the Union Army into forStewardship .................. 4 tifications around Washington. Farm Preschool .............. 5 Instead, he crossed the Potomac IMA Super Kids ............. 6 into Maryland, a decision that led to the bloodiest one-day Monarch Butterflies ....... 7 battle in American history. That Backpack Trails .............. 8 confrontation at Antietam on Partnerships .................. 9 September 17th changed the Archaeology ............... 10 course of the war and led to the issuance of the preliminary Awards ........................ 11 Emancipation Proclamation. Great Parks ................. 12 continued on page 9
p Fairfax County Park Authority • Fairfax, VA 22035 • 703-324-8695 • FAX 703-324-3996 • TTY 703-803-3354 • www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources
EVENTS
NATURAL RESOURCE AND HISTORIC SITES BURKE LAKE PARK 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station Call 703-323-6600 COLVIN RUN MILL 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls Call 703-759-2771 ELLANOR C. LAWRENCE PARK 5040 Walney Road, Chantilly Call 703-631-0013 FRYING PAN FARM PARK 2709 West Ox Road, Herndon Call 703-437-9101 GREEN SPRING GARDENS 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria Call 703-642-5173 HIDDEN OAKS NATURE CENTER 7701 Royce Street, Annandale Call 703-941-1065 HIDDEN POND NATURE CENTER 8511 Greeley Blvd., Springfield Call 703-451-9588
SPRING EVENTS The Art of Quilling Sunday, March 30, 1-3pm, Sully Historic Site, 703-437-1794. Learn the art of arranging small paper scrolls in a delicate design. Practice this historic art and design a take-home craft. Reservations by 3/26. $10
War of 1812 Living History Weekend April 5-6, 11am-4pm Saturday, 11am-3pm Sunday, Sully Historic Site, 703-437-1794. Learn about the second war for independence against England. Drill with troops, watch cannon firing, learn the role of horses in military, visit with the ship’s surgeon, dance with costumed interpreters to period tunes and play historic games. House tour included. $7/adult, $5/senior and child
HUNTLEY MEADOWS PARK 3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria Call 703-768-2525
RIVERBEND PARK 8700 Potomac Hills Street, Great Falls Call 703-759-9018 SULLY HISTORIC SITE 3601 Sully Road, Chantilly Call 703-437-1794 HISTORIC PROPERTIES RENTAL SERVICES www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/weddings.htm Call 703-827-0609
Need directions or more information? VISIT www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks
Editor/Writer: Photos:
David Ochs Don Sweeney, FCPA David Ochs Administration: Jatinder Kaur Production: Innovative Projects, Inc. Published quarterly by the Fairfax County Park Authority, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035-1118. Available at park sites and Fairfax County libraries. Visit ResOURces online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources c ResOURces is printed on recycled paper.
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Celebrating Diversity Children’s Day Saturday, April 26, 1-4:30pm, Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Cultural performances from around the world. Make crafts from the countries represented. Celebrate the opening of the butterfly garden, rain garden and limited impact development parking lot. Reservations and advance payment required. $4/person
Wetlands Awareness Day
LAKE ACCOTINK PARK 7500 Accotink Park Rd., Springfield Call 703-569-3464 LAKE FAIRFAX PARK 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston Call 703-471-5414
Children’s Day at Hidden Oaks
Battle of Bladensburg re-creation
Orienteering Saturdays, April 5 and 12, 2-3:55pm, (ages eight and up), Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Learn compass skills and begin enjoying the sport of orienteering. Advance payment, registration through Parktakes or Hidden Oaks. $41
Remove An Invasive Plant Day Saturday, April 12, sites throughout the county. Contact Kathy Frederick, 703-324-8681 or katherine.frederick@fairfaxcounty.gov. Organized through the Invasive Management Area program, www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ resources/IMA/.
Eco-Savvy Expo Sunday, April 13, (Families), noon-4pm, Huntley Meadows Visitor Center, 703-768-2525. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about attracting local native wildlife! We’ll send you home with the best native plants, bee boxes, rain barrels, wildflower seed mixes, shadegardening tips, rain garden plant lists and wildlife brochures. $3/adult
Sunday, May 4, Noon-3pm, Huntley Meadows Visitor Center, 703-768-2525. Enjoy an afternoon of wetland interpretation, wildlife presentations and a Fun Fair for kids. Bring your friends and family to celebrate the importance of wetlands to wildlife and you. Modest fee for some activities.
Trillium Trek Tuesday, May 6, 9am-4pm, (adults), Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Head by van to Linden, VA, for the glorious display of trillium and other spring wildflowers. Wear hiking shoes. Prepay by April 20. $12
Goodnight Walk: Sounds of the Night Saturday, May 24, 7-8pm, Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Explore animal sounds and take a night-time stroll along the 1/3 mile Old Oak Trail to practice your new listening and identifying skills. Reservations, advance payment required. $3
2nd Annual River Festival Saturday, May 31, Riverbend Visitor Center, 703-759-9018. Celebrate the Potomac’s natural beauty. Conservation groups, outfitters, guides, fishing contests, kayaking, water safety demonstrations, a silent auction, raffles, and games and activities for children. $5/person, 3yrs. and under FREE
PA R K F O U N D AT I O N
Kids and Arts in the Parks By Nancy Russo, Fairfax County Park Foundation
Put a little art in your child’s heart with a visit to a park.
Members of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra perform with future members of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
ARTS IN THE PARKS is entertainment in the parks. It’s a program that delights children, teaches them the importance of protecting our natural resources, introduces them to live arts performances in an informal, kid-friendly atmosphere and forges a connection between kids and parks. Arts in the Parks features some of the finest children’s entertainers and introduces young audiences to theater and music. It is, for many children, their first exposure to live performances. Families have been coming to Arts in the Parks since 1989. Performances are held on Saturdays at 10 a.m. for ten weeks, June through August, in the amphitheaters at four parks: Mason District, Burke Lake, Ellanor C. Lawrence and Lake Fairfax. Sousan Frankeberger, the program director, selects artists who encourage children to get involved in shows by singing along, dancing, acting and playing instruments. The children are entranced by storytellers, puppets, rhythms and sounds. The outdoor settings, amidst woodlands and singing birds, inspire imagination. There are fields, playgrounds and other park amenities for children to burn extra energy before or after the events. They learn to associate performing arts with movement and delight. The Arts in the Parks program is funded through charitable donations of individuals and groups who have made gifts to the Fairfax County Park Foundation. Large supporters include The Friends of Mason District Park, the Fairfax Symphony and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Photo by Keely Pate
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, representing the Friends of Mason District Park, says, “The Arts in the Parks program provides an excellent opportunity for parents and grandparents to introduce even their littlest ones to theatre-style entertainment at absolutely no cost — free entertainment and free parking in a beautiful county park setting. What more could a parent ask? When funding for the program was at risk, the Friends of Mason District Park were happy to step up to provide support for this very worthwhile community event.”
You can support Arts in the Parks by sending your check made payable to the Fairfax Park Foundation, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 404, Fairfax, VA 22035, with memo “Arts.” The Fairfax County Park Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and all contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
What’s RMD? RMD stands for Resource Management Division. It’s part of the Fairfax County Park Authority. RMD connects people to natural, historic and horticultural resources. We’re online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/. Spring 2008
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STEWARDSHIP
Planting Ideas in Fertile Ground “It’s ultimately stewardship. How do you instill that in them in hopes that they will appreciate what’s around them beyond all the science standards?” – Educator Stephanie Roche
Children connecting to nature
Learning to appreciate the natural world
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tephanie Roche says there are kids who don’t go outside, and she’s working to change that. She wants children to understand that there’s a real, touchable, natural world beyond the scientific studies in a classroom. Roche is an elementary science education specialist with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). She’s creating something new, the Ecosystems unit, for the county’s fourth grade curriculum. Roche says the idea behind it is “to get students outside, especially in the schoolyard, so that they see the connection between what they’re learning and the world outside their window.”
The Fairfax County Park Authority is helping. Roche met with Senior Interpreters Melissa Gaulding of Huntley Meadows and Karen Sheffield of Riverbend parks for guidance in drafting the program. Gaulding and Sheffield helped Roche shape her plan to make a connection between the people who are in charge of school grounds and parks, especially parks that are next to schools.
She wants children to be outside long enough to experience and observe the natural world. Her efforts are similar to others in a national grass roots movement called No Child Left Inside, a coalition of education and environmental organizations.
Roche says park employees “have a lot of information and data they can bring to the schools” about nature, and the Park Authority has printed guides that can help students identify trees and different organisms at their schools.
As part of the FCPS program, students will make observations in their schoolyards about soil, insects and plants. They’ll take samples, study runoff and erosion, and track progress as the weeks progress. Then, Roche says, “they can start to make recommendations about what they think can be done to make their school an area where there’s more biodiversity.”
The goal is to have the program in the curriculum in the spring of 2009. It would be a precursor to the watershed studies the students have in middle school and the wider, global environmental studies presented in high school. Roche says her goal is for students to make connections along the way between the things they learn in all of those studies.
She hopes to tailor the program to each of the 137 schools, because each school has a different setting and unique natural resources.
That fits with the Park Authority goal of connecting people to county park resources. As Roche says, “We really want them to appreciate the natural world.”
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PARTNERSHIP
Preschool Down on the Farm By Lori K. Weinraub, Park Authority Volunteer
J
ust like other preschoolers in Fairfax County, these children learn their letters and numbers, play with blocks and sing songs during circle time. But the children at Farm Preschool also are petting chicks and goats and learning about life on the farm. That’s because Farm Preschool is a private school, licensed by Virginia and run by a private contractor, that just happens to be located in a park with a real working farm — Frying Pan Farm Park.
Park Historian Yvonne Johnson says there’s been a school on the site continuously since 1876. The schoolFarm Preschoolers visit a neighbor house in use now was built in 1911. Photo courtesy of Katydid, Inc. Johnson adds, “Even though we are a suburban mecca now, we have a chunk of our history preserved that we all can enjoy.” The preschool was started in 1991 by Kate Plummer, who loved visiting the farm with her children and wanted to share that love with other children. It has grown from a dozen or so students and one teacher to a five-day-a-week operation with room for 106 three-, four- and five-year-olds.
Preschoolers at the farm
Photo courtesy of Katydid, Inc.
Farm Preschool classmates
Photo courtesy of Katydid, Inc.
Plummer and her staff make sure the children explore their surroundings. The children walk to the Kidwell Farm area of the park, where they see horses, chickens, peacocks, rabbits, sheep, goats, cows and pigs. Petting is definitely allowed! Lambs and chicks are brought into the classroom for children to hold. New babies are something to look forward to in the spring, and the children take tractor rides and hayrides in the park. School Director Jennifer Vannoy says the farm “is an important part of our atmosphere and an important part of our philosophy.” Vannoy, whose grandmother was a student in the schoolhouse, says, “It’s like a field trip every day.” Park Manager Todd Brown says the support from Katydid, Inc., which operates the school, “has been a huge contribution to the park’s success. With past campers and preschool kids now adults, another generation is arriving through Katydid with parents that grew up at Frying Pan.” Parents and students love the farm. Three-year-old Stevie says he likes the cows best because they give milk to people, and he likes the tractor rides. Ruth-McCoy and Abigail say the sheep are their favorites, while Sarah likes the turkey. Pam Thomas of Herndon drives about 30 minutes each way to bring her threeyear-old son to Farm Preschool, while other parents commute from as far away as Loudoun County. Thomas says her son loves to go to the farm and see the animals. She says it’s what attracted her to the school and, otherwise, she probably would have chosen a school closer to home. ’’I think it’s great. We’re definitely coming back.’’
Spring 2008
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STEWARDSHIP
Super Kids Do a Super Job for a Park Kids and parks go together. So do schools and parks. They’re good for each other, like peanut butter and jelly. Here’s proof.
Photo by Elizabeth Cooper
K
ids love to do this kind of thing. Just grab a stringy handful of something that’s slightly sticky and give it a rip! A bundle of youngsters recently got to do that in a Fairfax County park.
Rutherford Park got a face lift thanks to Fairfax Villa Elementary School and its program, Super Kids, that helps the students create and carry out volunteer opportunities. The Super Kids recently took on invasive English ivy. They teamed with the Park Authority’s Invasive Management Area Volunteer Coordinator, Kathy Frederick, and learned about the ivy, how to identify it and why maintaining our parks is important. They spent almost an hour ripping and removing ivy and talked afterward about what they had learned. Parent volunteer Katharine Schultz says the students loved the field work. “They loved getting out doing something that was physical, and they could relate to it because they all use the parks.” She says they also took information about English ivy home to their parents. The Super Kids after-school volunteer program was started in 2004 by former school counselor Christy Partlow. It’s now headed by counselor Janelle Buchheit. Schultz, whose sons Alex and Sam are in the program, has been with Super Kids since the beginning. She says it’s “kind of a club, an outreach where the children are able to do projects to help with different organizations in the community.”
They meet once a month and do projects on Mondays, when county schools have a half-day of classes. Though awards can be earned, Principal Dale Mann says it’s a program designed “to give and not receive anything for it.” He adds, “Our kids just enjoy doing it.” The Park Authority’s Frederick was impressed. “The whole program is so neat. I wanted to take my son out of his school and send him there so he could be in the program,” she said. “It teaches them stewardship and all the different aspects of volunteerism.” Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County Park Authority understand, in Schultz’ words, that “there’s an important relationship between them and the community.” They’re all working together to educate children, preserve parks and improve the quality of life in Fairfax County.
The 6-to-12-year-old youngsters in Super Kids have made baby blankets for Inova Hospital’s newborn nursery, worked with a food drive, visited nursing homes and beautified their campus.
Information on English ivy: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/nrp_englishivy.htm See the Super Kids video online at www.fcps.edu/schlbd/sg/community.htm. 6
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P R E S E R VAT I O N
Paper Butterflies are Flying North The return of symbolic monarch butterflies is a sign of spring in Fairfax County.
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ome county students, in conjunction with Park Authority sites, have been exchanging paper monarchs with Mexican students who attend schools near the real monarchs’ winter sanctuaries. The exchange takes place simultaneously with the monarch migration through a program called Journey North, which tracks wildlife migration patterns. Students in Fairfax County make paper monarchs to symbolize the monarch migration. Hidden Oaks Nature Center Assistant Manager Suzanne Holland says the students include a greeting in Spanish, a sort of “goodwill butterfly message.” The papers are mailed to a clearinghouse in Minnesota, which ships them to schools in Mexico. The students in Mexico either make new paper monarchs or send the originals back to North America with handwritten messages and greetings. Some are then returned to Fairfax County schools through Hidden Oaks.
Paper butterflies drawn to a smile.
The nature center assists a tri-national organization based at the University of Kansas, Monarch Watch, which tracks monarch migrations. You can be a part of it, too. Hidden Oaks and Green Spring Gardens are Park Authority sites that have butterfly tagging programs.
Monarch butterfly; the real thing.
Interested in having a butterfly garden in your yard?
Butterfly Gardening
❦ Research the kinds of butterflies in the area and match your plant selection to
Saturday, April 5 and 12, 10-10:55am, Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 703-941-1065. Learn how to use native plants to create an attractive and successful butterfly garden. $30. Advance payment and registration through Parktakes or Hidden Oaks.
what they eat. Think native. Many caterpillars are selective about their food.
❦ Limit pesticides. They may harm butterflies. ❦ In general, butterflies prefer flowers that are, in order, purple, pink, yellow and white.
❦ Flowering plants require sun. So do butterflies. ❦ Several local park sites, including Colvin Run Mill, have butterfly gardens.
Read about Suzanne Holland’s trip to see a “living confetti of butterflies,” and learn more about monarchs locally on the Internet at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/. Type “monarch butterfly” in the search box. Spring 2008
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C O N N E CA TW I NAGR T DO S N AT U R E
Take A Hike — and Learn a Little Something! By Carol Ochs, FCPA Volunteer
Take a family backpack hike in a county park! It’s no walk in the park.
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t’s an outdoor adventure you can enjoy with your family at your own pace. These Fairfax County Park Authority sites can supply all you need.
If you want something a little lighter to tote, other parks offer brochures for self-guided walks.
Families with preschoolers will enjoy the Discovery Bags offered at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Small sacks inside the totes are numbered to correspond with signposts along a woodland trail. A guidebook helps parents encourage their children to use all of their senses in the woods. Bag contents change with the seasons.
Huntley Meadows’ trail is almost three miles long and includes 14 different stops. Program Director Melissa Gaulding says, “one of the really popular stops is the one about poison ivy.” The brochures change with the seasons.
The preschool crowd also can enjoy Riverbend Park’s Duff and Stuff bag. This bag contains a squirrel puppet and its story. As families explore the park, parents can pull out activity bags that correspond with events in the squirrel’s story. In addition, Riverbend offers scavenger hunt sheets for preschool and elementary age children. Frying Pan Farm Park allows explorers to purchase a Junior Naturalist badge after completing activities along its backpack trail. Frying Pan’s backpacks help hikers identify animal tracks, use their sense of smell to discover a spice bush, and use their sense of touch to recognize the surrounding trees. Green Spring Gardens has backpacks for plant and insect lovers. Each themed backpack includes books and picture cards to help identify flowers and bugs. The packs also contain crayons and a notebook so budding naturalists can journal what they see. And coming this spring — a new backpack program at Hidden Pond Nature Center.
Backpack contents at Green Spring Photos by Carol Ochs
Colvin Run Mill Historic Site invites visitors to take “A Walk Through History” past a general store, barn, blacksmith shop, miller’s house and the mill. At Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, you take “A Walk Through Time.” Explore the grounds and learn about the dairy, ice house and smokehouse that were part of a farm. ECLP also has packs for scout groups. Sully Historic Site offers a brochure that includes 14 points of interest, such as the log schoolhouse and gazebo, stone dairy, wine cellar and a representative slave quarter.
Maps for these self-guided tours can often be found in racks outside the park nature or visitor centers. Packs which can be carried along the trails can only be used when the park offices or stores are open, and you may need to leave an ID while using them.
Resource Management Division sites in Fairfax County hosted over 212,000 people in more than 11,000 tours and programs last year. There’s a program that’s right for you in a park close to you.
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PARTNERSHIPS
Good stewardship is like a good recipe. It gets noticed and shared. Hidden Oaks Nature Center Manager Michael McDonnell and Assistant Manager Suzanne Holland recently met with representatives of a Unitarian Universalist Church group planning to build a Low Impact Development (LID) parking lot. Hidden Oaks recently used LID techniques for its new lot — an innovative approach to storm water management. (See the Fall 2007 issue of ResOURces at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/printpub.htm.) The Hidden Oaks lot was the key to the Park Authority’s recent selection as a winner in the 2007 Community Appearance Alliance Award competition. The awards are granted for design and construction projects that enhance the visual quality of Northern Virginia, and are sponsored by The Community Appearance Alliance of Northern Virginia.
Parks and School Programs Your Children, Your Parks. The Fairfax County Park Authority and Fairfax County Public Schools educate future environmental stewards. The parks and the schools work together to teach your children. You can learn a bit about park and school partnerships in this issue of ResOURces. You can learn a little more online at www.fcps.edu and www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks. You can learn a lot more by visiting the parks as a family.
MAKE AN IMPACT. Help clean Fairfax County waterways that feed the Potomac River. Be part of a watershed cleanup on Saturday, March 29.
Call one of these sites: Frying Pan Farm Park ... 703-437-9101 Hidden Oaks Nature Center ..................................... 703-941-1065 Hidden Pond Nature Center ..................................... 703-451-9588 Huntley Meadows Park ..................................... 703-768-2525 Riverbend Visitor Center ..................................... 703-759-9018 Sully Historic Site ......... 703-437-1794 Walney Visitor Center in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park ......... 703-631-0013 Learn more about the Potomac Watershed Cleanup at http:// trashfreepotomac.org/ trash_initiative/trash_cleanup.html
DIAMONDS IN THE SUBURBS continued from page 1 Lane’s Mill
Freedom Hill Fort
(www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gmp/ lanesmillgmp092502.pdf) Confluence of Cub Run and Big Rocky Run 14901 Lee Highway, Centreville Lane’s Mill, one of numerous mills that once dotted the county landscape, is a Cultural Resource Park with a significant number of wildflowers. The mill races are still there, as are ruins of the stone grist mill, which appears to have been built in the 1760s, shortly before the Revolutionary War. The eightacre archaeological and historic site is part of 318 acres purchased in 1752 by William Lane. In 1760, his son was granted County Court permission to build a mill. Its ruins are among the oldest structures used for light industry in Fairfax County and an example of industry in Northern Virginia during the 18th and 19th centuries. Lane’s Mill is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
(www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/archives/freedomhill.htm) 8531 Old Courthouse Road, Tysons Corner Freedom Hill Fort is important as an example of small earthen batteries, called redoubts, which were constructed all around Washington during the Civil War. There was no protection from weather or cannon, only from rifle fire. Redoubts had interiors lined with timber cut from surrounding woods. Drainage ditches ringed the exterior. Small batteries like Freedom Hill were outposts of a ring of larger fortifications that protected Washington. Freedom Hill protected Peach Grove Federal Depot, which today is Tyson’s Corner. Eight men, led by a sergeant, were stationed at Freedom Hill to protect couriers and patrols on Chain Bridge Road. They stayed for one week and rotated with other soldiers from the main unit two miles to the east. Diaries of soldiers stationed here tell of looking forward to hard labor in order to get away from the boredom of outpost life. Popular legend says Freedom Hill got its name because of the large number of free blacks living nearby in the 19th century. Freedom Hill was one of Fairfax County’s earliest black communities. Riverbend Park Manager Marty Smith and Resource Stewardship Manager Michael Rierson contributed to this article.
You could visit a park a day for a year and still not see all of the more than 400 park sites in Fairfax County. Get started and learn more about where you live. Spring 2008
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C U LT U R A L R E S O U R C E S
Fairfax County Marks 30 Years of Archaeology By Aimee Wells, Park Authority Archaeologist
Jackie Cuyler, a 25-year volunteer, says, “What better way to combine my love of history and the outdoors than to join the Fairfax County archaeology program? The best part of being a volunteer has been the lifelong friends made through our shared interest in excavating and interpreting the past.”
Bob Wharton (white hat) at a Lorton archaeology site
Five people, over one and a-half centuries of experience, studying the centuries
Popes Creek pottery
A
Savannah River knife
Michael Johnson has been there from the beginning. An archaeologist for 34 years, Johnson started with County Archaeological Services in 1978. He has surveyed thousands of county locations and is an expert on Native American sites.
Savannah River point
Archaeology now falls under the Park Authority’s Cultural Resource Management and Protection Section (CRMPS). Leading the CRMPS is Dr. Elizabeth Crowell, who first worked with Fairfax County in 1978 while in graduate school. Her extensive background in archaeology includes more than 30 years in both prehistoric and historic work. She’s spent many years in cultural resource management and has extensive experience with sites in the Middle Atlantic Region.
rchaeologically speaking, 30 years isn’t much time, but for Fairfax County, the past 30 years have been essential for the discovery, study, and protection of cultural resources. County-sponsored professional archaeological activities began in 1978. County archaeologists have identified, studied, and recorded over 3,000 historic and prehistoric county sites ranging from small-scale stone tool-making sites to large industrial sites, such as Colvin Run Mill.
Richard Sacchi has been with the county for 20 of his 29 years in archaeology. Of his work he says, “Each excavation has its own moment of instant magic that furthers the understanding of historical change and provides useful insights into cultural changes.” He conducted excavations at Sully, Historic Huntley and Mount Air and directed the extensive Fairfax County Civil War Sites Inventory. John Rutherford, a professional archaeologist for 26 years, is well-known for his skill in using computerbased Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to supplement on-the-ground archaeological studies. John says, “GIS, when combined with historic aerial photography, is mind-boggling, literally a time machine at your desk top.” He cites research in which a computer finds something new and “you walk out in the field, and then there it is…something you saw in a 70-year-old photograph.” Volunteer coordinator and archaeologist Robert Wharton is the senior member of the group with nearly 50 years of experience. Bob has worked at the University of California at Berkeley and at Flowerdew Hundred Plantation in Prince George County, Virginia, one of the earliest English settlements in the New World. The CRMPS has relied on hundreds of volunteers for archaeological field and laboratory work. C.K. Gailey has given more than 10,000 hours in the field and in the laboratory, teaching proper lab techniques to other volunteers. Gailey’s work with GIS and with registering new archaeological sites with the state is of the utmost importance.
Learn more at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/resources-crp.htm. 10
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AWARDS
Awards for the Park Authority Park Authority staffers recently collected a string of awards.
IMA volunteer leader Duane Murphy
Michael Rierson
T
he county Board of Supervisors presented the 2007 Environmental Excellence Award to the Invasive Management Area (IMA) volunteers of the Park Authority’s Resource Management Division. Volunteer Coordinator Kathy Frederick accepted the award on behalf of the 20 honored volunteers. Resource Stewardship Manager Michael
Kathy Frederick making a park site a little better.
Rierson was one of seven Park Authority employees to receive a Fairfax County Outstanding Performance Award (OPA), which recognizes outstanding work by county employees. Rierson is versed in construction, history, budgets and stewardship. Other Park Authority OPA recipients were engineering technician Gary Best,
senior maintenance worker Jorge Bonilla, electronic equipment technician Donald Browning, engineer James Duncan, planner Cynthia McNeal and administrative assistant Janet Rahman. Golf Digest magazine selected Laurel Hill as one of America’s Best New Courses of 2007. Park Authority Golf Enterprises Manager Peter Furey says, “there is much to be proud of” in making the list.
JOURNEY TO ACCREDITATION
W
e’ve formed committees, reviewed what we do and how we do it, made improvements, filled out and submitted the application and now, after a year and a-half, company is coming.
The Fairfax County Park Authority is working to become an accredited park and recreation agency. Accreditation is one way to assure Fairfax County residents that their Park Authority is a good steward of county resources. Out of 3,000 park and recreation agencies nationwide, 73 have received this distinction from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA, www.nrpa.org/). CAPRA representatives will visit the Park Authority in May. They’ll verify the materials we’ve sent them, meet with Park Authority personnel, maybe ask for more information about us, and then report to the commission on their visit. A final decision on accreditation for the Fairfax County Park Authority will come in October.
Want information about the accreditation effort? See the Fall 2007 issue of ResOURces at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/ printpub.htm, call 703-324-8665 or contact elisa.lueck@fairfaxcounty.gov. Spring 2008
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❑ Nature centers ❑ Local history ❑ Kids’ projects ❑ Hiking
❑ Birds ❑ Archaeology ❑ Events ❑ Historic sites
❑ Gardening and horticulture
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MAIL TO: Resources/RMD, Suite 936 12055 Government Center Parkway • Fairfax, VA 22035-1118 or: subscribe through our website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources
HISTORIC PROPERTIES RENTAL SERVICES Rent a piece of history! Historic properties inside Fairfax County Park Authority parks are available for weddings, corporate and social gatherings. Rent one for your next soiree. Call 703-827-0609 or see the sites on the Web at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ parks/weddings.htm • Cabell’s Mill in Centreville • Clark House in Falls Church • Dranesville Tavern in Dranesville • Great Falls Grange in Great Falls
Dranesville Tavern
• Hunter House in Vienna • Forestville Schoolhouse in Great Falls • Stone Mansion in Alexandria • Wakefield Chapel in Annandale
12055 Government Center Parkway Fairfax, Virginia 22035-1118
A Fairfax County, Va., publication
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EQUAL ACCESS/SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
The Fairfax County Park Authority is committed to equal access in all programs and services. Special accommodations will be provided upon request. Please call the ADA/Access coordinator at 703-324-8563, at least 10 working days in advance of the date services are needed. ADA/Access Coordinator 703-324-8563 • TTY 703-803-3354 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ada.htm
Sunset, Lake Accotink
Great Parks, Great Communities A Great Idea Parks will be our legacy. They are yours and mine to enhance and protect. You can help plan our parks. Because nearly 80% of Fairfax County residents visit county parks, we know there are a lot of ideas out there. Great Parks, Great Communities is an exciting planning process that brings your ideas into county parks. It’s designed around community workshops this spring. Those workshops will produce a guide for planning and development of the Fairfax County park system that will serve diverse community needs and protect park resources. Parks reflect environmental values. They preserve nature. They make cultural heritage come alive. They unite diverse county residents. They’re for leisure, recreation, and improving physical and mental well being. They’re for the future. Be a part of Great Parks, Great Communities, and pass on this great legacy. Information and schedules: contact Park Planning Branch Manager Sandy Stallman at 703-324-8643. Email: Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov. Online: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/plandev/greatparks.htm.
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