Fairfax
Trails and Streams e-newsletter January 5, 2002
FAIRFAX
CROSS-COUNTY TRAIL CAUCUS (Mon. Jan 28, 7:30pm)
Come get an overview of the Cross-County Trail, which stretches
north to south across Fairfax County mostly through parkland
and provides a backbone to link existing and proposed local
stream valley and scenic trails, such as the Potomac Heritage
Natl. Scenic Trail. Learn about recent progress and plans, and
participate with suggestions and volunteer opportunities. FTAS
will display new poster-size maps and announce a major CCT event
for National Trails Day in May-June. This caucus, sponsored
by Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) and FTAS, is at Potomac
Appalachian Trail Club Hqtrs,118 Park St SE, Vienna, just off
Rte 123 near the W&OD. Info: Bill Niedringhaus at fairfaxTrails@aol.com
or 703 821 0975.
"PIMMIT
RUN AS SPECIAL PROJECT" CAMPAIGN
Thanks for your letters of support. The FCPA has decided
to stick to its current schedule for building part of the Pimmit
Run trail, which is:
2nd half 2002 Scoping
1st half 2003 Design
2nd half 2003 Bid
1st half 2004 Construction
FTAS' goal this winter/spring is to
work with FCPA and Sup. Mendelsohn to coordinate and make best
use of this process, applying all available funding and volunteer
resources so as to expedite the entire trail (topic for Feb
25 meeting)
FTAS
MEETINGS IN 2002
4th Monday EVERY MONTH January - October, at 7:30pm. January
28--the Cross County Trail Caucus in Vienna (see above) February
25--we return to our usual spot, McLean Govt Center, 1437 Balls
Hill Rd, McLean Guests Lisa Gutierrez, Trail Planning in Maryland
(also, she founded Pot. River Greenways Coal) Topic: Pimmit
Run Trail Scoping (see above)
PIMMIT
RUN LITTER SPRING CLEANUP
Saturday morning, March 23, mark your calendars! Optional
breakfast so you can meet other participants.
PROGRESS
ON LITTLE PIMMIT RUN TRAIL
Dranesville's Park Board delegate Rick Thoesen, and FCPA's
Jenny Pate, visited the site of the one missing easement along
Little Pimmit Run, behind Maddux Lane. They approved the route
preferred by the two landowners. The next step is to survey
the site and attempt to finalize the easement. The trail would
then be built by FTAS volunteers. Unfortunately Rick, who walked
the whole Pimmit Run Trail route with Delegate Callahan and
FTAS last year, resigned from the FCPA Board.
GREAT
FALLS PARK PLANS NEW FALLS OVERLOOK/LOOP TRAIL
The environmental impact statement is complete, recommending
boardwalk loop near the Visitors Center; maps avail at CCT caucus
Jan 28.
TRAINING
FOR CROSS-COUNTY JOG
Every Sunday at 9am, starting Jan.6, John Coogan (DC Roadrunners)
is leading a 15-20 mile jog along different sections of the
CCT, preparing for a 40 mile jog of the entire CCT in March.
They will provide feedback on ease of navigating the CCT using
the new signposts. Details http://home.cox.rr.com/jcoogan/cct/jan-feb.html
NO.
VA STREAMS PROTECTION WORKSHOP
Sat., Jan. 26, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm; Algonkian Regional Park and
Meeting Center in Sterling, Virginia.
- Learn about "The Eight Tools for Watershed
Protection" from Tom Schueler who wrote the book on stream protection
and restoration!
- Learn how you can get involved with your city or county to
produce real results for your stream!
- Meet fellow citizens and folks from local organizations working
on land use issues related to stream and watershed protection
and restoration!
- Learn about the federal, state and local laws like the Clean
Water Act and The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act that can help
you protect your streams and watershed!
- Hear from local governmental representatives about what they
are doing or have planned for streams!
- Be a part of starting a network of stream
groups in Northern Virginia to share and support conservation
efforts in our area!
Fairfax
Trails and Streams e-newsletter January 24, 2002
Fairfax Cross-County
Trail (CCT) Caucus (Mon. Jan 28 7:30pm)
AGENDA:
- Welcome: Kirk Holley, Fairfax Co Park Authority (FCPA)
- How the CCT Came to Be: Bill Niedringhaus, FTAS
- Section-by-Section plans and status: Jenny Pate, FCPA
- Field Report on the CCT today, end to end: John Coogan, DC Roadrunners
- Presentations by volunteer trail groups (3 minutes each)
- Plans for Ultimate Cross-County Hike (FTAS)
- Volunteer opportunities - Q/A, Open discussion
This caucus, sponsored
by FCPA and FTAS, is at Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Hqtrs,
118 Park St SE, Vienna, justoff Rte 123 near the W&OD. Info:
Bill Niedringhaus at fairfaxTrails@aol.com or 703 821 0975.
CALENDAR
Sat. Jan 26 8:30-4: No. Va StreamsProtection WorkshopAlgonkian
RegionalPark and Meeting Center in Sterling,Virginia
Mon. Jan. 28:
CCT Caucus (see above)
Mon. Feb. 25:
FTAS monthly meeting: McLean Govt Center,1437 Balls Hill Rd
Sat. Mar 23:
morning spring litter cleanup, Pimmit Run
Mon. Mar. 25:
FTAS monthly meeting: McLean Govt Center,1437 Balls Hill Rd, McLean
4th Monday, every
month Feb - October: 7:30 FTAS monthly meeting
Fairfax
Trails and Streams e-newsletter February 21, 2002
FTAS Monthly Meetings
Feb 25: FTAS
monthly meeting,7:30pm McLean Govt Center 1437 Balls Hill Rd.
Our announced guest, Lisa Gutierrez, is unfortunately unable to
come. Our agenda includes new strategies to construct trail along
Pimmit Run, designs for FTAS bumper stickers, and plans for the
March 23 litter cleanup, and plans for National Trails Day. Next meetings: March 25, April 22, May
27 (Mondays 7:30pm)
Other Events
March 6 Planning Commission votes on Fx Co Trails Plan Amendments
March 10, 1-day Cross County Jog, 40 miles
March 12, 1-day Cross County Hike, 32 miles
March 23, FTAS spring litter cleanup, Pimmit Run
May 30-June 2 Ultimate Cross-County Hike.
CROSS-COUNTY TRAIL
CAUCUS A SUCCESS
TheFirst Annual Cross County Trail Caucus was held on January
28, 2002 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30p.m. at the Potomac AppalachianTrail
Club Headquarters in Vienna. About 80 people participated. A detailed
write-up is given at the end of this e-newsletter.
ULTIMATE CROSS-COUNTY
HIKE PLANNED FOR May-June
Prince William to Loudoun. In cooperation with the Potomac Trail
Council and the local park authorities, FTAS presents our 2002
National Trails Day event, the Ultimate Cross-County Hike. It
follows the Fairfax Cross-County Trail and parts of the Potomac
Heritage National Scenic Trail. It literally crosses the county
in fourdays.
Schedule:
9am Thursday, May 30: 12 mi Town of Occoquan to Lake Accotink
9am Friday, May 31 12mi. Lake Accotink to Oak Marr Recr Center
9am Saturday June 1 12mi. Oak Marr Rec. Center to Colvin Run Mill
Park
9amSunday June 2 15 mi. Colvin Run Mill Park to Algonkian Park
Note: delays in the transfer of the Lorton Reformatory property
may delay the first day's hike. Stay tuned for details.
SINGLE-DAY CROSS-COUNTY
HIKES/JOGS IN MARCH
March 10, Sunday, 8am: John Coogan of DC Roadrunners will
offer aCross-County Jog. Details at http://home.cox.rr.com/jcoogan/cct/
March 12 Tuesday, 9am: Cliff Noyes plans to lead a PATC
/ SierraClub hike up the CCT from the south end to Georgetown
Pike on Tues, Mar12. About 32 miles, will take about 10 hours.
Info 703 451 5181
FTAS ANNUAL SPRING
LITTERCLEANUP on PIMMIT RUN It is planned for Saturday morning,
March 23.
COUNTYWIDE TRAILS
PLAN
TheFairfax County Planning Commission meets on March 6 at the
Fairfax County Government Center to review the Countywide Trails
Plan Amendments, recently drafted by the Non-motorized Transportation
Committee. For more information please call 703 324 2865 or see
http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/gov/planning/
FTAS ELLY DOYLE
AWARD VIDEO ONCHANNEL 16
Channel 16 is re-broadcastingthe Elly Doyle awards ceremony video
excerpts throughout February. It includes three-minute videos
of award winners Bill Niedringhaus and Robin Rentsch. Times: Mondays
and Fridays at noon,Saturdays at noon and 10pm
VOLUNTEER NEEDED
TO SHOWCASE FTAS AT ENVIRO WORKSHOP
The Providence district supervisor has offered FTAS a booth and/or
demo opportunity at their annual Environmental Workshop, March
23, 2002 at Luther Jackson Middle School. If you would like to
volunteerfor this, please contact Sarah.Goldman@fairfaxcounty.gov
REPORT
ON CROSS-COUNTY TRAIL CAUCUS Jan 28
(slightly edited from Jenny Pate's writeup) The First Annual Cross
CountyTrail Caucus was held on January 28, 2002 from 7:30 p.m.
to 9:30p.m. About 80 people participated. The meeting began with
welcoming and introductory remarks by Kirk Holley, FCPA and Bill
Niedringhaus, FTAS. Jenny Pate presented a summary of the sections
of the trail and a status report on Park Authority design and
construction projects connected with the CCT. The Accotink trail
from KingArthur to Route 236 is in final design and plans should
be submitted February2002. Park Authority staff expect construction
to be completed by the end of 2003. The scope for the Accotink
trail from the Lake Accotink dam to Hunter Village Drive (including
Old Keene Mill underpass) was approved in December. A TEA 21 grant
has been submitted for this project and the team is in the process
of hiring a design engineer. The construction is planned to be
complete by the end of 2003. The scope for Difficult Run - section
VIII (Dulles road to Potomac) was approved in January. The four
stream crossings of this project are also expected to be completed
by the end of 2003. Park Authority maintenance staff completed
a trail relocation near Leigh Mill Road in Great Falls, including
a new culvert in a drainage ditch and a relocation of a section
of trail to provide better access for the road crossing. The first
two of a series of Park Authority Cross County trail maps are
in production. One of the maps is for the southern section of
Pohick to the Fairfax County Parkway. The other is for the southernmost
section of Accotink from the Parkway to the dam at Lake Accotink.
Signposts were installed this past spring on the initial 9.6 miles
of trail. An additional .8 mile from theParkway to Old Keene Mill
and 1.8 miles from the Byron Avenue parking lot to the Lake Accotink
trestle parking lot have recently been signed, for a total of
more than 12 miles complete. Signposts in Lake Accotink and Wakefield
Parks should be installed before spring. The signing system planned
for the "backcountry" sections of the Difficult Run - a flexible
sign post labeled with the CCT logo and arrows as needed has been
ordered. Sections of the trail will be marked with these posts
this spring. Two volunteer projects have been completed. A revised
route for a section of trailbetween Lawyers Road and Leeds Road
was flagged by volunteers during the months of September and October.
The other project is are-routing from the new FWC above route
7 to Brian Jac Lane. Additional work at Brian Jac will be completed
this spring. A section of new trail through Oak Marr Park will
also be marked and established by volunteer groups this spring.
John Coogan, DC Roadrunners, who has run the entire trail and
expects to do so again spring 2002, reported on his runs, his
training, and his website: Following introductions of everyone
present (and the group or groups they represented), representatives
of several of the volunteer groups made brief statements about
the purpose of their groups and how they are working with the
Cross County Trail. Bill Niedringhaus outlined the plans for an
"ultimate" Cross County hike in the summer and the group discussed
logistics for the National Trails Day event. The meeting adjourned
at approximately 9:30 PM.
Fairfax
Trails and Streams e-newsletter March 3, 2002
POTOMAC
HERITAGE TRAIL NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
For info on the PHT see www.potomactrail.org
Funding:
Please contact Reps. Wolf, Davis,and Moran
-- 2 years ago: Big response, major funding (TCSP program)
-- 1 year ago: Smaller response, minimal funding
-- This year: Up to you!!! (details below)
Threat to
nearby scenic 16-mi Rail-to-Trail
-- ideal segment for Pot. HeritageTrail, but
-- "NIMBYs" greatly outnumbered supporters at recent hearing
-- Please alert pro-trail friends in Fredericksburg-Dahlgren corridor
-- Please contact your State Senator-- espec., in No.Va, Saslaw,
Mims, Howell, Puller. (details below)
CALENDAR
--Sat. Mar 23, morning spring litter
cleanup, 7 sites on Pimmit Run
--Mon. Mar. 25, 7:30pm FTAS monthly meeting: McLean Govt Center,1437Balls
Hill Rd, McLean
--Sat. April 13 Volunteers needed for CCT Reroute in Great Falls
--Mon April 22, 7:30 pm FTAS monthly meeting; CCT focus; PATC
Hqtrs Vienna
--4th Monday, every month thru October, 7:30: FTAS monthly meetings
DETAILS:
FUNDING FOR POTOMAC HERITAGE TRAIL (PHT)
It is appropriations time on Capital Hill. Please call yourcongressman
(in Fairfax County:Wolf, Davis or Moran, see below) to request:
--$250,000 in operating funds for the National Park Service to
administer the PHT
--$2 million in transportation (TCSP) funds to complete major
new sections of PHT.
--An increase in the National Park Service's Challenge Cost Share
program that provides money to local governments and nonprofit
partners (e.g.for bridges over Clarks Run and Sugarland Run)
Please act
now, and thank you for your support.
Thomas M.
DavisIII VA -11 (R) tom.davis@mail.house.gov Phone: 202-225-1492
Fax: 202-225-3071
Moran, James
P. Jr. VA -8 (D) jim.moran@mail.house.gov Phone: 202-225-4376
Fax: 202-225-0017
Frank R.
Wolf VA -10 (R) email http://www.house.gov/writerep/ Phone:202-225-5136
Fax:202-225-0437
DETAILS:
THREAT TO NEARBY 16-MI RAIL-TO-TRAIL
Doug Pickford writes: The Senate Committee on Courts and Justice
will be conducting a public hearing on HB1339 which permits the
Va. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation to take ownership of
the 16 mile abandoned rail right-of-way between Fredericksburgand
Dahlgren, Va. This corridor represents a best case scenario for
placing the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail on the ground
in this part of the region. Moreover, trail demand in Virginiacontinues
to grow and opportunities for developing trail facilities of this
magnitude (not to mention within an area of pristine beauty) do
not present themselves very often. This potential facility truly
represents a state resource and would provide potential connections
between the Caledon State Natural Area, Washington'sChildhood
home and other significant heritage resources in the area. The
hearing on Sunday represents a critical juncture in whether this
corridor will become a state park. If the bill is defeated, in
all probability the property will revert to adjacent landowners
and the opportunity for a public trail will be lost. It looks
as if the property rights folks intend to make a very strong showing
at the hearing, therefore we need as many supportive write ins
(emails) as possible. It looks as if a number of Committee members
are No. Va. delegates as well (Saslaw,Mims, Howell, Puller). Please
weigh in and feel free to circulate this list to as many trail
supporters as you can.
Senate
Courts and Justice Committee:
Senator
Kenneth W. Stolle (Chairman) (R)- Senate District 8 (804) 698-7508
email: VASEN08@aol.com
Senator
Richard L. Saslaw (D) - SenateDistrict 35 (804) 698-7535 email:
district35@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Malfourd W. Trumbo (R) -Senate District 22 (804) 698-7522email:district22@sov.state.va.us
Sen. Henry
L. Marsh, III (804) 698-7516
Senator
Henry L. Marsh III (D) - Senate District 16 (804) 698-7516 email:
district16@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Frederick M. Quayle (R) -Senate District 13 (804) 698-7513 email:
district13@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R) -Senate District 3 (804) 698-7503 email:
district03@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Janet D. Howell (D) - SenateDistrict 32 (804) 698-7532 email:
district32@sov.state.va.us
Senator
L. Louise Lucas (D) - SenateDistrict 18 (804) 698-7518 email:
district18@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Martin E. Williams (R) -Senate District 1 (804) 698-7501 email:
district01@sov.state.va.us
Senator
John S. Edwards (D) - Senate District 21 (804) 698-7521 email:
district21@sov.state.va.us
Senator
W. Roscoe Reynolds (D) -Senate District 20 (804) 698-7520 email:
district20@sov.state.va.us
Senator
William C. Mims (R) - SenateDistrict 33 (804) 698-7533 email:
district33@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Linda T. (Toddy) Puller (D) -Senate District 36 (804) 698-7536
email: district36@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Nick Rerras (R) - SenateDistrict 6 (804) 698-7506 email: district06@sov.state.va.us
Senator
Harry B. Blevins (R) - SenateDistrict 14 (804) 698-7514 email:
district14@sov.state.va.us a
Fairfax Trails and Streams e-newsletter 21
March 2002
Pimmit
Run Litter Cleanup SATURDAY 9am
Last fall
42 volunteers pitched in to help clean up McLean's premier waterway,
Pimmit Run. Let's do even better this year! Join FTAS at any of
7 locations, 9 till noon.
