| The Cross County Trail -
It’s All About Connections (From the Winter 2006 issue of Parktakes)
Trail-Blazing 101 The Cross County Trail is a strong symbol of community connections for its involved citizens. Hundreds of volunteers give irreplaceable time and talent to county nonprofits, fire stations, schoolrooms and the Park Authority (The agency's eight nature centers and historic sites boast 7001 volunteers, making it the envy of the nation). And sometimes, citizens blaze trails. Niedringhaus recalls, "In 1997, I got interested in trails more broadly around Fairfax County. I did my homework. I learned how to do the research in the courthouse and looked up records." He obtained a large map of the county and highlighted all of the public land green. It was then he saw a continuous green line snaking down from the north to the south across the county with maybe three or four gaps. With friends, he formed a group called Fairfax Trails and Streams and spoke at the park bond hearings in 1998. "I think that was the first time they'd ever had anybody testify for trails," he said. But Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly was very supportive and instrumental in keeping the ball rolling at the top. With Fairfax Trails and Streams working from the citizen activist standpoint, it all began to take shape." "I realized that Fairfax County had a jewel in its midst," Connolly said. "Why not work to connect these existing parcels of land, acquire and obtain needed pieces of property and easements to make one long trail?" The next day he introduced a resolution to create the Cross County Trail. The county's entire board supported it, providing additional resources and obtaining federal support. The Cross County Trail:
Bikers and Riders Jump on Board Beverly Dickerson, former president of the Hunters Valley Riding Club and a member of Fairfax for Horses, remembers when she first heard of the trail, "The county has been farsighted in setting aside places like this, very proactive in trying to obtain the property and establishing recreational uses." Randy Kerr of MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts), became involved in the effort. Kerr said that one interesting aspect of watching the Cross County Trail take shape was the role volunteers played. "It's all about connections," Kerr said. "Bikes, hikers, neighborhood dog walkers. Not only using the trails, but in maintaining the trails. Trails provide obvious benefits throughout the county." The Trail's Exquisite Stream Valleys Much of Fairfax County's Cross County Trail lies within green, shaded stream valleys. Off limits to developers, the county's stream valleys support biodiversity and wildlife. It offers a rough Appalachian Trail-like experience. Some of it is stone dust. In some places there is a lot of mud. "People call and complain that there's snow on the trail," Pate said. "Well, we don't plow the trail. Get your cross-country skis out. It's a natural, outdoor environment. It's maintained, but it's not groomed. That's the beauty of it. That's why it's great." Stewards and Stream Valleys - The Trail TakesShape
"We moved from concept, through design to construction with remarkable speed," said Kane. "The Cross County Trail aligns perfectly with the Park Authority mission to serve the community and protect the land." Jody DelSignore, manager of the Park Authority mobile crew, oversaw parts of the construction of the trail. His department uses many different types of surfaces, including asphalt and stone dust, which is a stone surface. In the shadow of the Beltway in the Accotink Stream Valley, staff from Park Planning and Development designed and managed the largest construction project in the Park Authority's history, building over a mile of asphalt and concrete trail, and installing three concrete stream crossings. In swampy areas, volunteers and staff brought in stone to stabilize the wet ground. Some areas required stepping stones over creeks or culvert pipes under the trail to provide dry places to walk or ride. Park Authority area managers, including Alan Crofford, John Hopkins, Matt Devor, Kyle Long and Bob Stevenson, oversaw the trail markers. The signs are made of recycled plastic and fiberglass, marking the trail from one end to the other. The signs are durable and are buried deep to deter vandals, one of the scourges of the park system. "These markers don't burn very well, and we're placing them so that they won't be pulled out of the ground and thrown away," Long said. Fairfax County Loves It
Niedringhaus agrees, "It's very rewarding, especially when you see a trail nobody knew about, and now people have discovered it. The more people use it, the more it becomes self-maintaining. If you build it, they will come. That's our motto. You get people who are interested in using it, and then they get interested in maintaining it." Pate concurs. "We want people to be good stewards. We encourage people, don't dig on the trail - it causes erosion to it. Don't litter. Pack out what you pack in. People also need to realize that the trail is never going to be done. It'll be evolving. As long as people are using it, we'll still be working on it." Equestrian Dickerson observes that cooperation is the primary, unwritten rule on the trail, and she is very pleased with its shared use. "Everyone is courteous. Our equestrians have no problem at all with the mountain bikers. They pull off and wait for us to go by. They understand that mountain bikes are strange and unusual to horses, but we also find that after a while the horses don't pay attention to them." "The secret" Niedringhaus says, "is to get all the groups together. In other places, they're at each others throats, but here in Fairfax County, we have formed alliances." It's all about connections. The Cross County Trail is expected to be completed by December 2005. “It’s been a while,” Tadlock said, but it’s exciting to get to the end of the trail." Chairman Connolly sums it up this way, "I think we're going to be leaving behind for future generations a real gem. And it's a gem that's going to be protected - a natural environment that's very surprising in a county as rapidly urbanizing as Fairfax County is."
Flora of the Cross County Trail Most of our Cross County Trail lies within stream valley parkland. This parkland serves many purposes, but one of the most important is to protect our streams. The vegetation near streams helps to intercept nutrients carried from surrounding land before it enters a stream, and the roots of the vegetation help to prevent erosion. A happy benefit of this for folks enjoying our trails is the rich diversity of plants that adorn the trailside. Critters of the Cross County Trail The long stream valley parks in which the Cross County Trail is found also serve as natural corridors for wildlife to move about the county. Due to the lush vegetation that provides food and shelter and the proximity to water, many animal species have all that they need to survive. Spring may be the busiest time of the year for the wildlife of our stream valleys. The parkland provides critical protection for one of nature's niftiest features, the vernal pool. These small pools, many not much more than big puddles, are defined as temporary pools -wet in winter and spring; dry in late summer and fall. Within these pools, the struggle for survival is played out, and the stakes are high: life or death. Wood frogs, spring creepers, American toads, and spotted salamanders are a few of the amphibians that take advantage of vernal pools for reproduction. The benefit of laying eggs in a vernal pool is that there are no predators such as fish to gobble up the nearly defenseless tadpoles or larval salamanders. Nature's gamble is that these amphibians will develop fast enough to leave the pool before it evaporates. If the gamble fails and the puddles disappear early due to a dry spring for instance, a whole generation of amphibians may be lost. This is just one example of how important it is to protect our wetlands. We try to locate our trails away from sensitive areas like vernal pools. When using our trails, please stick to the path. Nature's amphibians need all the luck they can get!
Joseph Norris is a journalist of 32 years who makes his home in St. Mary's County, Maryland. He has written for many regional publications specializing in mid-Atlantic history. Nat Peterson is a nationally published health and leisure writer and current editor of ResOURces Newsletter. |
By the fall of 2000, Pate and the planning team developed a blueprint to connect the stream valley trails. Park Authority Director Kane and the Park Authority Board worked closely with the Board of Supervisors to secure funding. The board allocated $900,000, and the county realized significant savings by doing things in house.
"We are amazed by the number of people who use these trails," DelSignore observes. "Bikes whizzing by, joggers, people asking questions. To be this close to the Beltway and major thoroughfares of Washington, D.C., it's amazing. Less than 12 minutes from an urban setting there are rural, rustic places filled with wildlife and serenity."
