SECTION 2 - A Committment For the Future:

The Board of Supervisors supports these two environmental principles:

1. The conservation of our limited natural resources must be interwoven into all government decisions. There is a direct link between the vitality of ecological resources and the quality of life for our citizens.
2. We must be committed to provide the necessary resources to protect our environment.
Recent actions by the Board of Supervisors and other regional government bodies have affirmed Fairfax County's commitment to the environment and environmental stewardship.

• The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments established a region-wide drought emergency plan. The plan balanced the region's need for a reliable water supply with water conservation.
• The Board strengthened the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance in 2003 to require protection and creation of vegetated buffers along perennial streams.
• The Board authorized mapping all county streams to better implement the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.
• The Board of Supervisors, working with the Fairfax County Park Authority, preserved large tracts of the former Lorton prison site as open space and for recreational use.
• The Board supported the establishment of the cross-county trail from Lorton to Great Falls. This trail will make it possible for people to enjoy their natural environment and provide an alternative to driving.
• The Board of Supervisors supported efforts to comply with the Clean Air Act by developing and initiating a plan to have 20 percent of workers telework by the year 2005.
• The Board approved regulations to limit light pollution through the County's dark skies initiative.
• The Board supported a County study to examine the spread and effects of infill development within established neighborhoods; and county staff is implementing the study recommendations to make new homes more compatible with established neighborhoods and to reduce negative environmental impacts.
• The Board authorized a County study to examine the spread and effects of infill development within established neighborhoods; and county staff is implementing the study recommendations to make new homes more compatible with established neighborhoods and to reduce negative environmental impacts.
• The Board has worked in concert with the Northern Virginia Land Conservation Trust to support a public-private partnership to preserve open space and sensitive areas.