Park Authority Adopts Agency's
First Natural Resource Management Plan

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board adopted the agency's first Natural Resource Management Plan on Wednesday, January 14, 2004. This plan will coordinate agency-wide efforts to achieve the resource preservation vision for the Park Authority outlined in the current Strategic Plan and mission statement. As the county's largest landowner, with more than 23,000 acres of land and 388 parks, much of the responsibility for preserving Fairfax County's rich natural heritage rests with the Park Authority.

Open space requires active management in order to retain its value and to minimize the impacts of surrounding development, storm water run-off, water and air pollution, invasive plants, wildlife conflicts and encroachments by adjoining property owners. The five-year plan creates a system-wide approach to meet these natural resource management challenges. Annual implementation plans will be created to define the scope of work for each year. Some of the plan's strategies can be accomplished with existing fiscal and personnel resources, while others will require additional support.

"Just as citizens played a vital role in helping us draft this report, volunteers and partnerships in the community will play a critical role in carrying out many of these strategies," according to Lee Stephenson, director of the Resource Management Division (RMD). He added, "This is a tremendous step forward in achieving the Park Authority's mission to be effective stewards of our natural resources." The draft document received widespread public review prior to adoption and hundreds of suggestions and comments were incorporated into the final plan.

The plan contains seven elements: Natural Resource Management Planning, Vegetation, Wildlife, Water Resources, Air Quality, Human Impact on Parklands, and Education. Each one of these areas is explored in the plan with strategies and issues detailed. For more information about the plan, contact RMD at 703-324-8664. The plan is available online.