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How Does Scott’s Run? By Marty Smith, Assistant Manager, Riverbend Park Scott’s Run Nature Preserve is one of only two nature preserves in the Fairfax County Park Authority’s holdings. It is a remarkable place of rare plants and splendid beauty. Yet that same beauty is being challenged by urban pollution problems and human destruction. It is a poignant match-up that has many people concerned. A grove of ancient hemlocks, whose ancestors migrated here during the last ice age, stands in the nature preserve as a reminder that this region was once sub-arctic in its climate. A major fault zone cuts right through the park, a relic of a much more distant past some 520 and 570 million years ago when the rocks were created out of slabs of ocean floor pushed up onto this continent. Visitors have flocked to Scott’s Run for years to witness the spring wildflowers that grow there. Trail-ing arbutus, Virginia bluebells and trillium blooming on the steep hillsides create a small oasis of rare and fragile plants. Remarkable and rare species grow along the precipitous cliffs, in steep valleys and throughout the mature hardwood forest of very large oak and beech trees, ancient hemlock and wild cherry trees that stand as tall as the oaks. Hiking the trails of Scott’s Run can be challenging, requiring a hardier constitution than possibly any other park in Fairfax County. There are two entrances into the valley park, one along the stream and the other leading to the bluffs above the river. Some trails are gentle and wind quietly through the forest. Other trails require hiking up and down very steep hills and cliffs. The trails down the bluffs to the Potomac River are sheer in many places, and visitors must very care-fully pick their way down the rocky cliffs. This rug-gedness is part of the charm of Scott’s Run, creating almost a paradox between the rugged terrain and the fragile beauty of the blankets of wildflowers. Ironically, the beautiful creek that spills over the waterfall right before it enters the Potomac River actually starts directly below the parking lots of Tyson’s Corner Shopping Center which sits atop a very large ancient gravel deposit that is the highest spot in Fairfax County. Flowing east, through many business parks and condominium complexes, it ends its journey at the waterfall. But Scott’s Run’s beauty is what also brings its problems. People flock to the waterfall during hot weather to swim and bathe. Swimming is against the law at Scott’s Run, however, because many sources of pollution make it potentially hazardous to human health. Storm runoff in the Tyson’s Corner area washes human and animal waste into the creek. Mountain bikers and horseback riders illegally add to the wastes. Park and animal control staff work together to try to enforce the countywide leash law. Other degradation is also taking place at Scott’s Run. Wildflower poachers dig up the fragile flowers blooming within the park. In fact, they dug up the only stand of yellow lady-slipper orchids from Scott’s Run, removing one of the rarest and most beautiful plants found in Fairfax County. Yet it remains a wonderfully rich site for interpreta-tive programs. Threats to Scott’s Run Nature Preserve are extremely troubling to Park Authority staff and to residents, who also keep a care-ful watch on the park. In fact, it is in response to their concerns that the Board of Supervisors has provided funding for more part-time help to watch over the reserve. It is unique in the region and a special spot for many regular visitors. The stewardship question echoes the challenge its appellation implies: can we indeed "Preserve" it? Scott’s Run Nature Preserve is at 7400 Georgetown Pike in McLean, just outside the belt-way.