Current News and Activities

= = Meeting Topic = =
Consideration of asphalt trails to Great Falls Village. Currently, the Comprehensive Plan calls for hard surface in the commercial areas and soft surface (natural surface or stone dust) in the outlying areas.

= = Thursday, May 1, 7:30 pm = =
Trail Blazers Annual Meeting in the Old Schoolhouse

= = Saturday, May 10, 8:30 am = =
Trail Construction at Riverbend Park. Meet at the Visitor Center. Bring lunch, water, work gloves; tools supplied.
Work will involve trail grading and finishing, and installing some erosion control structures.

April 5 - 9 a.m. Stream cleanup on Difficult Run to benefit our Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. Meet at Ramey's Meadow Park on Leigh Mill Road just next to the one lane bridge.

April 12 - 9 a.m. Stream cleanup. Meet at the parking lot on Georgetown Pike just west of the bridge over Difficult Run. We will clean Difficult Run through Great FAlls Park to the Potomac River.

American Plant Company has purchased the nursery property next to the Methodist Church. They plan to open in April and will carry a line of organic and natural products for our properties and many native plants.
Read the commendation letter from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. On September 10th, 2007 members of the Great Falls Habitat team - Stella Koch, Elaine Tholen, Eleanor Anderson, Heather Stroup, Mary Anger, Jackie Taylor and Robin Rentsch - appeared before the Board of Supervisors to receive a resolution of commendation for achieving Great Falls’ Community Wildlife Habitat status.

(Serena Wilson was not able attend.) The nomination was made by Supervisor DuBois. Read the full resolution at the GFCA Website www.gfca.org.

2007-2008 Goal: Maintain Community Wildlife Habitat Certification
The GFCA Environment Committee is committed to perpetuating the Great Falls Community Wildlife Habitat Certification. Each year, 40 points, including additional backyard certifications, are required to maintain the certification with the National Wildlife Federation. This includes the ongoing education and attention of our community on the nature surrounding us.

2007-2008 ongoing activities:
Removing invasive plant species that are not native to Northern Virginia is an ongoing project. Please contact Robin Rentsch if you'd like to participate.

Parks subcommittee mission

Our mission is to preserve and protect our parks and natural environment by acquiring and/or protecting, through various methods, additional parkland and open space wherever possible; acquiring properties that are important to our environment and our history; continuing to connect trails and park properties along the Potomac River and major stream valleys; and providing, in the future, at least one other active recreation park that would include ball fields and other activities suitable for this type of park; and finally, appropriately developing, through public input, our present and future parks. This committee is looking for undeveloped property in Great Falls for such consideration.

The GFCA Environment Committee approached the Fairfax County Park Authority requesting tree care and protection of the 47 White Oaks on the Grange Park Property. These trees (Like the two pictured above) are heavily impacted by drought and human activity compacting the soil. FCPA has responded positively and will install barriers around three trees in the parking area; seek a bid from Davy Trees to mulch and aerate trees in the playground and deliver mulch for all other impacted trees in the spring. We will then organize a community mulching party.