NOVA Parks News
Earth Day Update: Nature Enhanced Through Partnership
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A partnership between NOVA Parks and the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) is enhancing Upton Hill Regional Park. Upton Hill Regional Park has some healthy areas of mature forest within its 27 acres. But not all that is green is good. Invasive plants are plants from other parts of the world with few competitors in our environment and can take over areas. These plants provide much fewer habitat values than native plants and choke out the natural biodiversity of a healthy forest.
While the Master Naturalists and NOVA Parks have been working on addressing the invasive plants at Upton Hills for some time, the last year has seen increased efforts, with NOVA Parks bringing in expert contractors to complement the efforts of volunteers and NOVA Parks staff.
The target area has been about two acres with the highest concentration of invasives. “Park visitors who know the difference between native and invasive plants will already see a difference, as the natural habitat has been significantly enhanced,” remarked Jill Barker of the Arlington Master Naturalists. “We are thrilled with the partnership and progress over the last year.”
Forests go through stages of development, like children growing into adults. Upton Hill has some Climax Oak/Hickory Forest areas, which is one of the last stages of development. It can take 100 years for a forest to reach the mix of species that it will have in its final stage. In 2018 NOVA Parks planted an open area with a mix of trees, shrubs, and grasses that will grow into an Oak/Hickory Forest. Removing invasive plants will allow the ecology of this area to mature into an area with healthy biodiversity.
The work of invasive plant removal is never really done, and volunteers are always welcome to help the effort under the leadership of ARMN. Nearly 1,000 volunteer hours were logged at Upton Hill in calendar year 2021. If you are interested in volunteering at Upton Hill, follow this link to learn more.
https://armn.org/2022/03/02/transforming-upton-hill-regional-park/
The Master Naturalist/NOVA Parks partnership is not limited to just invasive plants. In 2020 both organizations started working together along with the Arlington NAACP and Audubon Society to offer a Black and Hispanic Birding program. This series continues and offers Black and Hispanic Birders a program and place where they can feel at home learning about birds and nature. “The master Naturalists are fantastic partners to work with. The extensive training needed to be a Master Naturalist means this is a group with a deep understanding of the natural systems. They provide both time, expertise, and passion for helping our parkland be all that it can be,” said Paul Gilbert, NOVA Parks Executive Director. “We look forward to this partnership continuing to develop,” Gilbert continued.
In the mid-1970s, NOVA Parks saved Upton Hill from a developer who was planning to clear it all and build housing. Today it is an island of nature in an urban environment.
NOVA Parks (Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority) is a regional park agency with parks in Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church. NOVA Parks has 12,200 acres, adding nearly 1,000 acres in the last decade. For more information on NOVA Parks visit novaparks.com.
Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) is a chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program. ARMN volunteers provide thousands of hours of service each year to protect local natural resources primarily in Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church. Virginia Master Naturalists are trained and certified volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping to conserve and manage natural resources and public lands in Virginia. Members of the Arlington Regional Master Naturalist (ARMN) chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program:
provide, promote, and facilitate volunteer service to sustain natural areas in our communities using sound natural resource management and conservation practices,
offer and support environmental education and outreach to encourage understanding and respect for our natural environment, and
engage in a wide range of citizen science activities that contribute to greater knowledge of local streams, plants, animals, and local habitat.
For more information on Arlington Regional Master Naturalists visit armn.org.