- “Zero-loss” of remaining County-owned natural lands
- 248 County-owned acres identified for preservation
- Three-year inventory found seven unmapped streams, 600 native species, including 14 rare plants
ARLINGTON, VA – The Arlington County Board today approved the County’s first comprehensive plan to preserve and manage County-owned natural lands.
“By adopting this plan today, we are taking much-needed action to protect our remaining open spaces, and the plants and animals they shelter, for future generations,” County Board Chairman Jay Fisette said. “Our parks department has done an outstanding job of comprehensively mapping this County’s natural resources and giving us the information we need to preserve Arlington’s natural resource assets.”
The plan is based on an unusual, comprehensive inventory of Arlington’s natural resources carried out between 2005 and 2008 by the County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources. The inventory found that only 4.7 percent of Arlington’s surface area — a little more than 700 acres — remains as natural lands. Of these, well over half are owned by the U.S. Park Service as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway system. Fifty percent of all surface streams have disappeared and invasive plant species are widespread. (
View presentation to the PDF, 2MB)
Highlights of the plan’s 19 recommendations for preserving and managing natural lands include:
- Adopting a general policy goal of “zero-loss” of County-owned natural lands.
- Developing a new GIS-based environmental review process to protect significant individual natural resources on County-owned open space.
- Establishing a single, specialized management unit to manage Arlington’s natural resources.
- Establishing a new administrative category of County-owned open space, or Natural Resource Conservation Areas (NRCA).
- Developing an individual natural resources management plan for each County-owned park designated as a Natural Resource Conservation Area, or containing NRCAs.
The Board voted 5-0 to approve the plan.
To read more about the plan, visit the County’s website.
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
