Saving Nearby Nature on Little Hunting Creek
Little Hunting Creek.
by Paul Siegel
A biologically diverse tidal tributary of the Potomac River located near Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, this is a high priority landscape that the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is working to enhance and protect.
With financial support from committed friends like you, NVCT worked with the community to acquire a critical property along the creek which harbors an amazing diversity of wildlife, improves water quality, and brings people together. That gift inspired conservation champions who, with another neighbor, each generously donated conservation easements along the creek bank so their land would be conserved forever.
Just in the last month, NVCT staff worked with neighbors in the Little Hunting Creek community to create a walking trail, lead a volunteer event to pull invasive winter creeper from the property, and become involved in a proposed sewer main crossing under the creek bed. Working with landowners and in partnership with the Friends of Little Hunting Creek is a way to increase our positive impact on land conservation.
Our commitment is ongoing.NVCT’s commitment to Little Hunting Creek–and other conservation lands in the region–is real and ongoing, and so are the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for this watershed. There are additional properties along the creek that we hope to conserve in the near future, and NVCT and the community will be actively engaged in the sewer main planning issue to ensure that decisions made are the right ones for this sensitive ecosystem.
This is why NVCT needs your support now more than ever. The dollars you provide us go directly to conserving critical landscapes throughout Northern Virginia like Little Hunting Creek. Your donations make a tangible difference in the communities we live in, work in, and play in. They are an investment in the future of our neighborhoods and our way of life.
Saved forever.It was a real treat for me to join with NVCT staff and board and with Little Hunting Creek neighbors two weeks at a volunteer invasive plant removal on our conserved property. That Saturday morning dawned crisp and clear, and I decided to bring my four-year-old son out to be a part of the group. Though his attendance surely cut down on my weed-pulling productivity, the experience he got seeing the creek partially iced over, with abundant geese, ducks, and other waterfowl all around him, and to see people working on the land was priceless.
Make a difference.
In this season of giving, I hope you’ll consider donating to NVCT so that we can create more experiences like this for kids and adults alike who value our amazing natural world and want to see it protected for all time.
Thank you for all you do to support us and our work. I wish you a safe and joyous holiday season.
Alan Rowsome
NVCT Executive Director
This article has been featured on our site to highlight the news and updates from our members. The original source can be found on the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust website. View the original article here Saving Nearby Nature on Little Hunting Creek.