Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Award
Our own Betsy Washington has won the Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Award this year. This award in part, is in recognition of her work in conservation landscaping and watershed protection right here in Lake Barcroft and applauds Lake Barcroft's RPA gardens and conservation landscaping programs and educational outreach as models not only for our community, but for all of Fairfax County. None of this would have been possible without the support of forward-looking past LBA Board members and the WID who believed in and supported the conservation landscaping efforts. The nomination/award also mentions the great community spirit and hundreds of volunteers that worked to make these gardens and outreach programs a reality. The award especially applauds the Board-approved LBA Landscape Philosophy and the LBA-WID Tree Replacement program both developed in conjunction with the visionary George McLennan while he was M&I Chair. They quote our LBA Landscape Philosophy that states, "community property will be landscaped to protect the water quality of the lake by protecting the riparian buffer zones, protecting the urban forests, by using native plants whenever possible, and by avoiding all invasive plants". They conclude by stating, "In short, the landscaping of their (LBA) common areas is a model and inspiration for the community and beyond to demonstrate watershed-friendly landscaping policies. A big thank you to you all for continuing to support the Tree Replacement program that will help insure that the water quality of Lake Barcroft and our urban forest continue to thrive beyond our tenure here in this little bit of paradise. The official ceremony will be held in September, 2012.
Congratulations Betsy!