Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
Encyclopedia
The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) is an interjurisdictional organization
that owns and operates more than 10,000 acre
s of woodland
s, stream
s, park
s, trail
s, nature reserve
s, countryside
and historic site
s in Northern Virginia
in the United States
. The Authority was organized in 1959. The Authority presently operates 21 regional park
s.
A 12-member policy-making Board
governs NVRPA. The city council
or county board of each member jurisdiction
appoints two representatives to the Board. Three counties (Arlington
, Fairfax
, and Loudoun
) and three cities (Alexandria
, Falls Church
and Fairfax
) currently have representation on the Board.
s and other features administered by the Park Authority include:
A challenge course, Hemlock Overlook has worked with 20,000-30,000 people a year, sent nearly half a million people down its zipline, and has had thousands of staff alumni. Hemlock operations over its history included the management of Bull Run Marina and a summer camp (Camp Mason, then Camp Hemlock) on the Hemlock Overlook site. Directors over the 25 years were: Mike Freed, Warren Doyle, and Susan Johnson.
At the northern edge of the park is the site of the Union Mills and the bridge crossing for the Orange and Alexandria Railroad over the Bull Run; both of these sites have high significance in the Battles of Bull Run.
A permanent orienteering course, built with the support of Quantico Orienteering Club, remains in the southern end of the park, below Yates Ford Road and Yates Ford Trail. The Bull Run Occoquan Trail (blue trail) is maintained by the PATC. Both the Occoquan Watershed Coalition and the Hemlock Overlook Regional Park Task Force, HOTFORCE, are stakeholders working with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to integrate the Park and its activities into the overall community setting in the downzoned area.
Hemlock Overlook is named after the grove of hemlock trees above the banks of the Bull Run in the northern section of the park. The site of a dam that supported the first hydroelectric power generation to Fairfax County is also on the Hemlock Overlook site. The park continues to serve the crucial role of watershed protection for the area.
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
that owns and operates more than 10,000 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s, park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s, trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s, nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s, countryside
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
and historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
s in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Authority was organized in 1959. The Authority presently operates 21 regional park
Regional park
Regional park is a term used for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government.-Definition:...
s.
A 12-member policy-making Board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
governs NVRPA. The city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
or county board of each member jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
appoints two representatives to the Board. Three counties (Arlington
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
, Fairfax
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, and Loudoun
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
) and three cities (Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Falls Church
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
and Fairfax
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
) currently have representation on the Board.
Constituent parks
The regional parkRegional park
Regional park is a term used for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government.-Definition:...
s and other features administered by the Park Authority include:
- Bull Run Regional Park
- Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
- Bull Run Marina
- Fountainhead Regional Park
- Sandy Run Regional Park
- Occoquan Regional ParkOccoquan Regional ParkOccoquan Regional Park is a park bordering a tributary of the Potomac River. The Park contains dense forests, soccer and baseball fields and a tributary that flows into the Potomac River. It has a paved cycling trail, preserved Civil War arsenals and a marina....
- Pohick Bay Regional Park
- Gateway Regional Park
- Meadowlark Botanical GardensMeadowlark Botanical GardensMeadowlark Botanical Gardens are botanical gardens and an event venue located at 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, Virginia, 22182. They are open daily except for major holidays and ice; an admission fee is charged. Photography is allowed when a proper reservation has been made, additional...
- Upton Hill Regional Park
- Cameron Run Regional ParkCameron Run Regional ParkCameron Run Regional Park is a park operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority located near Cameron Run on Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia. The Park features batting cages, a full 18 hole miniature golf course, and a waterpark. The waterpark, known as Great Waves, has a...
- Carlyle House Historic Park
- Potomac Overlook Regional Park
- Algonkian Regional Park
- Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional ParkWashington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional ParkThe Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is a popular and unusually-shaped regional park in Northern Virginia. The park's primary feature is the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail , an asphalt-surfaced paved rail trail that runs through densely populated urban and suburban...
- Brambleton Regional Park
- Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park
- Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park
- Temple Hall Farm Regional Park
Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
From 1984 to 2009, [Hemlock Overlook Regional Park] operated as a partnership between George Mason University and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. In 2009, GMU ended its relationship with NVRPA, and the Park Authority welcomed a new partner to operate the facility: Adventure Links.A challenge course, Hemlock Overlook has worked with 20,000-30,000 people a year, sent nearly half a million people down its zipline, and has had thousands of staff alumni. Hemlock operations over its history included the management of Bull Run Marina and a summer camp (Camp Mason, then Camp Hemlock) on the Hemlock Overlook site. Directors over the 25 years were: Mike Freed, Warren Doyle, and Susan Johnson.
At the northern edge of the park is the site of the Union Mills and the bridge crossing for the Orange and Alexandria Railroad over the Bull Run; both of these sites have high significance in the Battles of Bull Run.
A permanent orienteering course, built with the support of Quantico Orienteering Club, remains in the southern end of the park, below Yates Ford Road and Yates Ford Trail. The Bull Run Occoquan Trail (blue trail) is maintained by the PATC. Both the Occoquan Watershed Coalition and the Hemlock Overlook Regional Park Task Force, HOTFORCE, are stakeholders working with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to integrate the Park and its activities into the overall community setting in the downzoned area.
Hemlock Overlook is named after the grove of hemlock trees above the banks of the Bull Run in the northern section of the park. The site of a dam that supported the first hydroelectric power generation to Fairfax County is also on the Hemlock Overlook site. The park continues to serve the crucial role of watershed protection for the area.