Speak up for bold action with Resilient Fairfax!

Fairfax County staff have been developing the Resilient Fairfax Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan to help Fairfax County become more resilient to changing conditions and climate change-related hazards such as extreme heat, severe storms, and flooding. The draft plan is now available for review and public comment through Wednesday, June… Continue reading

Tell Fairfax County that Route 1 must be safer to walk and bike!

May 2022: Route 1 in Fairfax County during rush hour (Photo courtesy of Renee Grebe) Take the survey before Tuesday, May 31, 2022 Before the comment period ends on May 31, we’re looking to get as many people as possible to complete Fairfax County Department of Transportation’s (FCDOT) Route 1… Continue reading

Support Fairfax City Council’s saving of 2.7 acres of forest!

  On 3/8/22, the Fairfax City Council unanimously approved the appropriation of $900,000 for the purchase of the Mathy property! . . . Two years ago, the City of Fairfax evaluated two different but similarly challenging development proposals: Northfax West (to bury a stream and build on four acres of… Continue reading

Support Safe Streets for All in Fairfax County

Have you ever tried to cross a road that didn’t feel safe? Or, maybe taken a longer route on your bike to avoid a dangerous street or intersection? Drive down Richmond Highway (seen above) and you will see residents crossing this street wherever they can. There simply aren’t enough crossings… Continue reading

Introducing: Ward 8 Water Watchers at Oxon Run!

Thanks to a Community Stormwater Solutions grant from the DC Department of Energy and Environment and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, last year ANS began a new partnership with food justice and community wellness experts, The Green Scheme and DC Greens. This partnership created the Ward 8 Water Watchers, a coalition… Continue reading

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Weakens Drinking Water Protection

Chris Koerner testifies in favor of stronger drinking water protections during the June 22, 2021 Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Agritourism Protections in Fairfax County’s “Residential-Conservation” zoned areas around the Occoquan Reservior were weakened on June 22 when the Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 in favor of by-right agritourism… Continue reading

Housing and the Environment: Habitats for Humans

This article ran as the Partners Profile in the Summer, 2021 Naturalist Quarterly What do environmental advocates need to know about housing? It turns out the answer is: quite a lot. At ANS, we have been educating ourselves about the ways that housing needs, development plans, affordability, and transit intersect… Continue reading

Help us say “no” degrading Fairfax County’s drinking water!

Photo from the Montgomery planning office via the American Planning Association. UPDATE AS OF JUNE 23, 2021 We are incredibly disappointed to report that protections in Fairfax County’s “Residential-Conservation” zoned areas around the Occoquan Reservior were weakened on June 22 when the Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 in favor of… Continue reading

ANS Opposes MAGLEV Project: TAKE ACTION by May 24!

*Special blog post credits goes out to ANS volunteers Frank Sanford and Debra Street.* Have you heard of the MAGLEV project? The Super Conductor Magnetic Levitation Train (SC MAGLEV) is the acronym for a high speed (300 mph) train that has been proposed between Washington and Baltimore, with eventual expansion… Continue reading

Tell the Board of Public Works: Don’t Move Forward with I-495 (Beltway)/I-270 Highway Widening!

8/2/21 Update!!! The Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) will be voting on the I-495/I-270 highway expansion project at its upcoming August 11th, 2021 BPW meeting (see items 10-GM and 11-GM in their meeting agenda). Take action now and send a letter to the BPW using the form below before… Continue reading