Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE): Arlington Community Wildlife Habitat Project: Registration Form

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Community Wildlife Habitats Registration Form

Wildlife Habitat
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Community Basics
1. Please define your community. What and whom does it include? What are its boundaries?

Arlington County is an urban area located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. No incorporated towns or cities lie within Arlington's boundaries. Originally part of the ten-mile square surveyed in 1791 for the Nation's Capital, the portion on the west bank of the Potomac River was returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia by the U. S. Congress in 1846. This area was known as Alexandria City and Alexandria County until 1920, when the County portion was renamed Arlington County.

Although perhaps best known to visitors as the home of the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington has maintained high quality residential neighborhoods while supporting continued managed growth. Residents are actively involved in the community; there are over 60 civic associations and over 100 community and service organizations in the County.

The County's central location in the Washington metropolitan area, its ease of access by car and public transportation, and its highly skilled labor force have attracted an increasingly varied residential and employment mix. The County has focused high-density commercial and residential development around Metro rail stations in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor and the Jefferson Davis Corridor (which includes Pentagon City and Crystal City), while maintaining lower density development in the remainder of the County.

Arlington's population is increasingly diverse; more than nine percent of County residents are African-American and more than eight percent are Asian. Almost one-fifth of County residents are Hispanic, which reflects an increase of over 50 percent since 1990. Arlington's population is among the most highly educated in the nation, with an on-going commitment to schooling. About 90 percent of Arlington's high school graduates go on to college. Arlington County has over 1,100 acres of parks and open space. Individual parks range in size from less than one acre to over 60 acres, with many parks forming chains of contiguous greenways. The diversity of flora and fauna found within our parks are at least in part a reflection of the County's physical location, straddling the Fall Line. The vast majority of stream valleys found within the County are encompassed by parklands that afford an important buffer for our watersheds. Many important natural resources are also contained within the federal open space of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP). The GWMP property runs along the eastern edge of the County, from its northern boundary down to National Airport.

2. What is the community size in square miles?
26 square miles

3. What is the population of your community?
189,010

Figures as of 2001

Ecological Characteristics of Your Community

1. What watershed is your community in?
All streams within Arlington drain directly or indirectly into the middle Potomac River. The primary first order stream is Four Mile Run, which courses through the county, collecting water from numerous sub-watersheds, and enters the Potomac near National Airport. In north Arlington, Little Pimmit Run, Gulf Branch, Donaldson Run, Windy Run and Spout Run course through steep wooded stream valleys and drain directly into the Potomac.

2. Is your community along a migratory path or flyway? If so, please describe.
Arlington is located within the Atlantic flyway. While flyways are considered a very general migratory route for mostly waterfowl., there is a great deal more complexity to the groups and species of birds that travel in any particular pathway. Many neo-tropical bird species and waterfowl migrate through the area in and surrounding Arlington at different times of the year.

3. What are the dominant ecosystems in your community?
Arlington, while highly urbanized, is considered a mixed deciduous forest. Historically, the native forest type would be classified as an oak/hickory type. Remnants of the original forest are evident throughout the county.

Lying within the mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States, Arlington County is home to a surprisingly rich diversity of wildlife species. Lying directly on the fall line, Arlington County is represented by native species common to both the Piedmont and Coastal Plain geological provinces within Virginia. Of particular biological interest is the fact that Arlington lies within an area of overlap encompassing the southern limit of distribution for some eastern species (such as the wood turtle) and the northern limit of distribution for others (such as the corn snake).

4. What are the top two or three environmental or ecological challenges faced by your community?
In its urbanized setting, Arlington's most serious environmental challenges are degraded water and air quality. Extreme habitat fragmentation is another ecological challenge for the community.

5. Are there any federally-listed threatened or endangered species or state listed species of concern (plants, birds, insects, fish, etc.) in or near your community? If so, please list each species and listing status.
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is most likely the only federally listed species that could be found in Arlington. This species, while not residing in Arlington, probably flies over the area with some frequency. Another federally listed species, the shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser Brevirostrom), was found or spawned historically in the Potomac River adjacent to Arlington but the species is now believed to be limited to more Southern portions of the river.

Range maps show the possible existence of several state threatened and endangered listed species in Arlington including the Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta), regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia), and ginseng (Panax quiquefolium). The Henslow's sparrow, wood turtle, and ginseng are listed as threatened. As of 1995, the regal fritillary butterfly was proposed as a threatened species in Virginia. It is uncertain as to whether any of these species may inhabit Arlington. There is also a state rare plant, the white trout lily (Erythronium albidum), that can be found in Arlington.

6. Are there any problematic invasive non-native species that are displacing or contributing to the decline of native species in your community? Please describe.
According to information provided by Arlington County, approximately 40% of the trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants in Arlington Parks are non-native species. The following non-native invasive vine species are considered the most serious problems for Arlington Parks: English ivy (Hedera helix), porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata), oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), kudzu (Pueraria lobata), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Periwinkle (Vinca minor), climbing euonynmous (Euonymous furtunei), and mile-a-minute (Polygonum perfoliatum).

7. Are there any other special ecological or environmental conditions in your community?
No.

Project Definition, Goals, and Plan of Action

1. Describe the Community Wildlife Habitat project being registered.
The overall goal of the Arlington Community Wildlife Habitat project is to interest, educate and assist citizens, schools, businesses and community organizations in Arlington County in the creation of wildlife habitats that provide food, water, shelter and places to raise young.

2. Describe the short term and long term goals of the project.
Within the next 3 to 5 years, we plan to (Required projects):

Certify 1,000 single family or town homes within Arlington
Certify 5% of the multi-unit buildings including apartments and condominiums within Arlington with at least one Backyard Wildlife Habitat site per building. (26)
Certify at least three Schoolyard Habitats projects, one each at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
Host a Habitat Stewards training program to train volunteers who can assist homeowners, schools, etc. with projects.
Certify at least five demonstration habitat sites, including one at a place of worship, a community center, a nature center, and a work place.
Create a project scrapbook with copies of program fliers, press clips, photos of community work days, and other items.

Additional projects we plan to accomplish include (Elective projects):

A. Making a presentation before the Arlington County Board on the Community Wildlife Habitat project and its benefits. B. Restoring native plant communities along stream and river banks C. Holding a series of workshops about creating wildlife habitats. D. Establishing a regular column in a local paper or papers. E. Contributing to and holding fund raising events to assist local land trusts in protecting sensitive wildlife habitats. F. Working with an affordable housing provider to create wildlife- friendly landscapes. G. Working with community gardens to convert unused areas to habitats H. Creating financial or other incentives to increase participation in this project. I. Working with Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources to convert parkland to wildlife friendly landscapes. 3. Describe the basic plan of action for meeting the criteria for Community Wildlife Habitat Certification and for reaching the project goals.

Our plan of action includes work in four areas. We anticipate completing the phases listed in the next three years.

Materials
Phase 1 - Develop one-page program description and basic talking points
Phase 2 - Develop packet, flyer, slide show and Powerpoint presentations, sample newsletter articles, and tri-fold display
Phase 3 - Develop workshop outline tailored to specific audiences.

Outreach and Education
Phase 1 - Develop media and communications plan
    - Develop a calendar of key community events to tap into
    - Plan habitat stewards training
Phase 2 - Deliver habitat stewards training
    - Meet with key community stakeholders including County Board, other elected officials, County staff, Civic Federation, potential partner organizations, and Chamber of Commerce
    - Develop project outreach calendar
Phase 3 - Deliver outreach to community through civic associations, schools and PTAs, and exhibits at community events

Resources
Phase 1 - Develop plan for resource fair
    - Develop lists of landscapers, nurseries, and sites available for tours
    - Photograph sample Arlington sites
    - Develop volunteer recruitment plan
Phase 2 - Hold resource fair (annually)

Administration and Fundraising
Phase 1 - Develop database to store inquiries, projects in process, volunteers, and resources
Phase 2 - Research funding prospects
    - Develop fundraising plan
    - Develop system to track status of projects in progress
Phase 3 - Solicit foundation and corporate donations

4. Explain how the project addresses your community's ecological characteristics and/or challenges as identified in Section C.

Arlington's ecosystem is characterized as a mixed deciduous forest with several small watersheds. Both features have been greatly altered by development in this highly urbanized area. The forest habitat has been fragmented and water quality has declined. In addition, air quality is seriously impaired. Creating wildlife habitat in the Community will restore a portion of the fragmented habitat, improve water quality, and also purify the air.

The project addresses Arlington's loss of habitat by creating a mosaic of habitat that provides wildlife food and shelter, corridors for movement, and areas for breeding and raising young. While the oak/hickory forest cannot be replaced, recreating pieces of the fragmented forest would approximate the preexisting environment. Rebuilding habitat would also improve water quality in Arlington's watersheds by absorbing sediment and pollutants. In addition, water temperatures would be lowered by the shade provided by habitat created near streams. Increased vegetation can also contribute to efforts to improve air quality. Coupled with other air pollution reduction measures in the Community, the project will improve air quality by increasing the amount of plant biomass that absorbs air pollution.

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