NOVA Parks
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2014) |
NOVA Parks (formerly named Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority) is an inter-jurisdictional
A 12-member policy-making
History
NOVA Parks was founded in 1959, when Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Falls Church decided to create an agency to protect the drinking water sources of the area, as well to provide passive recreation.
NOVA Parks purchased its first parkland shortly thereafter in
Within its first decade of existence, NOVA Parks conserved over 3,000 acres (1,200 ha). In the ten years that followed, that number was increased to approximately 8,000 acres (3,200 ha).
NOVA Parks then added sites in
NOVA Parks continued their growth through the 1990s, adding
In 2022, NOVA Parks acquired Winkler Botanical Preserve as part of an arrangement between NOVA Parks, the city of Alexandria, and the Winkler Organization, which had been the owner.[4]
Historic sites
NOVA Parks manages a number of parks that have historical significance, including an 18th-century mansion, a Civil War battlefield, a 19th-century grist mill, a 200-year-old working farm, a
During 2018, NOVA Parks also added property near Middleburg, VA, henceforth known as the Battle of Upperville | Goose Creek Regional Park.[5] The roughly 20-acre space features hiking trails and interpretive information, as well as Goose Creek Stone Bridge that was constructed prior to the Civil War.
Waterparks
NOVA Parks operates a total of five waterparks with differing sizes and features. These include Atlantis Waterpark at
Golf courses
NOVA Parks owns three 18-hole golf courses, including Algonkian, Brambleton and Pohick Bay. Each has a different layout and is Audubon International certified.
Constituent parks
The regional parks and other features administered by NOVA Parks include:
- Aldie Mill Historic Park
- Algonkian Regional Park
- Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery
- Beaverdam Reservoir
- Blue Ridge Regional Park
- Brambleton Regional Park
- Bull Run Marina
- Cameron Run Regional Park
- Carlyle House Historic Park
- Fountainhead Regional Park
- Gateway Regional Park
- Goose Creek Historic Park
- Gilbert's Corner Regional Park
- Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
- Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
- Mt. Defiance Historic Park
- Mt. Zion Historic Park
- Occoquan Regional Park
- Piscataway Crossing Regional Park
- Pohick Bay Regional Park
- Potomac Overlook Regional Park
- Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park
- Rust Sanctuary
- Sandy Run Regional Park
- Seneca Regional Park
- Temple Hall Farm Regional Park
- Tinner Hill Historic Park
- Turning Point Suffragist Memorial
- Upton Hill Regional Park
- Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park
- Webb Nature Sanctuary
- Winkler Botanical Preserve
See also
References
- ^ "About Nova Parks". Nova Parks. 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
- ^ Middleton, Leslie (5 March 2020). "Virginia riverside trails a rhapsody of bluebells". Bay Journal. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ Staff (July 4, 2018). "Occoquan Recreated" (PDF). The Connection Newspaper. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Teo Armus (15 September 2022). "NOVA Parks adds 44-acre preserve to its network of green spaces". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Historic bridge joins collection of Northern Va. protected parks | WTOP". WTOP. 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2018-07-24.