by

September 20, 2012

This week, I came across the following paragraph that is all the more remarkable because it was written over 40 years ago:

Freeways cut up our cities and our countryside, developments encroach upon the seashore and level the hills, ugliness is strewn everywhere, neon glares obscure the night, huge buildings block the sun. We walk a favorite woods path only to encounter the desolation of bulldozers, blasted tree stumps, and destroyed vegetation. In these instances of assault, where there is little offsetting satisfaction, it can readily be understood why people are starting to realize that they are being pushed, shoved and hassled.

Charles A. Reich, The Greening of America (1970) at 187. These words could have been written last week but were committed to paper only a year after Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon.

The timelessness of Reich’s observation illustrates the fact that we have done little to deviate from the path that we were on in 1970. Roads are still being planned to carve up even more of our countryside and a visit to the seashore reminds us that regardless of the changes that we have witnessed in just our lifetime, even more developments are underway along the ocean’s edge. Our children can no longer see the night sky (except in planetariums) and we seem to walk in perpetual shadows during the day. We no longer can experience our favorite patch of woods which have fallen to the bulldozers. 

The key point, however, is not that we just haven’t heeded Reich’s warning. Reich predicted that deep emotional unease would result from the changes to the natural world around us. In Reich’s words, we would begin to feel “pushed, shoved and hassled.”

Could it be that the rise of extreme partisanship, discourtesy and outright rudeness that we see today is linked to this degradation that we see all around us? Do we have a natural order and rhythm that is being upset from the destruction that we see every day? Perhaps we need to look at the root causes of this discontent instead of treating just the symptoms. If Reich is correct, unless we act to stop these environmental changes, we will feel increasingly like we are “pushed, shoved and hassled.” And that is bad news for us all.    

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September 20, 2012

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LOL (continued)

Why don't you do something useful? Like facilitating the preservation of Reeves Farm as an environmental education center? We need backyard chickens like we need an redeveloped East Falls Church.

Tom S. 238 days ago

New Blog Entry

Jim ---
With a new blog entry posted today, I will not be responding to any more postings on this entry.

Mike Nardolilli 238 days ago

LOL (continued)

Of course you or someone else at NVCT could always peruse the agenda items from the last two years of County Board meetings, but that would require work.

Tom S. 239 days ago

Source?

Jim ---
So, I take it that you have no source for the acreage number? The East Falls Church Plan does call for a paved plaza for people but it is on the site of the current paved lot for cars so I don't see how that proves your point.
As far as calling you by "Jim" instead of "Tom," if you would let me know your full name, I would be happy to call you by that name but I have no basis for verifying that you are "Tom." You could just as easily be "Cindy," "Linda," "Citizen," "2100," "Incorrect," or "Ted," writing under a different and equally phony name. Until then, I'll simply call all of you "Jim" because I suspect that each of these comments has been posted by the same person. Please keep those comments coming Jim!

Mike Nardolilli 239 days ago

L O L

My name is still Tom. Mr. Nardolilli, you should try attending County Board meetings more often. Parkland is paved over and the proposal appears on the County Board's consent agenda, no discussion required.

Maybe the County Board will name a plaza after you in EFC, a thousand square feet of paved plaza surrounded by mixed use condos, restaurants and retail. With six uncomfortable steel benches. Status Quo Steve will cover the dedication for the Mercury.

Tom 239 days ago

Voluntary Program

Jim ---
It is against state law to take land by eminent domain for conservation purposes. See Section 10.1-1701 of the Code of Virginia. So, our program depends upon the voluntary cooperation of landowners. With the concerns over the federal budget deficit (and the impending "fiscal cliff") many landowners who are working with us are naturally relunctant to take that final step to preserve their land in perpetuity. This is also true in the rest of the Commonwealth. See "Dedicated Revenue Sources for Land Conservation in Virginia," (JLARC, Sept. 10, 2012). Could you provide the source of your information for the acreage comparison you gave?

Mike Nardolilli 239 days ago

LOL

I will answer your question, Tom. NVCT hasn't preserved any land in Arlington during the past 2 years and at least 20 acres of public land have been paved over, streets, parking lots, playgrounds, playing fields, parkland, etc.

Cindy 239 days ago

Question

Jim ---
What are "nanny-ninnies in the media (e.g., for-profit blogs)"? In any event, the Arlington Mercury is a non-profit blog, so what does that comment have to do with anything? Shouldn't you be supportive of this non-profit blog?

Mike Nardolilli 239 days ago

NVCT Charades

My name is Tom. NVCT has been playing environmental charades for 15 years while state and local public land is being massively paved over. NVCT is so inept that Arlington County is going directly to property owners with stormwater disposal alternatives. Professor Nardolilli is so environmentally challenged he can't tell us how many acres NVCT added to it's preserved acreage in Arlington over the past couple of years vs. the amount of public land that's been paved over.

Tom 239 days ago

It's all been planned folks

It's all been "planned", whether the HOT Lanes on I-95 or the 700 vehicle parking garages in Rosslyn and Crystal City. Arlington is going to be totally and massively urbanized and the nanny-ninnies who are responsible are going to be retired and outta here in 5-10 years.

Nanny ninnies in the media (e.g., for-profit blogs) will also be outta here making another fortune from urbanizing another formerly-suburban county.

Cindy 239 days ago

No fooling....

You don't have to go to Rt 50-301, check out the rush hour traffic where the I-66 medians were recently paved over past Centerville.

Linda 239 days ago

Arlington Benefits

Jim ---
For every dollar invested by Arlington County, NVCT has provided $9 in land and conservation easement value. In addition, NVCT's protected lands provide an annual rate of return of $2,255 in ecosystem services (water quality, flood control, etc.) to the citizens of our fair county.

Mike Nardolilli 239 days ago

More Excuses

My name is Tom. It's obviously more fun and more profitable for Professor Mike and NVCT to play environmental 'Gilligans Island' with Thurston and Lovey Howell out in Middleburg (wonder how much longer the medians on Rt 50 will remain forested) than save a significant amount of open space here. Anyone who disagrees with Professor Mike is a Gilligan.

When Lexus Liberals earn $250,000 paying $20 round trip to use HOT lanes, or even one-way, is just another toll they can write off or have their employer pay for.. Check out the traffic on 50-301 out to and beyond Annapolis sometime. Twenty years ago paving over the 50-301 medians was supposed to be a panacea for traffic congestion.

Tom 239 days ago

New vs. Old

Jim ---
The choice is between the widening of existing roads or the construction of new roads. As long as the Commonwealth follows the Dillon Rule, local governments have very limited powers to control growth. Building new roads open up areas for new development while expanding existing roads accomodate existing development. Putting in HOT/HOV lanes along existing roads helps move more people (rather than cars) and lessens the need to cut new roads.

Mike Nardolilli 239 days ago

Stop Picking On Mike

Mike is only doing what he has to do and saying what he has to say to get NVCT's annual stipend from the County Board of Resegregation Through Gentrification.

2100 239 days ago

Forest On VDOT R/W

Well, why don't you have someone drive south down I-95 past Dumfries with you as a passenger and you can see the mature mixed-hardwood forest that's being destroyed - 40 to 80 acres per linear mile on the I-95 median - so the people who were gentrified out of Arlington (or who can't afford to live here in the first place) can drive SOV to Rosslyn, Crystal City, etc., where your developer buds are building 700 vehicle garages for them to park.

Tom 239 days ago

Response to Tom

I don't believe that many people would use the term "public forest" to describe trees on VDOT owned lands or in the VDOT right of way.

Mike Nardolilli 239 days ago

NVCT - Another All Talk-Little Action Non-Profit

Public land is being lost to paving every day with no complaint from NVCT. Thousands of acres of public forest are being bulldozed right now for HOT-HOV Lanes south of Dumfries on I-95.

Tom 239 days ago

Reply to Citizen

Dear Citizen (at least you are using a new name!) --- There is little connection between signage and the land. NVCT is a land trust, not a sign monitor. By focusing on the land, we have been able to save over 5,400 acres of Northern Virginia from development. We would rather be an effective group that concentrates on land conservation and not spread ourselves so thin as to get nothing done. How many acres of open space have you saved?

Mike Nardolilli 240 days ago

New Sign Ordinance

Where was NVCT when the new sign ordinance was debated by the County Board? Not standing with the National Park Service.

Mike Nardolilli has an excuse for every failing of the NVCT. Two biggest failures are the County's failure to purchase / preserve more open space and the failure to keep existing public open space from being paved.

Citizen 241 days ago

Response to Tom and Zimmie Gimmie

I've chosen to respond to the latest from Tom and Zimmie Gimmie in one posting. (Is it just me or do others out there suspect that I have only one commenter who writes under different names?) NVCT has protected 18 acres of open space in Arlington County. It is interesting that one of the comments mentions the NPS George Washington Parkway; two of NVCT's easements in Arlington border the GW Parkway and are designed as buffers to prevent just such private encroachments on NPS lands. I googled "mixed-use sports recreation paving" (used in one of the comments) and failed to find a single reference to this phrase so I have no idea what that term means. In any event, even somewhat grassy areas, such as natural soccer fields, can act as impervious surfaces when the soils beneath them are hardened and don't allow water to pass through. Thus, heavily used natural fields may be less pervious than properly designed synthetic fields. Finally, if the commenter(s) had spoken up at the County Board hearing and urged the Board to put more bond money into land acquisition (as NVCT did), perhaps the result would have been different. We will never know, however, because the commenter(s) chose to remain silent.

Mike Nardolilli 241 days ago

Pave Paradise, Put Up a Soccer Field

Who does the County Board listen to? Not NVCT. County Board listens to the Zimmie Gimmie soccer parents who want every 50 meter by 100 meter open space made over into a synthetic soccer field.

Zimmie Gimmie 242 days ago

L O L

Freeways? Like I-66? Isn't there enough density along I-66 already? Why do we need any more? Urban Village? What Urban Village? Smart Growth? You mean Dumb Gentrification Growth, where the REITs get the gold mine and everyone else gets the aggravation.

How much public open space has NVCT added to Arlington over the past couple of years vs. what's been lost to mixed-use sports recreation paving?

Tom 242 days ago

New Open Space Obtained / Lost?

How much new public open space has been obtained by NVCT in Arlington over the past couple of years, vs. what's been paved over? Speaking of County Board meetings, where is NVCT when the National Park Service attends to complain about encroachments adjacent to the GW Parkway?

Tom 242 days ago

Response to Tom

Thank you for your comment Tom. It is true that TR went into the cattle business before he became President. As a scawny asthmatic, TR went west and transformed himself into a physically fit man on a cattle ranch. In "Hunting Tips of a Ranchman," he wrote prophetically that overgrazing in the badlands could spell trouble for the future. Rather than get rich off the land, TR lost half of his investment in the cattle business. Nonetheless, he gained a great appreciation of the west that layed the foundation for his extraordinary conservation work as President. As for the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, NVCT does not endorse "the loss of public open space because of in-fill." To the contrary, NVCT has created seven new public parks, including one in Arlington. NVCT also testified before the Arlington County Board urging that more money should have been put into parkland acqusition in this year's bond package. I do not recall anyone by the name of Ted, Sheesh, Tom or any of the others who have posted here that testified in a similar fashion.

Mike Nardolilli 242 days ago

Paving the Parks

BTW T.R. also destroyed millions of acres of native grasslands through his commercial cattle ranching ventures.

County Board approved paving open space for mixed use recreation at the last County Board meeting. How much public open space is being acquired in Arlington vs. how much public open space is being lost through paving / replacing grass by impermeable surfaces? I will not support any so-called 'conservation' organization that endorses loss of public open space because of in-fill. It appears that NVCT is another charade non-profit, in Arlington County and perhaps everywhere else inside-the-beltway..

Tom 242 days ago

Response to Sheesh

Thank you for your comment Sheesh. May I suggest that you read "The Wilderness Warrior" by Douglas Brinkley. In that masterpiece, you will learn that Theodore Roosevelt saved 234 million acres of wild America. On just one day alone --- July 1, 1908 --- TR created 45 national forests. This achievement dwarfs the killing of "hundreds of animals" that you mention. In any event, hunters remain some of the most important conservationists in the nation, helping to conserve our nation's flora and fauna by protecting our natural lands. For example, Ducks Unlimited's total acreage influenced and conserved in North America recently surpassed 100 million acres. Keep those comments coming!

Mike Nardolilli 242 days ago

Paving the Parks

Mike Nardolilli is clueless, about the hundreds of animals T.R. killed, about the open space parkland the Arlington County Board is spending millions on paving over.

Sheesh 243 days ago

More Comments!

What a great exchange. So, Ted acknowledges that we are preserving open space, but perhaps not enough. That is a fair observation. Of course, if folks like Ted would join conservation organizations, more open space could be saved. And by setting aside large tracks of land, Teddy Roosevelt was good for animal welfare, so I take Jordan's comparison as a compliment. Please keep those comments coming!

Mike Nardolilli 243 days ago

Ya Got That Right...

Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is to Conservation as Theodore Roosevelt was to animal welfare

Jordan 244 days ago

Pave the Parks

Not only is grass being paved over with synthetic playing fields and mixed used recreation, but the playing fields that remain grass are being over-fertilized.

Mr. Nardolilli's preservationist follies are only providing more open space for an out-of-control parks and recreation bureaucracy to pave over for one recreational activity or another. I daresay as much or more open space is being lost to impervious paving as is being gained through acquisition.

Ted 244 days ago

Re: Pave the Parks

It is great to see such such a great discussion from different sides of an issue (unlike some sites, such as Arlington Yupette, that prohibit any dissenting views from being posted; I know because I tried!). In East Falls Church, Bishop O'Connell High School did replace a natural field with a synthetic one but the last time I checked, it had nothing to do with the population of the school or the East Falls Church Plan. That private entity made the decision to have a field that was usable for more days of the year which would allow for more outdoor recreation for their students. And isn't that a good thing?

Mike Nardolilli 244 days ago

Pave the Parks

Local parks will be overcrowded because density will be doubled and tripled. EFC-area parks will be paved for mixed use recreation. Instances where this has occurred? Check out the last county board meeting. (How many grass fields have already been paved over for synthetic fields?)

People who make the 'planning' decisions are at retirement age and have their no-growth retirement homes already picked out, and they are far from DC.

Incorrect 244 days ago

Response to Incorrect

I would like to thank the writer of the comment "Incorrect" for taking the time to read my blog and post a response. This is so great! I would like to point out, however, that the existing location of the Metro station, the existing I-66 interchange and the opening of the Silver Line are all development drivers that have nothing to do with the East Falls Church Plan. Next year when the Silver Line opens, commuters boarding at East Falls Church will be in Tysons Corner --- the 12th largest employment center in the U.S. --- in just five minutes. I live in the East Falls Church neighborhood. If the writer could specify an instance where he believes that nearby green space is in jeopardy of "being paved for mixed use recreation," perhaps I could be more responsive in my reply.

Mike Nardolilli 244 days ago

Incorrect

EFC redevelopment will lead to more redevelopment nearby, and to green space being paved for mixed use recreation.

Westover 245 days ago

Response

It is good to know that so many people are reading this blog and I love receiving comments! As anyone who has read the East Falls Church Plan knows, however, the Plan covers only 10 already commercially developed properties. For example, it calls for replacing an existing gas station within walking distance of the Metro with a six story apartment building. Under the Plan, no green space will be replaced by pavement.

Mike Nardolilli 245 days ago

Agreed

This is a joke, right? Nardolilli pushed the 'planning' for EFC that will result in green space being replaced by pavement.

L.F. 245 days ago

LOL

Mr. Nardolilli was the County Board's lead 'community leader' who pushed, shoved, and hassled East Falls Church redevelopment.

As for any green space left in Arlington, it's being paved over for 'mixed use sports and recreation'.

Ted 245 days ago

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