Commenter:
Greater Prince William Trails Coalition
Input from Prince William County
Section 1.1
1) Metrics for the Technical Advisory Committee to document results of VOP implementation should include progress by local jurisdictions and regional organizations that are using public funding, as well as by state agencies.
The general public should be able to track progress in providing "recreation facilities and amenities that improve recreation experiences for all, reach underserved communities and geographic areas, improve safety, and make positive impacts to community health" - whether that is accomplished by state, regional, or local government agencies.
2) To "improve ecological resiliency and outdoor recreation facilities resiliency," state agencies with land management expertise should create a program to provide assistance to local and regional agencies developing natural resource management plans for recreation area. The biodiversity benefits mentioned in Section 3.1.5 require that land managers have a good inventory of the natural resources on managed lands. Non-government organizations and Master Naturalist chapters could be effective partners in creating such inventories. Archeological, historical, and environmental assets (including endangered species) can be damaged by development of recreation infrastructure, including trails and active recreation facilities, if not identified before land disturbance. If necessary, the General Assembly should be asked to fund a grant program so state agencies have the capacity to share their "lessons learned" experience from recreation site resource inventories and mitigation for projects.
3) Effective collaboration by state agencies is needed to implement trails plans of local jurisdictions. They need land use permits from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to construct/maintain trails alongside creeks underneath highway bridges, routes which are often a safer option than at-grade crossings. More VDOT coordination with local park agencies could facilitate the permitting and planning of construction/maintenance projects so they provide a graded route for future trail construction. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has the same opportunity to facilitate permitting underneath railroad bridges and "Rail-with-Trail" proposals, such as one that would parallel the track between Manassas-Alexandria.
Section 1.2 1) Economic development officials report that "quality of life" factors are key to the decisions made by businesses executives, when deciding if to locate new operations or expand existing operations in Virginia, as demonstrated when the Deschutes Brewery planned to expand to Roanoke. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership highlights "Unparallelled Livability" and access to outdoor amenities. The economic value of "green infrastructure" would be undervalued if the Virginia Outdoors Plan tracked only the tourism-related economic impacts provided by the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Section 1.3 1) The health benefits of outdoor recreation are well documented; the cheapest doctor's prescription is "take a hike." This chapter should be expanded to include how increasing access to outdoor recreation opportunities can enhance mental and physical health, and the economic benefits of improving health - see Chapter 6 in the 2018 Virginia Outdoors Plan. Metrics should be established to document these benefits, in partnership with Prioritizing Active Transportation, Health, and Safety in Virginia (PATHS)
Section 2.1 1) It is encouraging to see the statement "The VOP Mapper data will be expanded to include all recreation facilities and amenities across the state during 2024 implementation." The Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper should include layers for existing **and planned** recreation facilities and amenities, using data from Comprehensive Plan chapters and more-detailed recreation and trail plans produced by local jurisdictions and regional organizations planning to utilize public funding.
Existing and planned blueways and greenways in Prince William County do not appear on the Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper .Prince William County has hundreds of miles of new trails identified in its 2040 Comprehensive Plan, some of which require coordination with adjacent jurisdictions. Greater transparency on planned new recreation facilities - and tracking of implementation of local and regional as well as state plans - will enhance the capacity of Virginia's residents to engage with the appropriate public agencies as needed to spur progress.
2) The objective to "Define Trails to Build More Trails" is excellent. Prince William County has planned a network of long greenways plus many small community connector trail segments linking subdivisions to those greenways. The service level standard defined in the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Chapter of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan is for residents to be able to get to a recreational opportunity within a 10-15 minute walk/bike ride, without having to drive.
Regional trail maps that show just the major trails have limited value for people trying to figure out how to access recreational facilities within walking/biking distance of their home. If printed maps included a QR code/link to a more-detailed interactive map, then some "where can I swim? bike? hike? questions could be answered while living within print constraints.
3) Existing and planned blueways and greenways in Prince William County do not appear on the Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper. Several water access points, such as the kayak/canoe launch just below Lake Jackson Dam, are not included. Updating and maintaining the Local Parks Inventory layer in the Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper will be a challenge, but the improved transparency will be worth the headache.
A reliable "where can I swim? bike? hike?" layer will also have great value for tourism officials. The same data can be re-purposed for use on the Outdoor Recreation by Tourism Region in Virginia map.
Section 2.2 1) The plan to map "all recreation facilities and amenities across the state" should highlight just thepublicly-accessiblerecreation facilities and amenities." Including lands on military bases in the Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper, such as all of Marine Corps Base Quantico, is misleading. Military base lands may qualify for inclusion in the Conservation Lands Database, but most of the land is closed to public use. Only the portions of the Federal lands where some form of recreation is permitted, such as hunting, should be included on the Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper.
2) The update should also address confusing information about public access. For example, the Virginia Outdoors Plan Mapper indicates that public access to the Potomac River is available or planned at the northern edge of Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge. Boaters need to know if such access would allow them to launch, or if just a vista viewpoint is planned.
Section 2.3 1) Bike Route 1 should be included in the list of Statewide Trails. Prince William County has identified its preferred route. The National Capital Trail Network should also be included
Section 3.1 1) The section on Battlefields would be enhanced if it included a reference to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. For example, the Town of Dumfries is encouraging people to think of it as a place to "come to" rather than "drive through." The update to the town's Comprehensive Plan will highlight the Washington-Rochambeau Route and plans to create a trail linking the town to the still-existing historic road within Prince William Forest Park. If the National Park Service could be funded to complete a Cultural Resource Assessment and archeological assessment on that route, the trail segment could be opened in time for the 250th anniversary in 2031.
2) As an example to illustrate the "Sense of welcome and belonging for all," the annual Holiday Walk of Lights at the Neabsco Boardwalk includes a scheduled "Sensory Night." Flashing lights, music, and sounds are muted to make the event more welcoming.
Section 3.2 1) The Department of Defense's Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) is a program that could be highlighted. The Marine Corps Base Quantico has funded acquisition of the Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, for example.
Section 4.1 1) It would be valuable if the Virginia Outdoors Plan quantified the challenge statewide and totaled up the acreage that local/state agencies plan to acquire to meet recreational needs. For example, Prince William County decided in 2020 to double the size of its local park system from 5,000 to 10,000 acres by 2040, to catch up with the doubling of population. Other jurisdictions with a growing population may have similar plans, and the Virginia Outdoors Plan would add value by identifying which jurisdictions have similar goals.
