STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. -- The ban on open fires in Stafford County has been extended through today as conditions remain ripe for wildfires.

The region has been under a red flag warning from the National Weather Service since the weekend, with high winds, humidity, and brush on the ground ready to burn elevating the fire threat, according to officials.

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WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Once the Prince William Supervisor representing the Occoquan District turned County Board Chairman, Corey Stewart will announce Wednesday his run for Virginia Lt. Governor.

Stewart’s announcement will take place at 11 a.m. Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge, according to an email from the Stewart campaign The announcement comes after Stewart told a Charlottesville radio station in February he would run for the office.

Stewart, a Republican, has become well-known locally in political circles after the 2007 illegal immigration debate in Prince William County that saw the eventual passage of an ordinance that allowed police to check the legal presence of anyone they suspected of being the county illegally. The ordinance was later amended and legal presence is checked at the time a suspect is arrested.

Stewart lives on Omisol Road in Woodbridge, and will join another Prince William County resident who is seeking higher office: Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli of Nokesville is running for Governor.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. –– On March 25, Prince William Conservation Alliance’s first session of the Stream Stewards program kicked off with an eye-opening tour of two badly damaged streams, one in Hylbrook Park in Woodbridge and the other half a mile away off U.S. 1. Both streams are high priority restoration candidates that illustrate the opportunities and challenges for Prince William County to protect local water quality and help save the Chesapeake Bay.

After remarks by Prince William Occoquan District Supervisor Mike May about the challenges the county faces in restoring already damaged water resources and working to prevent future damage, Prince William County environmental engineer Clay Morris pointed out the Hylbrook Park stream’s precarious location in a heavily developed section of Woodbridge.

Morris pointed out several factors that would hinder the restoration of the stream that may not be immediately obvious to the lay conservationist. For example, there is only a narrow strip of ground on either side of the stream in which to work, leaving no space for the necessary easements, or an area for staging the restoration work. Most importantly, there is no room for the engineering of the stream bed to allow it to properly channel the large volume of water that rushes between its banks during a storm.

Morris concluded that about the only thing that can be done with this stream is to riprap the bed and banks to prevent further erosion.

As we walked the banks of the stream, Morris explained the process of restoration, from planning and design, to the necessity of gaining landowners’ agreement, to the actual construction phase. The entire process usually takes several years.

In answer to a question by PWCA member Jeff Irwin, Morris pointed out that restoration doesn’t necessarily improve water quality for the animals living in and around the streams that his department, the Watershed Management Branch, repairs. The restoration doesn’t address what comes into the stream – nitrates, pollutants, particulates, etc. – only water flow and erosion control.

Although the little stream was a sad sight, there were tadpoles in the water and a phoebe was heard singing its song in the nearby treetops.

The group of almost 20 participants moved across U.S. 1 to the second stream, which was in even worse condition. What had once been a small narrow stream about 2-3 feet in depth has been enlarged by high velocity stormwater runoff to as much as 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep in some spots. And all this damage was done in only 30 or 40 years. The rapid and ugly expansion of this small stream puts the relationship between the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River in sharper perspective.

This stream backs to a residential area on the east side and at one spot along the stream, an open, unguarded I-beam, supporting a public sewer pipe, lay across the chasm creating a tempting stage for neighborhood children to confront their mortality.

Always the optimists, however, participants noted spring ephemerals, violets and May apple, lining the banks of the stream, and Morris had some good news about the restoration of this stream. Since there was more space for easements, construction, and the restoration design, this stream will be able to be restored to health (though not in the exact fashion that Mother Nature intended).

Morris also mentioned two recent restoration success stories in the county, one at Cow Branch and the other at Andrew Leitch Park.

A complete schedule can be found by clicking here or by calling 703-499-4954. All programs are free.

-Submitted by Kim Hosen, Prince William Conservation Alliance 

STAFFORD, Va. – It’s official: Stafford County will have a new technology research park outside the bustling Quantico Marine Corps Base.

The new tech hub, Stafford Research Park at Quantico Corporate Center, will initially occupy 1,400 square feet on the third floor at 800 Corporate Center Drive in North Stafford. Within five years, a new 30 to 40,000 square foot building will be constructed at Quantico Corporate Center for a standalone building, as agreed upon in the details of this public-private partnership with Fredericksburg developer Silver Companies, Stafford County, University of Mary Washington, George Mason University, ManTech International, and Germanna Community College.

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RICHMOND, Va. – When the first Earth Day was held in 1970, it was dedicated to environmental education and increasing public awareness of the Earth. This year, when Virginia State Parks celebrates the Earth Day weekend of April 21-22, it will be filled with educational opportunities and family activities as varied as hydroponic gardens, shore-line clean-ups, wagon rides and rummage sales.

Every Virginia State Park will provide special Earth Day activities and programs. For a complete list of all state park Earth Day activities, or search the events section of the Virginia State Parks website.

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 EASTER 2012  

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell hosted the state’s first “Governor’s Easter Egg Hunt” at Capitol Square in Richmond. PotomacLocal.com’s KJ Mushung was there to get photos of the event that attracted 1,500 people.

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NEW DEVELOPMENTS

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. -- Little is known about the suspect authorities in Stafford County say they have in custody following a school bus fire last week.

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 FIRST ON POTOMACLOCAL.COM 

STAFFORD, Va. -- Police said five people were taken to a hospital Friday night after being involved in a crash on Interstate 95 in Stafford.

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WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- The threat for potential wildfires is up for Saturday.

Humidity is forecast to be between 20 and 30 percent, wind gusts up to 25 mph, and plenty of brush on the ground to fuel a fire, according to the National Weather Service.

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