An Arlington government advisory body seems generally supportive of advocacy efforts to preserve mature trees along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
But, cognizant of what happened to another advisory panel when it took too aggressive an advocacy stance, members of the Arlington Park and Recreation Commission on Dec. 10 opted to take more time before deciding how to proceed.
“We have to work in our lane,” commission chair Jill Barker said after a presentation about the current status of National Park Service tree-culling efforts along the palisades between the Parkway and the Potomac River in Arlington.
That tree-clearing effort was put on hold by National Park Service officials in October, after concerns were raised both about the tree-felling itself and the agency’s failure to conduct an environmental assessment.
Glenn Tobin, a veteran booster of natural resources in Arlington and the region, briefed parks-commission members on the current status at the body’s Dec. 10 meeting.
Tobin urged Arlington residents to “keep the drumbeat going” to maintain visibility on the issue.
“It wasn’t a mistake — it was an intentional action,” he said of tree-clearing efforts. “They still want to finish. There’s still money in their budget to take down the trees.”
An ad-hoc coalition of advocacy groups banded together after the tree-clearing episode, and a coordinated effort is being set up to weigh in when a public-comment period opens in the coming year.
“We’re just getting organized,” Tobin said of the efforts.
Most members of the Park and Recreation Commission appeared sympathetic at the Dec. 10 meeting, but opted to digest the situation more fully.
“I do want to exercise caution, as noble or as much as we agree with the intent,” commission member Andrew Damitio said.
Barker reminded her panel what happened when the county government’s Human Rights Commission showed independence, writing to the U.S. Department of Justice calling for an investigation of operations at the Arlington County Detention Facility.
Members of that commission believed they had the authority to make such a request, but County Board members disagreed — so much so, elected officials fired all commission members and rewrote the commission’s charter to remove even the slightest hint of autonomy.
“One of the commissions just got shut down for going outside [their defined responsibilities],” Barker reminded her colleagues on the parks body.
Instead of taking any action related to the tree issue in December, commission members deferred the matter for consideration in early 2025.
“We’ll take it up again in January,” said Barker. She suggested a logical next step could be to write to the County Board, asking its members stay engaged on the tree situation.
Barker said representatives from the National Park Service or advocacy groups would be welcome to present their case to the commission.
County leaders on several occasions in October were critical of the National Park Service for the razing that took place. But because the land in question is under federal control, most local zoning and regulatory authority does not apply.
The tree-removal effort was designed to provide better views of the Potomac from 15 sites between North Donaldson Overlook and Spout Run Parkway, while also culling invasive species, Park Service officials said when the action was first announced in late September.
It was a small part of the ongoing $161 million initiative focused on upgrades to the Parkway’s northernmost portion between Spout Run Pkwy in Arlington and I-495 in McLean. More than 26 million vehicles use that stretch each year.
The new year will bring new leadership to the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The National Park Service earlier this month announced Jennifer Madello as its new superintendent, beginning Dec. 29.
Madello currently serves as the program administrator for the National Park Service’s Park Facility Management Division, and has been with the federal agency since 2003.
