Conservation Alliance Working to Open Pedestrian Access to Featherstone Refuge

By CHARLIE GRYMES
PRINCE WILLIAM CONSERVATION ALLIANCE CHAIRMAN

A starfish opens a clam by attacking its “feet” to the shell, then pulling steadily until the clam finally tires and the starfish succeeds in getting a meal.

That’s the same strategy used by the Prince William Conservation Alliance and others to get Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge opened to the public.

The natural area, 325 acres of wetlands and forest, is located on the Potomac River next to Rippon Landing. The refuge has been closed to public visitation since it was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service starting in 1970.

In 2011, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Compatibility Study determined that there are no sensitive natural resources that preclude wildlife-related recreation on the refuge. (Portions of the wildlife refuge at Mason Neck are closed seasonally for eagle nesting.) The Federal agency changed its access restrictions and allowed public visits, but only by boat.

At the nearby Virginia Railway Express Rippon station, you still can’t step off the station’s platform and simply walk into the refuge – legally. A new agreement is in the works to allow access from the station, but it has not yet been finalized.

Trespassers have created trails through the woods, as well as piles of trash and occasional tent shelters, but the refuge is essentially closed to legitimate public use. Anglers, hikers, birdwatchers, neighbors interested in a walk in the woods to a riverbank view of where John Smith sailed up the Potomac River in 1608… keep out, still.

There are no physical barriers blocking access to Featherstone; the bridge to the VRE platform already crosses the dangerous railroad tracks. However, CSX railroad lawyers still must authorize a trail across several feet of their right-of-way between the platform and the refuge.

County staff, Woodbridge District Supervisor Frank Principi, and Congressman Gerry Connolly have all been nudging the legal process to closure. In December, Prince William County committed to provide $2 million in additional insurance coverage beyond what VRE already carries for liability. A proffer associated with a development approval will fund building some new steps from the VRE platform to the ground.

So close, and still so far… Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge is public land – but the public can’t get there from here, except by boat.

It has been a multi-year effort to get to this point. Recently in 2007, there was much public response when an update of the Parks and Recreation chapter was considered for the Prince William County Comprehensive Plan. The Prince William Conservation Alliance led a charge to increase the county’s commitment to meet requirements for passive recreation, as well as to develop more active recreation ball fields as population increased.

That effort exposed the incongruity of having a 325-acre natural area on the Potomac River already owned by the taxpayers, but closed to public use. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was not inclined to open Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge to public use when it started its management planning process in 2007, but the Alliance ensured that the public kept up pressure to complete the plan.

In 2011, the Washington Sustainable Growth Alliance (WSGA) highlighted the opportunity to open the refuge, making it a regional conservation priority. In the final 2011 Comprehensive Conservation Plan, the federal agency finally committed to allowing wildlife-dependent recreation. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax, Prince William) led a special celebration walk from the VRE station to the river.

Since then, the starfish have kept pulling on the closed shell to settle the final liability issues. Organized, steady public engagement can spur official action, over time. Perhaps in 2013, Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge will be fully open to public access.

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