To answer your questions...

We are not doing enough to protect the Bay. The County must improve its stream protection programs and must do more to educate its citizens about the relationships between what they do on their land and the health of the Bay. They have to promote low-impact development and be more aggressive in controlling growth and where it occurs. And they must fix our stormwater management problems--not an insignificant endeavor. Fairfax officials like to recite what they have done; they need to change their focus to what else they can do.

I do not live in an RPA, but my family does. The rules have not affected their use of their property and probably never will.

The continued decline of the Bay will take real leadership. Will Fairfax step up to the plate before it's too late?

Citizens have been mobilizing on several fronts, but it's like sticking a pin into elephant hide -- mostly the behemoth doesn't notice, and even when it does you are likely to get swatted or squished.

But one set of efforts has yielded some small results. The Board's Environmental Advisory Council has taken the matter of stream reclassification (which strips away environmentally valuable buffers) to heart, issuing a Resolution last week urging improvements to County staff's revamping of the rules in the aftermath of the Wedderburn stream disaster. The Resolution is here:

http://www.fairgrowthnetwork.org/Portals/3/wedderburn-EQAC-stream-resolution.rtf

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Board will accept the EQAC Resolution.

And even if it does -- as we fervently hope -- there still remains much to do to better protect Fairfax streams and the Bay. If we become complacent that this one small procedural improvement is enough, then the Bay's demise will be our fault too.

For more information see www.FairGrowthNetwork.org

The rank hypocrisy of the Fairfax County Board in this area is sickening. A few years ago, it passed a strong ordinance to protect streams feeding the Bay to prove that the Supervisors were good environmental stewards. But since then, the BoS has found ways to remove streams from protection.

Mr. Connolly and Supervisors: walk your talk. If you felt that the existing ordinance was too strong, why did you enact it? But having enacted it, enforce it. Is there anything in Fairfax County that you won't sell for another campaign contribution?

Today's news is even worse, as the GAO excoriates the Chesapeake Bay Program....

GAO Denounces Bay Cleanup Efforts
Federal Office Overstates Progress, Minimizes Threats, Report Says
By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 16, 2005; Page B01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501506.html

It does seem that developers and their money will always win out over nature and resource protection in Fairfax County. I keep hoping to be pleasantly surprised by this Board, but it just hasn't happened.

Too bad rockfish cannot write big political contribution checks to protect their interests, I say!

The Bay is threatened by apathy at higher levels of government and by animosity from our local government.

In 2004, I had an idea that seemed far-fetched: install LID techniques at a Board of Supervisor office site. So, I wrote a grant and received it from the VA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation. Voila. Supervisor Linda Smyth (D-Providence) let the Board in 'talking the talk and walking the walk' by supporting the installation of permeable pavers, a rain garden, and a green roof at Merrifield Fire Station 30/BOS office. Before bloggers criticize the Board en blanc, keep in mind what individual Board members are doing. Read about Supervisor Smyth's project here: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/providence/dcr_project_update.htm