Loudoun County continues to be one of the fastest growing and wealthiest counties in the United States . While the density of much of suburban eastern Loudoun is on the rise , it also retains a spectacular array of natural features and an abundance of wildlife hidden just behind its suburban neighborhoods , shopping malls , and data centers . In fact , eastern Loudoun is home to lovely clear streams , thriving stream valleys , wetlands and forests , numerous species of birds , fish , amphibians and all sorts of animals ! This natural wilderness reaches into all corners of even the most densely developed parts of the county .
Unfortunately , much of this wildlife and beautiful scenery remains in private hands , invisible and inaccessible to most , and often without trails or parking . Now a new program by the county aims at making these natural areas accessible to Loudoun ’ s fast growing population through an initiative called Linear Parks and Trails
( LPAT ). The program ’ s goal is to provide a system of county-wide linked trails embedded within linear natural parkland . It would include convenient parking and access reachable from every neighborhood in the county , from the edges of Dulles Airport all the way to the peaks of the Blue Ridge .
Any map of Loudoun clearly shows that it is crisscrossed by numerous streams , including : the Sugarland Run , the first place found by Europeans who ventured into Loudoun back in 1690 and named it for the sweet syrup made by its Native American dwellers ; the Broad Run named for its wide banks and marshy areas supporting abundant flocks of birds and other wildlife ; and the Goose Creek , wide and fast flowing , named by early settlers for the flocks of large birds who gathered there .
These and the many other stream valleys in the midst of suburban and commercial Loudoun are repositories of abundant wildlife . Their streams are filled with fish and amphibians , with fields of flowers along their banks and lush wetlands and forests beyond , all
Top : North American river otter , sandpipers , spring peeper , Cape May warber .
Reclusive mammals such as beavers , mink , muskrats , and river otters often go undetected while utilizing Loudoun ’ s creeks and streams . In springtime , vernal pools and ponds are filled with a chorus of spring peepers , wood frogs , and other amphibians serenading in the night . During spring and fall migration beautiful warblers , songbirds , shorebirds , and other birds can be spotted along waterways and riparian areas throughout the County . In winter , manmade ponds host an incredible diversity of ducks . Riparian buffers can offer humans glimpses into the abundance of wildlife while providing safe corridors for wildlife to travel .
- Michael Myers , Loudoun ’ s LPAT Advisory Committee member and Executive Director of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
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