Parks, Trails and Natural Areas Stewardship is the key to L/KLA’s philosophy and practice, our foundation and outlook. In an era of limited resources—natural and economic—L/KLA brings skills and understanding on how to best manage and leverage a place’s assets while adjusting to the realities of capacity and site conditions. L/KLA has completed Natural Resource Management Plans for sites with rare and endangered species and important cultural resources and human interest; developed best practices for site management for treeless areas and homeowners; co-founded the Northern Virginia Urban Forestry Roundtable; and is an early implementor of bioinfiltration and complete streets practices. Beaverdam Reservoir Trail Assessment East Peoria Riverfront Trail Corridor Plan and Feasibility Study Neabsco Creek Boardwalk Nachusa Grasslands OTHER PROJECTS Active Park Planning Cameron County Dark Sky Park Resource Management Old Colchester Park + Preserve Natural Resources Managment Plan Laurel Hill Natural Resource Management Plan, Fairfax County, VA Elklick Woodlands Natural Resource Management Plan Rural Villages Study, M-NCPPC Ecological Planning, Guidelines and Manuals New River Gorge National River Landscape Management Plan + Vista Management Plan Treeless Area Technical Manual, Fairfax County Park Authority, VA You and Your Land - A Homeowner's Guide for the Potomac River Watershed Urban Forestry Culpeper Downtown Plan Roundtable/Trees Virginia Board Bioinfiltration and Complete Streets Chincoteague's Robert Reed Park Sarah Walker Mercer Park Master Plans, Parks and Trails City of Alexandria Open Space Master Plan 2017 Updated Implementation Strategy Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Management Plan Master Plan for Facilities and Interpretation American Chestnut Land Trust Preserve Chesterfield Riverfront Plan Master Interpretive Plan Rappahannock Station I and II Historic Dove Bank ADA Accessible Trail, Historic St. Mary's City, MD Appomattox River Heritage Trail LEED- Certification Cromley Lofts- LEED Certified Gold Watkins Regional Park Bowie Trails Plan Van Dyck Master Plan Anacostia River Trail

Illinois River Road Corridor Management Plan Update Ottawa to Havana, Illinois The effort helped various partners and stakeholders associated with the Illinois River Road to update their management plan and to reorganize their efforts to bring together like-minded partners into a new umbrella organization as part of the process. The updated CMP identified common priorities for the organization and its partners. Recommendations provide the rationale, implementation steps and potential sources of funding for each action. Getting outdoors, reaching various age groups and demographics, tying byway activities to the health and livbility quality of the Illinois River Valley are all endorsements for the activities the Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway is promoting in the region. People powered activities are an untapped reservoir of activities to support in future byway efforts. Tying any proposed improvements, linkages or promotions to health care programs targeting the 25-44 year old demographic may also open a potential funding avenue. Beyond the health incentives, getting people out and on or near the water will do much to dispel the stereotype of the river and to communicate the positive changes that have occurred over the past thirty years in the Illinois River basin. No longer a place to avoid, it is a great natural resource for canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and even swimming as demonstrated by the recent Bradley University triathlon where the swim segment took place in the river. Getting visitors and residents ‘to the river’ is a key focus of the byway. River access needs specifics – support river infrastructure for canoe trails, e.g. shuttling/outfitters – blue trails. This system will also give access to new stories (river landings, early history of settlement) that can be interpreted. New and improved mapping, noting water access points such as those found in Peoria, East Peoria, potential access points such as at the Bass Pro property along the backwater (top right), the access point to the easily paddled loop such as at the USFWS Chautauqua site or between Henry and Lacon (2nd from bottom at right) will make it easier for visitors to get to the river and to build on nature tourism opportunities. Similarly, there are minor and major improvements that can be made to enhance the bicycle ‘friendliness’ of the byway and local communities. Maintaining a route for nonevent oriented riders is as important as sponsoring and supporting organized rides.

Port Tobacco Courthouse Preliminary Design Charles County, Maryland L/KLA worked with Charles County, the Town of Port Tobacco (population 15) and key stakeholders to prepare a preliminary design that expands the capacity of the site to accommodate visitors while respecting the rights and privacy of individual property owners. The preliminary design addressed the following key program elements: Historical context of the village, once a bustling port along the Tobacco River and now a site rich in archaeological resources Expanding parking capacity utilizing permeable and/or turf pavers while avoiding archaeological sites Developing a village interpretive walk to tell the story of the once bustling town utilizing the original footprints of former building sites and historic photographs A landscape plan that captures the historic character of the town and hits heritage as a once bustling port Developing a signage plan for a family of five sign types (entry, orientation, wayside exhibits, historic markers, and regulatory signs Developing new sanitary facilities that do not rely on existing septic tank drainfields (architecturally appropriate portable facilities or composting toilet) A phasing plan that illustrates how the projects can be build out over time

Vienna Town Green Vienna, VA Completed in 2007, the Vienna Town Green is Vienna’s new central park and gathering space directly abutting Maple Avenue/Route 123 and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. A sloping lawn serves as seating for the new amphitheater and is home to summer library programs, a concert series, and unstructured play space. A separate, formal green is protected by a low stone seat wall. Adjacent to the four-lane road, an extensive plaza serves as the front door to the community and host for many activities. As Project Manager for the Town Green, Ms. Lardner won the project based on her initial drawing of what she envisioned for our urban park at the Town’s core. The initial drawing became the design of the Town Green, capturing everything we had hoped for. The park is a masterpiece of common sense with whimsy and charm built in. In an atmosphere of doubt regarding the development of the Town Green, her calm and graciousness created trust among the Town residents, businesses and elected officials. Because of her ability to bring people together to work towards a common goal, the Town Green is now the focal point of our community.’ We feel privileged to know and to have worked with Ms. Lardner. Her designs are meant to last many lifetimes and to be identifying parts of our community. She is a wonderful asset to all landscape architects and an advocate for community design and involvement.’ Catherine Salgado, Director and Project Manager, Vienna Parks and Recreation, VA. A story in The Washington Post stated "The project will turn on its head the traditional notion of how a community develops: Colonial-era towns rose around their greens, and many Northern Virginia communities have built a town center first and counted on development to follow. Vienna’s green will be reclaimed from the growth that established the 116-year-old town." It is very powerful to create public space right in the heart of the town. Unlike plazas where shoppers rest at malls, the Vienna green is a true public space, reclaimed from the strip and owned by the public. On the site of a former commercial building and surface parking lot, the southern end of the block was reunited with its northern end, home to two historic buildings. Integrating the two seamlessly and creating open space in the heart of the strip - Vienna’s downtown, demonstrate how our suburban-built communities can be reclaimed. Constructed with a limited budget, a passionate client and highly sophisticated community, the project represents responsible stewardship of all resources—living and budgetary.

City of Fairfax Old Town Streetscape Plan and Standards & Main Street Streetscape Design City of Fairfax, VA The City of Fairfax, Virginia boasts a historic core that includes a National Register Historic District as well as additional buildings and structures or local historic significance. The primary thoroughfare, Main Street, runs through the heart of the historic district and provides access to local businesses while also providing a direct route for daily commuter traffic. The purpose of this project was twofold: 1) to create Streetscape Standards for the public realm of the Old Town Historic District which would serve as a companion document to the private Design Guidelines, and 2) to test the applicability of the proposed standards through the development of 30% complete construction documents for three key blocks on Main Street, between East Street and West Street. Key to the project was the consideration for maintaining the current vehicular traffic flow while improving pedestrian and bicycle safety, comfort, and appeal.Through Working Group engagement, public meetings, and coordination with City staff, the resulting City of Fairfax Historic Overlay District Streetscape Standards outlines new standards and consolidates current policies and practices into a comprehensive document for guiding the preservation, aesthetic enhancement, and improvement of the City of Fairfax’s historic district. The document address elements such as furnishings, lighting, pavement, plants, and identifiers, and makes specific recommendations for their placement within the streetscape. “This document reflects an enormous amount of community input, problem solving, and thinking outside of the box, and it is certainly something we will get a lot of use from immediately and into the future.” Jason Sutphin Division Chief, Community Development Community Development and Planning City of Fairfax

Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan The Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission selected L/KLA and team consultants to prepare a master plan for Watkins Regional Park located in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County, MD. Park inventories and analyses, facility and maintenance surveys, staff interviews, public meetings, and on-line surveys provided direction and perspective in solidifying a framework and vision for the park. Areas of focus included park circulation and neighborhood connections; parking; revenue and use analysis; park amenities and siting; events and programming; inventory and protection of natural resources; and infrastructure needs. Watkins Regional Park was initially developed in the late 1960’s. Improvements have been made over the years, but many facilities remain as installed over forty years ago. This 835-acre property receives over one million visitors per year. More than half of the park is protected by various environmental and policy constraints from active development. Infrastructure (athletic fields, farm, picnic facilities, restrooms, etc.) is in need of upgrading, and pressures for additional uses continue to challenge the park’s operations. Areas of focus include park circulation, parking, revenue and use analysis, park amenities and siting, events and programming, inventory and protection of natural resources, and infrastructure needs. The plan recognizes the strengths of the existing park and builds off its successes through enhancements to playground and family oriented gathering spaces, nature center, farm/agriculture, and sports facilities. Recommended improvements to picnic and play features include the introduction of social hubs with seating and food options, a sprayground, and parking renovations. An outdoor pavilion is recommended for accommodating special events and revenue-generating programs. Enhancements to the “northern athletic complex” will be supported with new fields, parking, trails, and picnic shelters at the “southern athletic complex.” The Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan was developed with an open and collaborative public engagement process. An array of outreach methods were used, including: public meetings and focus groups; working with an appointed stakeholder group; interviews with key staff and agency representatives; an on-line survey; a participatory dot poster survey with displays at the Watkins Nature Center (WNC) and the Largo/Kettering/Perrywood Community Center; and attendance at park events. A copy of the Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan is available online here .

Van Dyck Park Master Plan City of Fairfax, Virginia Van Dyck Park is the crown jewel park in the City of Fairfax, Virginia. It is one of its most frequently visited community parks and is the premier park site in the city. The park’s combined three parcels total approximately 36 acres and include wooded natural areas and stream corridor, athletic fields, grassy open spaces with varied topography, trails, picnic areas and picnic shelters, a skatepark, parking, a community center, and police station. The master plan provides the city with a road map for incorporating and implementing necessary infrastructure improvements, while allowing the city to better accommodate the current and future use of the park by the general public. It will strengthen the role of the park as a community asset, a place that serves as the communal living room and backyard for the residents of the City of Fairfax. The plan was adopted in June 2018.

East Peoria Riverfront Trail Corridor Plan and Feasibility Study The study efforts focused on East Peoria to leverage the pedestrian and bicycle accommodations included with two capital projects: McClugage Bridge Project includes a multi-use pathway (completion, 2023). Bob Michel Bridge Project includes a barrier-protected pedestrian and bicycle pathway as part of overall improvements slated to occur between state fiscal years 2021 and 2025. While a riverfront trail alignment is the long-term goal, the planning concepts under consideration include short- and mid-term actions for increasing access to the riverfront, improving pedestrian and bicycle connectivity along North Main, and linkages from the Fondulac/Highview corridor and Illinois Central College. A planning committee advised the City of East Peoria and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission provided input and reviewed the study recommendations. The planned riverfront trail network will be built over time. Trail development is coordinated with the completion of the bridge trail sections over the McClugage Bridge (opening 2023) and the Bob Michel Bridge. The Bob Michel Bridge includes pedestrian and bicycle facilities built in conjunction with work on the bridge deck overlay, joint replacement and navigation lighting repairs slated for the state fiscal years 2021 - 2025. Riverfront trail segments can be built as properties are redeveloped or easements agreed upon. In the near term, the North Main Alignment will be implemented to link the McClugage Bridge with the Bob Michel Bridge using adjoining access roads and by making pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements at existing North Main intersections. As a key subconsultant, Farnsworth Group provided engineering expertise to evaluate the feasibility of a trail crossing at the intersection of Main Street and Marina Park Road to access the college. Two potential crossing types were evaluated: an at-grade crossing and an overhead pedestrian bridge crossing.

Nachusa Grasslands Visitor Pavilion Franklin Grove, Illinois The reintroduction of bison at The Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa Grasslands has resulted in an increase in visitation at the 3,400-acre preserve in Lee and Ogle Counties, Illinois. Much of the acreage is reclaimed from active farmland and is knitted together with remnant (original) prairie. The preserve is home to 700 native plant species and 180 bird species in north central Illinois. The introduction of wild bison in 2014 attracted new visitors, many unfamiliar with the ecological landscape and the role of bison as a land management tool. The Landscape Architect, as the lead project director on a multi-discipline team for the concept and design development phase and team member for the construction administration phase, was asked to provide a sustainable, low-carbon footprint, accessible visitor facility encouraging visitors to educate themselves through a non-staffed, self-guided tour of interpretive exhibits. Visitor accommodations include a large open shelter—powered by the sun, accessible paths and overlooks, a bus drop-off and parking, native granite boulders for sitting and climbing, compost toilets, and potable water via a hand pump for splash playing in the summer. The new facility showcases the site’s stewardship and ecological importance through public, accessible facilities that are environmentally respectful and sustainable. Recognized with a 2019 Merit Award for Design (built) from the Potomac Chapter ASLA Recognized with a 2019 Jens Jensen Award from the Illinois Chapter of the ASLA Featured in ASLA Magazine's November 2015 Issue page 164 The Bison Begin Again By Timothy A. Schuler Click here to read Nachusa Grasslands Visitor Pavilion Development article in the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands Newsletter (3/17/16)

Neabsco Creek Boardwalk Prince William County, Virginia L/KLA designed the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk with the help of a multi-disciplined team that included Wiley|Wilson (civil and structural), Environmental Systems Analysis, Inc. (environmental), The Robert B. Balter Company (geotechnical), John Milner Associates, now CHG, Inc. (cultural), Dawson Associates (interpretive signage), and Dominion Surveyors. L/KLA’s collaborative design approach helped to address the complex issues associated with flooding, storm surge, and related environmental permitting. The Neabsco Creek Boardwalk Crossing is a critical linkage of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail connecting Rippon Lodge and Rippon Landing Park with the Metz Wetlands. It provides opportunities to link nearby neighborhoods with Neabsco Creek and with each other. The boardwalk crossing is a regional destination for wildlife viewing, outdoor education and nature appreciation for all ages and abilities. It provides significant educational opportunities for students ranging from pre-K to graduate school, telling the story of the ebb and flow of Neabsco Creek and its inhabitants through the day, month, year, and over our lifetime and beyond. Landing areas at each end of the boardwalk are designed to include orientation space suitable for a classroom with staging areas near each landing to accommodate school field trips. A floating pier at the south landing allows students of all ages to get up close and personal with the aquatic life of Neabsco Creek. Permitting for the Boardwalk included a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (FEMA), NEPA, USACOE, and various state and local regulatory approvals. The 3,200-linear foot boardwalk is designed for all ages and abilities, and includes two long span crossings of Neabsco Creek, five additional short span crossings of tributaries, two landings, an observation deck and water level platforms for classroom use. Construction began in fall of 2017. A ribbon cutting event was held in early June 2019. In August 2020, the project was awarded a Gold Medal award from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Neasbsco Creek Boardwalk Receives State Environmental Award Virginia DEQ Gold Medal August 2020 Neasbsco Creek Boardwalk was the Recipient of a Virginia ASLA merit award in the General Design category in 2019 Click here for the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk Prospectus (preliminary design 09/16/13) Click here to read Neabsco Creek Boardwalk brings new view to Woodbridge article in Inside Nova (06/01/19) Click here to read Neabsco Creek Boardwalk Opening Draws Rave Reviews In Woodbridge article in the Patch (06/04/19) Click here to read This Stunning Boardwalk Hike is Virginia's Best Kept Secret for Outdoor Lovers article on My Family Travels (02/16/26)

Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan The Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission selected L/KLA and team consultants to prepare a master plan for Watkins Regional Park located in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County, MD. Park inventories and analyses, facility and maintenance surveys, staff interviews, public meetings, and on-line surveys provided direction and perspective in solidifying a framework and vision for the park. Areas of focus included park circulation and neighborhood connections; parking; revenue and use analysis; park amenities and siting; events and programming; inventory and protection of natural resources; and infrastructure needs. Watkins Regional Park was initially developed in the late 1960’s. Improvements have been made over the years, but many facilities remain as installed over forty years ago. This 835-acre property receives over one million visitors per year. More than half of the park is protected by various environmental and policy constraints from active development. Infrastructure (athletic fields, farm, picnic facilities, restrooms, etc.) is in need of upgrading, and pressures for additional uses continue to challenge the park’s operations. Areas of focus include park circulation, parking, revenue and use analysis, park amenities and siting, events and programming, inventory and protection of natural resources, and infrastructure needs. The plan recognizes the strengths of the existing park and builds off its successes through enhancements to playground and family oriented gathering spaces, nature center, farm/agriculture, and sports facilities. Recommended improvements to picnic and play features include the introduction of social hubs with seating and food options, a sprayground, and parking renovations. An outdoor pavilion is recommended for accommodating special events and revenue-generating programs. Enhancements to the “northern athletic complex” will be supported with new fields, parking, trails, and picnic shelters at the “southern athletic complex.” The Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan was developed with an open and collaborative public engagement process. An array of outreach methods were used, including: public meetings and focus groups; working with an appointed stakeholder group; interviews with key staff and agency representatives; an on-line survey; a participatory dot poster survey with displays at the Watkins Nature Center (WNC) and the Largo/Kettering/Perrywood Community Center; and attendance at park events. A copy of the Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan is available online here .

Upperville Park Concept Plan + Playground Uppervillle, VA L/KLA updated a conceptual master plan for the Upperville Community Park. The concept plan addressed the following key program elements: Historical context of the Upperville battlefield is taken into consideration, as views from the park toward battlefield lands are preserved and existing battlefield interpretive panels and integrated with the design of a pergola to create more of a space for appreciating the battlefield views Materials and construction practices are proposed that are in keeping with the styles and vernacular of Upperville and applied for all park structures. An accessible pedestrian path links the existing interpretive signs and proposed shade pergola to the proposed parking area and restrooms. A parking area with permeable pavers or other porous pavement options is proposed to reduce runoff and address New features include architecturally appropriate structures for a picnic pavilion and to house portable restrooms A nature playground incorporating black locust (Robinia) play components include a swing set, slide,climbing structure, and Robinia log obstacle course. Nature playgrounds are intended to encourage imaginative play and blend with a natural setting, as is appropriate at this historical site. Shade from the existing trees and the pastoral view south makes for a pleasant playground and picnic setting. Driplines of trees were avoided, as this concept takes tree preservation into consideration, with the maximum quantity of existing trees to be preserved.