Photo: American Kestrel, David Zieg/Audubon Photography Awards
Jessica Bigger
People don’t typically think of landfills as birding hotspots, but southeastern Fairfax County’s Lorton I-95 Landfill Complex is one. Phil Silas, who leads bird walks throughout the region for both ASNV and the Northern Virginia Bird Club, observed that, when people think about landfills, they think they will find stinking mounds where there’s lots of noise, dust, and congestion from the trucks dumping garbage. However, he reported that the bulk of this landfill has been closed and capped for more than ten years, and most of the garbage that comes in is burned to produce energy at Covanta's on-site waste-to-energy facility, with the balance buried in other sections.
Because the county is no longer actively burying trash, the capped hills tucked between the Laurel Hills Equestrian Park and Occoquan Regional Park naturally become a meadow-like habitat, a rare oasis for a variety of grassland birds and birds of prey. I had an opportunity to take a tour of the landfill with Silas to see what makes this place such a desirable habitat for certain bird species. As we headed over to the landfill from the Laurel Hills Equestrian Park parking lot, Silas pointed to a tower at the Covanta plant, where a Peregrine Falcon was perched.
Before we could ride or walk on the landfill, we had to stop at the front office to sign the visitor log. It was apparent from the greetings by the staff that Phil is a regular here. During our drive up to the top of the hill, we spotted Wild Turkeys, a Grasshopper Sparrow, an American Kestrel, and a Mourning Dove. That’s only a fraction of the total number of bird species that visit the meadows. Over time, the area has become ideal habitat for grassland birds.
American Kestrel, David Zieg/Audubon Photography Awards
A Disturbing Luxury Ski Resort
Unfortunately, Alpine-X LLC is expected to apply for county permits to build an indoor ski resort on the very spot where Silas and I were standing. In addition to the indoor ski center, Alpine-X has plans to add an upscale hotel, a zip line, and possibly a waterpark. This development would eliminate the habitat these grassland birds depend on for nesting and food.
ASNV has already sent a statement to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors expressing concerns about the environmental impacts of a development project of this size and kind. The developers began their talks with the county officials back in 2016 before submitting a proposal for the ski resort development in 2018. The first public hearing was in October 2020.
The negative impact to the local environment promises to be significant, a point that Alpine-X disputes. The facility could have a high energy demand to make snow and keep it cold year-round. The facility also will need lots of water for the snow, as well as to meet the operating needs of a luxury resort. Alpine-X has asserted that it will offset energy requirements with renewables, but has provided no specific information, and it has not fully explained the source of the needed water. Increased traffic to the site, especially on I-95, will create more greenhouse gas and other pollution. Although county officials maintain that methane gas emissions for the capped landfill have decreased over time, Alpine-X has not explained how it will avoid releases to the atmosphere from construction disturbing the landfill.
From an environmental perspective, one of the most significant adverse effects would be the loss of meadow habitat and the natural resources that depend on it. Since 1970, we have lost more than half of the grassland birds from the US and Canada. Most grassland and meadow habitats have been destroyed or degraded in Northern Virginia, so even though this is a landfill, it represents rare habitat among our increasingly compromised natural resources.
Meadows and grasslands attract a variety of insects that grassland birds feed on and provide prime nesting habitat and protection from predators. Some grassland insects only feed on specific plants, but there are others, like grasshoppers, that are generalists. Many ground-nesting birds eat these insects.
Judy Gallagher, ASNV’s expert on insects, who writes the monthly “Observations from Meadowood” feature of the Potomac Flier, explained why the landfill is so valuable: “For a meadow to be useful to ground birds you need [at least] 20 acres. That’s why the landfill is pretty cool, . . . [because there] is a fairly good-sized area that is undisturbed in the capped part of the landfill. So, insects thrive there and therefore so do Kestrels and other bird species.” ASNV recently acquired two Kestrel nest boxes that a volunteer will install at the landfill.
The meadows in the Lorton Landfill also attract Monarch Butterflies, which are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The meadow provides them an abundant source of the milkweed that they need for food. The meadow also is a source of plants in the pea family, which sulfur butterflies depend on.
If this indoor ski resort is allowed to move forward, it will be a great loss to our local grassland birds and the insects who use the meadows, not to mention other forms of environmental degradation a ski resort will bring. ASNV is working to prevent this massive development. ASNV and other natural resource organizations have urged Fairfax County to require a comprehensive environmental impact study, including a survey of existing plant, insect and other natural resources, before approving this controversial project. Watch for alerts from ASNV, and please tell your elected officials now to oppose it.