In a show of environmental resilience, on Friday afternoon, April 25, Arbor Day 2025, Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn joined the Mayor of the Town of Vienna, Linda Colbert; Paul Gilbert, executive director of NOVA Parks; Virginia State Delegate Holly Seibold; and others who gathered on a portion of the Town Green in Vienna behind the Freeman House and Museum. They would plant seven redbud trees parallel to the stream bank of Little Bear Run that flows alongside the W&OD Park (Trail) and make two announcements.

One announcement would be the result of community collaboration. Local leaders, including Alcorn, Colbert, Siebold, and Gilbert, demonstrated a united front in advocating for environmental protection. They challenged Dominion Energy's actions and, working together, drafted a new memorandum of understanding for responsible trail management, the 2025 Vegetation Management Memorandum of Understanding Between Dominion Energy and NOVA Parks for the W&OD Park.

The second announcement would center on future development plans and the Town of Vienna signing an option agreement to acquire an obsolete commercial building with plans to create a W&OD Visitor Center, transforming the trail user experience, and creating an economic impact for the town. 

Alcorn opened the news conference by identifying individuals who have demonstrated exceptional efforts to safeguard the environment and promote responsible stewardship. "First and foremost, Paul Gilbert from NOVA Parks. You know, we had this issue with a certain major power company," Alcorn said.

He explained that Gilbert advocates for the environment, trees, NOVA Parks, and the broader community. "This is a park system that runs — how many miles? 45 miles. So, unfortunately, this segment of the park really took the brunt of this," Alcorn said.

Alcorn stood at the podium, his back to the W&OD Trail and Little Bear Run. Its banks were raw and clear-cut with no remaining vegetation, no canopy of mature trees, and no shade offering homes to birds and animals along the segment of the trail where it and Dominion Energy lines coexisted. The stark contrast between the vibrant ecosystem that once thrived there and the barren landscape now visible was disheartening.

Alcorn emphasized the importance of rebirth and growth. Despite the loss of trees, planting new trees symbolizes a fundamental aspect of Arbor Day.

"Even though we really have not been able to be successful in saving these trees, I think the fact that we are here and we have a rebirth of trees really does show how important it is to come back, to basically double down on our environmental issues and do what we can to make this a better place," Alcorn said.

Falls Church's Dave Gustafson, a member of the NOVA Parks Board, explained the significance of planting the native redbud trees. They symbolize new beginnings and hope. He discussed the shock and disappointment over Dominion Energy's clear-cutting of trees and shrubs along the W&OD trail from Vienna to Dunn Loring and their announced plans to continue aggressive cutting along the remainder of the 37 miles of the Trail under its transmission lines.

"These actions violated a 2005 Memorandum of Understanding that controlled cutting and prescribed replanting along the trail," Gustafson said. "Each of our member jurisdictions and the Town of Vienna has separate resolutions calling on Dominion to stop the cutting and adopt a selective and thoughtful approach."

According to Gustafson, they gave Dominion a draft MOU that calls on them to restore the area. "We're looking for selective pruning, restoration of impacted areas, and help in managing invasive vegetation. We're completely confident that we can address Dominion's safety of its transmission lines," Gustafson said.

Paul Gilbert, in jest, said he was sure everyone gathered to admire the beautiful building behind him, a long commercial structure facing the other side of the W&OD Trail. Located at 125 Church Street, it is an obsolete office building with no existing tenants and is adjacent to the Trail.

"The news that we have is that this week, NOVA Parks and the Town of Vienna signed an option agreement to acquire two properties, one of them (pointing to the commercial building), and then the historic bank building just across the street, being the other.”

Gilbert said Vienna sits in the geographic center of the 45-mile W&OD Trail, and this location can be its hub. "Our plan is to take that building down and put up a visitor center, a W&OD Visitor Center," he said. Gilbert  explained that they will seek additional funding in the coming months and work on dual trails "separate [for] pedestrians from cyclists."

"The Town of Vienna was created because of the train, and now it can be expanded and improved even more with this beautiful vision of an enhanced W&OD Trail that, with the MOU, hopefully will also have the ecological value, transportation value, historic value, cultural value, and community value," Gilbert said.

Mayor Linda Colbert said that the visioning process is the beginning. If the feasibility study supports it, the transformation will significantly boost the local economy. "I really believe that we owe a debt of gratitude to both Nova Parks and to Congressman Gerry Connolly for working with us so diligently on the visioning process, and especially to Congressman Connolly for obtaining federal funding to help support this project," Colbert said.