This article is a corrected version of one that originally appeared in the November 2021 Potomac Flyer.
An urban park with mini-golf, a waterpark, and ropes course might not be the first place you’d visit for birdwatching but if you passed it by you’d miss a rare habitat.
Upton Hill, a Northern Virginia Regional Park in Arlington, is a gem for nature lovers. The park’s 26 acres encompass a high ridge with hills of mixed woodlands, small meadows, a stream, and wetlands. It’s a miniature ecosystem in the middle of a much larger one – a densely developed neighborhood filled with people of varied races, ethnicities, and ages.
Connecting these two ecosystems is Upton Hill’s challenge and relies on a dedicated cadre of volunteers to achieve this goal. With guidance from Park Manager, Evan McGurrin and Arlington Master Naturalist Park Steward, Jill Barker plus lots of encouragement from the park crew leader, Stewart Miller, park volunteers have made real progress removing masses of invasive plants choking out the native species. They have also welcomed the broader community to explore undeveloped sections of the park through bird and nature walks led by experienced trip leaders.
On October 15, 2021 Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority honored leaders of the Upton Hill Black and Latin/Hispanic Birder and Naturalist Series at the one-year anniversary of this successful program. The series is a partnership between NOVA Parks, Arlington Chapter of the NAACP, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, and Arlington Master Naturalists. Honorees included Jill Barker, Gabrielle Cantor, Joan Haffey, Melody Starya Mobley, Musa Murawih, and Yolanda Villacampa.
Upton Hill Honorees: Jill Barker, Joan Haffey, Musa Murawih, (Paul A. Gilbert - NOVA Parks Exec. Director,) Melody Starya Mobley. Not pictured – Gabrielle Cantor and Yolanda Villacampa
Two of the honorees, Joan Haffey and Musa Murawih, are ASNV board members. Musa began his volunteer work as a co-leader of the Black and Latin/Hispanic Bird and Nature walks with Melody Starya Mobley and Yolanda Villacampa. At the same time, he joined Joan Haffey, Jill Barker, and many volunteers as they removed invasives. Joan feels that the success of the invasive species pulls put the park ahead of its multi-year plan for habitat restoration and surely influenced NOVA Park’s commitment to significantly fund the next phase of addressing invasives. In spring 2021, ASNV awarded the park a Conservation Grant to continue their habitat restoration work.
Musa also worked with the team to build two pollinator gardens with native wildflower seedlings from his home garden. He’s been tending them and planning to see them through their first few seasons.
Musa Murawih with Native Plant Garden
Joan engaged one of ASNV’s Birdability volunteers to complete a Birdability assessment of the park which is now on the Birdability map. She also assists the bird and nature walk leaders by helping participants use ASNV’s loaner binoculars and guides.
Joan developed a relationship with the Elmwood/Lockwood senior housing complex adjacent to the park that serves primarily Asian-American seniors. With the assistance of a Vietnamese interpreter, she led an enthusiastic walk for residents before shutting down the walk series when the Delta variant of Covid emerged. Upton Hill plans to resume these walks in the future.
Musa and Joan stress that partnerships, especially those with new communities, need care and feeding. “We need to listen and build on areas where our goals and aspirations align while keeping in mind the constraints on our partners and the communities we all serve.” Together with partners, they hope to make Upton Hill Park proof that urban parks can be transformed into natural, native, and biodiverse habitats welcoming to all communities.