Invasive Management Area

This section is dedicated to the Invasive Management Area (IMA) program, a project created and funded by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) to help eradicate non-native invasive weeds from the parklands. Whereas the Naturalists and Volunteer Coordinators are FCPA employees, the field workforce is volunteer-based.

The IMA program has a measurable impact to Fairfax County’s parks and natural resources. Through IMA’s first years alone (2006 through 2019), it had:

• 63 active sites throughout Fairfax County
• >2,921 workdays
• ~215 acres of parkland actively undergoing restoration; ~1,000 acres monitored
• >20,877 volunteers
• 70,877 hours spent restoring habitat
• 14,211 bags of invasive plants removed plus numerous roll-off dumpsters
• 12,707 native plants added plus native seed mixes spread in land rehabilitation

The work continues year after year. Additionally, IMA provides an on-site educational opportunity to students who may not otherwise learn firsthand about the environment. With the Royal Lake system alone (includes Royal Lake, Lakeside, parts of Pohick Stream Valley, Rabbit Branch, Rolling Woods Estates, and Crooked Creek Parks), volunteers:

• learn to identify non-native invasive species targets
• witness detrimental impacts of those non-native invasive weeds
• find out about native plants and their benefits, such as improving water quality from local
• streams to the Chesapeake Bay
• see the wildlife profiting from restored ecosystems
• study the difference between new and old growth forest ecosystems
• observe how woodlands recover after forest fire
• understand how dumping yard debris and trash harms the environment

After participating in IMA workdays, some students have even decided to pursue a career in biology or environmental sciences! At a time when educators promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), IMA engages and fits perfectly into real-life applications. Adults find the IMA experience equally enlightening—returning home to reevaluate what grows in their yard and apply healthier land stewardship practices. People of all ages have a new appreciation for the natural world.

Greg Sykes is the site leader at Royal Lake Park. For more on IMA, please check the program’s official website:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/invasive-management-area. Always get permission from the landowner before doing any sort of work. All IMA site leaders have permission from the FCPA to both remove specific invasive plants from county parkland and work in Resource Protection Areas (RPA), which are the stream valleys and lake shores where halting erosion is critical. Volunteers working with the IMA site leader are covered under an umbrella permit.

Click on any of the following titles for more information on IMA-related topics and environmental stewardship:

• Open Letter To Business Leaders: Reasons to adopt sustainable environmental policies for your workplace
• IMA Workdays: General workday information
• Eco-Articles: Downloadable articles written by Greg Sykes with environmental focuses on Royal Lake Park and Northern Virginia
  • Click here to read only the most recent Eco-Article publication(s)
• Fundamental Concepts and Definitions for Landscaping with Native Plants: A PDF version of a presentation about landscaping and what makes native plants so important
• Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR): Keeping watch for certain non-native invasive weed species before they become established in Fairfax County
• Additional Resources and Links: Native plant recommendations, non-native invasive species lists, gardening & landscaping tips, health & safety, volunteer resources, books, and more

For images of plants and habitats, visit any of the following galleries:

	Gallery Title	Description
	Florals and Foliage	Photographs of various plant species
	Landscapes	Provides habitat images
	Seascapes	Diverse marine-related images with some coastal vegetation shots
	Panoramas	Mostly habitat files created by digitally stitching together at least two photographs

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