Arlington Sends Most Unintentionally Funny Press Release Ever

Many a visitor to The Green Miles has found it unintentionally funny that Arlington has something known as a Beaver Pond. I have not only taken part in Beaver Pond cleanups with fellow Arlington Community Volunteer Network alumnus Dan Silverman, pictured here. I've taken Arlington visitors to the pond so they could take pictures in front of it so they can prove to friends back home that it exists.

Arlington is moving to renovate the pond, which is great. Will clean storm runoff, provide better wildlife habitat, good stuff.

But did the press release announcing the renovations have to go out of its way to put "Beaver" in quotes? Or make repeated, vague references to the pond's not-so-fresh feeling? And the capper -- a county board member saying one of the goals is to make it "easier to access"?

Come on, Arlington County. Grow up.

Ask The Green Miles: Beavers in Ballston?

This Saturday (July 28) at 5pm, Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and Community Role Models will co-host the Ballston Beaver Pond Cleanup!

Most Ballston residents don't even know the pond exists. It's right next to the Fairfax Drive I66 on-ramp. You can see 66 in the background of this picture ... and in the foreground, trash floating in the pond.

Most cleanups are limited to just picking up trash on the water's edge, but we're going all-out for this one. ACE has arranged for two boats and skimmers, so some intrepid volunteers will be able to get out in the water to get every bit of trash in the pond.

Once the cleanup is over, we'll head over to Bailey's in the Ballston Common Mall. Always a friend of volunteer groups, Bailey's is providing us with free appetizers. Even if you can't make the cleanup, please join us at Bailey's! We should be there around 7pm.

Sign up here! Here's a question from a volunteer:

Are there really beavers in this pond??

I went to Elenor of Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment for the answer:

Good question. Not right now but there definitely have been off and on over the last few years. They tend to be transient, I guess like other residents of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

It is a good wildlife spot with lots of birds. In general, a nice little oasis in the midst of I-66/Ballston high rises.

If you have an environmental question, Ask The Green Miles!