The Observer Newspapers |

July 4, 2008

Funds Raised for Nature House

By Leslie Perales
Observer Staff Writer

The Friends of Reston and the Reston Association will break ground on the new Nature House by the end of the year, according to Robin Smyers, president of RA. The Friends of Reston reached its fundraising goal of $1.5 million, RA announced on Wednesday.

"We are ecstatic," said John Gasson, president of Friends of Reston. "It's not just the Friends of Reston that are excited—it's really for the community."

Gasson said about 1,000 people, including community members, nonprofit organizations and businesses, contributed to the cause. "Basically right now they're at a point where they can definitely break ground," said Milton Matthews, CEO of RA.

"We appreciate all the donations and everyone who stood with us." He said RA and the Friends of Reston did not anticipate that fundraising would take seven years, but he is happy the community remained committed to the project.

Smyers also said the building would be a wonderful tribute to the community, especially as one of the last pieces of Robert E. Simon's master plan for Reston. "I'm over the moon on this one," she said, adding that she hopes that by this time next year they will be christening the new Nature House.

The building will be located on the 72-acre Walker Nature Education Center on Glade Drive in Reston. The Nature House will be built for certification through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a program designed by the U.S. Green Building Council to promote construction of buildings that are energy efficient, developed on a sustainable site and offer water savings, among other things, according to the council's Web site.

"We are driving for a gold LEED certification," Gasson said. There are four levels of LEED certification and gold is the second highest. He said they hope to achieve at least silver LEED status, and having LEED certification will help maintain RA's standard of green practices. Gasson said any funds raised from now on would go toward ensuring the building earns the highest LEED rating possible.

Once built, the Nature House will have a year-round staff to provide nature education to the community. The on-site programs at the existing Nature Center usually end on Oct. 31 and RA often closes the current facility during the winter. This year, the existing structure will be deconstructed and the building's materials will be salvaged and recycled.

The new Nature House will be built with a structural integrated panel system that is energy efficient and offers cost savings of about 30 to 50 percent on heating and cooling expenses, according to a press release from RA. Additionally, the building's roof will be constructed of recycled steel and the carpet will be made of recycled materials. There will also be rain barrels to collect storm-water runoff and landscaping will be done with native plants. All materials for the building also will be purchased from within 500 miles of Reston.

All of the funding for the project was raised through donations, and fundraising efforts began in 2001. Simon's original plans for Reston included a nature center with open space, educational programming and a facility in which to hold those programs. Now 44 years later, Simon's complete vision for the Walker Nature Education Center will be finished.