Posted on December 4, 2023
Over the last few years as the silt piled up in Lake Accotink, heated discussions on what to do with the lake amounted in a resolution to let it be and through time, it will become more a wetlands park then a lake park with boating, fishing and watersports.
This decision was based partly on the expense that dredging it again would entail, but also which is more environmentally friendly.
Lake Accotink supporters are not done though, and have launched the sale of a 2024 Lake Accotink calendar to keep this community centerpiece on everyone’s mind. Shirley Marshal Kesler is a lake supporter who lives nearby, and she gathered the photos and created the calendar.
“All the images are a lens of how people are celebrating the beauty of the park,” Kesler said. “We’re saying ‘look how beautiful it is, it’s worth it.’”
Over 40 pictures were used to create the calendar and the photographers are listed on the site as well. “We aimed to use as many photos from those park-loving photographers as we could to capture their different perspectives of the beauty of Lake Accotink,” it says on the calendar website.
Kesler worked with a calendar creation company called “Year Box,” and came up with the final draft. Throughout the years, lots of lake visits resulted in pictures of all types and many people sent them in for the calendar, although many were not the right resolution for a print product. The smaller ones were still used at the bottom of some of the months as well as some quotes that were collected at the meetings.
Fate of the Lake
The March page screams springtime at the lake.
Although the calendar focuses on the lake and all the good times at the lake, it didn’t start out as a “save the lake,” tool, but a last-ditch effort couldn’t hurt. A final decision is expected in December so there is a glimmer of hope. “We’re hoping it reminds people of what’s at stake,” Kesler said.
In late fall 2023, county officials met again and arrived at a plan for the lake, taking in consideration of resident’s comments, staff recommendations from the Board of Supervisors and the cost, it said on the county website. “The dredging of Lake Accotink would cause significant environmental and social impacts and cost approximately $400 million over the next twenty-five years. The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) staff recommend that Lake Accotink not be dredged and that a smaller offline lake not be constructed,” their resolution, dated Oct. 30, 2023, stated on the county website.
The lake supporters are still hanging on though, and there is one bit of text on the calendar that urges people to contact their county supervisor with their message about Lake Accotink. “People need to understand that this extra step is needed,” Kesler added.
