In 2012, after years of opposing a highway ramp through Tysons Last Forest, 15 neighborhood associations came together to form the Neighborhood Coalition to Save Tysons Last Forest. These associations represented 1800 households. They worked in partnership with the Sierra Club, Coalition for Smart Growth, local garden clubs, local boy scouts and girl scout troops, and a bipartisan delegation of Town of Vienna, County, State, and Congressional representatives. They met in the nearby elementary school, church, townhouse community center, and individual homes.
During the campaign to Save Tysons Last Forest, we strategized, conducted traditional grassroots organizing, submitted a joint Neighborhood Coalition Letter, set up a petition, and managed traditional media and social media. As a result, members coordinated and attended meetings with almost every Fairfax County Supervisor, including Chairman Sharon Bulova. The Neighborhood Coalition also coordinated some non-traditional events, which set apart our activities from the norm:
Today, the growing Neighborhood Coalition still serves to support Tysons Last Forest and remain vigilant against threats to its natural resources.
Tysons Last Forest 