Why Reston's golf courses need to be protected

When I think of Reston, I see green. I see trees and wildlife. I feel clean air and a fresh breeze. I hear little birds singing in the neighborhood. I see joy.

The memories I’ve made while living right near the golf courses are unforgettable. My siblings and I have at least one walk to the golf course every day, and we always make a new memory there. From playing soccer to people-watching to looking up at the clouds and telling each other what they look like, there’s not a day without the golf course. The golf course is part of our life.

I remember moving into Reston for the first time. Before that, I lived in a small crammed apartment. When I first came here, we were right next to one of the golf courses. I was so... happy. I still can’t fully express the feeling of coming here. There was so much green, but there was city too. I thought it was truly perfect. Those were the happiest years of my childhood. But it didn’t end just there. A little later on, we moved to a different house, and here we even had a small creek right next to our house! In the summer, my siblings and I would dip our feet in it, and in winter, we would glide on it when it froze. The golf course changed our life.

And it wasn’t just the creek. It was the hills and fields too. In summer, when the golfers weren’t out, we would play soccer, and in winter, when it snowed, we would slide down the icy hills on our sleds. And there’s so much wildlife. My little brother likes to scare the squirrels, but my sister and I would look out for beautiful birds, which we saw very often. I mean, it is complementary; a lot of nature does mean a lot of true beauty. The golf course is so beautiful.

When I think of my home, I see happiness and nature. I think about so many memories with my siblings. But then I remember how the golf course might just be destroyed soon for some new homes. The golf course is so priceless to me, my siblings, and all of us people of Reston. Think about it, when you think of Reston, what do you think about? Most people would say the big Google building, Reston Town Center, and the golf courses. How could the symbol of Reston disappear? How could my home disappear? The golf course is part of Reston.

And there would be so many problems with it too. If more houses are built in the area, the traffic on Wiehle Avenue will be a catastrophe. And not just on Wiehle Avenue, streets just around there too will be jammed with so many cars, there’ll be uncontrollable chaos. Not to mention all the pollution from all those cars too. The golf courses keep Reston’s balance.

The ecosystem there is also worth saving. One region of the south golf course is old field habitat with hardwood cover and it is an extremely endangered and rare habitat in Fairfax County. Also, the amount of wildlife is truly extraordinary. There are about 100 species of birds, including hawks and bald eagles, (which are a protected species) and so many ground animals that live in this golf course park. The golf course is home to so much nature.

Reston just isn’t Reston without its golf courses; they are symbols of our beloved city. I will not, and cannot see our cherished emblem of Reston, our perfect home that was made in its one major purpose to have a perfect harmonious balance of nature and city, be mauled into a barren, dry, clamorous marketplace for houses. Reston was built on a clear set of rules and those rules were to have nature and city, to have a place to live, work, and play in, to have a place where the old can settle down and the young can explore new possibilities, a place for everyone and everything – a perfect balance. And one of those rules was also keeping the golf course as an open space. Changing the values Reston was built on would mean changing Reston completely, and once that’s done there’s never going back. Reston is so perfect the way it is right now. We are the people of Reston and we will continue fighting for this, and we will never stop. No matter what happens, the people of Reston will always fight for their golf courses, for the harmony in their city, for their home. The golf courses are part of our lives.

Sincerely, 3 kids living near the golf course and the people of Reston.