Fairfax Station Teen Wins Park Authority Contest

A Fairfax Station teen won a design contest for the Fairfax County Park Authority’s "Take Back the Forest” campaign.

The campaign recruits volunteers to remove invasive plant species and replace them with native plans, according to a press release from the park authority.

Fairbanks, 18, is a senior at South County Secondary School. Her design is of a child’s fist wrapped around a green plant. The design will be used on the park authority’s website and will be on stamped on t-shirts given to volunteers.

“I wanted to show an action,” Fairbanks said in a statement. She learned about the contest from her fine arts teacher.

“The hand is also that of a child, which demonstrates teaching the next generation to become stewards of the forest,” said Natural Resource Specialist Kristen Sinclair in a press release.

The winning entry won Fairbanks a $50 gift certificate from the outdoor co-op Recreational Equipment, Inc.