Board accepts RACER 2024; EAC asks board to pursue recommendations

The Reston Association Board of Directors on April 24 voted to accept the Environmental Advisory Committee’s (EAC) RACER 2024 state-of-the-environment report and the companion recommendations and report card and asked staff to make the materials public.

Doug Britt, vice chair of the EAC and project lead for RACER, summarized key findings and asked the board to continue and accelerate recommended items. "The overarching takeaways... are that the conditions of the 23 environmental attributes of Reston that we looked at have not really significantly changed in condition since the previous 2022 report," Britt said, adding that most attributes were graded “fair” or “good,” with some still in poor condition or lacking data.

Britt told the board the project team spent months compiling data, producing a condensed report and a report card that tracks progress on more than 100 recommendations since RACER began in 2017. He described two new 2024 recommendations: partnering with the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance on a bird-safe campaign and continuing the storm-drain marking program. He also noted the report identifies stormwater, climate change, invasive species and deer overbrowsing as among Reston’s most serious ongoing threats.

Board members discussed whether EAC could or should accelerate work on recommendations that show limited progress and how staff and volunteers can collaborate on projects flagged in the report card. Chair Johnson asked staff to publish RACER 2024 and to coordinate next steps, including progress tracking.

Ending: The board approved the acceptance motion and asked staff and the EAC to publish RACER 2024 online and to return periodic updates on implementation of the recommendations.