NOVA Parks News

On September 17, NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert was awarded the Pugsley Medal, the top national award for conservation of parkland, by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA).

“Paul Gilbert’s vision and dedication have left an indelible mark on conservation in Northern Virginia and our nation,” remarked Congressman Don Beyer. “His work reminds us that protecting our natural resources is not only about preserving landscapes, but also about strengthening communities and inspiring future generations. This national award is a fitting tribute to his leadership and lifelong commitment to stewardship of the environment,” Beyer continued.

According to AAPRA, the Honorable Cornelius Amory Pugsley Medal is the most prestigious award recognizing outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of public parks and conservation in the United States. The first Pugsley Medals were awarded in 1928, and some of the notable winners over the past 97 years include: Stephen Mather, founder of the National Park Service; Robert Moses, Park Commissioner for New York City; Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., Landscape Architect; Gilbert Grosvenor, Chair of the National Geographic Society; Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior; Stuart Udall, Secretary of the Interior; Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Vice President of the Kennedy Foundation; and Lamar Alexander, US Senator and Secretary of the Interior.

"Paul Gilbert’s leadership has left a lasting legacy in Fairfax County and across our region,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay. “From creating new parks to expanding beloved community spaces, his work has preserved open space for generations to come. This national recognition is a fitting tribute to his decades of dedication, and we are proud to celebrate this honor with him."

Gilbert has served as the Executive Director of NOVA Parks for the last twenty years and announced his retirement this past spring. Former Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson will become NOVA Parks’ next Executive Director on October 6, 2025. Prior to NOVA Parks, Gilbert led the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, where he helped establish and served as the first Chairman of VaULT (Virginia’s United Land Trusts), a state association for conservation organizations.

Gilbert has conserved approximately 3,500 acres over his career in conservation and parks. The vast majority of this land was completely or partially donated. New parks and parkland throughout Northern Virginia that Paul Gilbert played a leadership role in acquiring include:
• Aldie Mill, Aldie: 2006, 1 acre
• Ball’s Bluff expansion, Leesburg: 2014, 15 acres
• Battle of Middleburg/Mt. Defiance, Middleburg: 2015, 5 acres
• Battle of Upperville/Goose Creek Bridge, Upperville: 2017, 20 acres
• Beaverdam, Ashburn: 2016, 630 acres
• Beaverdam West, Ashburn: 2016, 140 acres
• Cattail, Leesburg: 2023, 85 acres
• Elklick Preserve, Chantilly: 2003, 226 acres
• Gilberts Corner, Gilberts Corner: 2010, 157 acres
• Linn Preserve, McLean: 2012, 11 acres
• Mt. Zion, Gilberts Corner: 2009, 6 acres
• Occoquan expansion, Lorton: 2020, 36 acres
• Piscataway Crossing, Lucketts: 2010, 300 acres
• Pohick Bay expansion, Lorton: 2009, 2012, 2017, 2020, 10 acres
• Rust Sanctuary, Leesburg: 2013, 60 acres
• Springdale, Loudoun County: 2017 & 2022, 280 acres
• Tinner Hill, Falls Church: 2014, 1 acre
• Webb Sanctuary, Clifton: 2013, 20 acres
• Winkler Botanical Preserve, Alexandria: 2022, 45 acres

According to Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair At-Large Phyllis J. Randall, "Paul has been a pillar of conservation in Northern Virginia and his legacy will be around for generations to come. From Aldie Mill to Reservoir Park at Beaverdam, his imprint on the County I love is undeniable. I wish him nothing but the best in the next stage of his life."

Among the properties that Gilbert helped preserve were several sites with rare or endangered species, and numerous historic sites, including part of four Civil War battlefields. Gilbert also spearheaded an effort to tell a more inclusive history within the parks, expanding Native American and Black history. In 2022, the Fairfax Branch of the NAACP awarded Gilbert with the Freedom Fund Award for inclusive history told in numerous parks.

The late Congressman Gerry Connolly helped nominate Gilbert for the Pugsley Medal, and in April 2025, he wrote about when he was Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and appointed Paul to the Board of NOVA Parks, before his 20-year role as Executive Director. Connolly said, “I knew of Paul’s good work, but with a recommendation from a conservation giant like Jean Packard, I knew Paul would do great things.”

Gilbert has also been a leading force in many new park developments, including the rebuild of Occoquan Regional Park, the development of the Suffragist Memorial, creating Dual Trails (parallel pedestrian and cyclist paths) along the W&OD Regional Park in Falls Church, Climb UPton vertical adventure ropes course at Upton Hill Regional Park, and the opening of Reservoir Park last spring. One of the most noteworthy projects of his time at NOVA Parks was the partnership that led to the creation of the Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna.

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