Dr. Phoebe Hall Knipling and Valerie B. Kitchens were Arlington women who advocated for environmental conservation and education.
Today marks the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Earth Day commemorates the birth of the modern environmental movement and invites us to renew our commitment to protecting the planet.
Environmental activism in Arlington predates the first celebration of Earth Day by over a decade. World War II triggered a major shift toward industrialization in Northern Virginia – Arlington County’s population soared while urbanization and development increased. As open land quickly diminished, some Arlingtonians began to recognize the need to improve environmental awareness and conserve the disappearing natural landscape. Two such pioneers were Dr. Phoebe Hall Knipling and Valerie B. Kitchens.
Dr. Phoebe Hall Knipling
Phoebe Knipling riding a scooter at the Arlington Public Schools Science Fair, 1959. From RG 111: Arlington Outdoor Education Association Records, 1947-2017.
Dr. Phoebe Hall Knipling (1910-1988) was the first female Science Supervisor for Arlington Public Schools (APS) and the first woman to hold such a position in the state of Virginia. In the late 1950s, Dr. Knipling started a summer science enrichment program that incorporated outdoor education for students.
This program transported students to various public and private lands in Northern Virginia to study life sciences, astronomy, geology, meteorology, agronomy and conservation, among other subjects that benefitted from firsthand encounters with nature.
Students, Stars, and Outdoor Education pamphlet, page 2. From RG 111.
As open, natural lands became increasingly unavailable, Dr. Knipling argued that it was necessary for APS to acquire their own land for outdoor education. With the help of community representatives, parents of APS students and five school staff members, she established the Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) as a volunteer-run nonprofit on July 3, 1967, to create an outdoor lab exclusively for APS student use.
On March 14, 1968, the AOEA purchased a 200-acre site in Fauquier County at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The site featured a spring-fed stream, a pond, hiking trails, a natural amphitheater and diverse plant and animal life. At Dr. Knipling’s suggestion, the land became known both as Tahl which means “Wonderful Valley” and as Floraunaretum, meaning "interaction of flora and fauna in an outdoor setting."
Visitors exploring a stream at the Arlington Outdoor Education Association Outdoor Lab, 1975. From RG 111.
After Dr. Knipling retired in 1975, the AOEA board voted to rename the property the Phoebe Hall Knipling Outdoor Lab to honor her years of service to science education in Arlington County. Currently, four APS classes visit the Outdoor Lab every week in addition to three week-long summer camps.
Learn more about Dr. Phoebe Hall Knipling and the Arlington Outdoor Education Association.
Valerie B. Kitchens
Valerie Kitchens’ “Clean Water” bumper sticker. From RG 348: Valerie Kitchens Papers, 1967-2010.
Valerie B. Kitchens (1937-2013) was a local activist for conservation, wildlife, parks and other political issues that affected Arlington County and Northern Virginia. Born in Cresskill, New Jersey, she earned a master’s degree in Foreign Affairs from Georgetown University in 1964.
In the late 1960s, Kitchens attended the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s graduate school and became active in the Audubon Naturalist Society, contributing articles and research on the endangered Eastern Bluebird. She served as President of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Society of Ornithology and was involved in local birdwatching groups.
Plans for a Bluebird house distributed by Valerie and her husband, Allen, in the late 1960s for the Audubon Naturalist Society. From RG 348
As an active member of Friends of Arlington Parks from the late 1970s through early 1990s, Kitchens fought to preserve Arlington’s natural and historic landscape, including what is now Fort C.F. Smith Park. She served on the Board of Directors for the Arlington Outdoor Education Association in the mid-1980s, supporting the Outdoor Lab that Dr. Knipling established in 1967.
Kitchens continued to appreciate and protect the natural beauty of Northern Virginia until her death in 2013.
Learn more about Valerie B. Kitchens.
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