Fairfax County Park Authority
Judith Pedersen
Public Information Officer
Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairfax
Virginia
E-Newsletter
ResOURces Newsletter
Fairfax County Park Authority
Dave Ochs

ResOURces is a monthly publication of the Resource Management Division of the Fairfax County Park Authority. Its goals are to:
• Teach and encourage resident stewardship of county wildlife and waterways
• Educate residents about their county history, horticulture, natural and cultural resources
• Support the agency’s volunteer program and encourage volunteerism
• Invite residents to the activities at their 427 parks, nature centers and historic sites
• Fulfill the agency mission to help residents learn environmental values and to enhance quality of life.
ResOURces is for residents of Fairfax County, Virginia, a diverse population of just over one million people. It is e-mailed to subscribers, park supporters, county teachers, agency employees, county supervisors, agency volunteers and county promotional outlets. It is also made available on the Park Authority’s website.
ResOURces spreads its stewardship message through monthly distribution that has grown to approximately 6,500 people. Distribution from the first two issues of 2019 to the last two increased 46%. Analytics show ResOURces’ click-through rate averaged 5.1% in 2019, well above the 4.1% CampaignMonitor.com cites as average for government emails. The newsletter’s web page drew over 1,500 additional views. ResOURces is directly emailed to subscribers, county teachers, the County Board of Supervisors, officers of park Friends groups, and Park Authority staff. Views of web pages promoted in ResOURces increased as much as 75% in the three days following publication during 2020.
The bulk of ResOURces’ writing, editing and design is produced by one person who has other photography, social media, editing and website duties. Production time for each issue is about three days. Distribution has grown to more than 6,500 on average, up from the 1,367 recipients of the newsletter’s first electronic issue. One County Supervisor recently noted the “newsletter is looking great and love the multiple ways to access, scan or view the information.” ResOURces is available via email, pdf, on a web page, and to an additional 20,000 people through a link in a daily county email.
ResOURces is an e-newsletter designed to bring the people of Fairfax County, Va., closer to the natural and cultural resources of their community. It does that by encouraging people to visit parks and to explore the habitat in their own back yards and neighborhoods.