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But concern about the future of those resources began to grow among their friends and neighbors. A McLean developer was making plans for the county's largest remaining section of open space--Crow's Nest.

The tract was right across the street from Kirkman's home.

State agencies had intended to buy the 3,800-acre Crow's Nest tract for a nature preserve, but purchase negotiations fell through, and in 2004 the landowner was moving forward with development options.

Kirkman rallied the community around the issue. Initial conversations about preserving the environmentally sensitive peninsula turned into a movement to save it. And almost immediately, Board of Supervisors meetings were packed with activists wearing green clothes and spouting preservation logic.

"It's been an organization that's truly grassroots--ordinary people who live here," Kirkman said. "Any time a group of citizens acts it makes a difference. If more citizens were active we'd be in a more balanced place right now, addressing the legitimate needs."

Her activism has required many hours in the planning office. She sometimes takes time off from work to review and educate herself on proposed development plans.

She believes that Crow's Nest is just as much a taxpayer issue as it is an environmental controversy.

These days, she often speaks to the supervisors on other proposed developments and their potential impact on water quality, traffic, population and tax problems related to growth.

"Crow's Nest is a tip of a larger iceberg that threatens the future of Stafford County," she said. "Elected officials have been more responsive to developers. They should be more accountable to the public."

Since its formation, the Save Crow's Nest group has continued to expand, reaching out to people who were previously not involved in government issues. The e-mail list is now 1,000 people strong. And 200 to 300 of them play an active role, attending meetings, writing letters or speaking to public officials.

The unified effort teaches people skills they need to participate in government, Kirkman said. It gives them a place to practice public speaking, have letters edited and educate themselves on issues in order to talk about them.

Members most recently began tracking supervisor votes that could encourage development or prevent inappropriate building on Crow's Nest.

Although the county has filed paperwork to condemn the Crow's Nest property, Kirkman continues to remind her fellow activists that the battle is not over until the deed changes hands.

"It doesn't matter whether it's intimidating or not. We have a job to do and we are going to do it," she said. "We aren't going away until all of the property on Crow's Nest is protected from development."