Prince William conservationist, bluebell lover, Kim Hosen dies – Potomac Local News
Kim Hosen, the former Prince William County Planning Commissioner, and Prince William Conservation Alliance Director, has died at 70.
Hosen died Thursday afternoon, reports current Conservation Alliance Executive Court Squires. Former county supervisors Corey Stewart and Mike May appointed Hosen to represent the Occoquan District on the Planning Commission, where she served for 12 years.
Hosen was a fixture in the community, advocating to preserve the county’s last open space, the rural crescent, between Quatico Marine Corps Base and Manassas National Battlefield.
Hosen partnered with the Marine Corps base to establish Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, a state wildlife preserve in Nokesville bordering the base.
She organized the annual Prince William County Bluebell Festival held on the farm, where she was honored last week with a plaque. She pushed county supervisors to name the bluebell, a native flower that grows along the banks of the Cedar Run, as Prince William County’s official flower.
On a personal note, I considered Hosen a friend and appreciated our talks over coffee, at Board of County Supervisors meetings, and over the phone. She advocated for the county, its people, and places and never stopped working to improve the community.
In 2011, seven years before Potomac Local News introduced a paid subscription program, Hosen donated $25 to our fledgling news website and wished us good luck. Kim, we’ll do our part here at PLN to keep the Bluebell Festival alive in your honor.
Prince William Conservation Alliance provided a statement:
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kim Hosen. The long-time Lake Ridge resident showed strength and determination to the end — wrapping up her earthly duties in tandem with her beloved Bluebell Festival.The PWCA Family believes the blooms were so vibrant, and donations so generous this year, in honor of Kim. She stayed with us through the festival, and that’s a testament to her dedication to all things natural, educational, and PWCA. As the defender of Prince William County’s natural places, green spaces, and especially the rural crescent, her legacy lives on through all of us. Her deep understanding of smart growth made it possible to elevate protecting special places, connecting people to nature.
Please visit her newly installed plaque at Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, to whisper thoughts, condolences, and hopes for conservationists that follow in her footsteps. Memorial notes can be made to her sons Eli and Jake Hosen, courtesy of PWCA, 2239N Tacketts Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22192.