Your Action Mattered! Thanks to the many hundreds that wrote in to the County Executive and Council in support of proper staffing levels for the County's Office of Agriculture. The funding made it into the County Executive's budget and is expected to remain there in the Council's budget.  We received the thank you note below from Office of Ag staff. We look forward to working with the OAG on even more proactive projects to support local farmers, the food system and rural lands. Thank You!

"​The Office of Agriculture and its staff would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to you both and to the Montgomery Countryside Alliance Membership.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn of the letter writing campaign you initiated in support of our office and were elated by the extent and outpouring of letters received by the County Executive requesting that he provide much needed resources to our office. The MCA campaign was a success – the CE included one position for the Office of Ag and one position for the Soil Conservation District in his FY23 recommended budget.
MCA and its members recognize and appreciate the County’s agricultural heritage and understand the vital role that it continues to play in terms of climate change, food and fiber production and quality of life for all county residents.
We are thankful for your leadership and for your members standing with us to ensure that our office has the resources it needs to support the rural community and the ag industry in Montgomery County. We look forward to continuing our partnership on ag initiatives for years to come."

"Like life, liberty and democracy, clean water is not something we can take for granted."
~ Scott Fosler, keynote address at  Regional Water Forum 2017 (transcript of keynote)

Ag Reserve architect and former planning Chair Royce Hanson recalls, "Scott was present and accounted for at the creation of the Agricultural Reserve. As president of the Montgomery County Council in 1980, he cast one of the five votes for adoption of the functional master plan for Preservation of Agriculture and Rural Open Space and the zoning map amendment that applied the Rural Density Transfer Zone, creating what became the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve. He played a critical role in the establishment of Little Seneca Lake as part of the emergency water supply system and in negotiation of the 1983 Low Flow Agreement governing regional water usage in drought emergencies. These interconnected interests as a council member continued in his role as a civic activist and mayor of the Town of Chevy Chase. He understood and promoted the value of the Reserve for the quality of life for whole county and as an example for the nation and put his passion for conservation to work, serving as vice-chair of the Montgomery County Ad Hoc Agricultural Policy Working Group, and as a member of the boards of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Friends of Ten Mile Creek, as well a board president of the Audubon Society. An exemplar of Montgomery County citizenship, Scott brought insight from his his broad national and international experience, his professional expertise and skills to the service of his community."

 MCA Board Chair Mike Rubin remarks, "Scott was one of a small group who not only helped create the Agricultural Reserve but fought to see that it survived. He was a voice of reason over many years. His legislative knowledge and conservation philosophy helped form policies that affected the preservation of the Reserve. 
He was always available for consultation and advice and an inspiration to me in my own efforts to play a part in the endeavor to assure the survival of this extraordinary creation. "

A remembrance in Maryland Matters

Great News from our Neighbor to the North - Kai Hagen, at large council member in Frederick County, shared the following on March 2:

"Much more later, no doubt...but I am thrilled to share a quick, "hot off the press" announcement that, in the last hour, the Frederick County Planning Commission made a couple of decisions and approved the draft of the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan...WITH the expansion of the planning area in both of the areas (see the photo below) that were the subject of so much attention the last few months, AND with the application of the conservation  district (overlay zone) over the entire area.

The approved draft will now go to:

1) The Maryland Department of Planning for a 60 day review, and...

2) The Frederick County Council

... simultaneously. In other words, the council can and will begin its review of the draft while it is also undergoing the state review.

Let me be as clear as I can be: This is a great plan! Before the recent changes (to expand the planning area and overlay district) it was already a great plan that happened to have a couple of flaws...that have now been fixed, so far, in my opinion.

The final word on this will be determined by four (or more) members of the county council.

Kudos to the administration and staff, the members of the Planning Commission, and the many many individuals and organizations that have actively and effectively engaged in the process to date!

The full plan is here. 

More from the Sugarloaf Alliance

Background: 
Fredco Planning Holds the Line on Carve-Outs that would weaken the Sugarloaf Region Protection Plan
​Sugarloaf Area Zoning Changes in FredCo Cause Concern

MCA is proud to collaborate with partner organizations in the Montgomery County's Forest Coalition. Our main goal is for the county to reach “no net loss” and a “net gain” of forests by prioritizing the protection of forest ecosystems. 

Between 2008 and 2016, development in the County cleared 1,383 acres of forests – the 5th highest amount of forest cleared among all counties in Maryland.

It does not have to be this way - other local counties are in the process of strengthening their forest conservation plans. Frederick County just passed the states most protective forest laws in the state.

​Here in MoCo the MoCo Forest Coalition’s short-term goal is to have a new bill introduced by the end of March to update the Forest Conservation Law (FCL). The advocacy of the coalition falls along the 10 top priorities of the coalition.  There are bright spots, the County has been making strides under the Reforest Montgomery program of the Planning department under Forest Conservation Planner Kristin Taddei - including a partnership with our Re-Leaf the Reserve program. Here is an in depth look at forest conservation laws already on the books in MoCo from Conservationo Montgomery. 

Take Action: Visit our partners at Audubon Naturalist Society  to learn more and add your name as an individual or organization to strengthen this law. ​

More:

• Love Forests? Check out Re-Leaf the Reserve  - our program to plant forever forests along stream buffers in the Ag Reserve. 
• How Forests share resources like a community 

MCA received a letter from the MC Civic Federation calling for a return of funding this important position.
You can also take a moment to make your voice heard: 
Emails can be brief:
To:
County.Council@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov
Marlene.Michaelson@montgomerycountymd.gov
(and please bcc: info@mocoalliance.org)
I call for return of the People’s Counsel. This is about good governance.

Here is our note sent today:
Fund the Office of the People's Counsel - FY 2023 Operating Budget
​
Dear County Executive Elrich,
There are compelling reasons to include this in the FY 2023 budget as cited in a strong letter sent to your office yesterday from MCCF. Chief among the reasons listed:
“Furthermore, the County Code requires that prior to introduction, any proposed Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) be reviewed by a ZTA Advisory Group that includes the OPC. One of the reasons often cited by the Planning Department for the complete rewrite of the County's Zoning Ordinance (which was a seven year process) was to discourage the use of Zoning Text Amendments that bypass the master planning and land use public processes. However, since the Zoning Rewrite was adopted, there have been over 100 ZTAs proposed by a small number of Councilmembers. All of the ZTAs were proposed without the benefit of the OPC review.”
The call for return of the People’s Counsel is not new. I had, for example, included it in this 2019 piece in Maryland Matters

In truth, if looking at this from purely a dollars cost, the reestablishment of the position will save much in governmental time and money spent churning over poorly conceived ZTAs etc.
Above all… this is about just and equitable governance.
Respectfully,
**********