A gorgeous fall day dawned at the Black Hill Regional Park Visitor Center overlooking the Little Seneca Reservoir-a fitting place to celebrate the decades of work Anne and Jay Cinque have put into protecting the water and land in Boyds and the wider Ag Reserve. Throughout the afternoon, a theme emerged- each person stepping to the mic honoring the way individuals make up the larger community. MCA Executive Director Caroline Taylor set the tone by celebrating MCA and its supporters as an organization protecting the Ag Reserve together- each person a "spoke in the wheel."  

Allie and Josh Goldman were honored for their many years as MCA volunteers and asked those assembled to join them in giving their time for a community cause.  

Royce Hanson gave a moving tribute to Peg Coleman, an Ag Reserve luminary and former Royce Hanson Honoree who passed last month. Helping to found and strengthen many Reserve civic groups- Peg was the embodiment of community spirit. 

From MCA Executive Committee member Dolores Milmoe, attendees heard how Anne and Jay rolled up their sleeves soon after moving to the Reserve to battle back proposals for unnecessary energy transmission lines- and won. From then on they put their shoulder to any new issue threatening the Reserve and opened their home as a meeting space for community organizing in the Reserve's interest. Most recently, the Cinques have been active in protecting Ten Mile Creek and the Little Seneca Reservoir as part of Friends of Ten Mile Creek. When Anne and Jay spoke, they shared how with help from the community they grew into the advocates that they are today. In traveling, they have found many other municipalities that want to implement an Ag Reserve to protect farms on the edge of growing cities but as former speakers and the Cinques made clear- even the most lauded land use policy is not enough, it takes the diligence of those who love the Reserve to keep the land in agriculture and the spaces open for all to enjoy. 

Anne and Jay were honored with a Martin Radigan Photo presented by Maureen O'Connell from Historic Medley District. 

MCA Board Member Scott Fosler closed the program with three words - enjoy, learn and protect. Scott said that the Cinques have embodied these goals and charged everyone else to live by their example. 

Many Thanks to Geppetto Catering , Kingsbury's Orchard and Wegmans Germantown for the great food and drink. Thanks to our volunteers as always for their helping hands. Thanks to the 19th Street Band for the tunes. Gratitude to Martin Radigan for the photo for the award and to Maureen O'Connell for presenting it.  Thanks to Alan Bowser for some of the pictures shown above. ​ 

Ohana Valley Farm in Potomac seeks a Farm Manager to care for buildings, cattle, goats and chickens. Read the full job description here. 

It is with heavy heart that we share that our dear friend Peg Coleman has died. A long time Reserve resident, advocate and MCA Advisory Committee member - Peg was a warm, quiet but powerful force in the Ag Reserve- serving as a historian, author, strategist, community connector, innkeeper, wife and mother. 

In 1980, Peg and her husband, Jim, bought a farm on Barnesville Road, which included an abandoned 1768 log cabin. They lovingly restored the cabin, and it is now a National Historic Register site, and the Pleasant Springs Farm Bed and Breakfast. 

Peg's books include "Mama Wears Two Aprons" and "Around Germantown" - both illuminating the history of Montgomery County. Besides swinging the hammer on her own cabin- Peg spearheaded preservation efforts of the Boyds Negro School and many others as the first president of Montgomery Preservation Inc. She has also been active in Sugarloaf Regional Trails.  For all her efforts, in 2008 we honored her with the Royce Hanson Award.

At MCA, we appreciated her for her efforts both big and small. Nary an action alert would reach her inbox without her writing in to support the Reserve. She always took the time to write us to congratulate us on victories.

In 2012, Peg brought many different stakeholders around her kitchen table in an effort to have a conference similar to the one organized in 1976 that began to coalesce support for the Ag Reserve to come into being. There were differences of opinion in the planning but Peg persisted- and baked amazing treats for all of us- and much like Nelson Mandela said, with Peg's quiet persistence, it was impossible until it was done. The result was the Farming at Metro's Edge Conference- an event that highlighted all the Reserve has become and the shared interested all stakeholders have in its protection. And of course Peg wrote the introduction the report. 

We were all glad to know her, the Reserve is better for her. We will miss you, Peg. 

The service for Peg will be Saturday, October 29th at 11:00 AM held at the Boyd's Presbyterian Church. 
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