A Video Profile of Sugarland Ethno-History's Guiding Light - Gwen Reese

11/28/2021

The Ag Reserve lost an important person this year. Gwen Reese founded the Sugarland Ethno-History Project and lovingly preserved the history of the St Paul Church that was the center of the Sugarland freeman's community. At MCA we were honored to call Gwen a board member and friend.
It is a real gift that before Gwen passed Heritage Montgomery did this great video profile of both her and the church.
In Gwen's absence, the Sugarland Ethno-History board has been busy and have just revitalized their website. Those looking for a thoughtful gift and a good read can pick up the SEHP book "I Have Started For Canaan" that highlights the vibrant history of the Sugarland Community.

Opt-Outside, Shop Small and Give Where You Live - Meaning for Another Covid Holiday Season

11/19/2021

While a more joyful time than last year, we are entering another Covid holiday season. Let others await more stuff on shipping containers running late - we can build a meaningful holiday right here and now.
Everyone has heard of Black Friday. But there is a far more thoughtful way to kick off the holiday season. On Black Friday, many are choosing to skip the stores and instead "Opt Outside" - a campaign started in 2015 when outdoor retailer REI closed its stores, website and fulfillment center on the busiest shopping day of the year and paid its employees to go recreate with their families. Another successful campaign, "Small Business Saturday" invited shoppers to keep their dollar in the local economy and shop the small local stores that make a community thrive.

Much like last year - local is the new normal, outside is the new inside and resilience is the new way- the Ag Reserve has offered resilience to our region in this crisis and this will continue into the colder months with unique gifts and recreation close by. And speaking of supporting local, may we humbly suggest your support your local farmland protection nonprofit? Giving Tuesday is November 30 this year and we would be honored by your tax-deductible gift.

Find a park or trail to opt outside to with your family here.

Shop Small, Green and Local
"Small Business Saturday" is November 27 this year - there are so many Moco grown/raised/crafted gifts for you and everyone on your list.

Markets: Staying with the theme of outdoors - many year round markets operate in MoCo and have not just the best local food around but artisans making unique gifts - find a full list of farmers markets here.

Countryside Artisans Studio Tour: (December 3-5) Holidays and each fall the artists of rural Montgomery County have open studio hours and a map for a self guided driving tour. Pottery, glassware, fiber arts, paintings and more are available.

MoCo Made: Many prepared foods and spirts are created all over MoCo.

Landscape Contractors Must Remain a Conditional Use in MoCo

11/10/2021

Want to zoom in on this map (see the pdf here) What zone are you in? Enter your address to the GIS map here and find out.

Update 11/29: This ZTA was to have a public hearing among a packed agenda on the 30th but the ZTA sponsor Tom Hucker withdrew the ZTA. We want to thank the hundreds of folks who took action and the civic organizations who joined us in calling for a more collaborative process.

Update: This issue had a hearing on 11/18 at the Planning Board (video is here - skip to 7:02:36). County staff did a good job of laying out the reasons that landscape contractor operations are currently a conditional use in Montgomery County and surrounding jurisdictions. Our own Caroline Taylor testified that a process to address the needs of landscapers with stakeholders would be a better solution than this ZTA which has broad unintended consequences. The Planning Board agreed to send the staff's recommendation for rejection of the ZTA along to the Council. County Executive Marc Elrich also send a letter asking that the ZTA be pulled - the public hearing is November 30th (make sure they hear from you before then - take two minutes to write in here. )

Issue: Absent stakeholder input, a county council zoning text amendment was introduced by Council President Tom Hucker that will open multiple rural zones to by right commercial landscape contractors with scant conditions. Take Action

Why this matters:

Similar to concerns about siting large scale solar on farmland- the primary use of the Ag Reserve is farming. Landscape companies allowed by right in the Reserve will drive up prices for new farmers to access land in the zone set aside for Agriculture. The proposed ZTA identifies 2 acre parcels for these industrial uses - the same amount of land a new table crop producer is ideally looking for.
Keeping this industry type as a conditional use allows a review of how an operation would fit into a specific area. All surrounding jurisdictions have stringent (sometimes more stringent) qualifiers on where landscapers can locate. Changing to a limited use would allow these intensive uses to be sited much more broadly with few protections. Missing in a limited use approval are considerations for: Impervious surface and water quality, forest destruction, road width and condition and noise.

The Solution: table this zoning text amendment and convene a group of stakeholders to collaborate on an appropriate means of addressing the concerns of the landscaping industry. This solution is supported by the Planning staff recommendation to oppose this change.
"Staff is very concerned about the negative impacts Landscape Contractors often have on neighboring residential uses, which are directly related to their operations and can only be properly mitigated through detailed analysis and regulatory conditions imposed by the Conditional Use process."

Our Ask: please take two minutes to send a quick letter here.

Also let us know if you are affiliated with a civic organization that would like to sign on to group correspondence. Email us at:
[email protected]
Public hearing on November 30, 2021 has been limited to only 5 speakers and is now full. So the council needs to hear from the public via emails and/or calls in advance of 11/30.

The details:

Proposed change to zoning code (see the zones impacted on the map above):

See the full ZTA linked here.
Summary here.

Currently commercial landscape contractors are provided the opportunity to locate their businesses in multiple zones (Ag Reserve, rural, rural residential) through conditional use approval. This process is utilized to ensure that the facilities will not pose undue non-inherent effects on the surrounding community. The conditional use process recognizes that these are not a one size fits all use in these zones and without proper evaluation could undermine master plan

Re-Leaf the Reserve Video of Two Plantings

11/9/2021

Check out a video from our Re-Leaf partners at the County Planning Department. Our big thanks to Kristin Taddei at Planning, Will, Lee and all our other landowners hosting their own 'forever forest'.
If you live in the Reserve and have a stream area on your property get in touch and we can set up a site visit. Learn More Here.

Different - Still Thankful: Sourcing Your Holiday Table Locally

11/8/2021

Your Thanksgiving may still not be back to normal this year but however big or small your table this year, you can fill it with the best local food MoCo's farms have to offer. One silver lining of the pandemic is some farms that have turned to online ordering, making it even easier to grab your harvest.

Year Round Markets:
Whether you are making an old favorite or finding new side dishes to try - they will be better with local ingredients grown right here in MoCo. A Farmers Market the week before Thanksgiving is a truly joyful place. Find your market here.
Other On-Farm Markets:
RB Savage and Sons Farm - Dickerson. Selling beef, chicken, eggs and preserves
Savage Acres Farm - Dickerson, Selling farm fresh beef, pork and chicken year round. Read up on their grass-fed beef operation
Kingsbury Orchard - Dickerson. Cider, Apples, Asian Pears
Lewis Orchards - Dickerson. Lots of locally grown produce and preserves in stock - taking pre-orders for pies until 11/20.

Pre-Ordering Pre-Made Items and Farm Fresh Ingredients:

Though Fox Hollow Farm Market's turkeys are all sold out by this time this year - they provide fully baked or 3/4 baked breads and deserts for your table. Check them out in Gaithersburg/Laytonsville.
Common Root Farm of Derwood has turned to online ordering and curbside pickups (along with a few local markets) in the pandemic and sells both their own sustainably grown produce and also soups, grains and spices from other local businesses. Wednesday at noon their online store updates with items available for Saturday pickup.

Wine and Beer:
Rocklands Farm Winery
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard
Windridge Vineyard
Waredaca Brewing Co.
Brookeville Beer Farm

Ideas for Next Year
No turkeys you say? Yes, the small farms of the Reserve mostly operate on tighter margins than larger livestock farms and customers need to pre-order their birds early to be sure there are homes for each bird that is raised - usually ordering by mid October or earlier. Some places to secure your bird next year:

Nick's Organic Farm (small chance you could get a "reserve" bird this year, contact them.)
Fox Hollow Farm Market
RB Savage and Sons

There are a number of CSAs (Community Supported Ag) farms in MoCo as well where you buy in to get great produce from spring to fall - strawberries and peas to tomatoes through to sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Is a CSA for you? Take our quiz and find your farmer here.

The Other Maryland Farm Loss Factor: Salt Water Intrusion

11/5/2021

Image: Jane Thomas, Integrated Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 2016

We talk about farmland lost to development all the time - (175 acres per hour in the US). While development pressures are the biggest factor in Maryland farm loss, climate change and rising sea levels are bringing more salt into the low lying fields of the Eastern Shore, rendering fields un-useable. More interaction between farm fields and higher tides also means more runoff into streams and the Bay.

Like all the effects of climate change, there are ways our inventive species is trying to adapt. New salt tolerant crops (quinoa anyone?), and creating easements to protect the new marshland that was once farmland.

Two great reads to help get a handle on the crisis -
"Coastal farmers in Maryland and across Mid-Atlantic being driven off their land as salt poisons the soil" - Baltimore Sun
A fascinating interactive map and photo essay showing the impact of salt water on the Eastern Shore's Fields and Forests - "Our Changing Chesapeake"

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