Eric Pedersen
Dear Friend of MCA,
As the year closes, we wish to thank you for support of our efforts to protect the Agricultural Reserve, its farms, parkland, open spaces, waterways and habitats For the third time MCA has been recognized as "One of the Best" small nonprofits in the Washington region by the Catalogue for Philanthropy because of the work we do.
As the year closes, we wish to thank you for support of our efforts to protect the Agricultural Reserve, its farms, parkland, open spaces, waterways and habitats For the third time MCA has been recognized as "One of the Best" small nonprofits in the Washington region by the Catalogue for Philanthropy because of the work we do.
Because of Your Support We Were Able to Undertake:
| This young MCA volunteer is helping to mulch an acre of 5-6 foot newly planted native trees as part of this program. |  |
As a response to our climate crisis, MCA is proud to partner with Montgomery County Planning to identify landowners in the Ag Reserve with sensitive waterways in order to plant acres of native trees. Forest conservation easements and deer fencing will protect these new plantings - and the streams they help stabilize.
To increase crop yields, reduce pesticides and capture atmospheric carbon, regenerative agriculture practices include the use of cover crops, perennial vegetation, less soil tillage and more compost to lock Co2 from the air into the soil. And it means healthier food for you and your family.
- And more...
The County is undertaking a new Master Plan process called Thrive 2050. It will guide how our County grows and functions for the next thirty years. A short quiz from the Planning Department was issued to residents in order to gauge support for land use changes. It was quite disturbing. With a total of just ten questions, two of them directly suggest erosion of the Ag Reserve:
- "In order to accommodate more people living and working in the County, would you allow new building developments in the Agricultural Reserve and or other environmentally sensitive areas?"
- ''Do you support another bridge crossing over the Potomac River between areas of Montgomery County and Northern Virginia even though it would have environmental impacts?"
We know how you would vote - against destroying the crowning land use achievement of the County's last forty years. On the eve of its 40th anniversary we should not stray from what is a nationally acclaimed land use model — but we must innovate. For all it does — protecting farms, open space, water and air quality and adding to the economy - the Ag Reserve can do more.
Together we can...
• Grow the next generation of farmers and link them with affordable acreage (Land Link).
• Continue to bring more farmers to classrooms and students to farm fields.
• Watchdog our elected officials as well as County and State agencies.
• And re-forest non-arable land in the Reserve to meet the County's ambitious carbon sequestration goals before it is too late.
• Grow the next generation of farmers and link them with affordable acreage (Land Link).
• Continue to bring more farmers to classrooms and students to farm fields.
• Watchdog our elected officials as well as County and State agencies.
• And re-forest non-arable land in the Reserve to meet the County's ambitious carbon sequestration goals before it is too late.
Since 2001, MCA has had boots on the ground to protect the County's bold commitment to agriculture. Your support has allowed us to grow into a lean but mighty, well respected organization. Charting the future decades of the County and its Ag Reserve requires all oars in the water and our collective voices at the table. We hope you will continue to support us with a tax-deductible year-end gift. Peace to you and yours this holiday season!
