MCA wants to thank everyone who took action in support of a strengthened County Forest Conservation Law during the last council session. 

While MCA and the whole MoCo Forest Coalition were disappointed to not have stronger protections in place in 2022, having the new Council enact strong protections as one of their first actions in office sends a strong message about the importance of forests in the County. 

In the last decade, MoCo lost 4000 acres of forests - the second highest rate of loss in the state. ​

Please take two minutes to let the Council know that forests, particularly existing forests, matter in MoCo before they hold a haring on February 7th.  

What can a reasonable person do?
From a study at Duke of the most effective water filters, “Home filters are really only a stopgap. The real goal should be control of PFAS contaminants at their source.” PFAS are already everywhere but many of them bio-accumulate, meaning reducing further exposure can mitigate health impacts. Track PFAS contamination with this interactive map from Environmental Working Group. It is important to note that these substances are widespread, toxic and largely un or under regulated - leaving the consumer to invest in their own protection. When the level of protection is based on what solutions a household can afford, this becomes an environmental justice issue. 

Your Water: 
- Check to see if your drinking water source has been tested for PFAS; if not, consider collecting tap samples and sending them for testing to My Tap Score. Given the relatively reasonable costs, consider ordering both the advanced water test  AND the PFAS test.
-Duke and NC State compared a number of water filters for their ability to filter out PFAS. This was one that fared well in testing.  

Your Home: 
-Ditch any teflon or other non-stick cookware
-Use the Environmental Working Group Database to find personal care items that have been found to be safer. Start with your floss.
​-Achievable steps from the EPA
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Hundreds showed up in the final days of 2022 to rally for White's Ferry to re-open - 2 years after it closed. Rally organizers estimate that 9 million extra miles have been driven as the result of the ferry's extended closure. 

Good noise made. Now… action.

This centuries old and much relied upon transportation corridor must be reopened to the public. Maryland should explore legal options. There was long term, open use of the VA side landing… establishing a public right of way to a public road.

Press: 
Rally Organizers Guest Column in Montgomery Perspective
MyMC Media
Loudoun Now
​WaPo Cover's last year's anniversary of the closure

 Two wells in Poolesville have tested positive for PFAS - often called forever chemicals because they never break down in the environment. This group of around 5000 different man-made compounds created for foams and non-stick coatings among other purposes have been linked to health issues. Pesticides known to contain PFAS that the EPA has failed to regulate are are one way that the compounds end up in the soil, plants and water supply according to our friends at PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility).

Poolesville has released a letter to every resident and this press release. 

The Reserve is particularly at risk of this kind of contamination of drinking water as it sits atop the federally designated Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer - the only source of drinking water for local wells in the western Reserve - outside the WSSC envelope by design. (How does a well work?) 

Collaboration (State, County, towns, groups) and tenacity will be needed to address the important issue. The Town will hold an information session on January 3rd at 7pm

In the meantime - here is the EPA list of actionable steps and resources to better understand PFAS.

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WUSA video coverage below and transcript

Here at MCA, the short, short version of our mission is "We Connect." We connect farmers both new and established with plenty of resources but our expensive region access to land is a real stumbling block for new or expanding farmers. 

In 2011 we responded to this need with a new program - Land Link Montgomery. Since then 30+ farmers have been matched with leases to grow everything from flower and herbs to persimmons to tomatoes and peppers, nightshade and kiwano melon and even cattle and sheep. 

In 2022 we matched 6 farmers - here are a few of their stories. 

We wish these fledgling farmers many happy seasons in MoCo - and we are here with resources to help them thrive. There are many more farmers still seeking land and your support helps us connect these farmers with the land and resources to get started. We would be honored by your tax-deductible end of year gift.

Brown Cow Creamery at Savage Acres creates delicious cheese from grassfed cows in Dickerson, Maryland (see their primer on the benefits of grassfed beef here.) They also offer flours from their corn and wheat along with beef, pork and eggs. The Savages have a closed loop system with a local distiller where their corn is used to make whiskey and the spent grain is then fed back to the cows. You can find their products online and also at the Poolesville Farmers Market. 

Rock Hill Orchard in Mt Airy is a pick-your-own and the site of Woodboune Creamery - the nations first all pasture raised robotic dairy. Having trouble picturing the laser guided nozzles and mobile linked updates of their dairy barn- this video will help. Since that video, the Fendricks of Rock Hill have added an ice cream parlor - the only Montgomery County stop on the MD Ice Cream Trail.  Though the gals are slowing down milk production for the winter products are available at the farm and Germantown pick ups. Learn More.
John Fenderick was kind enough to join our Farm Accessory Solar webinar to detail the system on his barn roof. Watch the recording here. 

Both of these farms are practicing rotational or intensive grazing - moving the cows regularly through multiple pastures.  Rock Hill details how this works. The result is healthier soils that are able to hold more water runoff - preventing erosion and improving water quality. A deep dive on this can be found at Maryland's Million Acre Challenge

 The King Barn Dairy Mooseum catalogs the history of MoCo's many, many dairies. Open May- October they feature interactive exhibits on the historic King Farm. An interactive map shows the sea of small dairies that used to operate throughout the County. 

Dear Friend of the Ag Reserve, 

As the year closes, we thank you once again for your support of our efforts to protect the farmland, open spaces, natural resources, and historic assets of our nationally recognized Agricultural Reserve. Since 2001, MCA has emerged as a regional force that recognizes the critical role of local activity and engagement in support of global imperatives of protecting farmland and natural environmental services in the face of our changing climate. 

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• Continue to grow the next generation of farmers through our Land Link Program (MocoLandLink.org)
• Collaborate to establish a farm incubator connecting new farmers with land and training to jumpstart diverse new farms and expand regenerative agricultural practices in the County.
• Maintain vigilance to guard against unwise land use proposals, legislation, and regulatory changes and monitor the roll out of the recently approved Thrive 2050 plan.
• Plant more acres of native “forever forests” and urge the new Council to adopt a strengthened Forest Conservation Plan for the whole County.

We appreciate and continue to need your support for our efforts to ensure the best possible stewardship of this special resource we all love. We invite you to join us as we keep our eyes on the prize and “dig in.” ​

Peace and good health to you and yours this holiday season,

MCA has been so proud to be invited to work with the FRSAN -NE (Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network) chapter as part of the new farmer/land access cohort - a project run by the National Young Farmers Coalition bringing farmers and farm service providers together to tackle some of the root causes of farmer stress.
Finding and maintaining land to farm is a constant stressor in a farming career. Toward the end of last year MCA staff partnered with farmers and farm service providers in the cohort to create a decision tool to help new farmers consider different ways of accessing land besides just the typical rent/buy dichotomy. The cohort was particularly interested in sharing newer solutions for group farm tenure that are becoming more common like farm incubators or land trusts. Pooling your resources with like minded farmers can help you get farming faster. 
Land for Good is the clearing house for the new toolkit, just one in a treasure trove of resources they offer to farmers and landowners seeking to access and secure land. 
We'd love to hear your experiences with this tool - kristina@mocoalliance.org 

Check out the tool here

WTOP is reporting that the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, or WRDA, would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct studies to find a secondary drinking water source and additional drinking water storage. This bill is up for approval in the next two weeks. 
Local water officials have been studying the use of the Travilah Quarry. However it is likely that even more capacity will need to be found to meet demand as drought threatens supply. 

For many, finding the perfect tree is an exciting part of the holiday. This year, consider making a outing of it and visiting Montgomery County's tree farms. We have some great family-owned options farms to choose from. 
Butlers Orchard
Naughty Pine Nursery

An add on excursion- you can time your tree expedition to visit the Countryside Artisan's Open Studio Tour weekends.  Or maybe a winery or brewery.

For those of you with affection for our County’s wonderful rustic roads- take a little time to hear from those giving voice to the benefits of the program and continued stewardship of these byways. 
(MCA’s testimony begins at approximately 6:07:00 - but hear others strong testimony as well.)

The record will remain open until December 9 for folks to write in to support the program and important Rustic Roads Advisory Committee recommendations (testimony here.)

​Details (thank you Leslie Saville):

WHO: You, your friends and neighbors, residents, visitors, groups (civic, historic, environmental, recreational), farmers, farm market and CSA operators, vintners and brewers, artists, visitors, cyclists, equestrians, hikers, businesses--anyone and everyone who loves and uses our rustic roads. 


WHAT: Please tell the Planning Board how your road (or your favorite road) is special to you. Your testimony doesn't need to be long, but if it's personal and heartfelt, it will be powerful.  

Ideas you might include: These roads are historic and unique, as are the bridges, structures and landscapes along them. They are narrow, slow, and safe, leading to places of wonder--to views of Sugarloaf Mountain, to historic communities, both Black and White, past a one-room schoolhouse, a favorite barn or a row of 100-year old cedar trees. 

Your testimony would be especially helpful if it highlights how valuable and irreplaceable these historic, scenic roads continue to be, that they are integral to our working landscapes, rural areas and villages, and the functioning of the Agricultural Reserve. They strengthen our rural businesses including our farms, markets, orchards, stables, wineries, breweries and art studios along them. These roads are safely shared by all users, and their narrow pavements protect the water quality in our streams and reservoirs. Heritage tourism along these roads is an enormous economic asset for our rural economy. 

Love your own road! Please name your road (or roads). Include a stunning photo or two! Check your road description in the master plan and point out something specific you support. Examples--a new designation, a historic or one-lane bridge that's a Significant Feature of your road, a history write up that highlights things you might not know or that you hope others might learn, or historic sites, views or champion trees shown on the new map of your road. 

Send email to:

MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org


BCC:  info@mocoalliance.org



Thanks for your support of our Rustic Roads!

Late breaking good news from Frederick County: Outgoing County Executive Jan Gardner has just announced that Frederick County will institute a Rustic Roads Program to protect 80 miles of roads that were identified in the 20 year old Rural Roads program with an "exceptionally rustic" designation and adds 287 miles of "candidate roads" that will be studied for inclusion in the program. 

Executive Gardner: "We know that preservation is crucial to maintaining our community’s unique characteristics,” Executive Gardner said. “By launching this Rustic Roads Program, we can preserve Frederick County’s rustic roads in their natural and historic settings so future generations can understand and appreciate our rich agricultural history.” 
Video of the proclamation here and County press release here. 

Frederick's push for more protection for rural roads makes a strong case for continued protection for those same roads as they cross the border into MoCo's rural lands. 

Lets face it, the holidays come with a lot of stress. You start with the best of intentions- your heart swells with the first light display or card from a friend- but somewhere in there, you've just had too much pie, or paid too much for expedited shipping, you've just lost that peace on earth, goodwill toward all part. 

Fear Not! Over the past years 3 new days on the calendar have emerged as a counterweight to the frantic shopping and schlepping that the holidays can become. We are partnering with the county Department of Environmental Protection for the "Gift Outside the Box" campaign - urging folks to shop local, shop green and reduce waste and emissions and maybe even increase joy.
May we humbly suggest a Re-Leaf Honor Card - you give in honor or memory, we send a card to your loved one with thanks for helping plant forever forests in MoCo (5000 trees...and counting!)

Opt Outside is a campaign by outdoor retailer REI to urge families to spend their holiday time outside instead of at the mall on Black Friday. As they did for the first time in 2015, their website will go dark, their fulfillment center will go silent as their employees spend the day outside. Visit Montgomery County's amazing parks this weekend.

Small Business Saturday is November 26th this year- skip the mall and enjoy your local retailers that keep your money close to home and enrich your community. Farmers are the oldest small business there is. You might want to check out a year round farm and artisan market. Or visit an on-farm brewery or winery.  

Thrive 2050, the update to the general plan meant to guide land use in the County for the coming decades, had its final vote at the Council at the end of October and was unanimously passed.

Thrive, through there were some efforts to address its problems in the weeks before the vote, remains flawed  in a number of concerning ways. 
Undergirding it is the view of densification as a panacea for all problems in all areas of the County, with no meaningful policy guard rails to ensure this new development is affordable for residents and beneficial for the county - be that economically, equitably or environmentally. Specifically, on water/forest/farmland protection, racial justice and more, we stand with the diverse coalition of civic groups who had been respectfully sharing concerns about both the Thrive plan and lack of transparency since the beginning - and providing compromise solutions for its improvement. 

Both Thrive's supporters and its detractors have said that the plan is only a starting point - a beginning, not an end.

The real work of Thrive starts now as a new planning board and chair of unknown tenure and a mostly new and expanded Council take office (resignations and firings at Planning). There is both challenge and opportunity where these policies meet the road. 

So now - we do as we always have… we dig in to press for transparency and public interest as the plan is rolled out. We are going to be all over this, like stormwater on pavement. 

Thanks to your support we had a seat at the table to strongly suggest changes that would strengthen the plan. Your continued support will help us mitigate the roll out of Thrive as words on a page take shape on the landscape.
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That is where it matters - with 20 years of advocacy and your continued support- that is where we will be.  

We would be honored by your tax deductible gift this giving season. ​

How are Maryland's forests doing?
​A new comprehensive study of the state's forests has just been completed. 
This baseline information is coming at a critical time as we seek to strengthen the County Forest Conservation plan when the new Council takes office. 
The Harry Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology will host a webinar to unveil the key findings of this landmark study Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM EST
Learn More: 

The Ag Reserve preserves many things, one of them is historical resources. Two preservation efforts were lauded at this year's Montgomery Preservation Awards in the Ag Reserve - the Montevideo Bridge  and the ongoing archeological dig at Sugarland's St Paul Community Church property - a joint project of Montgomery College and the Sugarland Ethno History Project. Learn more about Sugarland in SEHP's award winning book - I Have Started for Canaan.  

There's much more to discover about the Reserve's Rustic Roads like Montevideo - kudos to our friends at the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee. 

(Want to See the Rustic Roads up close? Join us each Fall for the Ride for the Reserve Bike Tour)
See the full presentation of the Montgomery Preservation awards here. 

MCA has signed onto a letter from the American Bird Conservancy and hundreds of local environmental and animal protection organizations across the country to strongly urge the EPA to properly regulate pesticide coated seeds.

The EPA's rule making arm has said this month that the coated seeds are exempt from something called the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that puts proper guard rails on the use of these chemicals intended to kill pests - including careful tracking of the instances of their use and the impacts of that use. These seeds are coated in chemicals called neonicotinoids - widely known to be a factor in bee colony collapse and banned for retail sale in Maryland in 2018. 

From the letter - 97% of the pesticide coating of these seeds leave the seed and enter soil, groundwater and beyond. Exempting these seeds from the act meant to track and mitigate unintended consequences is therefore a terrible idea and has led to nearly a decade gap in data of just how much damage has been done. 

"​This loss of invertebrate life has rippling effects on ecosystems. Birds and mammals which depend on invertebrates for prey may experience massive reductions in population due to food shortages. Pollination may decrease due to pesticide-caused mortalities in pollinating insect, impacting human food supply. Normal ecosystem functions such as decomposition, soil turnover, and biological pest control may all cease."

Much more on the impact of pesticides on birds can be found on the American Bird Conservancy site here. 

A warm ceremony on a chilly fall evening by the fire on the Locals patio celebrated PLENTY publishers Jane Perini and Wib Middleton as the honorees of this year's Royce Hanson Ag Reserve Champion Award. MCA honored Wib and Jane's ability to tell the stories of the Reserve in a compelling way that shows the vibrancy and purpose of this special place. Wib and Jane were awarded with a vase from Dusty Road Pottery (special thanks to Josh Goldman for the handmade base he hand crafted from local wood). 

Speakers included MCA Board President and Shepherd Lee Langstaff, Father of the Ag  Reserve Dr. Royce Hanson, MCA Board Member Tanya Spandhala who's  farm, Passion to Seed Gardening, was profiled in one of the first issues of PLENTY in 2019 and finally Wib and Jane themselves followed by a few words from County Executive Marc Elrich. ​

Our thanks to Locals for hosting - the event attendees, our speakers and particularly Wib and Jane for taking on a labor of love to tell the story of the Ag Reserve in the County and beyond. 

During the pandemic, food insecurity in MoCo and across the country increased 50%. Into the gap have stepped a number of nimble and innovative organizations to connect food insecure people with healthy food, much of sourced cost effectively by growing it nearby.

AfriThrive is one such organization and it has been our honor to match them with land in Poolesville through our Land Link program to create a farm to supply their food distribution hubs across MoCo.
The AfriThrive farm is a special operation as they focus on crops that are "culturally appropriate" - foods that their clients are familiar with preparing and eating that form the backbone of their culture. 

AfriThrive is joined by other Land Link matched farms with a hunger fighting mission - including Beauty Blooms Farm and other farms focused on culturally appropriate foods such as Dodo Farms and Passion to Seed Gardening. 

There are still a number of new and expanding farmers looking for land to buy/lease to grow specifically to increase food security - all farmer seeking land listings can be found here. 

Considering hosting a farmer on your land? Start here with our landowner info session recording. Or reach out - landlink@mocoalliance.org