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

Fall is a great time for planting most anything - but particularly a forest. We are excited to once again work with our partners at Montgomery County Planning" Reforest Montgomery  and contractors Gardens By Garth. Shown here 400 trees on 2 acres leafing out nicely for Fall. This season's planting will be 4 acres, and another six acres next year. With this Spring's efforts we will be planting our 5000th tree through our Re-Leaf Program!
There are a number of ways to get involved in reforesting stream buffers in the Ag Reserve:

• Sign up to host a forever forest with an easement and planting on your property
• Volunteer for planting or aftercare of the trees
• Give a thoughtful and clutter free gift with a Re-Leaf Honor Card sent to your loved one. 
• There are tree programs for downcounty residents too. 

County Exec Elrich sent this memo to the Council today urging the Council to delay a vote on Thrive 2050 (the consequential update to the general plan that will guide growth and zoning for decades to come). 

The Council plans to vote on the plan on October 25th - the same day they plan to assign interim planning board members after the former board members were asked to resign en-masse amid a number of scandals at Park and Planning.  

Executive Elrich asks that given the upheaval at planning (including violations of the open meeting laws that may have stifled participation in creating the plan), a new planning board have another look at Thrive. He also highlights the way in which 3 chapters were added hastily to the plan without public hearing in the past few weeks. These chapters include passages on equity and the environment - but don't actually contain recommendations that will be part of the actual plan - citing lack of time. 

MCA has joined with a broad coalition of civic groups concerned about low income housing, the environment and more to urge that Thrive be paused. The Council's hired consultant said it best "Compressed timelines are the enemy of equity." This consequential plan can't be rushed. 

The agenda for the 10/25 Council meeting is here. 

 Firings and resignations at MCMNCPP create chaos and further undermine confidence in County decision making. 
Press on the topic:
Washington Post- "Montgomery planning board resigns amid scandals, at council’s urging"
DCist - "All 5 Montgomery County Planning Board Members Resign"

Q+A with County Exec Marc Elrich - Montgomery Perspective 

​WTOP -"‘Dozens’ interested in filling Montgomery Co.’s Planning Board amid internal division"

Washington Post "Montgomery County sees 128 applications for planning board"
The full list from Parent's Coalition

Note: always a great idea to visit social media or even better call the farm before visiting - weather, availability and more can interfere with open hours. 

​We take great pleasure in announcing the 2022 Royce Hanson – Ag Reserve Champion honorees: Jane Perini and Wib Middleton – PLENTY Magazine

PLENTY has emerged as an important resource that inspires, educates, unifies, and uplifts. Please join us in congratulating them! (You can support MCA's Ag education efforts through PLENTY magazine here)

​Wib Middleton writes (because that is what he does):

​Having moved back to the area in 2018 after living in Arizona for almost twenty years, Jane Perini and Wib Middleton landed on the edge of the Ag Reserve in the Seneca area. It was May and the iridescent explosion of green was quite a vivid contrast to crimson-spired, high-desert Sedona. Early morning forays with camera in tow on back roads exploring miles and miles of forever farmland and gorgeous countryside begged the questions: what was this Ag Reserve, how did it come into being and was anyone telling its stories?
 
Conversations ensued with MCA about the possibility of creating a hyper-local magazine all about this treasured asset comprising 1/3 of Montgomery County. Caroline Taylor of MCA and other longtime stakeholders were most encouraging and hugely helpful.  Together with long time stakeholders we enrolled local writers, nonprofit heads, farmers, and other Reserve dwellers open to telling their stories about life and work in the Reserve. Based on that we launched PLENTY magazine in summer of 2019.

Eleven issues later and three years in, PLENTY magazine has become a beloved local publication only possible by the abundant outpouring of gifted volunteer writers, photographers, distribution partners and the incredible family of PLENTY advertisers…all who collaborate with each issue to make it all possible.
 
For Wib and Jane, PLENTY is a labor of love to help inform, inspire and engage its readers about the preciousness of Ag Reserve farmland and open spaces, local history, culture, artisans, entrepreneurs and heroes—the farmers, CSA organizers, nonprofits helping with food insecurity and new farming trends. There are many more stories to tell from the stakeholders and stewards who love the Ag Reserve and protect it.
 
To be selected as awardees for the 2022 Royce Hanson Award is completely unexpected and so appreciated. PLENTY magazine is a reflection of all of us who have a stake in this area’s food and farming future. In this spirit and understanding we share this award with all of you. These are your stories, your struggles, your life’s work that show up in the magazine. We are the newcomers who are grateful and humbled to create a magazine to tell your stories.

The rave reviews for PLENTY are rolling in: 

How have I lived 20+ years in this county and never heard about the wonderful Agricultural Reserve? This publication is a gem. I’d probably know more if I haunted more farmers markets. But I don’t and that’s a shame. I wonder how many other MoCo residents are the same as me. I guess the time is right and better late than never to learn about this resource. So thanks for your work. Cheers!          
    ~ Jimilee Komolafe
 
Another GREAT issue of Plenty—you do such a terrific job!! Beautiful photos and well written articles. Your magazine just gets better with each issue. Thank you so much for your support of our Ag Reserve.
     ~ Sue Kingsbury Ketron 

MCA was proud to be one of many groups pushing the White House to end support of incineration as a waste disposal method. See the letter here. 
The science is clear - burning trash is just not an environmentally sound strategy and it disproportionately impacts people of color. Currently the EPA is sometimes promoting the burning of trash as a green power source. This needs to stop. 

From the letter: 
Nearly three quarters of the nation’s trash incinerators are among the top three industrial air polluters in their counties, 57% are among the top two, and 31% top the list, according to data from EPA’s National Emissions Inventory.
This air pollution contributes to asthma attacks, cancers, birth defects, heart attacks, strokes, and a myriad of other public health problems, exacerbating existing health disparities considering where the largest and most polluting incinerators sit. Studies that have found connections between trash incinerators and public health primarily notice increased cancers, respiratory diseases and symptoms, and cardiovascular diseases.

An interesting comment from Councilmember Riemer at yesterday's Thrive 2050 work session where he says that "urban heat islands are caused by not tall enough buildings." He went further to ask that "urban" be removed to better discuss heat islands across the county that are not all found in urban areas. 

The same Tom Di Libreto that Councilmember Riemer quoted has a excellent Tedx talk about Urban Heat Islands. Mr. Di Libreto notes that urban areas are by their nature hotter - making removing the term "urban" from heat island a puzzling request. From Mr. Di Libreto's presentation:

Notable also here is the statistical correlation between racist redlining practices that have made communities of color susceptible to higher  Urban Heat levels and conversely with less resources to handle that higher heat (again from Mr. Di Libreto's excellent talk)

Not just do urban areas have higher heat values - but skyscrapers in fact make it worse as the UN's IPCC has reported. “It’s impossible to solve our affordable housing crisis, our climate emergency, and people’s desire for improved quality of life against racism and disinvestment into separate silos.” There are ways to accomplish our goals but more density is not without cost. 

Below is a message from a forest coalition member to the Council to share these points and be sure that Thrive takes on Urban heat islands in a substantive way with the most accurate science:

"With all due respect, the URBAN heat island effect is real, and it is the term of art used by all climate scientists and the climate change and urban planning community. I strongly object to deleting this word from Thrive. This smacks of censorship and misrepresenting the science.

Also, Mr. Di Liberto, who Mr. Riemer mis-spoke by saying he was ‘head’ of climate.gov (but who is not head but is a social media manager for NOAA's Climate.gov) uses this term himself. Just because people stand in the shade of a building vs. in an unshaded area doesn’t mean the building (and all the pavement and concrete surrounding the building) isn’t absorbing heat. It is a scientific fact that urban areas are just plain hotter. 

If there were shade trees to stand under, people would stand there instead of on the sidewalk in the shadow of a building.

There are ways to attempt to reduce UHI effect of tall buildings. We can and should discuss those.  The most obvious is to increase tree cover, preserve or create vegetation, deploy green roofs, limit paved ares, and use reflective surfaces. In fact, Cambridge, MA is considering adopting a Cool Factor Zoning ordinance! 

One of the best ways to implement a climate-resilient THRIVE 2050, climate resilient Master Plans, and adopt County policies that actually improve resilience is the expand forests, tree canopy, green infrastructure as well as addressing the building envelopes and exteriors. This requires an all-in approach, not half measures that misrepresent what we are dealing with. 

Thank you - I assume you will put the word URBAN heat island effect back into Thrive 2050 and all other policies and ordinances. 

To underscore these FACTS, here are some references:

NOAA
Mr Di Liberto on URBAN heat islands:  https://youtu.be/sXtjMcOTIzg

Heat.gov: https://www.heat.gov/pages/urban-heat-islands


U.S Global Change Research Program National Climate Assessment
https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/11/
See chapter 11
"Despite these differences, U.S. cities experience some climate impacts in similar ways. For example, prolonged periods of high heat affect urban areas around the country.21 Cities are already subject to higher surface temperatures because of the  island (UHI) effect, which can also affect regional climate.29 The UHI is projected to get stronger with climate change.29 Another commonality is that most cities are subject to more than one climate stressor. Exposure to multiple climate impacts at once affects multiple urban sectors, and the results can be devastating.30 “

https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/18/
See chapter 18
"Northeastern cities, with their abundance of concrete and asphalt and relative lack of vegetation, tend to have higher temperatures than surrounding regions due to the urban heat island effect (increased temperatures, typically measured during overnight periods, in highly urbanized areas in comparison to outlying suburban, exurban, and rural locations). During extreme heat events, nighttime temperatures in the region’s big cities are generally several degrees higher than surrounding regions, leading to higher risk of heat-related death. In urban areas, the hottest days in the Northeast are also often associated with high concentrations of urban air pollutants including ground-level ozone (Ch. 13: Air Quality, KM 1). This combination of heat stress and poor urban air quality can pose a major health risk to vulnerable groups: young children, elderly, socially or linguistically isolated, economically disadvantaged, and those with preexisting health conditions, including asthma. Vulnerability is further heightened as key infrastructure, including electricity for air conditioning, is more likely to fail precisely when it is most needed—when demand exceeds available supply—with the potential for substantial negative health consequences.287 Finally, vulnerability to heat waves is not evenly distributed throughout the region. Rather, outdoor versus indoor air temperatures, baseline health, occupation, and access to air conditioning are important determinants of vulnerability (see Key Message 4).”

…"Present-day high temperatures (heat) have been conclusively linked to a higher risk of illness and death, particularly among older adults, pregnant women, and children (Ch. 14: Human Health). A number of studies have replicated these findings specifically in the Northeast (see Box 18.3; e.g., Wellenius et al. 2017, Bobb et al. 2014, Hondula et al. 2012305,306,307). Ambient temperatures and heat-related health effects can vary significantly over small geographic areas due to local land cover (for example, due to the urban heat island effect; see Key Message 3) (see also Ch. 5: Land Changes, KM 1), topography, and the resilience of individuals and communities.307,308"

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-05/documents/reducing_urban_heat_islands_ch_6.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/learn-about-heat-islands

NASA
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/heat-islands/

University Consortium for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/urban-heat-islands

Now, if you want to discuss how to mitigate the UHI effect of tall buildings, we can start talking about these types of actions:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Zoning/climateresiliencezoning

https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/heat-island-cooling-strategies

https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/urban-heat-islands

https://urbanland.uli.org/sustainability/four-approaches-to-reducing-the-urban-heat-island-effect/

https://earthbound.report/2021/07/14/5-ways-to-reduce-the-urban-heat-island-effect/




​

Wow what a ride! It was amazing to once again gather with our riders, vendors, volunteers and friends after two years hosting a virtual ride. There were so many great moments but when the wind kicked up before the rain it was so incredible to see volunteers and riders young and old all pitch in to get tables and chairs into the barn. Our riders really are the best and we thank you all. 
​
There are so, so many people to thank. 

Thanks to Sugarloaf Citizens Association for hosting us at gorgeous Linden Farm. Thanks to Heritage Montgomery for their consistent support the ride each year. Thank you to our dedicated Ride Chair Vivien Bonazzi who handled so much including mapping all new routes. Thanks to our ride leads Kamran, Jim, Dan and Barbara who took on guiding our shorter rides and Kenny and Cathy who made themselves available for SAG wagon duty. Thanks to Jim from Bike Doctor of Frederick who has provided consistent technical support for the ride. Generous Anne Davies opens her home at Stonefields each year for our longer rides and we thank her. 

And of course thanks to our many volunteers who help our small staff pull off this event each year. ​

Our thanks to Shannon and her band and also our pal Van for the music. ​

We feasted thanks to Panera, and the hometown tastemakers at Locals - who also hosted all riders as a rest stop - we thank them! Were was all that cider, apples and asian pears from - you know it was Kingsbury's Orchard where they are full to brimming with all your fall favorites right now. Thanks also to Wegmans of Germantown. 

Great captures of the day thanks to David Ris  who seems to be in multiple places at once with his camera - always with a smile. See all the photos from the event and his other projects here. 

Since 2001 Montgomery Countryside Alliance has been the nonprofit with boots on the ground in protection of the farms, fields, open space and water of Montgomery County's Ag Reserve for the benefit of all regional residents. Our local focus relies on local support. We'd be honored by your tax deductible contribution. 

Update 10/19 The Treasured Sugarloaf Landscape Management Plan is nearing a vote in Frederick County- here is a brief catch up on where things stand now. 

There are two parts to the vote - the  Plan and the Overlay are two different things. The Plan applies protections to the Sugarloaf region, the overlay is the actual zoning nuts and bolts that allow the plan's vision to be carried out - it establishes how permitting would work and disallows certain land uses (residential or ag are allowed things like gun ranges or rubble landfills, etc are not. ) 

October 18th was to be the vote on the overlay zone but that vote was delayed. Stronghold, the organization that owns Sugarloaf Mountain are threatening to close the mountain to the public should the overlay zone pass. Councilmembers seem to be bowing to this pressure and that is a shame. 

Councilmembers supportive of the plan (which will deliver solid protections to the Sugarloaf region now that "carveouts" for developers intent on turning farmland into data centers have been removed) are now calling for a compromise that will keep the protective Resource Conservation (RC) zoning on most of the Mountain - keeping it's land use the same but passing the broader plan to protect the Sugarloaf region. The Frederick News Post has the latest.  For full updates visit sugarloaf-alliance.org Stay Tuned!

The following is an important action alert from our friends at Sugarloaf Alliance. 

Sugarloaf-Alliance.org

It’s Up To Each of Us! 
Stop Data Center and Dense Development 
Near Sugarloaf Mountain and Monocacy National Battlefield


PUBLIC HEARING on 9/27 at 5:30pm 
Winchester Hall, 12 E Church St, Frederick
Come early!! Gather out front at 5PM.

On Tuesday, September 27, the Frederick County Council will hold their formal hearing on the Sugarloaf Plan and the amendments that have been introduced. This is the night when public comments are the primary focus of the meeting. An overflowing room of Sugarloaf preservation supporters, clad in green shirts*, will tell a story like nothing else can. Remember the gun range plan? Residents prevailed, and it was the overflowing Council space that made the difference. We need to do that again.

Why?
The Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan is a once-in-a-generation plan to protect almost 20,000 rural acres in Frederick County - including Sugarloaf Mountain and the area around Monocacy National Battlefield - from dense residential, commercial, and potentially industrial development. Such development now threatens to cross from the east side of I-270 line to the rural west side.

The current Sugarloaf Plan boundary (I-270) is opposed by an influential developer who owns over 600 acres in the Sugarloaf Plan area along the west side of I-270 near the Monocacy National Battlefield and Thurston Road. In the map below, the yellow dashed lines are developer property.  ​

Data Centers?
Sugarloaf Alliance has information from our public information requests that strongly suggests data centers have been under consideration for the developer's acreage

Data centers or any other dense development being considered there would cause irreversible damage to the Plan region. Constant noise, 24/7 lighting, enormous electrical and water demands, and monolithic buildings would cause serious reduction in property values, farming activities, natural resources, and rural life. Residents would move and - without the Plan - development would creep closer to Sugarloaf. 

Council Member Dacey has proposed a Plan amendment that would re-draw the Plan boundary and remove 2,600 acres on the west side of I-270 from the Plan’s protection (the red line in the map above). That acreage includes the developer-owned property and rural properties near Monocacy National Battlefield. We believe it would be irresponsible and short-sighted to sacrifice these 2,600 rural acres to allow dense development here and pave the way for sprawl.  

Proponents of development cite windfall revenues for the county, but Sugarloaf Alliance research shows that data centers offer few jobs. Unlike Virginia (“Data Center Alley” is in Ashburn), Maryland does not tax business personal property, including computers. The beneficiaries of intense development in the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape would be in profits for non-resident developers and corporations. 

What about Sugarloaf Mountain?
The board of the nonprofit organization (Stronghold, Inc.) that operates the 3,400-acre mountain also seeks exemptions from the Sugarloaf Plan. Members of the board have gone so far as to threaten to close the mountain to the public if they don’t get what they want.

Sugarloaf’s roads, trails, and picnic areas operate under a trust set up in the 1940s by Gordon Strong. The park has been a Registered Natural Landmark since 1969, and the  trust preserves the mountain as a private park for the “benefit of the public.” 


SHOW UP ON TUESDAY!

There’s no going back: If commercial interests prevail, if the Council does not hold the boundary line at I-270 and/or does not fully support the preservation overlay, the west-side sprawl will begin. The Sugarloaf Plan becomes a development plan, not a preservation plan. PLEASE ATTEND THE HEARING on 9/27!


* SUGARLOAF ALLIANCE HAS T-SHIRTS! 
The Sugarloaf Alliance now has beautiful t-shirts, green of course! And perfect for supporting the Sugarloaf Plan on 9/27! You can get yours for a minimum donation of $20. We will have them in front of Winchester Hall on 9/27. If you like to get yours sooner, we’ll meet folks on SATURDAY, 9/24 between 10-11am, in the parking lot behind the Urbana Library (not the shopping center side). 


The Sugarloaf Alliance represents over 500 stakeholders in the Sugarloaf region. The Alliance’s mission is to protect
the unique natural and historical aspects of the Sugarloaf Mountain area and its environment through education and
initiatives in support of watersheds, streams, meadows, forests, and historic sites. Working with volunteers, civic
groups, and local, state, and federal agencies, the organization’s primary goal is to preserve the unique character and
serenity of the area for future generations. Sugarloaf Alliance is a 501(c)(3) organization. Sugarloaf-Alliance.org
Steve Black, President
Sue Trainor, Vice President
Nick Carrera, Treasurer
Johanna Springston, Secretary

Want to get a look at the routes on the Ride for the Reserve? We went through them, plus safety and all the info on rest stops with MCA staff and ride chair Vivien Bonazzi. 
​Want the presentation - find the PDF here

There is great information throughout the video and all registered riders (and those considering registering) are encouraged to watch the whole thing, particularly the safety sections and ride times leading up to the routes themselves - but here are the time stamps for where you will find each route in the video:
6 mile Family Route- 26:00
18 mile - 30:00
26 Mile - 31:00
- the prior routes will have leads and sweeps and be "no-drop" rides, the following will be on your own for more experienced riders (SAG support is available should you run into problems)- 
34 Mile - 33:00
46 Mile - 35:30
62 Mile /Metric Century - 37:00

Registered riders will get an email with how to  access to the Ride with GPS link, GPX files for bike computers and cue sheets. Riders can make their mind up that very morning on which ride suits them best. 
Many hands make the ride work - you can volunteer to help out with the ride (we have SSL hours!). 

Registration for the ride will include the picnic until September 21st. Registrations after that will be a higher price and riders are welcome to purchase lunch from one of the food vendors at the pop-up farmers market at rides end. 

Dear Friend of the Bay,

Great news for Maryland's forests! On Friday, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that forest conservation plans for development projects can be legally challenged after being approved. From now on, forests will have the same legal protections as wetlands and waterfront lands in Maryland.
This ruling comes at a critical moment in our work to protect Harford County's Abingdon Woods, where a developer intends to clear about 220 acres of forests—including the removal of 49 large, old growth trees that are specially protected under Maryland law. Now CBF can move forward with plans to contest the developer's forest conservation plan in circuit court.
While this ruling came down through our work in Harford County, the ruling sets precedent statewide. The court recognized the importance of Maryland's forest protection law and ensured plans that fall short can easily be challenged in court by citizens, nonprofits like CBF, community organizations, and more.
For decades, CBF has prioritized forest conservation efforts to reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. The work has taken on greater importance in recent years because forests are imperative in the fight against climate change. They help filter our waters, increase property values, reduce energy costs, provide clean air and wildlife habitat, and improve public health.
Thank you for continuing to stand with us as we work to protect Maryland's forests and the Bay. 
CBF's Press Release
Bay Journal/ Maryland Matters

FredCo Councilmember Kai Hagen does a good summary of why keeping the boundaries of the protective Sugarloaf plan all the way to 270 makes sense and carveouts for heavy development are not forward thinking policy. Take a moment to sign the petition here.

The Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Master Plan has been a difficult process. The original plan was going to protect the farms and open space of entire Sugarloaf mountain region - only to have back room deals lead to carve outs along the west 270 for a wealthy developer, Tom Natelli, who wants to skirt the more protective zoning on his 500 acre parcel (currently farmland and forests) (mapped in red below).

The Frederick County Planning Board chose good governance and transparency and added the carve out back into the protective plan, extending the protections all the way west of 270 and all the way east to the Monocacy River- the historical boundary of this region. Now that the plan is in the final phases at the FredCo Council, there are again machinations on the part of Mr. Natelli and others and a new amendment that will be introduced by one or more Councilmembers. This amendment would seemingly allow spot zoning changes throughout the protected area - seriously weakening the plan. 

A Texas-based company called - not making this up- Quantum Loophole (QL)- has already broken ground for a giant data center on a 2,000 acre site along 270 (outside of the proposed land use plan) that used to house the Alcoa factory but seemingly need more land east of 270 (within the proposed boundaries) and just happened to welcome Mr. Natelli to its board of directors last summer - hence the proposed...loophole...being proposed as an amendment to the otherwise solid land management plan in front of the Council this very week. But if the data center is underway in a redevelopment area, why do they need more land in Frederick County - land that is currently forests and farmland? 

"Quantum Loophole’s first-of-its-kind data center campus offers city-scale infrastructure for hyperscale, colocation, and purpose-built data center developers. The more than 2,100-acre, master-planned site sits just 20 ms from the massive, but constrained, Ashburn ecosystem." - Business Wire
​
Frederick's QL data center construction is a sister to the one they have built 20 miles away. Too bad there was not more capacity to have all the cloud computing in one spot - no big deal, QL will just create a 40 mile pipeline through the Agricultural Reserve and under the Potomac River in 3 places - entitled QLoop to enable data transfer. And here we were told the internet was actually not a series of tubes.

(From Sugarloaf Alliance)

This is a two minute action request of you.
Montgomery County Council currently has before it the draft update to the general land use plan - dubbed Thrive 2050. Among the myriad troubling deficiencies of the draft- scant reference to water - whether drinking or stormwater flooding, whether River, stream, or groundwater aquifer. And certainly absent is  the effect of and response to the changing climate on water resources- climate change is relegated to reference in a non-binding appendix.
​The Thrive process was paused, rightly, to address the identified absence of racial equity language.
​But a deadline, September 1, to complete contractor product addressing equity is looming… and even the contractor has publicly expressed deep concern that the time is not adequate to properly engage the public and provide improvement.

​​The Planning Department describes this document: “The foundation of planning for Montgomery County is the General Plan. This vision has guided all plans and policies for more than five decades.”

Notwithstanding the frustration over length of update process… during a pandemic… with lack of public transparency and full stakeholder participation… the Council must provide the means to improve both process and substance by giving the needed time and attention to get this plan right. 

County Executive March Elrich wrote to the Council asking that Thrive 2050 be paused to address some glaring omissions and to continue the work of the equity consultant. 
The Equity consultant Nspiregreen gave a briefing to the Council on Tuesday - coverage of that briefing from WTOP (below section on Purple Line) highlights the need to consider -and implement- the full findings of the Equity consultant. 

Hit the Pause Button on Thrive Montgomery 2050 - it’s headed in the wrong direction.
August 2022
Dear Council President Albornoz and Councilmembers,
Thrive Montgomery 2050, the proposed update of Montgomery’s General Plan, if enacted, will fundamentally change our land use policies.  The direction of that change is of deep concern to us.
In keeping with our existing General Plan and master plans, we support these smart growth and housing policies:  

• In order to redress racial inequities and socio-economic injustices, our General Plan must promote and enable full housing for all - especially for low-income and moderate-income families.
• protecting our Agricultural Reserve and our clean streams, clean air and drinking water supplies. 
• Removing planned-but-unbuilt highways including proposed M-83 from all of our master plans.

Thrive’s current version approved by the PHED committee, if enacted, will take our County in the wrong direction: more sprawl and pavement in rural areas - and more displacement in urban areas. Streams, forests and trees in both urban and rural areas are threatened by Thrive’s growth policies. Thrive wrongly promotes non-farming “recreational” land uses in our Ag Reserve; these threaten farmers’ long-term, stable access to affordable land. Thrive would accelerate high-end market-rate housing in our urban and suburban areas which would raise land prices and rents, reducing opportunities for non-market-rate housing (a.k.a. social housing).
These proposed changes require much greater public review, participation, debate and revision, before the Council takes any final action on Thrive. The Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ) review of Thrive must offer thorough revisions to the entire Thrive document, including to its housing, growth, and transportation policies. But the rushed RESJ process is unlikely to yield needed revisions to these policies.  Let’s get it right. Let’s not pass such a flawed product in the false belief that “we’ll fix it later.” Let’s fix it now.
Given these problems, I request your active support for these three steps:
(1) Hit the Pause Button on Thrive – and on all Thrive-related strategies, plans and zoning changes. 
(2) Extend Thrive’s schedule to re-program a new effort to review and revise Thrive, through a much more inclusive process. Work with the new incoming council and planning director to enable them to review, evaluate, and revise Thrive as needed – based upon full and inclusive public participation with residents as respected planning partners. 
(3)  Hold public hearings this Fall of 2022, to enable on-the-record public review and comment on the PHED draft, including on any proposed revisions from the RESJ process.