Rustic Budd Road
The 2018 Royce Hanson Award
Sunday, October 21 at 12:30 PM ~ 2:30 PM
St. Mary's Pavilion
18230 Barnesville Rd, Barnesville, MD 20838
Please Join us for this free event, tax-deductible donations gratefully accepted.
Food, music by Peace Run and a stroll along Exceptionally Rustic West Harris Road.
Sunday, October 21 at 12:30 PM ~ 2:30 PM
St. Mary's Pavilion
18230 Barnesville Rd, Barnesville, MD 20838
Please Join us for this free event, tax-deductible donations gratefully accepted.
Food, music by Peace Run and a stroll along Exceptionally Rustic West Harris Road.
Can't Make it? Consider a new or renewed MCA membership.
Your tax-deductible gift can be made securely online here.
Your tax-deductible gift can be made securely online here.
Each year, MCA honors an Ag Reserve champion with the Royce Hanson Award, named for it's first recipient, Dr. Royce Hanson, the Architect of the Reserve during his tenure as Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board, part of the of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Protecting the Reserve takes more than a few tenacious individuals - sustained collective effort is required to keep working farms on the landscape. Sometimes this effort takes the form of years of meetings, stacks of maps and engineering documents plus a dizzying array of acronyms. This year, we are proud to honor the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee for their efforts in protecting the arteries of the Ag Reserve, Montgomery County's Rustic Roads.
Protecting the Reserve takes more than a few tenacious individuals - sustained collective effort is required to keep working farms on the landscape. Sometimes this effort takes the form of years of meetings, stacks of maps and engineering documents plus a dizzying array of acronyms. This year, we are proud to honor the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee for their efforts in protecting the arteries of the Ag Reserve, Montgomery County's Rustic Roads.
Why Rustic Roads? (Map Here)
Support for the Ag Reserve
Today, the Rustic Roads continue to support local farming and the Agricultural Reserve. These slow, narrow, historic roads allow for sharing the roads with slow-moving farm equipment and horses. For visitors to pick-your-own farms, wineries and on-farm breweries, the small roads underscore the nature of the working landscape and enhance the experience of driving or riding a bike through the Reserve.
As envisioned in the 1980 Preservation of Agriculture & Rural Open Space Functional Master Plan, the Rustic Roads avoid artificially stimulating the market for conversion of farmland to residential development.
Support for the Ag Reserve
Today, the Rustic Roads continue to support local farming and the Agricultural Reserve. These slow, narrow, historic roads allow for sharing the roads with slow-moving farm equipment and horses. For visitors to pick-your-own farms, wineries and on-farm breweries, the small roads underscore the nature of the working landscape and enhance the experience of driving or riding a bike through the Reserve.
As envisioned in the 1980 Preservation of Agriculture & Rural Open Space Functional Master Plan, the Rustic Roads avoid artificially stimulating the market for conversion of farmland to residential development.
 Exceptional Rustic Mouth of Monocacy Rd. | Water Quality Many of the Rustic Roads are pervious surface (such as gravel) - letting rain water soak in instead of running off into nearby streams. |
History
Rustic Roads are historic and scenic roads that reflect the agricultural character and rural origins of Montgomery County. Because of this program, today, we can travel along Native American trails, wagon routes, mill roads, lock roads and market roads.
Rustic Roads are historic and scenic roads that reflect the agricultural character and rural origins of Montgomery County. Because of this program, today, we can travel along Native American trails, wagon routes, mill roads, lock roads and market roads.
Rustic Gregg Road
"Rustic Abbey Road" l-r Rustic Roads Advisory Chair Bob Tworkowski, Councilmembers Marc Elrich and Roger Berliner and County Executive Ike Leggett on Exceptional Rustic Martinsburg Road
| About the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee The Rustic Roads Program preserves Montgomery County’s historic and scenic roadways that reflect the agricultural character and rural origins of the County. The members of the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee oversee the program, and advise the County Executive, Council and Planning Board on matters affecting the Rustic Roads. |  Advisory Committee Members Laura Van Etten and Jane Thompson educate at an event |
 Christopher Marston, former RRAC chair, explains how Rustic Roads fit into land preservation practices | Seven citizen members (three farmers, two civic association members, a member with knowledge of roadway engineering and a member with knowledge of rural preservation techniques) serve on the committee, together with a representative appointed by the Planning Board and staff provided by the County Executive. The members review Master Plan designations of the roads, development proposals, public projects such as bridge replacements, and they promote public awareness and knowledge of the roads. |
Montgomery County was early in recognizing the value of our small, historic, farm roads, with the County Council appointing a Task Force to study the issue in 1989, and establishing the program in County law in 1993. Through the Council’s approval of two functional master plans and ten area master plans, 98 roads have been placed in the program. Residents have nominated over a dozen more roads for addition to the program, so the program, and the community support for it, continues to grow.
Brown signs designate Rustic Roads
