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.

On a gorgeous early summer day, Council President Gabe Albornoz met with a number of MoCo's wonderful women and BIPOC producers. Five of the producers that joined the gathering have successfully found land through our Land Link program. Abundant Dodo Farms was the backdrop for a conversation that fostered a real sense of uplift and common purpose.  
We are  so deeply grateful to everyone for their time and energy as we collaborate to build a robust and equitable local food system. 
Thanks to Wib Middleton of Plenty Magazine for photos. Please peruse the videos below. 

In Attendance: 
Tope Fajingbesi  and Niyi Balogun- Dodo Farms, Brookville
Tanya Spandhla, Passion to Seed Farm and MCA board member, Brookville
Nia Nyamweya - Beauty Blooms Farm, Barnesville
Indu Balasubramaniam, Vijay and Suriya Kandaswamy  - Amaranth Acres, Dickerson 
Truphena Choti - Afrithrive Farm, Poolesville
Nazirahk Amen - Purple Mountain Organics
Amanda Cather - Plow & Stars Farm, Poolesville - American Farmland Trust
Lee Langstaff - Shepherd's Hey Farm, Comus - MCA board president
Jane Thery - Maryland Horse Council Stewardship Committee, boards at Wyndham Oaks
Marci Guramatunhu - Chirandu Farm, Barnesville
Anne Davies - Stone Field Farm, Boyds, MCA board
Laura Van Etten - Monocacy Mills Farm, Dickerson 
Mohammed Iqbal Khan - Neelamga, Potomac 
Jane Perini and Wib Middleton - PLENTY Magazine, Darnestown
Caroline Taylor - Poolesville, MCA

​Here's What We Discussed:
- appreciation for the Agricultural Reserve (of course)
- good news of growing diversity of producers and products notably culturally relevant foods
-the many layered contributions of agriculture, notably by BIPOC and women producers with emphasis on meeting food insecurity 
- farming, to exist and expand here, must be profitable 
- Ag Census data (handout) that underscores diversity within ag sector
-Equestrian: Over 12,000 horses, 111 licensed stables including therapeutic riding, kid’s lessons, trails and horse operations on county land like Meadowbrook, Wheaton Stables and Potomac Stables. Great environmental stewards with grasslands, woodlots and wildlife habitat. Outdoor recreation and economic drivers with employment and many related services from hay to farriers to fence builders. 

Challenges and potential solutions:

-Access to affordable land and resources such as fencing/wells/power/equipment 
-labor shortages as well as absence of critical farm labor housing proximate to farms
-equitable access to capital cited as ongoing challenge
-establish in-county processing centers for protein/produce - this has become big issue
-provide clear resources to navigate various requirements for farm start ups and better facilitate approval for farm labor housing units 
-inclusion: gaining a place at the table where decision making occurs
-educating consumers about local farms/products/challenges/opportunities (I.e. support for local media such as PLENTY magazine)
-Community land trusts/ incubators and building equity and opportunities for BIPOC/women producers to own land and long-term farm leases for small-scale producers 
-For labor: facilitate connection with immigrants and under employed with ag backgrounds/ interests 

 Thanks to the farmers and Councilmember Albornoz for their time. We here at MCA are committed to dig in on these important issues. 

It is a big election year in Maryland and Montgomery County. With a shake-up in districts for state and local representation it's more important than ever to look over your candidate choices. MCA has once again posed the tough questions to the 100+ candidates seeking to lead MoCo and Maryland in the coming years. ​As a 501c3 nonprofit - MCA can not endorse but we seek to provide information on where the candidates stand. 
Below are the unedited questionnaires received from each candidate who returned them by the deadline, we are grateful to those who took the time in the busy election season. We realize we are one of many outlets asking for the candidate's views. Scroll to the bottom to get even more info on candidate positions from state and local groups. 
Find your sample ballot  with all candidates here.
Which District is yours? Take a look at the new district maps for County Council and State level offices. ​

More on the Candidate's Views

• The County Executive Green Forum Recording ( note: This forum was held before the filing deadline and as such does not include all candidates)
• The MoCo Food Council Food Questionnaire - lots of great questions about food security and the role of the Ag Reserve.
• Don't forget the Board of Education election. Our friends at League of Women Voters held a non-partisan virtual forum you can watch here. 

​Important resources:

• Voter registration information - Voter registration will close on June 28, 2022 for the 2022 Primary Election and on October 18, 2022 for the 2022 General Election.
• Early Voting Centers
• League of Women Voter Information

Key
Red - response submitted by the deadline
Black- No response received by the deadline
​* - incumbent

At-Large (Voters Will Choose up to 4 - represents entire county) 

• Gabe Albornoz*(D)
• Brandy Brooks (D)
• Dana Gassaway (D)
• Evan Glass* (D)
• Scott Goldberg (D)
• Tom Hucker* (D)
• Will Jawando* (D)
• Laurie-Anne Sayles (D)
• Chris Fiotes (R)
• Len Lieber (R)
• Dwight Patel (R)

 District 1 (Bethesda, most of Chevy Chase, Potomac, Travilah​) 

• Andrew Friedson* (D)

State Senate, District 9 (much of Howard County, part of northeastern Montgomery County)

• Katie Fry Hester* (D)
• Reid Novotny* (R)

State Senate, District 14 (Laytonsville, Brookeville, Ashton, Fairland, Burtonsville)

• Collins Odongo (D)
• Craig Zucker* (D)
• Alex Bieber (R)

State Senate, District 15 (Barnesville, Darnestown, North Potomac, Travilah, parts of Clarksburg and Germantown)

• Brian Feldman* (D)
• David Wilson (R)

State Senate, District 16 (Bethesda, Cabin John, Potomac, North Bethesda)

• Susan Lee* (D)

State Senate, District 17 (Rockville, Gaithersburg)

• Cheryl Kagan* (D)
• Scott Gershman (R)

State Senate, District 18 (Chevy Chase, Kensington, parts of Wheaton) 

• Max Socol (D)
• Jeff Waldstreicher* (D)
• Missy Carr (R)

State Senate, District 19 (Derwood, Leisure World, Aspen Hill, Glenmont, parts of Wheaton)

• Ben Kramer* (D)
• David George Jeang (Green Party, general election only)
• Raul R. Ayala (R)
• Anita Mpambara Cox (R)

State Senate, District 20 (Silver Spring, Takoma Park, White Oak)

• Enoch Bevel (D)
• Will Smith* (D)

State Senate, District 39 (Montgomery Village, parts of Germantown)

• Adam Alphaeus Cunningham (D)
• Nancy King* (D)

State delegate, District 9A 

• Steven Bolen (D)
• Chao Wu (D)
• Natalie Zeigler (D)
• Trent Kittleman* (R)
• Saif Rehman (R)
• Jianning Jenny Zeng (R)

State delegate, District 14 

• Joshua Dowling (D)
• Anne Kaiser* (D)
• Eric Luedtke* (D)
• Pamela Queen* (D)
• Tom Smith (D)
• Kathy Gugulis (R)
• Kate Walshe (R)

State delegate, District 15

• Saqib Ali (D)
• Linda Foley* (D)
• David Fraser-Hidalgo* (D)
• Lily Qi* (D)
• Jodi Colella Noah (R)
• Stacey Sauter (R)
• Matt Wade (R)

State delegate, District 16

• Ariana Kelly* (D)​
• Marc Korman*(D)
• Sara Love* (D)

State delegate, District 17

• Kumar Barve* (D)
• Julie Palakovich Carr* (D)
• Joe De Maria (D)
• Joe Vogel (D)
• Donald “DP” Patti (R)

State delegate, District 18

• Emily Shetty* (D)
• Jared Solomon* (D)
• Aaron Kaufman (D)
• George M. Cecala (R)

State delegate, District 19

• Charlotte Crutchfield* (D)
• Bonnie Cullison* (D)
• Augustin Esquivar Saah (D)
• Vaughn Stewart* (D)
• Frank Nice (R)

State delegate, District 20

• Lorig Charkoudian* (D)
• David Moon* (D)
• John Walsh (D)
• Jheanelle Wilkins* (D)

State delegate, District 39

• Gabriel Acevero* (D)
• Lesley Lopez* (D)
• Kirill Reznik* (D)
• Clint Sobratti (D)

Protect & Preserve THE SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN AREA

The Frederick County Planning Commission is debating this master plan.
Show up and Speak up at the Public Hearing 

On the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan 
Wednesday, May 18 
Winchester Hall, 6 pm

Over the last 2 years the master plan, that will determine the future of our beautiful mountain, the small communities and the surrounding farmland, has been redesigned and under heated debate. The 176-page management and zoning plan for the almost 18,000 acres includes Sugarloaf mountain and surrounding communities, adjacent to Montgomery County’s 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve.  

The Planning Commission will listen to testimony, debate and make a decision before sending it to the state for a 60 day review period.  It is important for all of us that care about this treasured landscape, to attend the hearing in person at Winchester Hall, 12 East Church Street in downtown Frederick. The Public Hearing will also live streamed as well, at FrederickCountyMD.gov/FCGTV.  You can call comments in at 1-855-925-2801 (Meeting Code 9006).   

We know that the developers who don’t want the natural resource protections contained in the “Rural Heritage Overlay Zone” will show up. The plan’s overall aim is to preserve and protect the rural and agriculture-focused landscape in question—without exemptions for developers or Stronghold, Inc. the Board that owns and operates Sugarloaf Mountain.     

Questions in the community:
What are the benefits of the Sugarloaf Plan and Overlay Zoning District?  
The Plan’s intent is to protect the area’s beautiful woodlands and waterways, farms and historic sites, preserving the rural nature of southern Frederick County on the west side of I-270.
What about my property rights? Will the Plan and Overlay limit what I am able to do with my property?

The Plan largely maintains the rural environment as we enjoy it today and ensures that any changes to the area’s land uses reflect a higher standard of environmental protection through the Overlay Zoning District. 

• The Overlay does not change most current zoning for residential, agricultural or conservation property within the Plan area.
• The Plan includes an updated list of restricted or prohibited uses, including - for example - “shooting range” and “industrial waste landfill.”
• The Plan’s timber harvest section mirrors the State’s requirements.
• The Overlay adds environmental protection requirements for subdivision and site development plans, including proposals and building sizes for large, non-agricultural developments. 

You can testify for 3 minutes, to explain why this treasured landscape should be preserved.  Written comments are being received at: planningcommission@frederickcountymd.gov

See more details at SCA’s website or download the attached PDF.   Frederick County’s website for the plan is here.   
https://www.frederickcountymd.gov/8046/Sugarloaf-Area-Plan
​

Background on this plan:

• FredCo Sugarloaf Region Plan Moves to the County Council - Still Needs Support (maps of protection area)
• FredCo Planning Commission Holds the Line on Carve Outs allowing development in Sugarloaf Protection Area

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

Read on for stories of what forests mean to MoCo residents. If you have a forest story to share please get in touch - info@mocoalliance.org

You can speak for the trees of MoCo - the Council will be working on the Forest Conservation Law in the coming weeks. We need no-net-loss and also a net gain of forests. To make this provision as strong as oak the Council needs to hear from you. The MoCo Forest Coalition released an Op-Ed in Bethesda Beat "Montgomery Must Update and Strengthen Outdated Forest Protections"

The Montgomery County council changed the voting districts last year and this July's primary  (July 19th in fact) will be the first test of the new lines. If you'd like to dig into the interactive map of both new and old council districts, and enter your address to find your district click here. 

Who currently represents each (old) district?

This year, voters will be picking up to 4 at-large councilmembers and one councilmember from their district plus casting a vote for County Executive.

Here at MCA we are committed to getting voters the information they need to be engaged residents. We've just sent out a candidate's questionnaire to all the 100+ candidates running to represent MoCo both locally and in Annapolis. Those un-edited responses will be posted in mid-May. We were proud to be part of the Green Forum for County Exec candidates - catch up on that recording here. 

 Look up your sample ballot for all local and state races here.

Below: The old districts are in red overlaying the new district map in color with white numbers. Note the Western Reserve is now one district (2 - in blue) The eastern district is now all in a newly created district 7 (orange). 

There has been a district shakeup at the state level as well. You can interact with the final state level map here to find your district. Note the big change is district 9a now reaching over the Howard county line to cover the northern tip of Montgomery County west of 270.

The question was raised in the County Executive Green Forum ​- what actually grows in the Ag Reserve? Quite a lot! Here is our attempt to cram all the fruit, vegetables, livestock, herbs, dairy, fiber, spirits, partnership, resilience and joy that grows in the Reserve in just 2 minutes. (Rather just the dry data? We digest the most recent Ag Census results for the county here) 

But Wait! There is even more! There is a misconception that commodity crops grown in the Reserve are somehow "not food." Check out what happens to all that winter wheat. 

What are the candidates' views on the highest and best use of our protected farmland (plus climate, transportation, Thrive and more? We asked and here are their unedited answers. 

If you are itching to get outside this spring, look no further than the Ag Reserve - which besides the typical recreation opportunities has some farms offering open houses and plant sales at the start of the season plus art and the promise of cherries and berries soon (did we miss your event? Kristina@mocoalliance.org) 

Check out some Art!
April 22-24 Countryside Artisans are hosting their spring open studio tour - a self guided driving tour of the artisans that call the Reserve home. ​Offerings include paintings, blown glass, pottery, natural fiber arts, sculpture, woodworking and more. 

Our thanks to all those that worked to make the County Executive Green Forum a robust discussion of our County's pressing issues.
Thanks to our Partners: Conservation Montgomery, Sugarloaf Citizens Association,  One Montgomery Green, Rock Creek Conservancy, Audubon Naturalist Society, Friends of Ten Mile Creek, and the Storm Water Partners Network. 
Thanks to the candidates and our moderator Kathleen Matthews.
Thanks to Sylvia Tognetti for keeping time and Caren Madsen for her warm welcome. 
And thanks to all that were able to join both in person and online. In case you missed it the recorded forum is below: 

On the chat there were some questions about what is grown in the Reserve, the data from the most recent Ag Census for the county can be found here. 

​With the change in the election calendar we have delayed sending out our candidate's questionnaire as in past years. The filing deadline for candidates has been pushed to April 15, we will release our questionnaire to all active local candidates soon after and publish their unedited answers a few weeks later. In the mean time, your sample ballot can be found here. 

Montgomery County has committed to reducing the waste residents send to the landfill. Decreased waste will also allow the Waste to Energy incinerator in Dickerson to close.  A study by the county in 2018 showed that 21% of solid waste going to the landfill from County residents is food scraps. Channeling this food waste to compost will greatly reduce the need for incineration or more and more landfill space. Not everyone has the space to compost at their home or business. Enter startup businesses like Compost Crew who gather food scraps and turn it into soil through large scale composting. Compost Crew has come to our Land Link program in search of local land where they can compost gathered food scraps. 

To learn more about this opportunity (or any of the other land link listings)  email landlink@mocoalliance.org

Your Action Mattered! Thanks to the many hundreds that wrote in to the County Executive and Council in support of proper staffing levels for the County's Office of Agriculture. The funding made it into the County Executive's budget and is expected to remain there in the Council's budget.  We received the thank you note below from Office of Ag staff. We look forward to working with the OAG on even more proactive projects to support local farmers, the food system and rural lands. Thank You!

"​The Office of Agriculture and its staff would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to you both and to the Montgomery Countryside Alliance Membership.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn of the letter writing campaign you initiated in support of our office and were elated by the extent and outpouring of letters received by the County Executive requesting that he provide much needed resources to our office. The MCA campaign was a success – the CE included one position for the Office of Ag and one position for the Soil Conservation District in his FY23 recommended budget.
MCA and its members recognize and appreciate the County’s agricultural heritage and understand the vital role that it continues to play in terms of climate change, food and fiber production and quality of life for all county residents.
We are thankful for your leadership and for your members standing with us to ensure that our office has the resources it needs to support the rural community and the ag industry in Montgomery County. We look forward to continuing our partnership on ag initiatives for years to come."

"Like life, liberty and democracy, clean water is not something we can take for granted."
~ Scott Fosler, keynote address at  Regional Water Forum 2017 (transcript of keynote)

Ag Reserve architect and former planning Chair Royce Hanson recalls, "Scott was present and accounted for at the creation of the Agricultural Reserve. As president of the Montgomery County Council in 1980, he cast one of the five votes for adoption of the functional master plan for Preservation of Agriculture and Rural Open Space and the zoning map amendment that applied the Rural Density Transfer Zone, creating what became the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve. He played a critical role in the establishment of Little Seneca Lake as part of the emergency water supply system and in negotiation of the 1983 Low Flow Agreement governing regional water usage in drought emergencies. These interconnected interests as a council member continued in his role as a civic activist and mayor of the Town of Chevy Chase. He understood and promoted the value of the Reserve for the quality of life for whole county and as an example for the nation and put his passion for conservation to work, serving as vice-chair of the Montgomery County Ad Hoc Agricultural Policy Working Group, and as a member of the boards of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Friends of Ten Mile Creek, as well a board president of the Audubon Society. An exemplar of Montgomery County citizenship, Scott brought insight from his his broad national and international experience, his professional expertise and skills to the service of his community."

 MCA Board Chair Mike Rubin remarks, "Scott was one of a small group who not only helped create the Agricultural Reserve but fought to see that it survived. He was a voice of reason over many years. His legislative knowledge and conservation philosophy helped form policies that affected the preservation of the Reserve. 
He was always available for consultation and advice and an inspiration to me in my own efforts to play a part in the endeavor to assure the survival of this extraordinary creation. "

A remembrance in Maryland Matters