Mo-Co Alliance
  • Home
  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • A Brief History
    • Board & AC
    • Staff & Volunteers
    • Contact
    • Buy MCA Gear
  • About Ag Reserve
    • Rooted in the Reserve Podcast
    • Growing Legacy Film
    • History of the Ag Reserve
    • Benefits of the Ag Reserve
    • Agriculture Education
    • Farm Facts
    • Threats to the Ag Reserve
    • A Place with Purpose
  • News
  • Events
    • Local Events
    • Royce Hanson Award
    • Ride for Reserve
  • Support Local
    • Agricultural Guide
    • Local Food Connection
    • Good Fences Grant
    • Community Supported Agriculture
    • Restaurants & Retail
    • Artists of the Reserve
  • Community Resources
    • Land Link >
      • Labor Link
    • Re-leaf the Reserve
    • PLENTY Magazine
    • Producer's Resources
    • BIPOC Farmer Guide
    • Directory of Local Services
    • Friends of Ten Mile Creek
  • DONATE

News

What Has MCA Done For Me Lately? 2016 Wrap-Up

12/6/2016

 
Picture
The Earth is what we all have in common ~ Wendell Berry 
As the year draws to a close Montgomery Countryside Alliance gives heartfelt thanks to our members and supporters. No question- we could not do it without you. 2016 has been a year of both challenge and success.

Some highlights:
  • Education- the Key to our Future: Our program provided for class, field and on farm learning for local high school students. Now expanded to 4 schools and working with partners at Montgomery County Office of Agriculture, the program aims is to ensure that the next generation understands the value of a healthy food system and discovers the potential for careers and participation within it. Erin Binns of Poolesville’s Global Ecology Program writes: “MCA’s program has been excellent and the level of student interest in both their environment and food system is growing.” We are proud to have mentored student filmmakers’ award winning short documentary “The Call of the Land.”

  •  Building Strong Community: Through popular events including Field and Fiddle, the Royce Hanson Award Celebration, Ride for the Reserve, screenings of our “Growing Legacy” film (GrowingLegacyMovie.com) and a new batch of photo safaris, we promoted greater affection for and understanding of The Reserve and agriculture. Through our producers listserve and newsletters we connect farmers and residents to one another, local news and educational opportunities.

  •  Growing Farms = Growing Economy: Our Land Link program continues to thrive – matching farmers with landowners – leading to the addition of over 400 acres of new or expanded local farm businesses (MoCoLandLink.org). Staff worked with local farmers and the County Council to provide for regulation and zoning updates that support agritourism and increased farm earning potential. We helped to establish the new Common Ground Market, allowing Reserve producers an outlet to sell their products near their farms- bringing consumers to the Reserve and saving time, cost and labor for the farmers.

  • Protecting Natural and Historic Resources: Maybe you’ve seen them… our action alerts that foster collaboration to protect water resources, historic rustic roads and communities, encourage wise land use decisions. These alerts and our newly refurbished website provide tools for citizen participation and help our elected representatives understand what is important to us… what matters. The alerts have generated hundreds of emails and calls and results.

Looking Ahead:
  • Growing our local farm economy: The success of local farming is the success of the Reserve. To further that end, we will host a buyer – grower summit this winter helping to connect our producers with markets and restaurants. Tanya writes: “Thanks so much for your help connecting with Dawson’s Market, just delivered my first shipment of horned melon, Kiwano, and I will work with them again next season.”

  • No Outer Beltway and Potomac River Bridge! A recent alert from bypass/bridge booster Northern VA Transportation Alliance declares that the needs of the many must override the opposition of the few. We will ramp up efforts to demonstrate that local food production and land preservation matter to many.

  • Protecting our water: MCA will facilitate important hydrogeological studies of the characteristics and vulnerabilities of the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer, the groundwater supply that serves as only source of potable water for Reserve farms and communities.

  • Connecting Residents: Our popular Explore Guide will be revised and an interactive online version launched, better linking residents with both goods and destinations in the Reserve.
Your support keeps us both on the ground and at the table where decisions are made – decisions that directly affect the vitality of our farms and preservation of natural resources in rural Montgomery County. With over 15 years of collegial, effective advocacy, MCA has built a reputation as a well-respected organization, and we credit our members and partners with that achievement. In the Reserve we have an opportunity to not merely preserve, but to thrive. Please join us. Membership starts at just $25/year.
Your gift works all year to protect farms, water and open space right here in Montgomery County.
Picture
In Maryland alone an average of 20,000 acres of farmland is lost each year - and lost forever. Help keep farms growing on Metro’s edge.
Picture

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Barnesville Oaks/Greentree
    Bike
    Climate Change
    CSA
    Development
    Education
    Energy
    Events
    Fun!
    Growing Legacy
    Land Link
    Local Food
    Master Plan Update
    Mega Church
    Montgomery Council
    News
    Open Space
    Outer Beltway
    Parks
    Planning
    Potomac Bridge
    Racial Justice
    Recent Accomplishments
    Recipes
    Reducing Waste
    Regenerative Ag
    Releaf
    Rocklands
    Rural Schools
    Sewer
    Solar
    Take Action Now
    Ten Mile Creek
    Thrive 2050
    Transporation
    Water

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2012
    September 2012
    November 2010
    October 2010

ABOUT US
What We Do
A Brief History
Board & AC
Staff & Volunteers
Contact
​​Buy MCA Gear
ABOUT Ag RESERVE
History of the Ag
Benefits of the Ag
Farm Facts
Threats to the Ag
​A Place with Purpose
NEWS
EVENTS
Local Events
Ride for the Reserve
Royce Hanson Award
SUPPORT LOCAL
Ag Guide
Local Food Connection
Community Supported Agriculture
Restaurants & Retail
​Artists of the Reserve
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
​Land Link
Producer's Resources
Directory of Services
Picture
Montgomery Countryside Alliance
P.O Box 24, Poolesville, MD  20837
301-461-9831  •  ​[email protected]
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
MCA is proud to announce that we have been recognized for a third time as one of the best small charities in the D.C. region by Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. A panel of 110 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, and peer non-profit organizations evaluated 270 applications.

​MCA is known as an effective and innovative non-profit whose efforts to preserve and promote Montgomery County’s nationally recognized 93,000 acre Ag Reserve have brought increased public and governmental support of local food production and farmland and open space preservation. Most importantly, MCA’s efforts are putting more farmers on the ground and keeping them there.
COPYRIGHT © MONTGOMERY COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 2008