Posts tagged ‘parks’
SILVER SPRING, MD—The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Montgomery Parks was presented with a proclamation in honor of Food Day today from Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin.
M-NCPPC Montgomery County Department of Parks Director of Parks Mary Bradford accepted the proclamation, along with David Vismara, Chief of the Horticulture, Forestry and Environmental Education Division which oversees the Community Gardens Program, and Ursula Sabia Sukinik, Community Gardens Coordinator. The proclamation celebrates
the success of the Department of Park’s hugely popular community gardens program, which provides parkland access for Montgomery County residents to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables.
“It is an honor to receive this proclamation from Council President Ervin and the Montgomery County Council,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Director Mary Bradford. “We just started community gardens in our parks in 2009, and Council President Ervin has been our guiding force and inspiration. Bringing neighbors andcommunities together is a major part of the program, and we’re thrilled that these community gardens provide residents with a place to grow nutritious foods they can share with friends, families and the neighbors they meet.”
In just two years, the Parks community gardens program has grown to include more than 600 community gardeners on 10 locations operated or managed by the Parks Department: Bradley Local Park, Briggs Chaney, Emory Grove Center, Fenton Street Local Park, King Street, Maple Avenue, Parklawn, Rocking Horse Center, Sligo Mill Overlook and South Germantown Recreational Park.
“Since the beginning, Council President Ervin has been a tremendous champion of our community gardens program,” added Bradford. “We thank her for her continued support.”
Montgomery Parks Community Gardens Coordinator Ursula Sabia Sukinik added, “Our community gardeners grow everything from asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce to spinach, onions, tomatoes, peppers and more. Gardening helps promote healthy living and reduces the costs for the nutritional food our family needs while bringing the community together to
share, learn and grow. We encourage all residents to take part in this exciting program in 2012 and grow healthy vegetables their family will enjoy.”
Current gardeners can apply to renew existing plots from December 1, 2011 through January 15, 2012. Open enrollment for new community gardeners begins February 1. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit www.ParksCommunityGardens.org to learn more.
Food Day will be celebrated with events around the nation on Tuesday, October 24th. Events seek to bring communities together to discuss the way we produce, consume and think about
food. Learn more about Food Day and find events near you at http://foodday.org/.
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Contact:
Abbi Irelan
Marketing and Public Affairs Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
(301) 495-2532
SILVER SPRING, MD—Some of the negative impacts of deer in Montgomery County are being held at bay according to the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group’s new Fiscal Year 2012 annual report and recommendations for deer management.
“Implementation of long-term, effective deer management strategies is continuing to hold some of the negative impacts of deer in Montgomery County steady, but more efforts are needed in the future,” said Rob Gibbs, chair of the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group and Montgomery Parks Natural Resources Manager.
The report, released today, presents an overview of the county’s deer management program, actions implemented since the program began in 1995, and lists specific recommendations for implementation in FY 2012, which began July 1, 2011. Recommendations include both non-lethal and lethal strategies including deer population management initiatives on public land.
As noted in the report, one indicator used to evaluate the effectiveness of deer management is the number of deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) recorded annually by the Montgomery County Police Department. The total DVCs recorded for 2010 was 1,930.
Year: DVCs reported by MCPD
2002: 2,127
2003: 2,047
2004: 1,997
2005: 1,969
2006: 1,951
2007: 1,867
2008: 1,841
2009: 1,945
2010: 1,930
Deer-vehicle Collision Data 1994 – 2010 (Source – Montgomery County Police Department)
Overall, DVC numbers remain more than 8 percent below the highest accident rates, which occurred in 2002 despite increases in total vehicle miles traveled in the county—approximately 10 percent more miles during the past decade (www.marylandroads.com/oppen/Vehicle_Miles_of_Travel.pdf).
“We also know based on the data collected over a seven-year period around three parks, in particular, where deer management was being conducted that there was a significant reduction in DVCs adjacent to those parks,” added Gibbs. “We believe that this trend has continued as we’ve expanded our program over the years, however, accidents have likely continued to increase in areas where management is not yet implemented. Additional management is recommended in this year’s report.”
The Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group works closely with federal, state and county agencies to address and reduce deer related impacts. More than 1,600 homeowners and landscape professionals have attended workshops held by the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to learn tips on landscaping, repellents, fencing and other methods of controlling deer damage around the home.
Managed deer hunting and Park Police-based sharpshooting have been used in 19 Montgomery County parks. Two state parks, three Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission (WSSC) lands and one Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Solid Waste Services property have also utilized managed deer hunting to reduce deer populations in locations experiencing a high level of deer related impacts.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources continues to implement changes to state deer hunting regulations in an attempt to increase the annual harvest of deer, with an emphasis on reducing populations where they are extremely high. The State Highway Administration and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation are investigating and implementing measures such as wildlife passages under new roads, public service announcements and information on County Cable Montgomery to reduce the occurrence of deer related automobile accidents.
“Collectively, these strategies are intended to help reduce deer-human conflicts countywide,” said Gibbs. “Despite these efforts, though, some residents are still experiencing damage, especially in some down-county areas including Chevy Chase, Colesville, Potomac, Rockville, Olney and Silver Spring.”
Deer management is much more difficult to implement safely in these down-county areas due to the smaller, narrower size of open space and parkland, the high density of adjacent houses, a high level of public activity and a lack of resources needed to address the challenges. The Work Group continues to investigate a variety of measures to control deer numbers in these more urbanized areas but it continues to challenge not only Montgomery County but suburban areas across the nation.
For more information about deer in Montgomery County and to find this year’s annual report, visit www.ParksDeerManagement.org. Also, to comment on this report or arrange for a free workshop for your homeowner or community association on controlling deer damage, email MCP-DeerManagement@MontgomeryParks.org or call 301- 962-1341.
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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866
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