Ten Mile Creek Deserves Protection
MCA Partner, Audubon Naturalist Society, has been working hard to ensure that future land use does not jeopardize the quality of County treasure Ten Mile Creek. MCA was alerted this spring that Brown Trout were spotted by an ANS member near a Reserve rustic road. Armed with video camera, staff and volunteer Global Ecology students set out to document the species. The stream was clear and cold on the overcast afternoon. First, nothing and then…in shallow fast running water…there they were: 8-10 beautiful Brown Trout. As quickly as we spotted them, they shot upstream and were gone. No time to even attempt to film. A local wildlife biologist explained that the trout are very wary of people. No kidding. We will keep trying to capture them – just a bit more stealthily. Their presence in the stream says much about the quality of the water and why it is crucial to protect it. The County should not develop its huge bus depot near this stream. The County should re-evaluate Clarksburg Stage 4 buildout and trim the density back. For actions needed see this Audubon fact sheet authored by Diane Camerson.
Calling New Farmers!
Darby house and store will serve the incubator farm!
Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Woody Woodroof of Red Wiggler Farm are compiling a list of folks that may want to participate in the County’s small farm incubator. This could be as much as a full incubator farmer or as little as a producer that will attend some of the classes offered. So…contact us and let us know what your needs are and how this might help move your farm plans forward. Check out the link to Intervale which serves as a model for what Montgomery County hopes to achieve right here in the shadow of the Nation’s capitol!
Click here for the Montomgery County planning staff memo with all the Incubator details
Darby house and store will serve the incubator farm!
Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Woody Woodroof of Red Wiggler Farm are compiling a list of folks that may want to participate in the County’s small farm incubator. This could be as much as a full incubator farmer or as little as a producer that will attend some of the classes offered. So…contact us and let us know what your needs are and how this might help move your farm plans forward. Check out the link to Intervale which serves as a model for what Montgomery County hopes to achieve right here in the shadow of the Nation’s capitol!
Click here for the Montomgery County planning staff memo with all the Incubator details
Sustainable Farm Incubator Site Chosen!
Shannon, Maeve and Luke Varley at Bella Terra Farm
Plowing ahead on Montgomery County’s sustainable farm incubator (model: Intervale, VT)… See Gazette Coverage of the location approved by Park and Planning. See related story under “Take Action” section of our website: “Calling On New Farmers!”
Full Montgomery County planning staff memo with Incubator details
Shannon, Maeve and Luke Varley at Bella Terra Farm
The Debate:Organic Food is not Hype but Health
Intelligence Squared, an “Oxford Style” debate program aired on local NPR station WAMU, recently took up the following motion: “Organic Food is Marketing Hype.” A team of three experts for and against the motion debated the issue in an attempt to convince the studio audience of their position.
Before the debate, 21% of the audience voted for the motion, 45% against, and 34% were undecided. After the debate, 21% were still for the motion, 69% against, and just 10% remained undecided.
While undecided audience members were swayed by the arguments on the pro-organic side that pointed to the many academic studies (like this one) linking pesticide use to environmental degradation and possible health effects in humans, the debate was an earnest discussion of how we choose to feed ourselves and our growing world going forward.
Click here for video and audio of this fascinating and timely debate.
Summer brings the very best in local, sustainably grown food, click our “Support Local” tab above to see how you can add more local, sustainably grown food to your diet.
Farming chemicals and food: New Study Confirms Risk
Strawberries grown organically at House in the Woods CSA
Consumers are faced with a perplexing number of food related concerns these days. Whether or not to purchase organic is certainly one that looms large. The benefit of buying food grown locally is that you can know your farmer and ask about their farming practices. Whether the farm is certified organic or simply maintains healthy practices, consumers can take comfort in knowing how what they eat was grown.
See Washington Post coverage of the latest study that indicates that for some fruits and vegetables especially, eating organic or sustainably grown produce may make a real difference.