Howard County Group

The Howard County Group is part of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, a national environmental organization. Movie Night: Black Diamonds Friday, Sept 19 2008, 7:15 pm at HCRP, see below. Catherine Pancake, producer/director of the movie Black Diamonds, will host the film in person! This searing 90-minute documentary details the destruction wrought by mountaintop removal coal mines in West Virginia. Also speaking will be Ginny Robertson, a former resident of a town now removed by a mountaintop coal operation. For information, contact Brigitte, 240-506-8976, bfzaidan@safe-mail.net. From the movie's web page: Black Diamonds charts the escalating drama in Appalachia over the alarming increase in large mountaintop coal mines. These mammoth operations have covered 1200 miles of headwater streams with mining waste; demolished thousands of acres of hardwood forest; and flattened hundred of Appalachian mountain peaks. Citizen testimony and visual documentation interwoven with the perspectives of government officials, activists, and scientists create a riveting portrait of an American region fighting for its life--caught between the grinding wheels of the national appetite for cheap energy and an enduring sense of Appalachian culture, pride, and natural beauty. Directions to HCRP - Howard County Recreation and Parks Headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills, Rd., Columbia. From Washington: I-95 north, exit to Rt. 32 west, exit to Broken Land Parkway north, take first right onto Snowden River Parkway, at 3rd light turn right onto Oakland Mills Rd. Just before RR crossing turn right into parking lot. From Baltimore: I-95 south, exit to Rt. 175 west, turn left to Snowden River Parkway, at 3rd light turn left to Oakland Mills Rd. Just before RR crossing turn right to parking lot. Herbal Remedies - In Our Howard County Roots Monday, October 6 2008, 7:30 pm at HCRP, see the directions above. Native and non native plants found in our own backyards and local woodlands offer traditional folk remedies. This program will discuss many of these plants and how they have been used past and present. Helen Lowe Metzman is the director of an educational herb garden, The Green Farmacy Garden, in Fulton and coordinates the Tai Sophia herb garden in West Laurel. For information, contact Brigitte, 240-506-8976, bfzaidan@safe-mail.net. DC Green Festival Sun. Nov. 9 2008, 10:00-4:00. Carpool from Columbia to the DC Convention Center for the DC Green Festival (not a Sierra Club event). Learn to be more "green" by attending workshops, hearing speakers and browsing green business displays. Great food and music too! Visit http://greenfestivals.org/ for more info. Tickets are $15 at the door. Depart at 10:00 from the west lot of the park & ride on Broken Land Parkway at Rt. 32. Return about 4:00. Contact Sue Muller, 301-498-8462, sonicsue@verizon.net. Polar Bears, "Where's the Ice?"   Friday, Dec. 5 2008, 7:30 pm at HCRP, see the directions above. Back by popular demand, club member Sue Muller will be giving an encore presentation on her Nov. 2006 adventure to Churchill, Manitoba in search of polar bears. Learn how global warming is affecting these magnificent creatures. The presentation will be followed by a discussion of global warming and how every person can make a difference every day. Feel free to bring ideas to share! Homemade brownies provided, and you can bring your own drink (no alcohol) or snack. For information, contact Sue Muller, 301-498-8462, sonicsue@verizon.net. Rainbarrel Volunteers Needed Our rainbarrel sale in April was a huge success, and we have a waiting list of about 100 people for our next event, but we no longer have a supplier. We can get the parts and build our own, but we need a volunteer to coordinate the activity and more volunteers to help with the assembly. If you can help, contact Brigitte, 240-506-8976, bfzaidan@safe-mail.net. Volunteers Needed at North Laurel Park Parts of North Laurel Park are going to be developed into a Community Center and ball fields. Groundbreaking is scheduled before the end of this year. In the fall, a volunteer day will be scheduled to search for box turtles and to conduct some plant rescues. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Sue Muller at 410-313-4697 or email smuller@howardcountymd.gov. Featured Outing Visit rocky outcrops with sweeping views at Sugarloaf Mountain MD on Sept. 13, one of many trips on our outings schedule. See more photos on our pictures page.